clairebartholomew549's reviews
686 reviews

The Immortal Woman by Su Chang

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book follows Lemie, a teenager in 1950s Shanghai who becomes a reluctant Red Guard Leader in her high school, policing her fellow classmates and ensuring everyone's fidelity to communism and the Chairman. Later she becomes a propagandist for a newspaper that essentially functions as a state mouthpiece, and then her life is ripped apart in the space of one year after she witnesses horrible violence at Tianamen Square and experiences great personal trauma and tragedy. We fast forward to her daughter Lin, who has gone to college in America to fulfill her mother's dream of her daughter living the American dream. The story is told mostly from the perspective of Lemei and Lin, with occasional interludes from other people in their lives.

This book is a pretty brutal read, involving relatively vivid and disturbing depictions of state violence, sexual assault, post-partum depression, racism, Sinophobia, colorism (both external and internalized), and other tough subjects. It's also really moving in its descriptions of what it's like to be a first-generation immigrant: the push and pull between your native country and where you end up, the disillusionment with both countries, the feeling of not belonging anywhere, disagreeing with your parent about your home country and your new country, etc. I found some parts of this book profound, but overall I was confused throughout much of the book and wished the book had more emotional resonance.

Thank you to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc. for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I love a good witch book, and this was a good witch book. Calliope is the youngest of three sisters who come from a long line of witches, but their mother cryptically left them 15 years ago and they know no other witches. They've been tasked with protecting the town by casting spells, but every spell requires them to sacrifice a memory. A threat comes to the town, and Calliope and her sisters have to stop it - with the help, of course, of a powerful witch from a rival coven who happens to be really hot (a tried-and-true formula).

This book is a joy to read - it's fast-paced, the sister dynamics are deep and complicated and well-explored, the town feels like Stars Hollow (complimentary), and the world-building feels accessible but not too simplistic. There were times where the book felt just a tad too cutesy, and the central romance moves a little too fast from enemies to lovers, but overall, I really enjoyed this! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

This may be my favorite Ali Hazelwood book ever, which is really saying something because I have given several of Ali's book five stars, and I devour everything she writes with a passion. She just has such a knack for writing chemistry, and her sex scenes are definitely the best I've ever read. This book stands out from Ali's incredible (and incredibly prolific) oeuvre for so many reasons: the world of competitive swimming and diving is sketched so well, Scarlett's mental blocks about diving resonate so deeply and feel so interesting, the growing relationship between Scarlett and Lukas is truly just swoon-worthy, the intimacy serves such a purpose and feels so rewarding, and every sex scene is the hottest thing I've ever read. I also loved the insights into family dynamics and about needing different things from romantic partners at different times in your life, and I just loved Scarlett and Lukas. I will be screaming from the rooftops about how much I love this book!!!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham, Elyse Durham

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

This book really grew on me. It has a slow start, but once it got going, it captured my attention and didn't let go. Maya and Natasha are twin sisters, born to a ballerina in Russian's premier ballet company during the siege of Leningrad. After their mother dies, the twins become students at Russia's most prestigious ballet academy. As Maya and Natasha near graduation, they learn that due to new Soviet restrictions, only one of them can be admitted to Russia's premier ballet company. We follow them leading to and in the aftermath of that announcement.

This book explores a complicated, codependent sibling relationship where they both are at once imminently likable and pretty horrible people. It asks questions about what you would do in impossible circumstances with impossible decisions, and it takes place during an extremely volatile time in our history - the cold war leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. I loved learning about the ballet world, and the author described Maya and Natasha's inscrutable bond so well. The pace definitely picks up as you go, and the plot is fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera

Go to review page

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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, this book was another one I've read recently with a great premise that just fell flat for me. I found this hard to follow, and the characters didn't pop for me. It was interesting at some points, and I enjoyed learning about a period of history thar I know little about, but I didn't get a lot of it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

Go to review page

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

4.0

I ride sooo hard for Ali Hazelwood, so much so that even though I'm really not an audiobook person, I simply had to listen to this one. Ali has a tried-and-true formula that I can never get enough of, and this is a great iteration of it. The winter cabin setting is cozy and scenic, and Viola is a sparky protagonist who makes the video game world feel accessible and meaningful. As usual, Ali has such a knack for writing realistic, sexy, and emotionally fulfilling dialogue, and the chemistry between Viola and Jesse is obvious and enjoyable. I loved this one :)
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Back After This by Linda Holmes

Go to review page

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

5.0

Sigh. I love loved loved this book. It's been a while since I've read a romance that had me smiling almost the whole time, and I just devoured this. Cecily is a podcast producer who is of course a workaholic, and her boss enlists her to host a show where an influencer-turned-relationship-coach sets her up on twenty dates. Shenanigans ensue, as they always do, and it's all so much fun.

