hollielovesromance's reviews
587 reviews

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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5.0

A read I needed to thinking about stewardship, consumerism, and how to navigate our current world
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A group of five late night smokers stumble upon a mystery and band together to solve it. Insomnia is a bitch. 
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

This was so well done. I had been recommended to listen to this on audio because the interviews were included in the text. I loved getting to hear the conversations! It’s given me a lot to think about in terms of what I can do and advocate for in my community. 
Bibliophobia: A Memoir by Sarah Chihaya

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

In Bibliophobia Sarah Chihaya has given us a deep look at the impacts of reading, books, and their ability to help her disappear in her life. Centered around a hospitalization for her mental health we’re presented multiple essay chapters focusing on different moments and texts that have impacted her view on life and death. I will say that this book was obviously quite dark. It’s hard not to be when we’re exploring the author’s suicidal ideation and previous attempts. While I appreciated the rigor with which Chihaya approached the texts that had served as guide posts and hide outs for her throughout her life, I often found parts of it to be very repetitive. I think the main thing I appreciated was the fact that Chihaya does not try to end the book as “see! I’m all better now!” but presents the very real situation individuals with mental health issues find themselves in which is the reality that while it may feel better right now it’s always there. 
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The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

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5.0

I don’t think this book is for everyone but it really did a lot for me and I know I will revisit it at different points of my life. 
These Vengeful Wishes by Vanessa Montalban

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

4.0

Cecilia is used to her life being uprooted as each of her mother’s marriages end but she wasn’t prepared to return to the town where her mother grew up to a mansion that’s the talk of the town due to a family curse and La Cegua. As she gets more acclimated to her new environment it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t quite right. 

I really enjoyed this story overall. The pacing felt a bit all over the place so there were times I found myself thinking “okay what’s next?” I appreciated the weaving of folklore and the discussions surrounding power, subjugation, and worthiness.  The ending was satisfying and I found myself wanting to stay a little longer in that slice of life moment. 
Pure Innocent Fun: Essays by Ira Madison III

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Oh man. I was so excited when I got the e-mail that I was approved for this ARC. I’m a big pop culture fan and love Ira’s takes on pop culture at large. I read a few essays and in each one I found myself thinking “where was his editor?” Don’t get me wrong I love a good walkabout moment in an essay where we bring in multiple elements to ultimately explore the theme but this was too much! There were so many pivots to different elements that I found myself forgetting what the essay was talking about initially and felt like I had been spun around blindfolded. This ultimately is why I had to not finish this book. 
Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-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

5.0

Bravo Chloe for this absolute masterpiece to wrap up the Wilmot Sister series. Getting to see Juliet in book one have her life shattered and lose her faith and hope in love made this book even more lovely. Will is the softest sweetest angel and is perfect for Juliet. I loved the complete honesty between these two and seeing each of them realize that this couldn’t just be romance practice but had to be an everlasting kind of love. It was a lot of fun getting to catch up with this whole cast of characters, witness a wedding(!), and leave this series feeling like all was right in their worlds. 
Voice Like a Hyacinth by Mallory Pearson

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

As a group of 5 friends enter into their senior year of art school they find themselves facing a pressure they’ve never felt before. With potential careers on the line, they decide to complete a ritual to sacrifice someone to ensure that they all get what they want in life. Little do they know that their actions will have an impact that none of them truly understand. 
This is such a love letter to art and friendship. Yes I’m calling a horror novel a love letter. Jo, Finch, Caroline, Saz, and Amrita have this deep magical friendship that you really only experience once in your life when you’re young and all your time is spent with your friends. Their closeness throughout this book is endearing and a lot of the time terrifying. I appreciated how well Pearson described the paintings and sketches that were in the book. They felt so vivid and alive that I felt like I was sitting in on critiques at times. I overall really liked this book but ultimately felt like at times Pearson’s desire to build tension led to parts being slow and taking away from the actual tension itself. I do look forward to seeing what Pearson comes up with next. 
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

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

5.0

I swear I’ve said this multiple times but this is officially my favorite Sarah Adams book! Emily is my prickly queen with the mooshiest heart for those she loves. Jack is disarmingly charming but secretly reserved. I love how brutally honest Emily and Jack are with each other. They don’t hold back with each other like they do with everyone else in their life. It’s such a joy seeing these two realize that they’re so similar and that maybe just maybe they’re exactly what they both need for each other.  I loved getting to come back to Rome, Kentucky and look forward to coming back for book 4.