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minnaper's reviews
436 reviews
Homestead for the Holidays by Wren Taylor
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
The story just got worse and worse. Maybe I'll finish it some day later but for now I'll mark it DNF.
Only Hope by Ruby Landers
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ARC received from the author in advance.
Only Hope was different kind of novel, nothing I expected. The author has amazing range. After Ribbonwood I didn't expect to get to read soap operasque soft/light suspense romance. It took me a while to adjust to the unexpected genre but once I got settled, the story sucked me in. If I had had more time for reading, I would have binged the novel in two days - it was really entertaining! I loved especially Alison's inner monologue. :'D
I like Ruby Landers's style with multiple side characters in sort of large side plots. I really enjoyed the messiness of the friend group relationships. And who doesn't like to see an ice queen to melt? I also liked that Only Hope was slower burn after faster paced Ribbonwood. I like both medium and slow pacing of a romance novel and Ruby Landers does both well.
I'll look forward reading more Gold Hill romances in the future.
Only Hope was different kind of novel, nothing I expected. The author has amazing range. After Ribbonwood I didn't expect to get to read soap operasque soft/light suspense romance. It took me a while to adjust to the unexpected genre but once I got settled, the story sucked me in. If I had had more time for reading, I would have binged the novel in two days - it was really entertaining! I loved especially Alison's inner monologue. :'D
I like Ruby Landers's style with multiple side characters in sort of large side plots. I really enjoyed the messiness of the friend group relationships. And who doesn't like to see an ice queen to melt? I also liked that Only Hope was slower burn after faster paced Ribbonwood. I like both medium and slow pacing of a romance novel and Ruby Landers does both well.
I'll look forward reading more Gold Hill romances in the future.
Learning to Fall by Peach Morris
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley.
Learning to Fall is a young adult debut novel set in the UK. It's about finding your true self and learning to cope with mental health issues. It has a love story plot on the side but the novel is more about coming to terms with yourself and falling in love with a sport and the community it comes with. And it's about roller derby. There's chronic illness rep (side character), bipoc love interest, trans and non-binary rep (side characters) in the novel. There are a lot of difficult and serious topics in the book, like alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and toxic family dynamics.
For me there was a bit too much roller derby in the book. For someone who has seen Whip It (2009) but basically does not know anything else about the sport, all the practice and scrimmage and game description were a bit boring. But most of those bits helped to build Casey as a character.
It was a good read and the novel was well written. Really well done debut. It would be great read especially for a teen reader.
Learning to Fall is a young adult debut novel set in the UK. It's about finding your true self and learning to cope with mental health issues. It has a love story plot on the side but the novel is more about coming to terms with yourself and falling in love with a sport and the community it comes with. And it's about roller derby. There's chronic illness rep (side character), bipoc love interest, trans and non-binary rep (side characters) in the novel. There are a lot of difficult and serious topics in the book, like alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and toxic family dynamics.
For me there was a bit too much roller derby in the book. For someone who has seen Whip It (2009) but basically does not know anything else about the sport, all the practice and scrimmage and game description were a bit boring. But most of those bits helped to build Casey as a character.
It was a good read and the novel was well written. Really well done debut. It would be great read especially for a teen reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
Lover Birds by Leanne Egan
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
Hollywood Hearts by Toni Logan
fast-paced
3.0
ARC received via NetGalley. Minor spoilers below.
I looked forward to this book based on the blurb. I really liked Nan Campbell's Like They Do In The Movies that is about an actress and gossip journalist. So, as Hollywood Hearts was something similar, it sounded great. And it was okay and well written. But for me it missed the mark.
The pacing in the book was odd. The main characters saw each other in the beginning quickly. Then only at 40% they met and started to spend time together. 3rd act breakup came quickly. Out of 200+ pages, over half of the book the MCs were apart and didn't communicate. There was a lot going on outside of the romance for both (family, friends, work).
Both characters were really interesting but both acter out of character, based on what the beginning of the book told about them. And the change of heart wasn't discussed on page. With a bit more editing and more emphasis on the relationship, the book could have been great.
I looked forward to this book based on the blurb. I really liked Nan Campbell's Like They Do In The Movies that is about an actress and gossip journalist. So, as Hollywood Hearts was something similar, it sounded great. And it was okay and well written. But for me it missed the mark.
The pacing in the book was odd. The main characters saw each other in the beginning quickly. Then only at 40% they met and started to spend time together. 3rd act breakup came quickly. Out of 200+ pages, over half of the book the MCs were apart and didn't communicate. There was a lot going on outside of the romance for both (family, friends, work).
Both characters were really interesting but both acter out of character, based on what the beginning of the book told about them. And the change of heart wasn't discussed on page. With a bit more editing and more emphasis on the relationship, the book could have been great.