natreadthat's reviews
389 reviews

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

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

4.0

What was meant to be a fun, unserious rom-com turned out to be a fun, unserious rom-com. audiobooked this one, which made listening to a cynical audiobook narrator all the more fun—plus, Whelan’s narration of the characters was quite enjoyable! I love when an author narrates their own work. 
 
After an accident that forced Sewanee to stop acting, she did the next best thing: audiobook narration. What she didn’t love was narrating romance, because Happily Ever After™️ doesn’t actually exist. But when the circumstances are right, aka she’s the only one a late author requests (and the check is big enough), she dips her toes back into the genre. And from there, it’s history. 
 
This book has witty writing, quirky humor, a sexy Irishman, a great dip recipe, and lovable side stories. What more can you ask for in a rom-com? 
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Ohhh how I absolutely adored this book! It’s my first five star, non-memoir read of the year if that says anything. 

Five people basically kidnapped from different eras, questionable bridges (aka babysitters), sketchy government shenanigans, time travel, witty banter, slow-burn romance??? Wow, what a backdrop to the marvelous characters that make up this book. The dynamic between the two main characters was just delightful, and don’t even get me started on the secondary characters. I love them all! 

Normally I’m not a sci-fi girlie, but this swallowed me whole. I’m still thinking about it days later to the point where I beg of you, read this book and then immediately let me know if you loved it as much as I did.
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How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

How to Do Nothing is a philosophical look at how corporations rely on our willingness to pay attention to what they tell us to pay attention to, otherwise known as the attention economy. 
 
While I did not particularly love this book, the discussion I had with my book club and changes I’ve made so far are telling of the book’s influence. I found How to Do Nothing to be a passionate information dump of why we should pay attention (ba-dum-tiss) to where we’re lending our attention. Should it be on the phone in our hands, constantly indulging in the algorithm? Or, should it instead be on what’s happening in the real world, our lives, and with our family and friends? 
 
I personally took away that to “do nothing” in the context of this book, is a form of protest against the belief that productivity needs to be constant at the expense of our well-being, the growth of our communities, and the destruction of our environment, all while making corporations rich. 
 
I already knew how easy it is to get lost endlessly scrolling for hours on this little app, but I needed a kick-in-the-ass wake up call. There’s a lot going on in the real world (duh) but distraction and FOMO are real. This was a reminder of how important it is to disconnect from my phone and acknowledge and critique what's most important to give my attention to. Thus, I am trying (key-word ‘trying’) to re-engage with the world in thoughtful ways. If you don’t see me online as much, imagine that I’m frolicking in fields, spending time with friends, taking down the patriarchy bit by bit, and burying my nose in new books.
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A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 
A historical, Korean whodunit, complete with a mysterious serial killer, a brimming coup, and some romance of course. 
 
Iseul will do anything to stop the ruthless King Yeonsan, who has kidnapped thousands of women for his own pleasure, including Iseul’s sister. On her journey through the forbidden territory into the capital, Iseul crosses paths with Prince Daehyun, the bastard little brother of the tyrant king, who numbingly despises his brother. Together, will they be successful in overthrowing the crown? 
 
Hur masterfully wove fiction into the true historical events of the dark, 1500s Joseon era. Slow burn romance, questionable characters at every turn, a serial killer on the loose, the fatherly-figure found in an investigator, a cold and calculated prince. I loved how the author explains what really happened in the author’s note, but I loved the storytelling even more. 
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Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.0

“Sometimes I don’t think we know what we’re made of until the worst moment possible happens. Then we must decide who we truly are and what is most important to us. I think we’re often surprised by what we become.”

The duology of Iris and Roman, their enchanted love, and the war between magical gods continues on. In this second installment, we learn more about Dacre and Enva, the relentless gods the war started between. Their backstories unfold as it weaves itself into Roman and Iris’s tender, yet excruciating love story. 

