bayleereads's reviews
150 reviews

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Was this cheesy as hell? Yes. Was the mystery somewhat predictable? Yes. Did I love it with my whole heart?... also yes. This book was just what I needed to pull me out of a slump. Myles is everything I want in a man and I simped HARD for him. I loved Taylor and Jude's sibling dynamic and love for each other. The murder mystery was entertaining, but Taylor and Myles' growing relationship was the best part! The steam was phenomenal and truly the best part of the book 😂 Can we get a sequel of Jude and Dante now, Tessa?!
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Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was SO good! I listened to it on audio, which was narrated by the author, and I HIGHLY recommend the audio! This book is a necessary read and was sectioned in a comprehensible chunks. Acho did a wonderful job putting difficult topics into perspective and I liked all the resources provided at the end of each chapter. This is an outstanding and relevant book that I will definitely be purchasing so that I can re-read it with a highlighter in hand! 

→ Things I Liked: Engaging, thought provoking, informative

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, Could’ve called out the racists a bit more tbh
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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

4.0

Damn, was this one ever sad 🙁 I expect that from Greek mythology, but goodness— it’s depressing! I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in this and I adore Achilles + Patroclus. Chiron was a favorite as well! As much as I loved this, it didn’t hit five stars for me because 1) there were *so* many characters and I was confused the whole book and 2) I wanted more romance with less action.

→ Things I Liked: LGBTQ+ representation, Descriptive settings, Emotional

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, Gore, Old-timey writing style
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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Grumpy + sunshine collides with fake dating?!?! Sign me up! Olive was such an inspiring character, being a powerful woman in STEM. Even though Adam was an asshole, he was a lovable asshole and I absolutely adored their romance. The plot had so many twists and turns and I stayed hooked through the whole thing! As always, I had a hard time with all of the lying, since lying storylines aren't my favorite, but Olive redeemed herself in the end. I highly recommend this one if you like steamy rom coms!

→ Things I Liked: Funny banter, Fast-paced, Diverse side-characters

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, The term "smart-ass" was highly overused
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Okay, okay, I get it. I get the hype. This was such a great read. My heart broke for Kya during the *entirety* of this novel, and I just loved her so much. I also LOVED Tate, and I seriously was rooting for them the whole time. I loved Jumpin's character, and I love her brother, Jodie as well. As a birder, I thoroughly enjoyed the many bird references throughout the book and was able to resonate with Kya's love for birds and nature.

This one didn't hit five stars for me for the following reasons:

1) I refuse to give any white author who uses the n-word a 5 star review. We know it was the segregated racist south. We can use our imagination for the words they would have used. A white woman writing the n-word in her novel is unnecessary and uncalled for. It's crossing a line.

2) The "whodunit" reveal left me... empty. Like, what? If you've read the book, you probably understand what I'm trying to say here. But since I always leave my reviews spoiler-free, I can't articulate exactly what I'm thinking about the ending. I'll just say this: I NEEDED MORE THAN A PARAGRAPH EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED!

3) The author is low-key under investigation for a murder??? I know she hasn't been proven guilty and is still mingling about in her community, but that just doesn't sit right with me, tbh.

 
→ Things I Liked: Short chapters, Fast paced (for me), Powerful FMC

 
→ Things I Disliked: Jumpin + Mabel's dialogue (very chopped up and hard to read, tbh. I know it's to show how the characters were likely uneducated, but it really messed with me), Ending felt *very* rushed, Unnecessary use of n-word
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Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a perfect sequel to IHOS. I loved the friends to lovers trope/storyline! Hannah is such a bad-ass woman and I want to be her friend. This one was steamy, but not nearly as much as IHOS. Fox is such a stone-cold guy, and I love how Hannah makes him all soft and mushy. It didn't hit five stars for me for two reasons: 1) it was SUCH a SLLOWWW burn and 2) Fox was a whiny man-child for at least 50% of the book.

 
→ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Dual POV, Badass female MC, steamy

 
→ Things I Disliked: Slow burn, Fox was a literal child sometimes
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It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Y'all, I DEVOURED this book! This was such a fun ride from the beginning all the way to the very end! I appreciated how we got to see both points of view, which I love because oftentimes the male's POV is left out of the book! Brendan was adorable and although Piper could be a bit *much* at times, I loved her as well. The spice was HOT and the perfect amount, imo. This is easily the best grumpy x sunshine trope I've ever read! Love love love this one-- probably my favorite read of 2022 so far!

→ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Lovable characters, Dual POV, Perfect amount of smut

→ Things I Disliked: Wasn't a fan of Mick, but I guess there's gotta be a villain in every story.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book was super hyped for me, and I'm sad to say I'm a little... disappointed. It didn't blow me away! I had a hard time getting into it, and even though I ended up liking it a bit more once Henry was introduced, I grew to dislike Addie * a lot.* Toward the end, I was simply bored with her character and everything she did I rolled my eyes at. This book also heavily lacked diversity and was *super* white. 300 years and this woman stayed in Europe and North America? Not once did she travel to Africa, Asia, or South America? She could have experienced so much culture and knowledge from other places but she stayed in white countries throughout her 300+ years. If there was any book/storyline out there that had the potential to explore other cultures-- it was THIS one. But alas, it did not. I did like Henry and Addie's romance, I loved the LGBTQ+ representation, and I loved how art was weaved into the whole story. But honestly, the plot for this book has so much potential and could have been *so* much stronger, and overall I'm just a bit let down.

 
→ Things I Liked: short chapters, LGBTQ+ rep, multiple timelines

 
→ Things I Disliked: sub-par characters, severely eurocentric, unnecessarily long
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What We Don't Talk about When We Talk about Fat by Aubrey Gordon

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

 This was such a good read/listen. I encourage everyone— of all sizes— to read this one. Aubrey Gordon talks about diet culture, fatphobia, eating disorders, weight loss, sexual violence, and SO much more as it pertains to being a fat person. As a fat individual, this one really resonated with me and I would like to go back and read a physical copy to annotate for my own shelves. I removed a half star because I wish there would have been more talk and emphasis on eating disorders in fat people, and how they are often overlooked and dismissed because they look different. Although this is touched on, I would have liked more. 
 
→ Things I Liked: narrator, informative 
 
→ Things I Disliked: anecdotal— it could have had more “take action” conversation 
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The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

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emotional funny inspiring relaxing 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

4.5

Gosh, I just love Helen Hoang’s writing! This one was so fun— I think I liked it almost as much as the first! I absolutely loved Quan (where can I find one of him?!) and Anna. I loved her resilience and although it took a while, I was so proud when she finally stood up for herself. On that note, Priscilla made me want to throw the book across the room and scream. I couldn’t stand her! The ending was perfect and I felt like a proud friend watching Anna 🥲

→ Things I Liked: humor, mental illness representation, short chapters, multiple povs

→ Things I Disliked: Priscilla— she made me irrationally angry 😅
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