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lostinabookishworld's reviews
328 reviews
Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.0
This was absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible. Lots of unbelievable scenes and the fmc, Izzy, could be a bit insufferable in a manic pixie dream girl/pick me mash up kind of way.
Even given all of that I still had a fun time reading this. The banter between Izzy and Blake is hilarious and made me laugh out loud several times. The pacing was quick and it was an uncomplicated story which made it easy to read. Go into this one with minimal expectations and abandon a decent amount of logic and you’ll love it.
Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a very tender, slow and quiet kind of love story. Initially, I unfortunately struggled with the practice dating premise - even though I’m usually all in on a fake dating set-up no matter how unbelievable - but for some reason here I just couldn’t get fully on board.
A little over the halfway mark, I felt more invested in Will and Juliet’s relationship; their banter was really cute and I appreciated how open and honest they were with each other. That said, the pacing was a little bit off for me and I liked the last like 35% way more than the first chunk of the book. This is still the best of the three in the series though.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Going into this book, I really knew nothing but the absolute broadest stokes about Cher. It was absolutely fascinating getting a look into her early life. She is so candid and introspective throughout this whole first part and it was so cool to get such an in depth look at her life and the things that she went though as a kid through her early twenties. Overall, this was a really good memoir and I'm so happy I've been able to learn more about such an iconic person.
Ruffled Feathers: An Omegaverse Rom-Com by Grace McGinty
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.75
This was so wild and I loved every bit of it. It's not the best book I've read but I just had a great time while I was reading. The story was a somewhat bonkers but I really loved each of the characters and always have a great time with Grace McGinty's books.
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
This was really cute and my favorite of the novella collection. I think the fact that our two main characters knew each other for so long made their relationship that much more believable in such a short story. I enjoyed the forced proximity and the tension between Marc and Jamie and I always love how Ali makes her mmc's just totally GONE for the fmc.
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was pretty cute. I love a good firefighter hero moment and Griffen was a fun mmc. I thought that some of the disasters that Everleigh got into were a tad ridiculous and her decision to stay instead of leave after like a week was a bit nuts but at the end of the day this was a fun read.
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
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? No
1.5
I felt so icky reading this book. Every bit of dialogue felt cringy and this was just not for me in every way.
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade
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? No
1.75
I'm so confused by this entire book - like what the actual heck did I just read. This was so bad, the set up of the whole story was so distracting that I couldn't enjoy this even if I tried.
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This was okay. There were aspects that were cute (the homemade ornaments were fun) but other than that this was fairly forgettable.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
This was so cute. It was a perfect cozy holiday mystery and I loved both our main characters. From start to finish, I just had so much fun while reading and that's exactly what I was hoping for when I picked this up. Watching Maggie get her confidence back throughout the story was amazing and I loved how much Ethan supported her. I enjoyed that I didn't see all the twists coming and I didn't know the answer to the mystery until the end which is always fun. Overall, this was just such a fun read and I highly recommend!