courtknee__vn's reviews
592 reviews

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

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

4.0

I didn’t love this one as much as I remember loving it. To be fair, the first time I read it, I was 13 or 14 and now I’m 30 so it’s not surprising that it just didn’t hit the same way but I just don’t remember finding Remy so annoying lol I do think it’s a really solid story still and I loved the growth of most of the characters so it’s still one that I would recommend overall! ☺️

Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus

emotional mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I was a little nervous going into this one because I’d heard it was a lot different than Karen’s previous books but I really loved it!! I really loved both Kat & Liam and getting to be in both of their heads was really great! I also think the overall mystery was done really well and I didn’t guess it until right before it was revealed, which I loved! There was one aspect that didn’t full click for me but everything was really great so it was fine lol It very much gave off knives out vibes but not in the obvious way and I thought that was fun. I very much recommend ☺️

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book for what it was but I think I just went in expecting it to be more scary? It was quite slow in the beginning but once I got to know the characters, I was pretty invested! I think this was a great look at the difficulty of coming out as a teen while also being surrounded by people that are unsupportive. It was also a great story of found family and learning to love and accept yourself and the people around you! I think the twist of the mystery was really impactful and I very much didn’t expect it but it was perfect for the story! So definitely one I recommend but don’t go into it expecting scary horror! 

The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this!! I haven’t read a lot of middle grade books in my life (I hated reading when I was in the middle grade age range 🙈) but the few I’ve read this year have been so good and this one was no exception! The world building of the otherwoods was so great without it feeling too overly explained and it was pretty spooky! I really loved River & would love to read even more books set in this world! 

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense

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

4.0

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first one but I still liked it and I think it ended really well!! I think I’ll probably end up rereading both books eventually and I think I’ll end up liking this one a lot more but for now, I’ll just leave it at I liked it but didn’t love it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Swan Hearts by Emmy Sanders

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I love Plum Valley 😭 this book was such a good addition to the series and while it was strange at times to not have more of the Moore family after the last 3 books being centered around them, I still loved it! I’ve been so curious about Nash & Jake since the first book so finally getting to their story was great!! I did find the overall conflict to be super frustrating at times and just wanted them to really talk to each other but the slow burn of it all was very worth it in the end! It was heartbreaking to watch both Nash & Jake struggle with the trauma that they were dealing with and it hurt knowing those things are what was keeping them apart for so long but it was also very relatable in a lot of ways. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read Bo’s story soon! 🥰

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

dark sad

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was so heavy and so heartbreaking! A very important look into horrific events that get swept under the rug because of how things are continuously awful. Free Palestine 🍉

“Sometimes it’s inevitable for the past to be forgotten, especially if the present is no less horrific.”

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book being described as Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games with Mexican mythology is literally perfect! This book was so good!! There were a few times I got a little lost and had to go back, mainly just because there’s so many characters, but that didn’t even affect how much I was invested in the story! Can’t wait to dive into book 2! (Also very glad I waited to read this until book 2 was released because that “to be continued” would have killed me lol)

Queerceañera by Alex Crespo

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I loved this one so much 🥺 I expected to enjoy it but it exceeded my expectations! It made me feel a lot like Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun did and that is a huge compliment because I adore that book! The whole concept of a queerceañera is so beautiful and I loved getting to see Joaquin be so loved and celebrated! I also really really loved the progression between Joaquin & Felix! Them being childhood friends to estranged to fake dating to friends to lovers just transitioned so smoothly (even though there were a lot of emotions along the way) and I was just fully invested in the all the way through! I also really really loved April & her friendship with Joaquin! As a fellow aroace, her being insecure about the future of her friendships because of them getting into relationships/starting families and leaving her behind was so relatable and I loved that Joaquin understood that she needed reassurance from him! Also really loved Joaquin’s sister and dad!! Just a very wonderful queer coming of age story that I very much recommend!! ♥️

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

I loved this so much 🥺 I absolutely fell in love with both Briana & Jacob so quickly! Them writing letters to each other, Jacob sitting in the rain for 3 hours just to be able to talk to Briana, and him donating his kidney for her brother without even thinking about it or being asked to just completely melted my heart 🥺 Also I’m just a sucker for fake dating and I think this scenario worked so well for the situation and didn’t seem like ridiculous reach that it would happen. The YEARNING!!!! It simultaneously killed me and kept me enraptured 😍 Also, Jacob’s anxiety was handled so so well and made me connect to him so much! I also loved how well Briana knew the things he needed so quickly and didn’t even think about making accommodations for him without him even asking! 

Throughout almost the entire book, I was expecting it to be a really easy 5 stars but one particular thing kept me from giving it the full 5 stars but overall I loved this book!! 🥰

the random surprise pregnancy towards the end that sent Briana over the edge just felt so out of nowhere 😬 I’m someone that personally doesn’t love the surprise pregnancy trope, it’s just not my thing but I think it works in some stories and this one just didn’t. I think it would’ve been different if we knew about Briana’s miscarriage earlier in the story instead of the only thing about kids being her saying she doesn’t and never will want kids on her dating profile. It just seemed executed weirdly to me 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Also, not really a real issue but I struggle so much with m/f books where the couple gets so caught up in the moment that they don’t even think about using protection 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s either me just being super ace or super anxious or super anti-children (for myself) that I can’t fathom ever being able to be caught up in a moment so much that I wouldn’t think about that lol also just the fact that they’re both doctors and you’d think safety would be top of their mind 🤷🏻‍♀️