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cluckieduck's reviews
298 reviews
Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
"Change is a choice we make every day, a thousand times a day. We choose to do this one thing better. Then the next. And the next."
While I didn't particularly enjoy Good Girl Complex I really wanted to read about Evan & Gen's relationship. Evan was introduced in Good Girl Complex as the identical twin to its male lead Cooper, but we only heard about Gen because of how her supposed actions affected Evan and influenced his dickish behaviour, so I was very interested to get more of a backstory on their past. Unfortunately, what we get is a very toxic second-chance romance between a girl trying to shed her party-girl image and live a sober life and a guy who can't take 'no' for an answer and doesn't believe that his supposed 'best friend' is being genuine in wanting to change her ways.
"Evan and I have always had this tension between us. Pushing and pulling. Making each other jealous and manipulating a response. It's all part of the bad habits I'm trying to break. Yet, in doing so, I'm repeating the steps."
I think I may be ageing out of enjoying Elle Kennedy because I just found it, overall, to be quite juvenile. And yes, comparatively, 22 is young, but their actions (Evan's more so) were so immature. I also didn't appreciate that Gen kept stringing along Harrison knowing full-well that their relationship was going nowhere while she still had feelings (and kept hooking up with!!) Evan. That was totally unfair.
Everything wrapped up much to quickly and neatly, throwing up happy resolutions between so many intertwining relationships, it was a bit of an eye-roll. I won't be continuing with the series after this.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
While I didn't particularly enjoy Good Girl Complex I really wanted to read about Evan & Gen's relationship. Evan was introduced in Good Girl Complex as the identical twin to its male lead Cooper, but we only heard about Gen because of how her supposed actions affected Evan and influenced his dickish behaviour, so I was very interested to get more of a backstory on their past. Unfortunately, what we get is a very toxic second-chance romance between a girl trying to shed her party-girl image and live a sober life and a guy who can't take 'no' for an answer and doesn't believe that his supposed 'best friend' is being genuine in wanting to change her ways.
"Evan and I have always had this tension between us. Pushing and pulling. Making each other jealous and manipulating a response. It's all part of the bad habits I'm trying to break. Yet, in doing so, I'm repeating the steps."
I think I may be ageing out of enjoying Elle Kennedy because I just found it, overall, to be quite juvenile. And yes, comparatively, 22 is young, but their actions (Evan's more so) were so immature. I also didn't appreciate that Gen kept stringing along Harrison knowing full-well that their relationship was going nowhere while she still had feelings (and kept hooking up with!!) Evan. That was totally unfair.
Everything wrapped up much to quickly and neatly, throwing up happy resolutions between so many intertwining relationships, it was a bit of an eye-roll. I won't be continuing with the series after this.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Vomit, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Violence and Police brutality
Heat Wave by TJ Klune
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
Two words - Burrito. Jerry.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the series and my favourite book of the three.
It started quite confusingly and I thought I had missed something important linked to what was revealed in the epilogue of book two, but once that got sorted out things flowed a bit better with the narrative.
Nick showed a lot of growth and I appreciated how his arc was handled, especially with his ADHD (though I guess not all that surprising considering TJ’s own experiences). I loved how his relationship with Seth was further solidified and you can really grasp their love for one another.
A bit of a deus ex machina ending, but it was cute so I won’t complain too much 😉
Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the series and my favourite book of the three.
It started quite confusingly and I thought I had missed something important linked to what was revealed in the epilogue of book two, but once that got sorted out things flowed a bit better with the narrative.
Nick showed a lot of growth and I appreciated how his arc was handled, especially with his ADHD (though I guess not all that surprising considering TJ’s own experiences). I loved how his relationship with Seth was further solidified and you can really grasp their love for one another.
A bit of a deus ex machina ending, but it was cute so I won’t complain too much 😉
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"There's no guarantees...not in real estate, investments, or love."
For those who like a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, clean romance, this is a good book for them. But I tell ya, I've never wanted to smack someone upside the head as much as I do Wes. My god, is he thick (and no, not the good kinda thick). It was marketed as a standalone, but I came to find too late that it is the final book in a trilogy of brothers finding their love, so I'm interested to know if Wes factored in either of the previous two books and what his character was like then.
Told in dual POVs, our MCs (Wes & Hailey) meet each other at a seminal moment in both their lives. As their relationship develops, we see them grappling with their need to stay away from romance and keep themselves as 'friends'. Both dealt with a lack of parental love growing up and approach romance differently - Wes would prefer to focus on 'liking' rather than 'loving' a partner, while Hailey is looking for someone who will treat her as more than 'an extra...a nobody.' Can you see where there may be some friction & miscommunication as their relationship develops?! Because Wes sure can't! He doesn't trust his own emotions enough to be vulnerable, even though he is totally smitten.
Hailey smiled. "He's my friend. There's no room for pining." Keep saying it. Maybe it'll feel true.
