egslcgns's reviews
38 reviews

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I swallowed this book in two days. TWO DAYS! Very easy to get through. I think there was not much depth as I would have liked, but the narrative structure of the documentary and switching POVs was so effective.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing 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

5.0

I love female friendships!!!!

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

lighthearted mysterious 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

3.75

Absorbable teen crime novel! Simple language, page turner plot, great protagonist and leading man.

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss

5.0

professional emotional intelligence manual

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

If 'the backrooms' as a concept was a novel. Every chapter sucks you in but its also extremely uncomfortable - not recommended as a bedtime read. Definitely a Book Club book because of the astonishing ending, I think processing it would take lots of discussion and interpretation. Big questions into identity, loneliness, and of course - the central question. 

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

4.75

Very important book as a political and sociological insight into housing and poverty in America. I liked that the subjectivity of the author is removed by focusing directly onto the lived realities of the people whose stories are told in detail, and with context and statistics that made me sigh/utter my indignation as I read about their struggles. The Epilogue and About The Project section was also really important to read, and learning about the insane scale of the methodologies of this ethnography earned my respect for Matthew Desmond. My only gripe with this book would be the organisation as it’s rather hard to track the protagonists’ stories. I mostly forgot what happened to who as I read on because there were many of them.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark sad tense medium-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

4.25

As someone who used to do theatre in school, (and someone who gone through uni living on campus), this was really special. You get sucked into the dynamics of this group of theatre kids, with their kinda pretentious Shakespeare quotes which they speak like a second language. I was truly feeling sad when the group (spoiler) eventually falls apart. The central whodunnit was less of a focus than the aftermath of the death itself, and when there was a development in the former I kinda forgot it existed lol. Would rank this above Bunny in the list of dark academia "classics".

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Ashley Poston is queen of writing lovable characters and intertwining romance with grief. Her books are a warm hug. I was constantly comparing this to Beach Read (which also had a writers block protagonist) during my reading but as the book ended it’s safe to say that they both stand out in their own right! Wouldn’t usuallt reach out for magical (supernatural in this case) romances but this one was thoroughly enjoyable. I, too, find it hard to deal with grief but I think this book made it much easier to think about it.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Some books are a joy through and through, and tomorrowx3 is one of them! As a gamer myself I appreciated how video games were integrated into the lives of the protagonists. There is also depth in the characters’ dialogues and interactions that I wouldn’t have caught in the first read, and that makes me want to revisit this book again in the future. THE book for people who grew up in the early 2000s - nostalgic for the world then.

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Cerebral, intense, satisfying the Mindhunter fan in me. Simon was a captivating serial killer and I found myself rooting hard for the Emma/Bell duo. A page turner, keeps you reading every step of the way.