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imme_van_gorp's reviews
695 reviews
Edge of the Wild by Lauren Gilley
To see Erik be so scared of losing Oliver had me feeling flutters in my belly, and I wish we could have seen him completely fall apart over it. Don’t get me wrong, I adore how well they talked everything out and communicated openly, but I am a sucker for drama, so I would have appreciated a more severe blow-out between them when everything went down. There was still some angst between them, definitely, but I personally would have liked to see it be dragged out a bit more.
That said, I do not feel a similar fondness towards either of his cousins, Tessa and Amelia, and I therefore dreaded their chapters. I was so much more interested in Oliver and Erik’s storyline, whether it was political or romantic, and I wish the whole book could have focused solely on them as the main characters.
Bjorn and Revna were, other than Erik and Ollie, the ones I felt most intrigued by. The way that man is completely whipped and constantly pining after her was making me swoon quite a bit. Especially since he has loved her for decades; unrequitedly, I might add! I definitely wouldn’t mind it if the next book will give them more page-time.
Lastly, I just want to talk about how much I love the dragons!! It’s a particular weakness of mine when fantasy series have dragons that behave like loyal pets to their riders, and that’s exactly the vibe these dragons are giving to the Drakes from the get-go. I can’t wait to see how their dynamics will unfold.
3.5
I’m truly obsessed with my boy Oliver!! His sass kills me every time, and I just love how steadfast he can be despite him being technically “weak” or “soft”. I fully understand why Erik is completely obsessed with him, because he has totally charmed me as well.
My favourite part of their relationship was how dedicated they both were to each other. I genuinely believed they would have given up everything for the other, and that nothing could be more important to them than their love.
My favourite part of their relationship was how dedicated they both were to each other. I genuinely believed they would have given up everything for the other, and that nothing could be more important to them than their love.
Love. That was what he felt, he knew; the sort of slow-built, sustainable, devastating love he’d never hoped to have.
To see Erik be so scared of losing Oliver had me feeling flutters in my belly, and I wish we could have seen him completely fall apart over it. Don’t get me wrong, I adore how well they talked everything out and communicated openly, but I am a sucker for drama, so I would have appreciated a more severe blow-out between them when everything went down. There was still some angst between them, definitely, but I personally would have liked to see it be dragged out a bit more.
“I want to keep you safe. I don’t want to have dragged you through the wilderness, at the mercy of the clans, just to prove a political point. I don’t—I don’t want you to be cold, or sick, or miserable, or in danger of being eaten.” He shook his head, and his voice cracked. “I am afraid, every second, that you will decide none of this is worth it.”
“You’re afraid that I’ll decide none of this is worth what?” he asked, softly.
In the smallest voice that Oliver had ever heard from him, he whispered, “Me.”
That said, I do not feel a similar fondness towards either of his cousins, Tessa and Amelia, and I therefore dreaded their chapters. I was so much more interested in Oliver and Erik’s storyline, whether it was political or romantic, and I wish the whole book could have focused solely on them as the main characters.
Bjorn and Revna were, other than Erik and Ollie, the ones I felt most intrigued by. The way that man is completely whipped and constantly pining after her was making me swoon quite a bit. Especially since he has loved her for decades; unrequitedly, I might add! I definitely wouldn’t mind it if the next book will give them more page-time.
Bjorn’s love—and it could only be called that; deny it all she liked, she knew that was the emotion burning in his gaze—was a savage, nearly-violent thing. A starving, hungry, desperate love, one he kept in check, kept tamped down low, from sheer force of will.
Lastly, I just want to talk about how much I love the dragons!! It’s a particular weakness of mine when fantasy series have dragons that behave like loyal pets to their riders, and that’s exactly the vibe these dragons are giving to the Drakes from the get-go. I can’t wait to see how their dynamics will unfold.
Powerless by Elsie Silver
1.0
Quite honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I started to drift off so often, I simply couldn’t help but skim the hell out of this book.
This book was the definition of “telling, not showing”. I was told from the very beginning that these two have been in love with each other for years, but I was never actually shown what that looked like or why they fell in love.
They are constantly waxing poetry about how much they care about each other, but I didn’t get to see an actual connection. It was very superficial, and there was zero development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and I couldn’t care any less.
It was even worse because they were so over-the-top and intense with their emotions and declarations, yet it all felt so fake and forced to me. Their entire love story simply fell flat, and was almost a bit ridiculous.
