Scan barcode
bookswithjax's reviews
725 reviews
Lady Saves The Duke by Annabelle Anders
5.0
A relatable heroine
I’m in the process of reading this entire series along with the authors book club. I have to say Abigail is my favorite heroine so far!! I relate to her so much, sometimes it made it hard to breath. She is strong yet vulnerable and that’s real life!! Alex our hero is very alluring and didn’t fail me in living up to my expectations. If you’re looking for a good romance with relatable characters that will make you smile, laugh, and even cry, the give this book a shot!!
I’m in the process of reading this entire series along with the authors book club. I have to say Abigail is my favorite heroine so far!! I relate to her so much, sometimes it made it hard to breath. She is strong yet vulnerable and that’s real life!! Alex our hero is very alluring and didn’t fail me in living up to my expectations. If you’re looking for a good romance with relatable characters that will make you smile, laugh, and even cry, the give this book a shot!!
All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
4.0
Hmm okay so I’ve given it 4 stars which is a tad generous of me. This was a 3 star read for me most of the time.
So first issue I had was getting into the book at all! I mean I wasn’t at DNF level but I struggled. I 100% attribute that to not liking Amora the main character. At 18 years old she is highly unlikable. I think if she was 16 I would have her more slack, but at 18 she had been preparing for her role since she was 5... seriously FIVE!! Yet she was that self centered, that unprepared, and that easily destroyed??! Ehhh I don’t buy it!! Listen when I was 18 I was a hot mess, but I also hadn’t been preparing for crap my whole life lol. Sigh it’s YA, I know that, but she just really irked me!
The plot isn’t new but honestly it’s YA fantasy it doesn’t need to be new. I liked the world building and the interesting take on magic. I enjoyed the mermaids etc. and how that was woven into the story. After about a quarter of the way into the story I bought into the plot and enjoyed it.
This books saving grace!! Because yes dear readers it has a saving grace and the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 3. The secondary characters are where it’s at!! Bastian, Ferrick, Viteae, Cassum, etc. I really felt them! These are character that helped Amora grow. They supported her, carried her literally and figuratively throughout the book. They saved their Kingdom more than Amora did if were being honest. Amora is the epitome of a “millennial” constantly struggling to move forward... 2 steps forward and 1 step back. That makes her human and makes me question if I was even supposed to like her in the beginning. The middle of the book is where I clicked with her, the end of the book I got annoyed again but I keep reminding myself she’s 18, she’s 18!!
I’m interested in seeing how the second book goes since this book was fairly wrapped up. I mean there’s work to be done in the Kingdom, but I suspect that this maybe was slated to be a standalone until it took off. I’ll read the next one and I’ll be interested in seeing where these characters go next!
So first issue I had was getting into the book at all! I mean I wasn’t at DNF level but I struggled. I 100% attribute that to not liking Amora the main character. At 18 years old she is highly unlikable. I think if she was 16 I would have her more slack, but at 18 she had been preparing for her role since she was 5... seriously FIVE!! Yet she was that self centered, that unprepared, and that easily destroyed??! Ehhh I don’t buy it!! Listen when I was 18 I was a hot mess, but I also hadn’t been preparing for crap my whole life lol. Sigh it’s YA, I know that, but she just really irked me!
The plot isn’t new but honestly it’s YA fantasy it doesn’t need to be new. I liked the world building and the interesting take on magic. I enjoyed the mermaids etc. and how that was woven into the story. After about a quarter of the way into the story I bought into the plot and enjoyed it.
This books saving grace!! Because yes dear readers it has a saving grace and the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 3. The secondary characters are where it’s at!! Bastian, Ferrick, Viteae, Cassum, etc. I really felt them! These are character that helped Amora grow. They supported her, carried her literally and figuratively throughout the book. They saved their Kingdom more than Amora did if were being honest. Amora is the epitome of a “millennial” constantly struggling to move forward... 2 steps forward and 1 step back. That makes her human and makes me question if I was even supposed to like her in the beginning. The middle of the book is where I clicked with her, the end of the book I got annoyed again but I keep reminding myself she’s 18, she’s 18!!
I’m interested in seeing how the second book goes since this book was fairly wrapped up. I mean there’s work to be done in the Kingdom, but I suspect that this maybe was slated to be a standalone until it took off. I’ll read the next one and I’ll be interested in seeing where these characters go next!
Unfit by Karma Chesnut
4.0
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review...
I have a love affair with Dystopian novels, but sometimes they get repetitive or commercialized. When I was approached about reading Unfit I was just coming off of reading a different debut Dystopian novel. So I was definitely in the mood to continue the trend and I said you know what, yes I will read this. I’m glad I did, as I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was really well written. The descriptions and dialogue were well fleshed out and flowed easily. There was enough world building so you could imagine the scenes you were reading, but not so much that it overtakes the book and makes it hard to get into.
Now most Dystopian novels have a human atrocity element to them that is outlandish yet just believable enough to make you pause. Unfit has atrocities that mirror our world’s histories, and then even takes it a touch further. To say there were moments I was entirely uncomfortable at how real this book felt, is an understatement. This made its impact all the more effective. I feel like the underlying theme or basis to this story can be summed up in a quote: “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
I tend to be a very character driven reader and I am very attached to some of these characters. Morgan, John, Buck, Katharine... I need to know what happens!!! I’m hoping for a book 2! Also I love a book that makes me think and this one definitely did.
One note: this is an Adult Dystopian novel. I wouldn’t consider it YA. There’s no overt drug use, sex, or anything like that, but it’s very intense and the themes could be disturbing for some younger readers. Definitely 15 and over at minimum in my opinion.
Trigger warning: Filicide, prison violence, mass extermination, abortion, (apologies if I missed any).
I have a love affair with Dystopian novels, but sometimes they get repetitive or commercialized. When I was approached about reading Unfit I was just coming off of reading a different debut Dystopian novel. So I was definitely in the mood to continue the trend and I said you know what, yes I will read this. I’m glad I did, as I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was really well written. The descriptions and dialogue were well fleshed out and flowed easily. There was enough world building so you could imagine the scenes you were reading, but not so much that it overtakes the book and makes it hard to get into.
Now most Dystopian novels have a human atrocity element to them that is outlandish yet just believable enough to make you pause. Unfit has atrocities that mirror our world’s histories, and then even takes it a touch further. To say there were moments I was entirely uncomfortable at how real this book felt, is an understatement. This made its impact all the more effective. I feel like the underlying theme or basis to this story can be summed up in a quote: “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
I tend to be a very character driven reader and I am very attached to some of these characters. Morgan, John, Buck, Katharine... I need to know what happens!!! I’m hoping for a book 2! Also I love a book that makes me think and this one definitely did.
One note: this is an Adult Dystopian novel. I wouldn’t consider it YA. There’s no overt drug use, sex, or anything like that, but it’s very intense and the themes could be disturbing for some younger readers. Definitely 15 and over at minimum in my opinion.
Trigger warning: Filicide, prison violence, mass extermination, abortion, (apologies if I missed any).
A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery
3.0
L.M. Montgomery the OG soap Opera writer!!!
Seriously though, I wanted to love this book, but I struggled for days to finish it. There are too many people in this book, and it’s just not put together in a way that makes it easy to remember who is who.
That said, I enjoyed some of the storylines more than others. I was VERY confused about the Jug and completely thrown by Jocelyn’s storyline. She was probably the biggest idiot since Juliet (aka Romeo and Juliet).
I did enjoy Aunt Becky and her sassiness and prickliness as the matriarch I’d the family. I can’t even begin to go into all the family and their plot lines as there were at least 40 people talked about...
Overall I’m glad I read it, but I won’t be picking it up again anytime soon, actually probably never will.
Seriously though, I wanted to love this book, but I struggled for days to finish it. There are too many people in this book, and it’s just not put together in a way that makes it easy to remember who is who.
That said, I enjoyed some of the storylines more than others. I was VERY confused about the Jug and completely thrown by Jocelyn’s storyline. She was probably the biggest idiot since Juliet (aka Romeo and Juliet).
I did enjoy Aunt Becky and her sassiness and prickliness as the matriarch I’d the family. I can’t even begin to go into all the family and their plot lines as there were at least 40 people talked about...
Overall I’m glad I read it, but I won’t be picking it up again anytime soon, actually probably never will.
One Week 'Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
5.0
I was looking for a happy smile inducing romance and honestly this was 100% it!! I’ve never read this author before but I’m 100% finding every book I can of hers and devouring them.
If you’ve ever had the dream of going to London and meeting the British man of your dreams then run run run to buy this book! Tom was a dreamboat and Isobel was just the perfect modern day heroine that I could totally relate to.
If you’ve ever had the dream of going to London and meeting the British man of your dreams then run run run to buy this book! Tom was a dreamboat and Isobel was just the perfect modern day heroine that I could totally relate to.
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
4.0
This was a decent sequel to Daddy-Long-Legs! It was really nice to read about one of the characters from their point of view versus Judy’s. Again this is an epistolary story and from the POV of Sallie McBride (Judy’s friend and former college roommate).
The only issue I had with this one was turning off my 21st century brain and not cringing at the things Sallie says. You can tell that she’s grown up much differently to Judy and she says some of the most insensitive and very non PC things. Obviously political correctness didn’t exist back then, but still some of what she says I feel would have been bad even then. At least I hope it would have!
So I give it 4 stars instead of 5, for that very reason.
The only issue I had with this one was turning off my 21st century brain and not cringing at the things Sallie says. You can tell that she’s grown up much differently to Judy and she says some of the most insensitive and very non PC things. Obviously political correctness didn’t exist back then, but still some of what she says I feel would have been bad even then. At least I hope it would have!
So I give it 4 stars instead of 5, for that very reason.