barrettbooks's reviews
60 reviews

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the second of Talia Hibert's books I have read (the first was Get a Life, Chloe Brown) and it lived up to the high expectation I had developed for her work. I love the fat representation, the autistic representation, and I would literally die for the pansexual grandmother. This was funny, sexy, and also a really empowering story of self-discovery and self-appreciation. I am also an absolute sucker for conflict being solved through open and honest communication. It was also nice to see some cameos from the other Brown sisters and their partners, even if they were causing a big ol' dramatic mess. :) Overall, greatly enjoyed this fun romp.
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a wonderfully moody fantasy that explores difficult choices, living with consequences, family ties, and love. The magic system is interesting and the characters are compelling. I love a story where the characters have to question their worldviews and reexamine their assumptions, and The Dark Tide has a lot of that as the main characters learn more about each other's pasts. I listened to the audiobook, and thought it generally strong, though I found Eva's voice slightly dull. <Spoiler>However, any book where a girl starts out in love with a man and ends up kissing another woman is generally alright by me. :) </Spoiler>
Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a cute and enjoyable romance that also deals with social justice, immigration, finding your own place in the world, and recovering from an abusive family. The two leads are a fun pair, and their banter and chemistry is believable. The sexy scenes and thoughts are mostly pretty hot. I love all of the larger ensemble cast as well. I also enjoyed how much Spanish was included. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators both did an excellent job. Overall, although the book touches on some heavier subjects (and the parts that include a verbally abusive parent are really quite chilling,) it was a fairly lighthearted read that was sweet and enjoyable.
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Death by Coffee by Alex Erickson

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was looking for a quick and easy cozy mystery, and Death by Coffee did technically meet that criteria but ultimately fell flat for me. None of the character relationships felt authentic — the main character's primary feeling for her supposed best friend seems to be jealousy about her good looks, and her feelings for her love interest seem lukewarm at best. Many of the characters frequently demonstrate a huge lack of boundaries that is remarked upon in the text but never meaningfully addressed. Perhaps even more of a problem is that the mystery is kind of boring, and in fact seems to take no skill on the part of our amateur detective to solve, only a willingness to badger a grieving widow on multiple occasions. I was interested enough in the outcome to finish reading the book (thus the two star rating) but only just.
One of the Good Ones by Maritza Moulite, Maika Moulite

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book packs a lot of information about racial inequality in America's past and present into a fictional story. Generally, the facts are sprinkled in pretty naturally through the devices of Kezi's activism and Youtube channel. The novel is a multi-perspective foray through teen drama, road trip montage, period piece, and thriller, always centring Black girls and families in their quest to survive and thrive despite individual and systemic attempts to control, harm, and kill them. In addition to its extensive exploration of Blackness and anti-Black racism in America, One of the Good Ones also looks at sisterhood and family, the tension between who we are and who we are expected to be, mental health, queerness, and grief. Though it deals with a lot of heavy subject matter, the book is ultimately hopeful, and many of its characters get the second chances they thought were impossible. 
No Place for Monsters by Kory Merritt

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adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a fun and cute middlegrade book. The supernatural elements are interesting (and sometimes pretty spooky) but the emotional core of the book is very rooted in real-world kid issues: navigating relationships with family and friends, dealing with fear and loss, treating yourself and others with respect. Plus, any book that is anti-home owners associations is alright by me. 
I listened to the audiobook and while there were a few sections that I believe are illustration-only in print that did not in my opinion fully work as sound effects, the narration by Caitlin Kelly was generally very strong and added to the atmosphere nicely.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed the world of this book. The system of vampirism and the development of social controls is an interesting twist on the genre. The exploration of social media and reality television as it interacts with vampirism is super cool and underexplored in other works. The cast is a mix of characters I really enjoy and want the best for and characters I am fine with feeding to vampires, as I believe the author intended. Like most teen vampire books, there is some questionable age-gap consent navigation, but in this case I am mostly willing to overlook it and still enjoyed the novel greatly. Would be interested in a further exploration of this cool world. 
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I always love V.E. Schwab's writing and this is no exception. It's beautifully dreamy and lyrical. The jumping through time, telling stories from throughout a period of 300 years is ambitious and well-executed. The settings always ring true for me, and I loved the exploration of an interesting twist on immortality. Then, like every Schwab novel, it finds a way to break your heart but also put it back together. A really lovely book.
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely love the Simon Snow trilogy and this ending did not disappoint. It's by turns funny and cute and silly and reflective and sad. Some of the resolutions are messy and ambiguous but it feels very real to me. I love all these characters and I am really hopeful about their futures beyond the ending. Additionally, I listened to the audiobook and I really can't recommend it highly enough.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this that my partner asked "so.....is the murder robot book a....comedy?"
I really enjoyed this. It packed a lot of world building in a small space and is an interesting look at what society and humanity might look like amid advanced technology and commercialism. Plus, the narration is chef's kiss. Looking forward to the rest of the series.