I didn’t enjoy Ruthless Vows as much as Divine Rivals, but it still gave me action, romantasy, war, world/backstory building, and complex characters. Rebecca’s writing was beautiful throughout this duology and that was enough for me to love it.
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Good Material by Dolly Alderton

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

3.0

I didn’t love this one. I can’t decide if it was the incredibly self-loathing main character (which reminds me that I rarely read MMCs) or the plot never really going anywhere. I do know that if I wasn’t stuck on an airplane while reading it, I probably would’ve DNF’d. 

Andy just got dumped by the love of his life. As we go along for the ride through the stages of grief, we are eye witnesses to the hot mess of his life. 

What I liked: the emphasis on masculinity in today’s society, the redeeming ex-girlfriend’s POV, how realistic the break up woes were, Andy’s mom, and Andy’s personal trainer
What I didn’t like: how drawn out the story was, the whining and lack of main character development, and not being able to relate to Andy 

Alderton did a great job of portraying how much break ups suck. Perhaps I needed to be in a different mindset to enjoy it more.
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Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

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dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A stark memoir on what happens after death, straight from a mortician. 

The majority of people don’t really talk about what happens to their bodies after they die. It’s a bit taboo, isn’t it? That’s exactly Caitlin Doughty’s point. 

In this lively exploration of death, Doughty shares pointblank what happens in the crematories of the western world: how a body gets picked up, is stored in a fridge, cleaned, fluids removed, embalmed and perfected for presentation, then cremated. With dark humor, this book challenges our cultural aversion to morality and begs us to invite death into our door. By examining death rituals from around the world, both past and present, Doughty’s goal is to desensitize the average human from death. Thus, encouraging people to have more open and honest conversations about death and the wishes people and their loved ones have for after death. 

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is an unflinchingly, honest read. It invites readers to embrace the inevitability of death, positivity change their relationship with mortality, and challenge the current widespread views of it. It definitely did so for me. But be aware, it is not for the faint of heart. 

Shout out to Walker for recommending this and letting me hold onto it for literal years. The recommendation sure did stand the test of time. Cheers who friends who read together (albeit at different times) and cheers to a good death!
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We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

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

3.5

 
An immigrant child. A wounded veteran. A recent divorcee. A recent divorcee’s son. Four different stories intertwine in one deadly split-second. 
 
Honestly, this story was tragic with a tiny smidge of hope mixed in. It’s a good reminder to be kind to people despite not knowing what they’re going through. McBride did a great job showcasing how the lives of ordinary people can weave into others in surprising ways. The characters are explored deeply and it’s done well, to the point where you’re rooting for them. But do take note that there are many pieces that are often heavy, full of triggers, and quite sad. 
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The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury

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

3.0

Juliette lives a safe albeit boring life. She grew up with put together parents, got her degree, and now works at a real estate office. On the metro to and from work she watches those around her read books day after day, creating stories about them in her head. Until one day she finds herself on a different route to work. 

It’s quite obvious that the author loves all things literature, books, and reading. She did a good job showing how cozy it can be to be a book lover. Unfortunately, I spent a good portion of this book confused about what was actually happening. I wish the ending had been expanded on, that’s when I really started to enjoy the book. I think I enjoyed the idea of the plot, but not the actual story. Perhaps a bit was lost in translation. 
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A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

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emotional mysterious
  • 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

 “What they heard as frenzied abandonment was the sound of his rage. Their joyous release was his escape, his chance to outrun the memories that stalked him. Jazz was freedom, but grief was his fuel. It was that simple, and that terrible.” 
 
Ricki is the outcast of her wealthy, perfect family. Ezra is the mysterious  hottie on the block, with an aura Ricki can’t quite stay away from. What plays out is a love song one hundred years in the making, one leap day at a time. 
 
I went into this mostly blind, it was available immediately from Libby and I was most definitely intrigued by the beautiful cover. I stayed for the Harlem-era journey, genre-bending between romance and magical realism, musical landscape, and sassy characters. I especially loved the minor characters and their stories. What didn’t quite stick for me was the romance, it felt rushed and a bit shallow. That said, I enjoyed it as a quick summer read! 
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