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heresthepencil's reviews
970 reviews
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid
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? Yes
2.0
rep: bi mc, achillean mc
tw: past death of a sibling, grief
this one's completely on me, guys! i know that i enjoy amazing chemistry & proper angst in my romance novels, and i also know that reid doesn't really play by those rules. i set myself up for failure and so it's only fair that i was bored out of my mind for the second 50% of this book.
tw: past death of a sibling, grief
this one's completely on me, guys! i know that i enjoy amazing chemistry & proper angst in my romance novels, and i also know that reid doesn't really play by those rules. i set myself up for failure and so it's only fair that i was bored out of my mind for the second 50% of this book.
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
fast-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
1.0
her magic p***y made him a better man!! but uhh, you guys do realise the way he treats her is borderline abuse, right?
no one has any personality, let alone character development, they just say & do things so that author can have the "sexy" scenes she planned (spoiler alert: they're not sexy). the plot makes zero sense, or possibly even less than that somehow.
"i would kill her myself before i’d let you have her" - this is what you call the height of romance?? i'm begging you, seek therapy.
tw: xenophobia, slurs against Romani people, abuse, threats of rape, murder, blood
no one has any personality, let alone character development, they just say & do things so that author can have the "sexy" scenes she planned (spoiler alert: they're not sexy). the plot makes zero sense, or possibly even less than that somehow.
"i would kill her myself before i’d let you have her" - this is what you call the height of romance?? i'm begging you, seek therapy.
tw: xenophobia, slurs against Romani people, abuse, threats of rape, murder, blood
An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh
medium-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
2.0
this book is so stupid! i had fun & read it in one sitting, but it is so stupid! plot-wise it’s hilarious, the characters are mostly interesting, the romance itself… i would say it’s giving the heroine stockholm syndrome, if such a thing existed. and oh, the casual misogyny of it all…
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
rep: Indian British li, Indian British sapphic character, sapphic character
tw: racism
the vibes are very much like, fanny price & henry crawford & some dude, but in a persuasion-inspired setting. very juicy!
tw: racism
the vibes are very much like, fanny price & henry crawford & some dude, but in a persuasion-inspired setting. very juicy!
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
a love letter to mothers & to Black gay men who are not dead already
tw: racism, n slur, homophobia, assault, discussion of sexual assault
emotional
hopeful
reflective
5.0
“I forgot to say that I love you,” she said, almost frantically, like she was racing to catch the comet’s tail end of our previous conversation.
a love letter to mothers & to Black gay men who are not dead already
tw: racism, n slur, homophobia, assault, discussion of sexual assault
Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow. by Noor Hindi
2.0
either i’m in the twilight zone or i’m even more of a poetry snob than i always assumed
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rep: Indian lesbian mc, Black genderfluid lesbian polyam character, lesbian li, sapphic side characters, Indian side characters, Black side characters
tw: past child sexual abuse, transphobia, fatphobia, drugs & alcohol addictions
this is such a warm book! yes, it's ugly at times, messy, the protagonist not likeable & questionable in a lot of her choices. but that's just life. and at its heart, this is a book about love and tenderness. (without really being a romance, even if the love story plays such a big role in it.) a book about how friendship can save you, or rather: can make you see that you want to save yourself. about how without community we can't really navigate this world. about how even if we don't understand something, we can still support our loved ones. basically, this book shows us the possibility of a better, love-filled world.
it’s also very much an Asian immigrant book, in the sense that it captures that experience without being fanciful.
tw: past child sexual abuse, transphobia, fatphobia, drugs & alcohol addictions
this is such a warm book! yes, it's ugly at times, messy, the protagonist not likeable & questionable in a lot of her choices. but that's just life. and at its heart, this is a book about love and tenderness. (without really being a romance, even if the love story plays such a big role in it.) a book about how friendship can save you, or rather: can make you see that you want to save yourself. about how without community we can't really navigate this world. about how even if we don't understand something, we can still support our loved ones. basically, this book shows us the possibility of a better, love-filled world.
it’s also very much an Asian immigrant book, in the sense that it captures that experience without being fanciful.
Ghost Girl by Brooke Carter
fast-paced
3.0
rep: Irish American nonbinary mc, Irish American characters
well this was super cute! a bit of magical, scary mystery that honestly had even me, as an adult, entertained. and an overflow of familial love! could have been a little longer maybe, a little richer & more fleshed out, but i'm not exactly complaining.
an amazing part is how sly is nonbinary, but no one ever mentions it, apart from always using correct pronouns & sly giving us some comments abt how accepting their parents have been through their journey
i received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
well this was super cute! a bit of magical, scary mystery that honestly had even me, as an adult, entertained. and an overflow of familial love! could have been a little longer maybe, a little richer & more fleshed out, but i'm not exactly complaining.
an amazing part is how sly is nonbinary, but no one ever mentions it, apart from always using correct pronouns & sly giving us some comments abt how accepting their parents have been through their journey
i received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0