Besides, when they finally got together, all they did was have (weird, domineering) sex, which really hammered home how lust-focused, rather than meaningful, their attraction towards one another had been the whole time.
Anyway, long story short, I literally read this whole thing with a scowl and the occasional eye-roll or raised eyebrow, which is clearly not the vibe you want to have when it comes to a romance book.
This book was the definition of “telling, not showing”. I was told from the very beginning that these two have been in love with each other for years, but I was never actually shown what that looked like or why they fell in love.
They are constantly waxing poetry about how much they care about each other, but I didn’t get to see an actual connection. It was very superficial, and there was zero development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and I couldn’t care any less.
It was even worse because they were so over-the-top and intense with their emotions and declarations, yet it all felt so fake and forced to me. Their entire love story simply fell flat, and was almost a bit ridiculous.
Besides, when they finally got together, all they did was have (weird, domineering) sex, which really hammered home how lust-focused, rather than meaningful, their attraction towards one another had been the whole time.
Anyway, long story short, I literally read this whole thing with a scowl and the occasional eye-roll or raised eyebrow, which is clearly not the vibe you want to have when it comes to a romance book.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
At the beginning the story follows a fresh-faced nurse, Frankie, who naively signs up to the army in the hopes of becoming a war hero and making her dad proud, just like all the many generations of men in her family had done before her. Instead, she is immediately confronted with not pride, but shame from her family for going to war as a woman. Still, she remains enthusiastic and isn’t scared or afraid. She’s certain it won’t be that bad. She is sure she will end up at a fancy hospital, far away from the fighting, and everyone will welcome her back with open arms. After all, she would be completely safe in Vietnam, right? WRONG.
At her first moment of arrival, she will understand how misled she was about the state of the war and about her own role in it. From the very beginning, she will live in dire circumstances, without a moment’s rest, and with constant death and decay around her. Her journey will continue to get worse and worse; more difficult, more extreme, more dangerous, more painful, more harrowing, and more heartbreaking. Still, through all the pain, she will be able to form immensely strong and unbreakable friendships that can only develop from living through a shared experience such as this, but, on the other side, she will also loose more loved ones than she ever thought possible.
Simply put, she will go through all the horrors we expect from war. As a woman. And thus, upon return, without any of the recognition for her tragedy, trauma or courageousness. Instead, she is received with ridicule, disbelief and disgust. She will find nothing but hatred towards a woman who had the gall to go to war and fight to save other people’s lives. Even more, she will have to deal with the refusal of recognition for the skills she had gathered at war that no longer fit normal life; a life where a woman was meant to sit pretty and smile, but not actually do anything. Nobody wanted to acknowledge her experience, her past, her pain, her trauma, or even the simple fact that women could be veterans too, and Frankie quickly spiraled due to the shame and isolation that was put upon her due to her service.
Considering the main character of the book is a nurse, I suppose it should be unsurprising that there was a heavy focus on the medical aspect of the war as well; we don’t get to see combat, as everything that happens in Vietnam takes place at a hospital. We see Frankie go from being a (pretty much useless) newbie to being the most kick-ass combat nurse one could possibly be. She had no real experience or skills, but had to learn it all through the most dire circumstances, and learned to do more than any woman would have been allowed to in the real world. She learned everything in the most stressful situations imaginable, and it was extremely admirable. It’s why I understood Frankie’s extreme frustration when she was no longer allowed to use any of her skills after she got back; the outrage at being told it wouldn’t be appropriate for a woman…
I do have a specific complaint, though, namely that I would have preferred the writing in this novel to be a little more emotionally charged. Sometimes it was a little too focused on general descriptions and failed to tell me the details of the wounded men or the specifics of Frankie’s thoughts and feelings about certain situations. I wanted to learn more about the men who needed to get treated, but perhaps the point of the book was that their individual stories didn’t matter; there were so many of them, they all just blurred together… And perhaps Frankie didn’t want to feel or think about certain things, so she wasn't able to give many details about that either… But still, we could have at least gotten more details about how her friendships and relationships formed and developed, because I feel like I was mostly told about that as well, rather than shown. In all honesty, I actually feel like this whole book was more telling than showing. Which is kind of the biggest critique I have of it.
Now, a quick recap of my opinions with regards to the side characters:
Barb was the best. A true female icon and the very best friend you could have. I honestly think she would have had a more interesting story to tell than Frankie. Ethel was a nice friend and admirable woman too, but she paled in comparison to Barb.
