hollielovesromance's reviews
587 reviews

Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Soft DNF.  I’ll probably pick this up a little closer to Halloween for the creepy vibes. 
The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

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

5.0

A round of applause to Sarah Henning for this book! Holy smokes! When I saw that it was described as Knives Out meets The Inheritance game I had pretty high hopes and this book didn’t disappoint. Ruby and Wren are extended an opportunity to make fast and what should be easy money by accompanying an older woman to a dinner party playing her granddaughters. What they didn’t expect was to stumble into a murder and a challenge to solve the murder and find magical objects if they ever want to escape the manor. With lots of twists and turns, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the world that Henning created. It was lush and full of so many little details that made the story even more fun. 
This is a book I will be recommending to folks left and right.   
Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant... and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite

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medium-paced

3.0

An interesting collection of personal essays exploring the intersections of the authors identities and culture at large. I don’t think I was the intended audience for this book but found the essays to be insightful. The author’s voice is very clear and added a lot of dimension to the essays that at times felt like a friend was telling you their thoughts on different topics. A solid debut. 
Earthed by Holly Wilde

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fast-paced

4.0

I had no idea how Holly Wilde was going to pull this one off but y’all it was so fun. I legit was giggling through so much of it. 
Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

Holy wow. What happens if you mix Interview With A Vampire with  Bram Stroker’s Dracula and make it queer? You get this book! This book was suspenseful, funny, dark, action-packed, and very reflective. Lucy Westenra finally gets to be her own hero that fights back after her death to reclaim her identity and desires. I really enjoyed the way that we got to see old journal entries from Lucy, Iris’s story in current time, and the therapy transcripts telling us about Lucy after becoming a vampire. This story had a whole swath of characters that I enjoyed and found myself delighted to see pop up again in different parts of the story. Overall I had a good time for this but found that there were a few sections that didn’t give the story what it needed and slowed it down. Add this one to your fall TBR for a good time. 
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A fun little romp with Will Graham and Jack Crawford. I enjoyed the twist at the end 
There There by Tommy Orange

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

5.0

Wow. This was a rich and expansive exploration of community, family, identity, and so much more. The audiobook was excellent. I loved that there were multiple narrators voicing the different character chapters. 
Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories by Amparo Ortiz, Yamile Saied Méndez

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

A great collection of spooky stories. 
A Polar Expedition: and Other Stimulating Research Opportunities by Kass O'Shire

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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

This book is if Evie from The Mummy ran off to the arctic because she simply must find and learn everything possible darling! Sirin is smart, curious, and headstrong. The way she is so intrigued by everything she encounters made me love her as a FMC. Berne is the tall polar bear daddy that we all need in our life. He is the ultimate wife guy and I love this for him and us. This is a slower burn romance but once it heats up it is on fire baby! I can’t wait to read more in this world. 
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Soft DNF-ing the audiobook. I will probably pick up my physical copy at some point but the audiobook was a bit overwhelming for me