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natreviews's reviews
420 reviews
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
So this book is interesting. It did have scary parts, but then it just got confusing towards the end. To be honest, the last chapter and the epilogue really confuse me. Like, I get what happened, but at the same time, what did happen?
I liked the format of how it was told. The story wasn't chronological, but still made sense all the way through. You actually start out (prologue) towards the end of the book, then flash back to 3ish months before that part happens. I found it an interesting way to tell a story.
I do like the allusions throughout the novel. I found those pretty neat.
I do think this book could've been shorter. Some parts felt repetitive or lagging.
Overall a good read, but one I don't think I need to read again.
I liked the format of how it was told. The story wasn't chronological, but still made sense all the way through. You actually start out (prologue) towards the end of the book, then flash back to 3ish months before that part happens. I found it an interesting way to tell a story.
I do like the allusions throughout the novel. I found those pretty neat.
I do think this book could've been shorter. Some parts felt repetitive or lagging.
Overall a good read, but one I don't think I need to read again.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
So this book is slow. Like REALLY slow. It isn't super long, but it feels like it's longer than it should be. To be honest, this one didn't grip me like others I've recently read. It's okay, but it felt like I've read this story before (even though I know I haven't). There were sections that felt like it was written straight out of whatever cliché it was portraying. I know there is at least a sequel to this book, but I think I'm going to pass on it.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
So this is another BookTok read! I heard about it a lot, and when I saw it while picking up some other books I thought "What the heck?" and decided to give it a shot.
It exceeded all of my expectations. I haven't really stepped my toes into the fake-dating trope, but this is a great example of it done right. As many of you also know, romance usually isn't my thing, especially straight romances. This book is so well written though. It also features a main character who is demi-sexual (although it is never stated by name in the book) which is awesome and great representation. It has a couple of queer side characters as well that don't fall into the gay best friend trope (I think we're all grateful for that).
I really bought the dynamic between Adam and Olive. They seemed like real people (well, the majority of the time). The story was easy to follow, and kind of predictable at some points, but if you are familiar with romance tropes it isn't shocking.
Now, I will comment on THAT scene. A lot of BookTokers show their or their friends reaction when reading that scene, and I understand that. It is a bit of a shock. It does come up in the story naturally, but holy cow. (Those who've read the book know what I'm talking about).
This book is staying as part of my collection. It's all around a fun time.
It exceeded all of my expectations. I haven't really stepped my toes into the fake-dating trope, but this is a great example of it done right. As many of you also know, romance usually isn't my thing, especially straight romances. This book is so well written though. It also features a main character who is demi-sexual (although it is never stated by name in the book) which is awesome and great representation. It has a couple of queer side characters as well that don't fall into the gay best friend trope (I think we're all grateful for that).
I really bought the dynamic between Adam and Olive. They seemed like real people (well, the majority of the time). The story was easy to follow, and kind of predictable at some points, but if you are familiar with romance tropes it isn't shocking.
Now, I will comment on THAT scene. A lot of BookTokers show their or their friends reaction when reading that scene, and I understand that. It is a bit of a shock. It does come up in the story naturally, but holy cow. (Those who've read the book know what I'm talking about).
This book is staying as part of my collection. It's all around a fun time.
Die for Me by Luke Jennings
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Let me get this out of the way first, I liked the ending. I don't know how the fourth book (since I've been told there is more Oxana stories to be told) is going to turn out (whether it's another sequel or a prequel), but I'll probably read it.
Now onto more of this book. It just wasn't as good as the others. I felt no tension since the cat and mouse chase is gone. This book also goes into a first-person perspective (through Eve) rather than sticking with the third-person format that the other two were written in. I found it just didn't work with the rest of the series.
Now onto more of this book. It just wasn't as good as the others. I felt no tension since the cat and mouse chase is gone. This book also goes into a first-person perspective (through Eve) rather than sticking with the third-person format that the other two were written in. I found it just didn't work with the rest of the series.
No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Just.. oh my god. It got gayer. And that ending!!! I can't even.
(This is less of a review, since to do a proper review would be spoiling the book, but oh my god it's so good! Basically the perfect follow up to Codename Villanelle. It also keeps the quality going and doesn't dip like the majority of sequels do. I will probably be reading the third one next because how do you leave it on that cliff hanger?)
(This is less of a review, since to do a proper review would be spoiling the book, but oh my god it's so good! Basically the perfect follow up to Codename Villanelle. It also keeps the quality going and doesn't dip like the majority of sequels do. I will probably be reading the third one next because how do you leave it on that cliff hanger?)
You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I actually wanted to read the book "Things Have Gotten Worse Since The Last Time We Spoke", but all copies I can find have been sold out, and a new edition will be coming out soon, so I decided to read You've Lost a Lot of Blood in prep.
I do like how the stories come around in a circular way. This book is separated into three different story telling ways; a novella, poems, and audio tapes. I could see how the novella ended about half-way through. It took until the final audio tape though to understand some mistakes that were in the novella (words missing, character names not being how they should be, etc.).