While they did have some cute banter, the push-me-pull-you of their feelings was repeated over and over, and it became tiring to read. Had more time been spent fleshing out their actual romantic relationship rather than the filler of how to run a business, or some awkward forced OW/OM situations to spark jealousy between Wes & Hailey, perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
For those who like a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, clean romance, this is a good book for them. But I tell ya, I've never wanted to smack someone upside the head as much as I do Wes. My god, is he thick (and no, not the good kinda thick). It was marketed as a standalone, but I came to find too late that it is the final book in a trilogy of brothers finding their love, so I'm interested to know if Wes factored in either of the previous two books and what his character was like then.
Told in dual POVs, our MCs (Wes & Hailey) meet each other at a seminal moment in both their lives. As their relationship develops, we see them grappling with their need to stay away from romance and keep themselves as 'friends'. Both dealt with a lack of parental love growing up and approach romance differently - Wes would prefer to focus on 'liking' rather than 'loving' a partner, while Hailey is looking for someone who will treat her as more than 'an extra...a nobody.' Can you see where there may be some friction & miscommunication as their relationship develops?! Because Wes sure can't! He doesn't trust his own emotions enough to be vulnerable, even though he is totally smitten.
Hailey smiled. "He's my friend. There's no room for pining." Keep saying it. Maybe it'll feel true.
While they did have some cute banter, the push-me-pull-you of their feelings was repeated over and over, and it became tiring to read. Had more time been spent fleshing out their actual romantic relationship rather than the filler of how to run a business, or some awkward forced OW/OM situations to spark jealousy between Wes & Hailey, perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Break-Up Agency by Sheila McClure
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.0
"It's a big responsibility, dabbling in other people's relationships."
While the premise/outline of the story was an interesting concept, the writing and characterization fell flat and the pacing was all over the place. Truth be told, had this not been an ARC I probably would have DNF'd, it was that much of a slog to get through.
Let's get the first big note out of the way - this is a contemporary fiction novel, NOT a romance. While filled with deep longing and pining by our MFC, Ellie, there is ZERO romance in this book until about the 85% mark, but even then I'd be hard-pressed to label it as 'romance', as their relationship (Ellie & American Dan's) is wrapped up in a cheating/OW scenario.
My biggest gripe is that Ellie is just not a likeable protagonist. She comes across as whiny and judgemental without any aspect of introspection to her own behaviours. Hers is a life full of deception - she's lying to her family about her current relationship status, she's lying to her coworkers about her personal life and background, she's lying to American Dan (yes, he's always called that...never just 'Dan') about her true feelings and what she does for a living, but most of all she's lying to herself. She spends a lot of time "thinking deep thoughts," but there's too much telling and not enough showing. Even though they're described as 30-somethings (we later find that Ellie is 28), tonally it reads very YA with the jargon, slang, behaviours, reactions, and treatment of one-another. "Ellie made a silly boo-boo face"...seriously, that line is pulled from the book. Ellie's big character arc is to overcome her pride, and had that been developed or given more focus rather than including some other ridiculous and pointless plot-points (seriously, what was the point of including a side-character's dying partner other than for said side-character to blow up at everyone to 'seize the day because you never know when it's your last'), I may have enjoyed it a bit more, but otherwise it's just fluff with no real substance.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
While the premise/outline of the story was an interesting concept, the writing and characterization fell flat and the pacing was all over the place. Truth be told, had this not been an ARC I probably would have DNF'd, it was that much of a slog to get through.
Let's get the first big note out of the way - this is a contemporary fiction novel, NOT a romance. While filled with deep longing and pining by our MFC, Ellie, there is ZERO romance in this book until about the 85% mark, but even then I'd be hard-pressed to label it as 'romance', as their relationship (Ellie & American Dan's) is wrapped up in a cheating/OW scenario.
My biggest gripe is that Ellie is just not a likeable protagonist. She comes across as whiny and judgemental without any aspect of introspection to her own behaviours. Hers is a life full of deception - she's lying to her family about her current relationship status, she's lying to her coworkers about her personal life and background, she's lying to American Dan (yes, he's always called that...never just 'Dan') about her true feelings and what she does for a living, but most of all she's lying to herself. She spends a lot of time "thinking deep thoughts," but there's too much telling and not enough showing. Even though they're described as 30-somethings (we later find that Ellie is 28), tonally it reads very YA with the jargon, slang, behaviours, reactions, and treatment of one-another. "Ellie made a silly boo-boo face"...seriously, that line is pulled from the book. Ellie's big character arc is to overcome her pride, and had that been developed or given more focus rather than including some other ridiculous and pointless plot-points (seriously, what was the point of including a side-character's dying partner other than for said side-character to blow up at everyone to 'seize the day because you never know when it's your last'), I may have enjoyed it a bit more, but otherwise it's just fluff with no real substance.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Loveless by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
We all deserve joy
This was a lovely, sweet hug of a book.
It’s interesting to read the reviews (positive and negative) and I feel strange adding my own since I’m not the intended demographic, but I think about what it would have been like to read a story like this when I was a teen and how impactful it might have been.
Love is love, and we all deserve joy.
This was a lovely, sweet hug of a book.
It’s interesting to read the reviews (positive and negative) and I feel strange adding my own since I’m not the intended demographic, but I think about what it would have been like to read a story like this when I was a teen and how impactful it might have been.
