georgiasbookescapes's reviews
449 reviews

No Cooldown for Love by Aliyah Burke

Go to review page

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

2.5

So I don’t know if it was just because this happened to be the third in this trilogy and that’s what made it a bit clunky or just that it needed a bit more editing, but there were times I felt I missed a connecting sentence between scenes? I actually got decently into in the first half, but started skimming the last quarter because it just got a bit… eh. If you love a insta love romance you may still enjoy this! But it didn’t quite hit the right mark enough for me.
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful informative sad fast-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

5.0

Holy mother of everything! Thank you Kennedy Ryan for this book! It’s overtly raw - like look into TW and do it again - and it’s pure and real. Ryan has a Q&A section in the back of my copy and explained this series starting with this book was written based on extensive research and it shows when looking at domestic violence and how much the system blocks you. If you think certain books show the difficulties of leaving - think again - Ryan bloody nails it!!! It was weird rating this one as well - being a romance it still felt a little 4 star ish for me… but I know I’ll come back to this time and time again and the representation is too real for anything less than 5 stars! 
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-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

5.0

One word - SWOON! A ghostly romance? I never thought I could adore something like this but here we are! I love the way Florence can communicate with ghosts and help them on their way and death horrid as it is, can find some ways to be hopeful still. Especially as someone who’s had too many recent deaths. We all grieve and find comforts in our own ways.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
So I was thrilled initially to see Rooney had a new book out. And I had to DNF officially by 50% because it just wasn’t improving. The story is allegedly about the grief, but it felt more like how Peter and Ivan were using sex to place hold their grief. The writing felt like that of a bad male author with the over the top descriptions about women’s bodies and it was equally as bad written by Rooney. Unfortunately I’m hesitant to read another Rooney possibly after this, as I fear her writing might be changing from my preferred tastes. 
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

So if like me you assumed you might get some behind the scenes goss of One Tree Hill - don’t get this book for that reason. Instead get it because Lenz openly shares her experiences of being in a cult or sometimes what is known as a “high control group”. This memoir looks at Lenz’s experiences in this cult, small as it may be, that controlled her life for 16 years from entering to legal exciting. Lenz is raw and real, and was deeply hooked from her initial anticipation of joining a Christian bible study group. The way she was able to leave and the work she’s attempted after in court is quite incredible. It certainly puts a new lens on my teen fave One Tree Hill! 
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Author infantilises and stereotypes Autistic MC as a writer who does not have Autism. Can read great books with Autistic POV who’ve done research and use sensitivity writers or are Autistic themselves. 
Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn

Go to review page

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

5.0

Phwoar. This book is incredible! It’s gritty at times and deeply beautiful and personal. For a while there I thought it was only to be a 4 star for me, but it just comes together so perfectly it cannot be less than 5 stars! Dunn is the ?first ever Tongan Australian author and she does an incredible job with this literary fiction! I felt so immersed in the family and that learning of connection as a community. Incredible, incredible writing! What a way to start 2025! 
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: how to heal from distant, rejecting, or self-Involved-parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

This was an interesting and well written book largely! It broke down big concepts around emotional maturity into bite size pieces. My only concern however, is that it includes reflective questions to imply that this book alone could be enough to heal the hurt from emotionally distant parent/child relationships, which for some it will. But for many, the impact from these relationships as children may have lead to other choices growing up that also require healing from, which a self-help book on its own can’t generally do. And I guess this is personal bias from seeing the pop cultural referencing to labelling people as “narcissist” when few people are diagnostically narcissistic and maybe some people are just acting nastily or unfairly but much like narcissism this stems from their own traumas and problems, which no are not an excuse for their behaviour but doesn’t mean pop culture psychology is hitting it on the head either. 🙊 either way, if you think this title is reflective and helpful, I do recommend reading it! Just maybe consider if you’ll also need a therapist to really help unpack that relationship too. 
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I LOVEEEEEEE THIS BOOK!!! Nava is to my understanding, the first ever First Nations American rom-com author and she smashed it!! The romance - swoony, the spice - need to drown myself in water for one scene 🥵 the representation - stunning!!! If you need a new rom-com to fall in love with - this is it! There’s Native Daddy 🥵 
Beautiful Mess by Claire Christian

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

So I wasn’t sure if I’d love this or it would be too dated at the very start (sorry Claire 😅) being published in 2017 and gosh things around language has changed since then for the better. But I once again ADORED this book! This was Claire’s debut and it hits hard! One thing I love with Claire’s books is that she’s willing to rawly look at grief and having to move on. And this one does it in such a raw way for teen protagonists. Don’t mistake that for meaning it’s written like a YA or for a YA standard audience. This book is raw and hard and beautiful and losing someone at any point or age is hard. But losing your best friend to suicide as a teen? Thinking of dying as a teen? That’s a different pain and Claire nails it.