lklitup's reviews
302 reviews

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Kennedy Ryan’s ability to develop characters and write female friendships is top-tier. This Could Be Us suffered a bit of melodrama with basically the entire storyline about Edward. But! Soledad Charles is the badass heroine we can and should all root for. She’s ambitious, intelligent, thoughtful, and supportive. She also has her flaws and insecurities; she’s a fully formed person/character. I’d follow her on my socials. And my lord, Judah Cross— whew! 
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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

4.5

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

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

4.0

No plot, just vibes and gorgeous writing
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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

The character development!!! A masterpiece. I could have easily read 300+ more pages. 
Pearce Oysters by Joselyn Takacs

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
These characters are MISERABLE
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

Dolly Alderton’s writing is relatable yet still evokes emotion without needing to hit you over the head. The online dating. The parent/child relationship flip. Aging. Friendships. Wacky neighbors (minus the psychological warfare and kitchen scenario…). I feel like I’m having the best catchup with my long-distance best friend. 
Steel My Heart by Nellie Wilson

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

5.0

Thank you to the author for my eARC of Steel My Heart! I loved this Appalachian, small-town, second-chance romance! Sam Burns, you have my heart. She is brilliant and open-hearted but protective. Sam has had the same friends for decades and lived in the same town since childhood, and she loves the people and the place through all their growth. Kelly Long— you absolute bonehead! He grew on me but oh boy I could have thrown my kindle across the room when he made some VERY CHOICE calls (or lack thereof).

The trouble with second-chance romance can be failure to account for growth and the acknowledgment of that growth when the two MCs come back together. Sam and Kelly *start* to have this pitfall, but it’s necessary because of how they specifically fell apart. And it works!

I love books that provide such a sense of place to the point that it becomes a character on its own, and Anthracite Springs had that quality. Think Stars Hallow but less kitschy and more Appalachian. Again, thank you to Nellie Wilson for the opportunity to read Steel My Heart before its pub October 4!
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Anna Marie Tendler cracked her heart and put it on the page for us to read. I resonated most with her writing when she was recounting her complicated relationships with her mother, the grief/frustration/sadness/anger of rejection (no matter how mundane), and the power of female friendships. 
Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist by Jasmin Graham

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Accessible and engaging blend of personal memoir, social justice, and science! An amazing read I’d highly recommend!
Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

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

3.5

Almost 4 stars but two things irked me. First, I was disappointed by the lack of relationship building between Sam and Ben. They had chemistry, without a doubt, but Sam’s non-physical attraction to Ben was grounded in his ability to view her as a *person* because her self-confidence is in the basement. She was amazing in her own right! Second, and more prominently, the friendship with Em. What best friendship?! Em could have been written out of the book, and the reader would be none the wiser.