Love is love, and we all deserve joy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Look. I love me some TJ. The Green Creek series is perhaps one of the most beautiful series I’ve ever read so I was really looking forward to starting this newest series. I’m afraid to say, however, that this foray into YA was a bit of a miss.
TJ’s typical humorous, effervescent narration comes to us through the eyes of our lead, Nick, a teen with ADHD who’s life has been divided into the Before & After of his mother’s death. Nick’s had a tough go of things and wishes to be an Extraordinary, this universe’s version of a superhero. There was a lot of borrowing from other universes - a little bit Marvel, a little bit Kick-Ass, and some others sprinkled here & there, but in the end it was a very predictable story. That is unless you’re Nick, who has got to be one of the most clueless leads in existence, to his detriment, because he got rather annoying by the end.
I appreciate the voice that TJ gives to queer and neurodivergent characters, but there is a fine line between representation and stereotyping. Here they’re borderline played for jokes (ex. the angry, Black baby-dyke who’ll kick everyone’s ass if they look at her wrongly & our lead’s ADHD is maxed-out to the point of him being dumb) and it’s a bit cringy. I’m apprehensive about how Nick’s ADHD will be handledalongside his telekinesis. I hope his symptoms don’t get brushed aside as his latent powers because that would be a major disservice to including his diagnosis in the first place .
All in all, it was an ok read and I’ll continue the series, but probably my least favourite of TJ’s.
TJ’s typical humorous, effervescent narration comes to us through the eyes of our lead, Nick, a teen with ADHD who’s life has been divided into the Before & After of his mother’s death. Nick’s had a tough go of things and wishes to be an Extraordinary, this universe’s version of a superhero. There was a lot of borrowing from other universes - a little bit Marvel, a little bit Kick-Ass, and some others sprinkled here & there, but in the end it was a very predictable story. That is unless you’re Nick, who has got to be one of the most clueless leads in existence, to his detriment, because he got rather annoying by the end.
I appreciate the voice that TJ gives to queer and neurodivergent characters, but there is a fine line between representation and stereotyping. Here they’re borderline played for jokes (ex. the angry, Black baby-dyke who’ll kick everyone’s ass if they look at her wrongly & our lead’s ADHD is maxed-out to the point of him being dumb) and it’s a bit cringy. I’m apprehensive about how Nick’s ADHD will be handled
All in all, it was an ok read and I’ll continue the series, but probably my least favourite of TJ’s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Death, Vomit, and Death of parent
Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane
emotional
funny
slow-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
Wonderfully captivating, I couldn't put this book down and demolished it in 2 sittings. Mhairi's prose had such beautiful flow - it was sharp, witty, emotional, and relatable. But I agree with many others - this is NOT a romance novel. Unless you consider that the main relationship that develops in this novel is the relationship that Georgina grows with herself, but that's a stretch.
This story is full of the 'hurt people hurt people' mantra. While full of laugh-out-loud moments, it is also filled with grief, turmoil, and recounting of past traumas that readers shouldn't go into it lightly. However, I do think that Georgina's experience & growth will resonate with a lot of readers lived experiences.
This story is full of the 'hurt people hurt people' mantra. While full of laugh-out-loud moments, it is also filled with grief, turmoil, and recounting of past traumas that readers shouldn't go into it lightly. However, I do think that Georgina's experience & growth will resonate with a lot of readers lived experiences.
"No one else is going to fix you. The only person who can fix you, is you. So Coldplay lied."
“Sometimes because the people we wanted to care for us, didn't care for us, we live with a deliberate lack of care for ourselves. A way of getting back at them, through self-neglect.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Death of parent
Wildfire by Ilona Andrews
adventurous
funny
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
5.0
This is top-tier Urban Fantasy for me. I have never wanted a series made into a TV show more than this one - the visuals the books provide are stunning & intricate that I want to see it all on a screen!
Once again, Nevada & Rogan shine and are the ultimate couple. We're given an OW conflict in this one, but I found it was handled much better than the one that was in Magic Rises. The key? COMMUNICATION, people! Nevada & Rogan actually act like adults and talk to one another, and it makes me soooo happy.
I'm interested to see how the next trilogy goes with Catalina as narrator and if we'll get more fleshing-out of the rest of the family, in particular Bern & Leon.
Once again, Nevada & Rogan shine and are the ultimate couple. We're given an OW conflict in this one, but I found it was handled much better than the one that was in Magic Rises. The key? COMMUNICATION, people! Nevada & Rogan actually act like adults and talk to one another, and it makes me soooo happy.
I'm interested to see how the next trilogy goes with Catalina as narrator and if we'll get more fleshing-out of the rest of the family, in particular Bern & Leon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, and Pregnancy
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Honestly found it a bit dull, but there were enough cute/sweet elements that helped me finish.
Also saw they cast Lady Sybil as Tiffy in the TV adaptation and I just…don’t see that. AT. ALL.
Also saw they cast Lady Sybil as Tiffy in the TV adaptation and I just…don’t see that. AT. ALL.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia
Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
The writing style just isn’t for me. Very glad I read the Fever series first, otherwise I may have skipped it entirely!