elizlizabeth's reviews
224 reviews

That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0

I was expecting a fantasy comedy with monsters and honestly it only half excelled at comedy and sucked at the rest. The world building had its moments but overall it was shallow and dismissed as soon as the stakes were too high or the MC needed a way out. As for the comedy I could see where I was supposed to laugh but the chronically online jokes didn't land and I'm afraid will only get worse with time. Skipped the smut scenes, first because they were cringe but they quickly devolved into problematic bioessentialism. 
On that matter, for all the author's claims about diversity there were so many questionable choices, especially the slavery plotline. Which you know, if it was just a silly book I wouldn't question much but if you're gonna sell yourself as "diverse fantasy writer" maybe put the work behind the words.

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The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Trope by trope, eeeverything I could want in a romance. Except maybe more gays, but it's got hockey players and they kinda loop around in the macho to homo scale so.

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First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

This book answers the question What if Tom Cruise Mission Impossible were a woman? a question that nobody asked but which given how entertaining the result, should've been posed ages ago. 10/10 would watch a movie adaptation.

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Seoulmates by Susan Lee

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funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Perfect romance read! I'm excited to read more from this author.
Night Owls by Jenn Bennett

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.5

The characters were interesting, I think the mom could've been more fleshed out as some of her dialogue feels artificial -especially during the third act conflict. Unsure of how I feel about the portrayal of mental illness, but there's definitely worse out there. 
Teen me would've loved it so I would definitely recommend to the age group that it was intended for.

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Operation Mom: My Plan to Get My Mom a Life... and a Man by Reenita Malhotra Hora

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Many comments about female bodies rubbed me the wrong way but I thought it was only the main character being a closeted girlie in love with her best friend for all the Jolene-esque comments that she kept firing. Spoiler alert it's not, and it also barfed some disgusting transphobic and homophobic comments for laughs at which point I was done.
Disgusting, I'll stick with the version of this book that lives in my head.

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Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

3.0

A bit boring, probably because most of the drama happens in Emma's head. Overall it was ok, I just wish it could've been shorter or had a faster pace instead of shoving all the plot twists on the third act.

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Penance by Eliza Clark

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.5

Audiobook version is so bad, which is sad because given the text format, it had so much potential. It’s only the main guy voice though, he reads everything in a deadpan way that quickly gets annoying (was this the point?). Footnotes are also read as part of the text, which overall lessened my immersion, as I’m hearing what “kin” means out of the voice of someone who reads LMAO as “le maw”.
That aside, the book is an interesting take on the true crime industry. It shows (exposes?) the many faced masks that “true crime content creators” adopt and is ruthless with every single one of them. The narrative forces you to reconsider as you read on the actual “true” crime so just when you think that you’ve found moral ground, it gets questioned again and again. Goes to show that there’s never a good ”moral” standing point in the matter or, in the words of fictional-disgraced-author Alec Carelli “the snake has eaten its own tail”.
Way to write a flop journalist btw, that guy sucks.

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Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

It was ok. You can really tell that Jenkins Reid has improved her writing overtime. This one felt a little too guided, almost self-helpy, but there's still the compelling character dynamic that's become her trademark. I think she did a better take on the multiverse premise than Midnight Library by Haig, this is the book I would've liked to read instead so if that's you I can't recommend it more.

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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Great production on the audiobook, immersive and creative. 
Pip is clever and decided, but also kind and caring which I think is what made the story work. Still, this book reaffirmed my prenotion that reporters are insane and have no self preservation skills.

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