laurenleigh's reviews
629 reviews

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

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emotional funny reflective 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

4.5

This was a great book club pick that led to good discussion. The central themes here revolve around class, generational wealth, and family dynamics. The characters weren’t always likable and often made regrettable decisions, but I was engaged in their story lines and wanted to find out what happened next. A lot of us agreed in book club that we’d read a sequel, to see where this family ended up after this novel. We actually thought it could have been longer, but it’s great pacing for a quick summer read. I applaud Jackson on her debut and am interested to see what’s next!
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

3.5

My biggest takeaway here is how easy it was to get away with murder 100 years ago! Especially the murder of someone who isn’t white. The lack of initial investigation into the Osage murders is astonishing (though probably some of that is because people were paid off to look the other way). And not that we don’t have corruption and racism now, but at least DNA, fingerprints, and autopsies are de rigueur. The events themselves here are interesting, but the writing didn’t wow me. There was some good contextual research added in, but for such a sensational story, I expected the prose to be more compelling.
Funny Story by Emily Henry

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funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

Though I don’t often reach for contemporary romance as a genre and while I did not much enjoy Henry’s Happy Place, this was a delightful surprise! 
Reading Funny Story felt like watching an early 2000's romcom with your best friends. I actually laughed out loud in a few places. I liked watching our characters both grow individually and together. It was a perfect quick summer read to take outside and enjoy the season. I might give Henry’s backlist another shot!
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

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lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Definitely needed a palette cleanser after some disappointing reads, and this felt perfect for that. It’s certainly quite cheesy at parts, but I knew what I was in for. (Especially the spicy scenes, narrated by a sweet older lady lol. Classic bodice-ripper.) I am finding lately I love having a clear visual of a character, and who doesn’t want to picture these two while reading. They’re both so gorgeous, swoon. This is by no means an enlightened feminist love story, but again, I knew was I was getting into and I’m allowed to put aside some of that for a silly little read.
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

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

2.5

Wow thanks, I hated it. 😅 I know some people are obsessed with this series, and I love that for them, but I truly struggled to get through this. I cannot stand a miscommunication trope, which is essentially the whole plot. The characters felt so immature, one-sided, and self-absorbed. I know I was stupid and immature at 22 as well, but yikes I really don’t need to read 500 (!) pages of it. If you like messy drama, go for it, but it just drives me crazy.
Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

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adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

Even if this didn’t quite hit exactly how I wanted it to, I think it was still a good book. Just maybe not my best timing. I love the Slavic mythology and Eastern European fairy tale vibes. In a lot of ways, I think this is a much more successful Beauty and the Beast retelling than ACOTAR. Maybe the pacing wasn’t doing it for me, and the characters’ romance plot wasn’t as developed as I might want it to be. Solid base, but maybe some room for improvement.
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

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

4.5

Sometimes you just need to pick back up your middle grade favorites! I am truly obsessed with how Snicket breaks the fourth wall and adds this whole extra fictional self-referential element. It’s like when Nabokov starts Lolita with the narrative framing that this is a “found text.” That doubling creates a fictional world that contains this fictional text, but it also makes the text seem that much more real! And yet Snicket is doing all that in a kid’s book! It’s hard to succinctly talk about, but it makes my heart sing. I want to take a college course on this series.
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I had Limón in the back of my mind for awhile, since the Poet Laureate is a Sonoma native! She did some events at my local bookstore out there, and when I saw this poetry collection specifically called out by the NYT, I figured it was time. The “spring” section felt very Mary Oliver, with reflections on animals and nature. I was more drawn to her “summer” and “fall” sections, where she writes about her childhood and her family. My favorite of the bunch was “Obedience,” about her dog. I will be referring to Olive as my “individual God” from now on 🥹
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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

4.5

Another novella in between larger installments of the series (#3.5). I liked this even more than Edgedancer (#2.5). This focused more on a character that popped up again at the end of book 3, who I immediately felt a connection to. And we get more of Lopen, one of the funniest Bridge 4 men! I’m not sure how much it moved the greater plot along (this won’t be clear until book 4), but it was a fun maritime treasure hunt adventure regardless. I know this main character is only a small side character in the main books, but I hope we get more of her!
The Martian by Andy Weir

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I DNF-ed this one last year, but I wanted to give it another shot after how much I adored Project Hail Mary. It does have the same engaging pace, where you just have to keep reading to see how he gets himself out of the latest mess. It makes for a fun quick read. Where this book is lacking for me is in the main character’s personality. It just feels a little robotic and one-dimensional to me. I know he’s a genius and is focused on surviving, but I wanted more of his emotions, more of his reactions to things.