I would say this book would have probably been a 5/5 if I hadn't read Exquisite Corpse first. This book reminds me a lot of that. If you are too nervous/scared to read Exquisite Corpse, I highly recommend going with this novel first, seeing if you can handle the material, then moving on. It has a lot of similar themes, but is less mature and graphic than EC.
I do like how the stories come around in a circular way. This book is separated into three different story telling ways; a novella, poems, and audio tapes. I could see how the novella ended about half-way through. It took until the final audio tape though to understand some mistakes that were in the novella (words missing, character names not being how they should be, etc.).
I would say this book would have probably been a 5/5 if I hadn't read Exquisite Corpse first. This book reminds me a lot of that. If you are too nervous/scared to read Exquisite Corpse, I highly recommend going with this novel first, seeing if you can handle the material, then moving on. It has a lot of similar themes, but is less mature and graphic than EC.
Flawless by Sara Shepard
dark
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.75
A lot of this is the same as my last Pretty Little Liars review. This is getting the slightly less rating of 3.75 though because these parents are awful. Talk to your kids! Let your kids explain things, and don't just go zip it and be pissed off at them when you don't have the full context of things!
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.75
I really, really like this book. The cover and the catch that it was a book about a fictional cult originally got me, but it's so much more. This books deals with all (if not most) of the social issues faced in the Black community. I honestly don't want to speak too much about it as it's just a book you should read.
The reason why it didn't get 5/5 stars is because it falls a bit flat in the third act. AfterOllie's death the book really slows down and tries to wrap itself up within the last 40 pages. It feels a bit rushed considering how the rest of the book is paced.
The reason why it didn't get 5/5 stars is because it falls a bit flat in the third act. After
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So I originally started watching the show around the time season 4 came out (watched it on Netflix) and then stopped when the whole Ravenswood thing tried to happen. Now, after watching Mike's Mic doe his recap of the Pretty Little Liars TV Series, I decided to go back and read the books.
They are very 2006. Which is when the original story was published. So, ya, welcome back to the days of PSP's, CD's, and flip phones. Where BlackBerries are still a widely used thing and seeing 16-17 year old's smoke is normal. By the way, it's important to remember that in the flashbacks they're around 12-13, and in modern day they're around 16-17. Really makes a lot of the men, mainly Ezra and Wren super crusty looking back, and how both the books and the show tried to gaslight us that it's perfectly normal for a 16-17 year old to try and date a 24-25 year old. Yuck.
Anyways, this is a good book. It has good turns if you aren't familiar with the story, and I would say is a bit more mature than the show was. The target demographic I would say is 15-18 year old's who are just getting into mystery/murder novels. The first book is basically the first episode of the series (ya, they pretty much used one book for one episode), and it's going to be interesting to see where the series goes, as I've heard at some point after season 2 or 3 the book and the show diverge.
I am planning on getting the rest of the books and reading them, as they are a nice quick read. Time will tell when that will happen though.
They are very 2006. Which is when the original story was published. So, ya, welcome back to the days of PSP's, CD's, and flip phones. Where BlackBerries are still a widely used thing and seeing 16-17 year old's smoke is normal. By the way, it's important to remember that in the flashbacks they're around 12-13, and in modern day they're around 16-17. Really makes a lot of the men, mainly Ezra and Wren super crusty looking back, and how both the books and the show tried to gaslight us that it's perfectly normal for a 16-17 year old to try and date a 24-25 year old. Yuck.
Anyways, this is a good book. It has good turns if you aren't familiar with the story, and I would say is a bit more mature than the show was. The target demographic I would say is 15-18 year old's who are just getting into mystery/murder novels. The first book is basically the first episode of the series (ya, they pretty much used one book for one episode), and it's going to be interesting to see where the series goes, as I've heard at some point after season 2 or 3 the book and the show diverge.
I am planning on getting the rest of the books and reading them, as they are a nice quick read. Time will tell when that will happen though.
Vinyl by Sophia Elaine Hanson
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Very cool concept. It was one of those books that just hooks you in immediately.
The only real issues with this is that you an tell it was written by a first time author. That's not saying it's badly written. You can tell that this was the authors first book, mainly by the language she uses. Again, not a bad thing. The main issues here is continuity. For example, in one scene two characters are talking at a counter, and then suddenly they're at a table leaning forward. This happens multiple times through the book, as well as some pages seem to be missing a paragraph or had a paragraph deleted and then the following one wasn't re-written. It doesn't ruin the story, but just makes it apparent that this is a book by a first time author.
That being said, I did already order the second book in the trilogy, and will be continuing reading this story.
The only real issues with this is that you an tell it was written by a first time author. That's not saying it's badly written. You can tell that this was the authors first book, mainly by the language she uses. Again, not a bad thing. The main issues here is continuity. For example, in one scene two characters are talking at a counter, and then suddenly they're at a table leaning forward. This happens multiple times through the book, as well as some pages seem to be missing a paragraph or had a paragraph deleted and then the following one wasn't re-written. It doesn't ruin the story, but just makes it apparent that this is a book by a first time author.
That being said, I did already order the second book in the trilogy, and will be continuing reading this story.