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whatislaurynnreading's reviews
134 reviews
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
5/5 • that was amazing. this final book was absolutely worth the slow build in the first three books. as slow and at times boring the first three were at times, finally this one was just non stop absolutely amazing.
i am so happy this was written in third person, it was all the better for it. cassian and nesta were glorious. this is the type of slow burn, enemies to lovers story i like and it was just amazing. i think this series if it could ever be rewritten would be much better in third person throughout.
the tension between cassian and nesta was so palpable it was coming off of the pages, like it was felt in the room. some of the time i was actually gasping at the page in just shock of how they spoke to each other. the absolutely unhinged development of the smut scenes was delightful.
i’m really hoping the little spoiler of “untitled acotar #5 and #6” is real and it continues nesta and cassian’s story. their dynamic is so beautiful, i love it. i’m almost at a loss for words i just can’t praise this one enough.
i am so happy this was written in third person, it was all the better for it. cassian and nesta were glorious. this is the type of slow burn, enemies to lovers story i like and it was just amazing. i think this series if it could ever be rewritten would be much better in third person throughout.
the tension between cassian and nesta was so palpable it was coming off of the pages, like it was felt in the room. some of the time i was actually gasping at the page in just shock of how they spoke to each other. the absolutely unhinged development of the smut scenes was delightful.
i’m really hoping the little spoiler of “untitled acotar #5 and #6” is real and it continues nesta and cassian’s story. their dynamic is so beautiful, i love it. i’m almost at a loss for words i just can’t praise this one enough.
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian
5.0
i absolutely adore this story.
this was just what i needed oh my gosh philip and ben are to die for, absolutely endgame. grumpy stuffy navy captain coming home to a ray of sunshine clergyman nearly shirtless in a tree with his children. wow.
the children being little demons to their tutors and nannies reminds me of nanny mcphee but ben doesn’t replace the children’s mother so it stays centered around them as a couple not just philip or ben.
philip was so well written, his own inner demons of losing mccarty and concerns as a father, i believe the line “letters dancing around the page” means he and jamie are dyslexic, not illiterate. philip connecting with james by saying ‘there’s a problem with our eyes’ is so sweet, showing him he’s not alone.
ben and philip seem to be developing in an enemies to lovers type relationship but their “enemy” aspect is more of frustration which is just delightful for tension and flirting. philip wanting to touch ben at every moment and ben wanting to be touched is just so MUCH throughout the whole story.
the ending… the wedding vows… i don’t have the words. philip being an atheist but knowing that god and marriage and these vows mean so much to ben and respecting that by having their own version of the ceremony to each other is so beautiful. “no, look at me when you say it…the words may not mean the same to me as they do to you but i’d swear it on anything you liked. i love you and never, ever want you to doubt that. you’re mine and i’m yours…” i won’t be the same after this book. i honestly won’t.
i wish it was longer, i want more of them together as partners, as fathers, as individuals i really don’t want it to end. some parts with ben’s brother’s are a bit confusing because you don’t see all of them and it makes it hard to understand who is who and how will was failed by ben but also hartley is the one who was harmed by martian’s father and i believe there was one more he doesn’t talk about.
i wish there were more moments with philip and the children, maybe talking about their mother or just being together in the nursery. even philip talking to ben about caroline or mccarty more, just to get more conversational moments out of philip would’ve been nice.
again absolutely adore this book, definitely going to be rereading it soon.
this was just what i needed oh my gosh philip and ben are to die for, absolutely endgame. grumpy stuffy navy captain coming home to a ray of sunshine clergyman nearly shirtless in a tree with his children. wow.
the children being little demons to their tutors and nannies reminds me of nanny mcphee but ben doesn’t replace the children’s mother so it stays centered around them as a couple not just philip or ben.
philip was so well written, his own inner demons of losing mccarty and concerns as a father, i believe the line “letters dancing around the page” means he and jamie are dyslexic, not illiterate. philip connecting with james by saying ‘there’s a problem with our eyes’ is so sweet, showing him he’s not alone.
ben and philip seem to be developing in an enemies to lovers type relationship but their “enemy” aspect is more of frustration which is just delightful for tension and flirting. philip wanting to touch ben at every moment and ben wanting to be touched is just so MUCH throughout the whole story.
the ending… the wedding vows… i don’t have the words. philip being an atheist but knowing that god and marriage and these vows mean so much to ben and respecting that by having their own version of the ceremony to each other is so beautiful. “no, look at me when you say it…the words may not mean the same to me as they do to you but i’d swear it on anything you liked. i love you and never, ever want you to doubt that. you’re mine and i’m yours…” i won’t be the same after this book. i honestly won’t.
i wish it was longer, i want more of them together as partners, as fathers, as individuals i really don’t want it to end. some parts with ben’s brother’s are a bit confusing because you don’t see all of them and it makes it hard to understand who is who and how will was failed by ben but also hartley is the one who was harmed by martian’s father and i believe there was one more he doesn’t talk about.
i wish there were more moments with philip and the children, maybe talking about their mother or just being together in the nursery. even philip talking to ben about caroline or mccarty more, just to get more conversational moments out of philip would’ve been nice.
again absolutely adore this book, definitely going to be rereading it soon.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
really bad, actually. the entire plot is the main character complaining about everything wrong in her life while also doing nothing to improve it.
her friends basically abandon her a month into her divorce after a ten year relationship, the attempts at “quirky” tidbits from maggie are actually really off putting and cringing, she’s unappealing and not relatable at all.
she constantly talks about how she’s “getting old” but is twenty-nine years old and sees no future for herself because her husband left her, while also talking about how she was unhappy and only married him because she was suppose to. genuinely can’t believe i finished the book.
her friends basically abandon her a month into her divorce after a ten year relationship, the attempts at “quirky” tidbits from maggie are actually really off putting and cringing, she’s unappealing and not relatable at all.
she constantly talks about how she’s “getting old” but is twenty-nine years old and sees no future for herself because her husband left her, while also talking about how she was unhappy and only married him because she was suppose to. genuinely can’t believe i finished the book.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
very good! the last second twist had me gasping! i thought i had figured out what was going to happen and wasn’t too wrong but wow wallace coming back to life was not on my radar.
the whole time i thought wallace would decide to stay and then nelson would go into the door, wow oh wow wallace coming back to life was insane. i thought it was so sweet how he went with peace of mind and i loved the way he knew the whole time that hugo and wallace had something of some kind.
i wish there was more romance in their story, like a more obvious build and tension but them not being able to touch each other seemed to add to that. really wished that the epilogue was longer, really really wanted more of them actually together.
the whole time i thought wallace would decide to stay and then nelson would go into the door, wow oh wow wallace coming back to life was insane. i thought it was so sweet how he went with peace of mind and i loved the way he knew the whole time that hugo and wallace had something of some kind.
i wish there was more romance in their story, like a more obvious build and tension but them not being able to touch each other seemed to add to that. really wished that the epilogue was longer, really really wanted more of them actually together.
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
this was pretty good! i liked the premise of it but it was kind of bland in the middle, i wish there was more that actually happened. most of the story feels like it’s missing personality with the main characters, i was confused about who was who, none of them stood out enough to remember what happened to each.
the twist at the end was worthy of a gasp, i didn’t see the overall picture coming together like that. i liked the back and forth of billie when she was younger and starting at the museum.
the twist at the end was worthy of a gasp, i didn’t see the overall picture coming together like that. i liked the back and forth of billie when she was younger and starting at the museum.