baysriddles's reviews
162 reviews

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Continuing on with the fifth book in my favorite romance series... Lyssa Kay Adams did not disappoint-- again! I love Colton SO much and Gretchen was loveable as well. This book combines two of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and grumpy/sunshine. The fun part about this though is the grumpy/sunshine is reversed (grumpy gal w sunny guy)! I loved the Christmas aspect (definitely recommend reading this one around the holiday season to get it's full effect!) and enjoyed the playful banter between these two. Also-- for the love of family drama!!! Of course, the Bromance boys are hilarious per usual-- I always bust a gut when the guys get together. Truly a great addition to the series and I can't wait for the next(?)
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Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I'm beginning to think Ali Hazelwood is going to be one of my go-to authors. I loved this book so much! I adored Bee and Levi so much, both together and individually. The banter was hilarious and there were so many details I enjoyed about this book, such as Star Wars references, cats, the WWMD twitter page-- literally SO good and I never wanted to put it down! It didn't quite hit five stars for me because I was confused fairly often throughout because there are *so many* science/neuroscience/NASA references that I just simply do not understand lol. I found myself googling every now and then to look up a specific word or person mentioned. Other than that bit, I loved this and totally recommend!
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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 ๐Ÿ˜‚ 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! 

โ†’ Things I Liked: Engaging, thought provoking, informative

โ†’ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, Couldโ€™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 ๐Ÿ™ I expect that from Greek mythology, but goodnessโ€” itโ€™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 didnโ€™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.

โ†’ Things I Liked: LGBTQ+ representation, Descriptive settings, Emotional

โ†’ 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!

โ†’ Things I Liked: Funny banter, Fast-paced, Diverse side-characters

โ†’ 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.

 
โ†’ Things I Liked: Short chapters, Fast paced (for me), Powerful FMC

 
โ†’ 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.

 
โ†’ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Dual POV, Badass female MC, steamy

 
โ†’ 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!

โ†’ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Lovable characters, Dual POV, Perfect amount of smut

โ†’ 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.

 
โ†’ Things I Liked: short chapters, LGBTQ+ rep, multiple timelines

 
โ†’ Things I Disliked: sub-par characters, severely eurocentric, unnecessarily long
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