dennasus's reviews
733 reviews

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
That was a really sweet story about young love. A bit of the enemy to lover trope, but that's fine by me. I adored Bel and could well relate to her kind of scattered/messy character. Teo was a bit too good to be true and I'd have liked a bit more of a resolution about his own struggles by the end of school year. But all in all I just adored those two. I also very much enjoyed the "girl power" vibe of this story. It was realistic, without being too much. I still don't understand anything about robots though. (4 September 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024] 
What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Mary McCormack, Melissa Fitzgerald

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emotional informative medium-paced
I'm a hardcore "The West Wing" fan so of course I enjoyed this book immensely. It was so wonderful to get a behind the scene insight and also learn that the cast and crew really enjoyed working together and still are friends. It was heartwarming to read. The structure of the book felt a bit jumbled sometimes, but that's my only complaint. (3 September 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? by Jodi Taylor

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adventurous funny 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? No
It was about time to get back to St. Mary's. I admit I didn't recall the details of what had happened in the previous book, which shows that I shouldn't leave too much time between reading them. I liked Max's new challenges as training officer and I was glad that they didn't jump up and down the timeline as much as they did in previous stories. The whole Hoyles sub-plot didn't really interest me all that much and it felt a bit like a filler to set up bigger plotlines / new ? adversaries for the following books, which was fine by me. All in all as always a entertaining read and I'm looking forward to more. (2 September 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024] 
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

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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? N/A
This was a bit different young adult novel than I usually read them, as the main character has a 2 yo daughter. I sort of enjoyed following her through her senior year at school and find out what she wants to do with her life after graduation. Neither the plot nor the characters had me really hooked though. It was fine. (29 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024] 
Totally Folked by Penny Reid

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
Bought this as ebook years ago and thought maybe it's easy reading enough for my state of mind right now. And it was. It started out a bit too smutty for my taste to be honest. I didn't really connect with either of the main characters and they plot dragged on for a long time IMHO. Maybe just not the right setting / plot for me after all. (26 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]
When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
I remember that I liked many of the previous books in this series, so this latest one was on my list for a long time. Sadly, I was quite underwhelmed by this plot. Too many false friends and intrigue and the last bit so far fetched. Neither did I really buy into the attraction between these two. I skimmed through the last third or more just to get it over with (25th August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024] 
You Belong with Me by Mhairi McFarlane

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emotional 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? N/A
That was a lovely sequel to "Who's That Girl" with an interesting mixture of fairy-tale (regular civilian falling in love with a Hollywood star) and realistic version of what that life would / could be like. The media, the attention, the rumours, the (false) friends.... I get why the writer brought in Declan as sort of the alternative life Edie might want to lead, but I still wasn't such a big fan of that idea. All in all a lovely love story and yes, a bit of a fairy-tale in the end still. But that's fine. (21 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]  
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

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medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I was a bit let down by this story to be honest. I enjoyed Lange's debut "We Are the Brennans" (which locations make sort of a cameo here, which was a nice wink) and there were parts in this one that I enjoyed as well. I liked Tara and Conor and Tara and her "gamer boy" bosses and some other stuff. Geraldine's tendency to avoid difficult things felt a bit too close to home for me, which isn't necessarily  a bad thing to take away from a novel. Some of the siblings dynamic I could relate to and most of them made sense knowing their backstory. All in all I still didn't really connect with either of the characters and I couldn't bring myself to care all that much. I guess that's why the truth about the crime Tara went to prison for caught me by surprise.

My big problem with the main plot tough was that Brian's behaviour was soooo unprofessional. From the start of the story. From way before the start of the story as it turned out later. So many no-gos. I guess that's also what kept me from being invested in their relationship.  (17 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]
Tausend Zeilen Lüge: Das System Relotius und der deutsche Journalismus by Juan Moreno

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informative fast-paced
A German book about the huge scandal at SPIEGEL magazine a few years ago, when it turned out that their star reporter had faked almost everyone of his stories. This is the report of the free lance journalist, who uncovered it and it was such a great read. (17 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024] 
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

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emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was a lovely sapphic love story of two teenage girls in Ireland. Some of the background story felt a bit too constructed, but all in all I enjoyed it. I definitely cried more than I expected. (13 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]