ali_k0's reviews
142 reviews

Broken by Daylight by Elizabeth Helen

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

Hopeless by Elsie Silver

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

4.0

The only fake dating book I've ever actually liked! Also we love it when the small town outcast leaves her town behind for a better life in the big city.

Reckless by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.75

God bless this book for restoring my faith in Elsie and ending the month and a half long reading slump powerless put me through.

If you liked Book Lover by Emily Henry and spend your time wishing the evil girlfriend in the Hallmark movie had her own love story, this is your book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Pregnancy

Powerless by Elsie Silver

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

By god this book was a fucking SLOG. the first two of this series were so good and then this one was just UCK. First of all, STAND UP SLOANE I can not imagine being stuck on the same guy for over ten years.... Like please wake up and learn your worth! Secondly, although Sloane did eventually wake up and learn her worth, sorting her character issues, jasper never did. No closure around his family, no working on his guilt, not even "yeah I'm going to therapy now" he just bought Sloane a safe car and that was it? Also, the sex scenes felt like what someone who grew up in an abstinence is the answer household would think BDSM is after hearing about it from their middle school friend. I've never felt so dry as when Jasper told her to crawl 🤮

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

A most wonderful retelling of the princess bride. The magic of this world only builds on the magic of the original piece.

This was a great first book to jump into Sanderson universe with. Brandon Sanderson wrote this book for his wife, and the love in that act is woven into every page. 

Highly recommend.

Bond of Destiny by Tessa Hale

funny lighthearted medium-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

2.5

Mark of Stars by Tessa Hale

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Spark of Fate by Tessa Hale

lighthearted relaxing 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? No

3.0

It's like reading Wattpad at 2 am under your covers on a school night. Very few redemptive qualities, but a grand ol time all around.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

Funny Story wasn't my favorite Emily Henry book (Book Lovers you will never be beaten!!!) but it was a good time. For a Romance to really hit home, I think you need to be attracted to at least one character, and neither was it for me. 

Still, the story, especially the POV character Daphne and her relationship with her dad, hooked me. I'm not a fake dating person, and that was the big trope of the book, but if you are, I would recommend this book. I'd recommend it if you weren't but had daddy issues and a passion for libraries!

My favorite thing about Emily Henry is her penchant for the absurd. All the whimsy characters she packs into a small town or a big city, whether they be the main characters or mentioned only once, make her small towns feel bursting with life. Her books always make me want to take the long path to my coffee shop and the scenic route to work. 

If your looking for that, whether or not romance is your genre, I think you should pick up Funny Story. Because it's as much a book about falling in love with life in your thirties as it is about falling in actual love (also, can we please have more romance novels with characters who are in their thirties? The fully developed prefrontal cortext is so refreshing.)