Scan barcode
bookishlysimsy's reviews
239 reviews
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
If You Could See the Sun is a heart-wielding, gripping story with a fun Macbeth twist. Thought-provoking from start to finish, I could not pull myself away from this masterpiece.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
If You Could See the Sun is a heart-wielding, gripping story with a fun Macbeth twist. Thought-provoking from start to finish, I could not pull myself away from this masterpiece.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
Disclaimer: I was provided a physical galley by the publisher for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
We Deserve Monuments is a monumental, heart-lurching book that one only sees come about ever so rarely. It is unequivocally brilliant.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive!
We Deserve Monuments is a monumental, heart-lurching book that one only sees come about ever so rarely. It is unequivocally brilliant.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive!
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks evoked so much emotion and feeling from within. This book is un-put-down-able, and it did not seem like there was nearly enough to satiate the desperate need while reading.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available now on my blog Belle's Archive!
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks evoked so much emotion and feeling from within. This book is un-put-down-able, and it did not seem like there was nearly enough to satiate the desperate need while reading.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available now on my blog Belle's Archive!
The Reunion by Kayla Olson
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
Disclaimer: I was provided a physical galley by the publisher for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
The Reunion is a heart-tugging, contemporary romance complete with characters that will have you feeling an array of different emotions throughout reading.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review now on my blog Belle's Archive!
The Reunion is a heart-tugging, contemporary romance complete with characters that will have you feeling an array of different emotions throughout reading.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review now on my blog Belle's Archive!
16 & Pregnant by LaLa Thomas
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
16 & Pregnant is a wonderful exploration of teen friendship's ups and downs, romantic and platonic relationships, and pregnancy. Each turned page was a brilliant show of craftsmanship, and I could not get enough!
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog Belle's Archive now!
16 & Pregnant is a wonderful exploration of teen friendship's ups and downs, romantic and platonic relationships, and pregnancy. Each turned page was a brilliant show of craftsmanship, and I could not get enough!
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review, available on my blog Belle's Archive now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via Edelweiss+ for the purpose of review. This does not affect my opinion.
The Villa is an interesting, engaging thriller. With a dual-POV and timeline, there is intrigue and wonder between each line.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
The Villa is an interesting, engaging thriller. With a dual-POV and timeline, there is intrigue and wonder between each line.
Rating: Starred
Check out my full review on my blog Belle's Archive now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
I was really excited about this book and thought that it'd be a great rom-com with a fun plotline. I was, apparently, wrong.
For one, the main character is over the top and annoying. He was quite rude and just plain disrespectful to his friends and teachers at times (in the beginning of the book, his teacher asked him and his friends what they were doing, as they weren't even participating in the class assignment, and he just shrugged her off and literally shooed her away by being "weird").
Another thing was that the secondary characters throughout this book weren't fleshed out well at all. The parents are like 16-year-olds in adult bodies, and Cirrus felt more like a concept than an actual character.
Along with that, I honestly just did not like the writing style at all. It was overly descriptive, weirdly paced, and I didn't like how "nerds" were stereotyped throughout this book. The author made it seem like nerds were supposed to be weak, LARP-loving people who couldn't give two thoughts about the purpose of sports. We all know that isn't true, so I'm not sure why it was written that way.
Overall, I was severely disappointed. I won't be picking this up for a reread in the future.
I was really excited about this book and thought that it'd be a great rom-com with a fun plotline. I was, apparently, wrong.
For one, the main character is over the top and annoying. He was quite rude and just plain disrespectful to his friends and teachers at times (in the beginning of the book, his teacher asked him and his friends what they were doing, as they weren't even participating in the class assignment, and he just shrugged her off and literally shooed her away by being "weird").
Another thing was that the secondary characters throughout this book weren't fleshed out well at all. The parents are like 16-year-olds in adult bodies, and Cirrus felt more like a concept than an actual character.
Along with that, I honestly just did not like the writing style at all. It was overly descriptive, weirdly paced, and I didn't like how "nerds" were stereotyped throughout this book. The author made it seem like nerds were supposed to be weak, LARP-loving people who couldn't give two thoughts about the purpose of sports. We all know that isn't true, so I'm not sure why it was written that way.
Overall, I was severely disappointed. I won't be picking this up for a reread in the future.
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Disclaimer: I was provided a digital galley via NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing. This does not affect my opinion.
I was left disappointed.
This book started off okay. Pru--our main character--seemed somewhat relatable, and the book got right into the plot. It was about 5% of the way through when things started to go wrong.
For one, the MC is actually full of herself past this point. Pru deems it necessary to cast bad karma on anyone who is mildly inconveniencing her or doing something that she thinks is unnecessary or wrong. She doesn't bother listening to anyone whose opinion or circumstances differ from her own, and she expects everyone to cater to her every need if something bad happens. I was honestly on her side for that first 5% of the book, but past that, I started to agree with the other characters that she acted like a prude.
On top of that, the writing in this book is mediocre at best. I expected more from Marissa Meyer, considering so many people love her books. The plot was also affected by this, as the instances in which Pru's "bad karma" power (?) repeated unnecessary inflictions on people.
All in all, I can say that I'm glad this is a standalone. If there were another book of *this*, I'd be fairly concerned.
UPDATE EDIT: It was brought to my attention that there are some very serious problems with this book and Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Recognizing that, I feel it's also important to point out discussions about this from @KailiaSage and author Katie Zhao. Please make yourself aware of these and address the very real issues with these books.
I was left disappointed.
This book started off okay. Pru--our main character--seemed somewhat relatable, and the book got right into the plot. It was about 5% of the way through when things started to go wrong.
For one, the MC is actually full of herself past this point. Pru deems it necessary to cast bad karma on anyone who is mildly inconveniencing her or doing something that she thinks is unnecessary or wrong. She doesn't bother listening to anyone whose opinion or circumstances differ from her own, and she expects everyone to cater to her every need if something bad happens. I was honestly on her side for that first 5% of the book, but past that, I started to agree with the other characters that she acted like a prude.
On top of that, the writing in this book is mediocre at best. I expected more from Marissa Meyer, considering so many people love her books. The plot was also affected by this, as the instances in which Pru's "bad karma" power (?) repeated unnecessary inflictions on people.
All in all, I can say that I'm glad this is a standalone. If there were another book of *this*, I'd be fairly concerned.
UPDATE EDIT: It was brought to my attention that there are some very serious problems with this book and Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Recognizing that, I feel it's also important to point out discussions about this from @KailiaSage and author Katie Zhao. Please make yourself aware of these and address the very real issues with these books.