books_and_cream_cheese's reviews
154 reviews

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Yeeeaaaahhh... for a book called "The Plot" there is barely any of it. Like, wtf? I almost fell asleep reading this - the radio interview scene?! How could you leave something this pointless and unnecessarily looooong in a book? I was so excited for this one, but after more than 100 pages I'm officially done. 
The Passengers by John Marrs

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

4.0

Pretty entertaining - gripping plot, unexpected twists, slimey antagonist. 

However, the ending was quite underwhelming. A bit too illogical, a bit too forced. 

Either way - this book is a page turner and you learn a thing or two about the 5 stages of self-driving cars, so who cares about a limp ending 😉
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 77%.
I feel like a horrible human being with a heart of stone for not liking this book. Objectively, it's very well written - raw and honest and with so much compassion. But somehow, I didn't connect. Maybe it's because I haven't yet lost someone who is close to me (and I'm beyond grateful for that), maybe it's because my family and my life are just completely different from the author's. Either way, after reading more than half of it, decided to DNF it for good and give the book away so it can be found by someone else who truly enjoys it. 
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

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

5.0

I regret that I put of reading this book for so long. Read this in a day because I couldn't put it down - utterly brilliant.
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura

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challenging funny mysterious relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I gotta say: I read this at the perfect time. With so many exams and projects and work to juggle at the end of the semester, I needed something easy and mind-numbing and this was exactly it. The boring-ness of it was just what I yearned for to put my overflowing head to rest. 

Looking at the protagonist who wants a calm and uneventful work environment to recover from her burnout, I might have accidentally mirrored her state perfectly - and what the ideal job was looking like for here, this book delivered for me: slow, calm and peaceful.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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

3.5

Started out slow, picked up around the start of the Trojan war, crazy good ending. I think I would've liked it more if my expectations hadn't been so high because of all the praise this book has gotten - especially because it left out some interesting parts of the original mythological story.

Either way, enjoyable but more forgettable than I'd hoped.
With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher

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emotional lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

Enjoyable, fuzzy and lighthearted. I enjoyed the whimsical writing style, but the story has similar flaws as Carrie Hope Fletcher's earlier works - word repetitions, all-over-the-place pacing and stereotype characters. This felt more like a first draft than the finished product. 
That being said, this book really started to grip me tight around the 100-page-mark and I couldn't put it down. 
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

Oooh I had such a good time! Sad and hopeful, deep but not too deep. Klune manages to give you warm and fuzzy feelings AND makes you think about death simultaneously. I love the comment on the importance of empathy, therapy and social work when being confronted with death. The only thing that didn't make it five stars is that the main character's change happend too quickly to be believable for me personally.
Beach Read by Emily Henry

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enjoyable, warm and fuzzy. 
The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A heartwarming and whimsical read, perfect for a long train ride.