Cecily is such a likable protagonist - incredibly loyal, really good at her job, no bullshit, confused about many things - and being in her head felt like talking to a friend. The love story is super sweet, funny, and relatable, and I love when a book explores the protagonist's personal growth outside their love life (this book is very good at it). This book also really highlighted the tension that a lot of single people feel - how much effort should I put into it? How specific should I be what I'm looking for? Where do I even find someone?  The questions are exhausting, and I appreciated the way this book had Cecily work through all of these things. Above all else, this was just such an enjoyable read!
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Go to review page

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

4.0

This series is so ridiculous, and I just love it. Fourth Wing was a perfect fantasy romance book, Iron Flame was a slog that was wayyyy too confusing and slow, and this book doesn't quite find the pace and sparkle of Fourth Wing but is definitely addictive. It's extremely confusing -I truly cannot keep the characters straight, let alone the political dynamics (and the island-hopping really got away from me) - so I highly recommend just ignoring the stuff you don't understand (for me that was like 65% of the book lol). But this is just so much fun.

Violet gets a lot more fleshed out this book, which I appreciated - she feels a lot more nuanced, and her motivations make a lot of sense. I loved learning more about the dragons, and the world-building and lore, although confusing, feels real and the stakes feel high. Violet and Xaden's back and forth is definitely less annoying than in Iron Flame, and the plot developments are exciting and interesting. As many reviewers have pointed out, the last 20% or so is a wild ride, and I loved it. And of course, the book ends on a cliffhanger - which is honestly not a spoiler, considering the first two books ended on cliffhangers and the fantasy romance genre loveees a cliffhanger. I really can't wait for the next book!!!


Expand filter menu Content Warnings
What You Make of Me: A Novel by Sophie Madeline Dess

Go to review page

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

3.0

Sadly, this book really disappointed me. The premise was immediately appealing to me - brother and sister are both artists and each other's muses, brother and sister have weird codependent relationship and fall in love with the same woman, brother and sister have childhood trauma and basically only have each other - but it just fell so flat to me. I never love when a book seems obsessed with its writing style, and this book seemed to think that having Ava and Demetri say a lot of bonkers stuff to each other would make us find their relationship interesting. I don't think we were supposed to find Ava or Demetri likable, but they confused me to the point that I didn't really care what happened to them. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative 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? Yes

4.0

I loved this book so, so much - it had me both laughing out loud and thinking out loud, which is a great combination in a book. Nadia is a recent PhD student who takes a job at the UN "deradicalizing" ISIS brides in Iraq, even though she has no experience in deradicalization and knows very little about the conflict in Iraq or the complicated political and societal dynamics. Without giving anything away, her woeful unpreparedness, the unending bureaucracy, and colorful cast of characters make for an incredibly entertaining and impactful read.

The very first sentence of this book sets the tone in an amazing way. This book is so witty and shrewd, and it really takes aim at the white savior industrial complex and the complicity of "well-meaning" aid workers in enabling further discrimination and oppression, without feeling heavy-handed or overly preachy. The book deftly explores Nadia's own relationship with being Muslim and her own difficulties fitting into society, and the bond Nadia forms with one of the women in the camp perfectly encapsulates how easy and seductive it is to project our own beliefs on someone else, and how we can flatten people to the barest facts about them and ignore their inherent complications. That was maybe a bunch of gobbledygook (what a great word lol), but I thought this book really powerfully depicted messy human relationships and how hard it is to understand anything about each other when we only have preconceived notions to go off. This book is hard to explain - just know I found it so much fun and also deeply interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings