ladyzbyrd's reviews
239 reviews

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA by Bridget Heos

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informative fast-paced

5.0

Short and sweet, morbidly entertaining, fascinating, and educational. 
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-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

5.0

This was a fun read, and it certainly had an interesting format in that it reads like a transcribed group of interviews, and that brought a unique twist and voice to how things were presented while still taking all the emotional tolls as the story fills out. 
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Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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

5.0

This was a fantastic and emotional read. Emotional in the sense that love these characters so fiercely and become invested in what they love, what they hate, and how strongly you hate some of the characters for the wrongs they did, how you cheer at their successes, and groan at a flub or the reality of what is still ever present in our day-to-day lives. Very relatable, even if it’s set so many years ago! 
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

5.0

This was quite the adventure to figure out! I don’t know much about chess, but rich vs the rich and dirty secrets is more fun in prose than in real life, for sure! 
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a fun read! For someone who is admittedly bored when reading Jane Austen, this Jane Austen-adjacent addition was a fresh breeze of adventure in historical mystery! It kept me guessing the whole way through! 
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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

3.0

When no one can communicate properly - ever - and every grownup (mostly in their late twenties and and a few quite a bit older to know so much better, even in a gossipy small town) is acting like high schoolers (including communication and emotional level), it reads like a cheesy trashy lite romance, and it still leaves much to be desired. 
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz

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

3.0

This is one of those guilty pleasure books where I have so many issues with the characters, plot, and the timeline, character flaws and stereotypes, yet I can’t help but enjoy the story and enjoy the dozens of eye rolls. This was a book gifted to me by a friend who adores Jane Austen, and let me be honest, this was far more enjoyable than Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 
This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense slow-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

Man. While I felt this book read slow, it was still severely packed with - everything. Planning (a lot of it), action (not as much as planning), heartache (up and down), and deep love (a little, but it packs some good punches).

And now I play the waiting game for the next book. I can be patient while I hang in the DCC social media circles. 
The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin by Brian Baumgartner, Ben Silverman

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

5.0

This was an adorable and sweet reimagined mashup of The Office and Twas the Night Before Christmas. It could totally be an episode. 
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoy yelling at character interactions the most in this book. But that also makes them relatable, if naive.