Frankie’s mom was okay, even though she had her flaws, but I think she did the best she could for a woman of her generation. Her dad was the absolute worst, though; he represented the epitome of toxic masculinity and I desperately wanted someone to knock that loser down a peg or two.
Frankie’s love interests all varied in range greatly.
Henry was an amazing guy, but he deserved better than Frankie. I loved him, and it annoyed me to see Frankie remain so blind to all his lovely traits. I honestly started to hate her a little bit for what she did to him.
Jamie was definitely a sweet guy too and was, I believe, genuinely in love with Frankie despite his marriage. He was honest about his feelings, but never pushed her to become his mistress. Theirs was the only actual romance I could somewhat believe in, despite Frankie’s insistence that the love of her life was Rye.
Speaking of, I honestly don’t even want to talk about Rye and Frankie’s insane obsession with him, but I must. I swear, though, it was obvious to me from the very beginning that that guy was bad news. He was a smooth liar, but I still judged Frankie for not seeing through it. Especially later in the book… She was weak and pathetic for what she let happen between them, and I think it was the final nail in the coffin for my respect for her. To let your life be so derailed by some lying man you think you had love at first sight with, but with whom you never actually had more than lust, is something I can’t quite have sympathy for. Especially since she lost her morals along the way as well.
In truth, I really wish the author had made Frankie’s love-life less… frustrating. I honestly would have preferred there to have been no romance at all, and instead, I would have wanted the book to merely focus on Frankie’s journey of healing her mental health, which I feel was now overshadowed by her love-troubles. Even more, it were her romantic choices that made me ultimately dislike Frankie quite a bit, despite my desperately trying to understand her, which took away from the rest of the story as well. Also, her love-life became way too integral to her grief and suffering in the second part of the book, whereas I think it would have been stronger to let her mental health issues stem solely from her time as a combat nurse in Vietnam; after all, wasn’t that the point this book was trying to make? That the women were important too and that they needed help as veterans, and not as jilted mistresses? I mean, why was it that every time Frankie went crazy, it was about some guy? Why couldn’t it have been about her own trauma?
Anyway, this all led me to seriously prefer the first part of the book over the second part by a lot. The first part, which showed Frankie’s time in Vietnam and first few months back at home, felt gritty and real and important, whereas the second part, which talked about the years afterwards, was veering into soap-opera territory. The non-stop drama and self-loathing was not only repetitive, but it all became very predictable as well, and some “plot twist” felt a little over-the-top and unnecessary. Even worse, I started to find some of Frankie’s choices to be… questionable, at best. I started to feel annoyed by her, which was the last feeling I wanted to have! I wanted to feel sympathy and respect, but at a certain point I couldn’t help but be exasperated.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
This was a story about the (often overlooked) sacrifices and heroics of women during the Vietnam War, and what major (and disastrous) impact their experiences, and lack of recognition for them, could have on the rest of their lives.
“Women can be heroes.”
At the beginning the story follows a fresh-faced nurse, Frankie, who naively signs up to the army in the hopes of becoming a war hero and making her dad proud, just like all the many generations of men in her family had done before her. Instead, she is immediately confronted with not pride, but shame from her family for going to war as a woman. Still, she remains enthusiastic and isn’t scared or afraid. She’s certain it won’t be that bad. She is sure she will end up at a fancy hospital, far away from the fighting, and everyone will welcome her back with open arms. After all, she would be completely safe in Vietnam, right? WRONG.
We were the last believers, my generation. We trusted what our parents taught us about right and wrong, good and evil, the American myth of equality and justice and honor. I wonder if any generation will ever believe again. People will say it was the war that shattered our lives and laid bare the beautiful lie we’d been taught. And they’d be right. And wrong. There was so much more. It’s hard to see clearly when the world is angry and divided and you’re being lied to.
At her first moment of arrival, she will understand how misled she was about the state of the war and about her own role in it. From the very beginning, she will live in dire circumstances, without a moment’s rest, and with constant death and decay around her. Her journey will continue to get worse and worse; more difficult, more extreme, more dangerous, more painful, more harrowing, and more heartbreaking. Still, through all the pain, she will be able to form immensely strong and unbreakable friendships that can only develop from living through a shared experience such as this, but, on the other side, she will also loose more loved ones than she ever thought possible.
From here, the war was almost beautiful. Maybe that was a fundamental truth: War looked one way for those who saw it from a safe distance. Close up, the view was different.
Simply put, she will go through all the horrors we expect from war. As a woman. And thus, upon return, without any of the recognition for her tragedy, trauma or courageousness. Instead, she is received with ridicule, disbelief and disgust. She will find nothing but hatred towards a woman who had the gall to go to war and fight to save other people’s lives. Even more, she will have to deal with the refusal of recognition for the skills she had gathered at war that no longer fit normal life; a life where a woman was meant to sit pretty and smile, but not actually do anything. Nobody wanted to acknowledge her experience, her past, her pain, her trauma, or even the simple fact that women could be veterans too, and Frankie quickly spiraled due to the shame and isolation that was put upon her due to her service.
The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn't quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words. We were there.
Considering the main character of the book is a nurse, I suppose it should be unsurprising that there was a heavy focus on the medical aspect of the war as well; we don’t get to see combat, as everything that happens in Vietnam takes place at a hospital. We see Frankie go from being a (pretty much useless) newbie to being the most kick-ass combat nurse one could possibly be. She had no real experience or skills, but had to learn it all through the most dire circumstances, and learned to do more than any woman would have been allowed to in the real world. She learned everything in the most stressful situations imaginable, and it was extremely admirable. It’s why I understood Frankie’s extreme frustration when she was no longer allowed to use any of her skills after she got back; the outrage at being told it wouldn’t be appropriate for a woman…
“The world changes for men, Frances. For women, it stays pretty much the same.”
I do have a specific complaint, though, namely that I would have preferred the writing in this novel to be a little more emotionally charged. Sometimes it was a little too focused on general descriptions and failed to tell me the details of the wounded men or the specifics of Frankie’s thoughts and feelings about certain situations. I wanted to learn more about the men who needed to get treated, but perhaps the point of the book was that their individual stories didn’t matter; there were so many of them, they all just blurred together… And perhaps Frankie didn’t want to feel or think about certain things, so she wasn't able to give many details about that either… But still, we could have at least gotten more details about how her friendships and relationships formed and developed, because I feel like I was mostly told about that as well, rather than shown. In all honesty, I actually feel like this whole book was more telling than showing. Which is kind of the biggest critique I have of it.
We laugh so we don't cry.
Now, a quick recap of my opinions with regards to the side characters:
Barb was the best. A true female icon and the very best friend you could have. I honestly think she would have had a more interesting story to tell than Frankie. Ethel was a nice friend and admirable woman too, but she paled in comparison to Barb.
Frankie’s mom was okay, even though she had her flaws, but I think she did the best she could for a woman of her generation. Her dad was the absolute worst, though; he represented the epitome of toxic masculinity and I desperately wanted someone to knock that loser down a peg or two.
Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women.
Frankie’s love interests all varied in range greatly.
Henry was an amazing guy, but he deserved better than Frankie. I loved him, and it annoyed me to see Frankie remain so blind to all his lovely traits. I honestly started to hate her a little bit for what she did to him.
Jamie was definitely a sweet guy too and was, I believe, genuinely in love with Frankie despite his marriage. He was honest about his feelings, but never pushed her to become his mistress. Theirs was the only actual romance I could somewhat believe in, despite Frankie’s insistence that the love of her life was Rye.
Speaking of, I honestly don’t even want to talk about Rye and Frankie’s insane obsession with him, but I must. I swear, though, it was obvious to me from the very beginning that that guy was bad news. He was a smooth liar, but I still judged Frankie for not seeing through it. Especially later in the book… She was weak and pathetic for what she let happen between them, and I think it was the final nail in the coffin for my respect for her. To let your life be so derailed by some lying man you think you had love at first sight with, but with whom you never actually had more than lust, is something I can’t quite have sympathy for. Especially since she lost her morals along the way as well.
That was the starting and ending point in life: love. The journey was everything in between.
In truth, I really wish the author had made Frankie’s love-life less… frustrating. I honestly would have preferred there to have been no romance at all, and instead, I would have wanted the book to merely focus on Frankie’s journey of healing her mental health, which I feel was now overshadowed by her love-troubles. Even more, it were her romantic choices that made me ultimately dislike Frankie quite a bit, despite my desperately trying to understand her, which took away from the rest of the story as well. Also, her love-life became way too integral to her grief and suffering in the second part of the book, whereas I think it would have been stronger to let her mental health issues stem solely from her time as a combat nurse in Vietnam; after all, wasn’t that the point this book was trying to make? That the women were important too and that they needed help as veterans, and not as jilted mistresses? I mean, why was it that every time Frankie went crazy, it was about some guy? Why couldn’t it have been about her own trauma?
Maybe happy now, happy for a moment, is all we really get. Happy forever seems a shitload to ask in a world on fire.
Anyway, this all led me to seriously prefer the first part of the book over the second part by a lot. The first part, which showed Frankie’s time in Vietnam and first few months back at home, felt gritty and real and important, whereas the second part, which talked about the years afterwards, was veering into soap-opera territory. The non-stop drama and self-loathing was not only repetitive, but it all became very predictable as well, and some “plot twist” felt a little over-the-top and unnecessary. Even worse, I started to find some of Frankie’s choices to be… questionable, at best. I started to feel annoyed by her, which was the last feeling I wanted to have! I wanted to feel sympathy and respect, but at a certain point I couldn’t help but be exasperated.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Mare and Cal both had the personality of a wet blanket and I could genuinely not care any less about either of them. They were truly the blandest people to ever exist and having to watch them pretend to have chemistry or tension between them was simply embarrassing, especially as neither of these hollow characters could ever convincingly portray any strong emotions for anyone or anything.
Their “connection” truly made no sense and was based on absolutely nothing. It was basically insta-love, and it truly bothered me to see Mare’s constant attraction to him, even despite knowing he stood against everything that she loved and believed in.
Mare literally just betrayed her whole belief-system by having these feelings while Cal betrayed his own brother by acting on them, and for what? The most stale and meaningless romance ever?? It was simply ridiculous.
Maven seemed like a somewhat interesting and intriguing character with at least some sort of depth to him, but, unfortunately, he had non-existent chemistry with Mare from beginning to end, so all of his scenes were always a little awkward because of that.
The fact that he constantly got sidestepped by everyone for his wet blanket brother, Cal, honestly made me annoyed most of the time. I know it’s probably controversial to say this, but I didn’t even feel that bad about what he did at the end. Sure, it was a bit over-the-top and dramatic, but I didn’t truly blame him for wanting revenge and for wanting to come out on top. I can’t really blame him for having the guts and brains to outsmart everyone, especially since nobody was ever truly in his corner.
I mean, is he a good person? Certainly not. He is pure evil. But honestly, I’d argue that all of the characters are terrible, cowardly, and deeply selfish people. The only difference was that Maven wasn’t absolutely dumb as rocks like all the rest of them.
Anyway, I have to say that the plot was pretty simple and underdeveloped as well. It had an okay premise but the book didn’t do much with it and simply lacked a feeling of suspense in general. It all remained rather surface level, which is a shame, since the plottwists in this were actually good, so this could have been a really cool story.
When it comes the the writing and the pacing I honestly have some mixed feelings. On the one hand it was rather easy and smooth to read, thus making it possible for me to fly through these pages quickly, but then on the other, it also lacked any kind of depth or true emotion, thus making it a bit hollow and empty.
Long story short, I’d say this book was nothing to write home about.
Their “connection” truly made no sense and was based on absolutely nothing. It was basically insta-love, and it truly bothered me to see Mare’s constant attraction to him, even despite knowing he stood against everything that she loved and believed in.
Mare literally just betrayed her whole belief-system by having these feelings while Cal betrayed his own brother by acting on them, and for what? The most stale and meaningless romance ever?? It was simply ridiculous.
Maven seemed like a somewhat interesting and intriguing character with at least some sort of depth to him, but, unfortunately, he had non-existent chemistry with Mare from beginning to end, so all of his scenes were always a little awkward because of that.
The fact that he constantly got sidestepped by everyone for his wet blanket brother, Cal, honestly made me annoyed most of the time. I know it’s probably controversial to say this, but I didn’t even feel that bad about what he did at the end. Sure, it was a bit over-the-top and dramatic, but I didn’t truly blame him for wanting revenge and for wanting to come out on top. I can’t really blame him for having the guts and brains to outsmart everyone, especially since nobody was ever truly in his corner.
I mean, is he a good person? Certainly not. He is pure evil. But honestly, I’d argue that all of the characters are terrible, cowardly, and deeply selfish people. The only difference was that Maven wasn’t absolutely dumb as rocks like all the rest of them.
Anyway, I have to say that the plot was pretty simple and underdeveloped as well. It had an okay premise but the book didn’t do much with it and simply lacked a feeling of suspense in general. It all remained rather surface level, which is a shame, since the plottwists in this were actually good, so this could have been a really cool story.
When it comes the the writing and the pacing I honestly have some mixed feelings. On the one hand it was rather easy and smooth to read, thus making it possible for me to fly through these pages quickly, but then on the other, it also lacked any kind of depth or true emotion, thus making it a bit hollow and empty.
Long story short, I’d say this book was nothing to write home about.
Ivan, Boris and Me by Suze Leonie
I was hired by this publisher to work as a corrector/proofreader for this book, so I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to post any rating or review online.
Heartless by Elsie Silver
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters.
Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce!
I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming.
And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth.
He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he hires as a nanny for his five-year old son.
I realize in that moment maybe I am heartless after all, because the beautiful girl with the copper hair grinning back at me right now is the one who stole it.
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters.
Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce!
I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming.
And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
I need to pick my next words carefully so I don’t come off like a condescending asshole.
I know I often come across that way, and I don’t want to with Willa. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, wanting someone to like me.
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth.
He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
“Do you think . . .” He peers back up at me now. “Do you think it would be okay if I called you mom too?”
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
“See, Dad? I told you not to be sad. I told you she’d come back. Our wishes came true! She loves us too much to leave.”
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Everyone always says that the books are really different from the TV show, so I thought it would be interesting to check this out. However, although I can see that a lot of the relationships, for example, will turn out very unlike the TV show, this first book was extremely similar plot-wise to the first few episodes, so it was all a little predictable and repetitive for me.
That said, I think things will become completely separate later on in this series, so I might just keep at it to get to that point. Because I have to say I do find these books very entertaining. They’re a little trashy, but in a fun and addictive way.
Personally, my favourite chapters were definitely those by Spencer first, then Aria, then Emily, and then Hanna.
-Spencer is a character that is very realistic in how much pressure and loneliness she feels. She works so hard, but her parents will never truly acknowledge or love her, always favoring her sister over her, and that understandably breaks her heart. It’s why I kind of understood why she felt it was okay to steal her sister’s boyfriends the way she did… Even though, of course, it shouldn’t be. Besides, her and Wren were honestly kind of cute, even though I actually want her with Andrew. I know he doesn’t have many scenes and he literally doesn’t even exist in the TV show, but still. He just seems so utterly adorable and his unrequited crush on Spencer is truly precious. I hope she will start to notice him in the next books, because I know he would be the sweetest boyfriend to her.
-Aria’s gentle and quirky yet confident personality was genuinely nice to read, and I personally like her best out of the four girls. I really want to find out what happens to her next: I hope she’ll eventually dump creepy Ezra for good (who was honestly much worse here than in the TV show) and she’ll find a good guy in the end. Maybe Noel has potential? Even though he seemed to be quite dumb so far.
-Emily is a sweetheart, but she’s a little too passive and therefore kind of boring. I want to care about her, but so far I don’t really. Her swimming is not something I care about, and her relationship with Maya hasn’t really sparked an interest in me yet either.
-With Hanna, I do feel pity and sympathy for her struggles and self-loathing, but I genuinely do not like the person she is right now. That said, Sean deserves to get kicked in the groin for what he said to her and he needs to be knocked off his high-horse so badly. I want to see that happen in the future!
Lastly, I just want to quickly mention that all of these parents are the literal worst. Emily’s parents are racist bigots, Aria’s father is a cheating groomer, Hanna’s mother is a distant workaholic, and Spencer’s parents are cold, unloving and abusive. They all made my blood boil.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
When it came to the romance between Cassian and Nesta I’m having mixed feelings. It’s weird because I truly loved both of them individually, but I didn’t really love them that much together. I mean, I did love how patient and forgiving Cassian could be with her, especially when he kept reaching out, time and time again, and never stopped caring for her so deeply.
However, I would have definitely preferred more emotional affection from them throughout the book instead of having all their interactions result in sex. There was simply way too much smut. The extreme amount of smut was the biggest difference from any other SJM books I have read, and it was not a good change for me.
I also know there are people who have complained about all the other side characters in this book and blame them for how they have supposedly treated Nesta badly, but I found almost all of them to be incredibly understandable in their actions. Furthermore, I actually think the development and forgiveness she found with some of them to be a really beautiful part of her journey.
Anyway, first of all, whoever is complaining about Feyre is actually insane, because she never did anything bad to Nesta, even though she would have been justified to do so after all Nesta said and did to her over the years. But no, Feyre always remained supportive and kind to her, despite Nesta pushing her away in a harsh and cold manner. I genuinely thought it was so lovely to see Feyre never give up on her, which, in turn, made Nesta realise how grateful she is to have her as a sister and also how much she truly loves her. Seeing their sister bond heal after all that time was really lovely.
There’s also not a single bad thing that could be said about Azriel. He never judged Nesta or tried to punish her in any way. Instead, he continually offered his silent support and allegiance while being surprisingly sweet and gentle to her.
Mor, as well, never actually did anything bad to Nesta. She wasn't particularly warm or loving, but I don't think she needed to be.
Now, Rhys was harsh, I agree, but he also never actually did anything bad to Nesta. He judged her, yes, but why shouldn’t he, based on her actions and attitude? Besides, his protectiveness and love for Feyre made any dislike he had towards Nesta completely valid for me; I would lash out as well towards those who hurt the ones I love, and he actually did that surprisingly little.
The only characters I genuinely had an issue with, though, were Amren and Elain.
Amren was cruel and mean for no reason, and it actually pissed me off so much. Amren’s immense ego and narcissism were definitely bugging me here and for her to drop Nesta so quickly because of one little thing she said was just awful. With that, she showed that she is not someone who truly has your back or who you can count in.
Meanwhile, Elain was even worse. She was ungrateful and truly had no justification for her disdain towards her sister. Elain is actually the only person in the world who has no right to blame Nesta for anything, yet she treated Nesta the worst. She had no right to be so mean and dismissive to her when Nesta had always done anything for her, always stood by her side and defended her, willing to give up everything for her. Thus, for Elain to now be so cold and unloving towards Nesta when Nesta finally needed her most is unforgivable. Elain should have been there for her; should have shown more patience and understanding towards someone who was always her number one supporter. It made Elain appear very unsympathetic, disloyal and compassionless. And it was actually kind of satisfying to see Nesta realise how flawed her sister was.
Also, I’m not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I personally like the Valkyries more than the Inner Circle. Their friendship seemed a lot more genuine and less toxic to me. The Inner Circle always appeared to be bound through obligation and guilt more often than not, while the Valkyries truly bonded through common interests, shared experiences, love and genuine care. Gwyn and Emerie were the exact friends that Nesta deserved and needed, and Nesta was the best friend to them out of anyone in this whole series was to anyone.
Also, it might sound insane but my favourite “character” in this whole book was the House of Wind! I swear, they were so supportive, precious and sweet! They were seriously the best kind of friend a girl can have.
The only one who rivals the House’s spot for being my favourite would be Azriel. There’s something so insanely endearing and precious about him. He’s so broody and aloof, but also so sweet and gentle at the same time. His shy and thoughtful nature really made me love him so much.
Oddly enough, I also really like Eris. There’s something so mysterious and interesting about him.
All in all, I think this was an engaging book despite the lack of plot and I think that’s solely due to Nesta being a complex and intriguing character all on her own.
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Does this book have an actual plot? No. No, it does not. This was pure character-building and nothing else. The full 750 pages are filled with training, training and more training.
You’d think that would be incredibly dull, wouldn’t you? Well, somehow it wasn’t. Somehow I started to care deeply about Nesta and I was invested in seeing every single little step of her journey in becoming stronger and happier. I liked watching her journey into becoming a warrior, but most of all, her healing journey into starting to love and accept herself for who she is.
You’d think that would be incredibly dull, wouldn’t you? Well, somehow it wasn’t. Somehow I started to care deeply about Nesta and I was invested in seeing every single little step of her journey in becoming stronger and happier. I liked watching her journey into becoming a warrior, but most of all, her healing journey into starting to love and accept herself for who she is.
“Forgiveness is not that easy.”
“Forgiveness is something we also grant ourselves. And I can talk to you until these mountains crumble around us, but if you don’t wish to be forgiven, if you don’t want to stop feeling this way … it won’t happen.” He cupped her cheek, calluses scraping across her overheated skin. “You don’t need to become some impossible ideal. You don’t need to become sweet and simpering. You can give everyone that I Will Slay My Enemies look — which is my favorite look, by the way. You can keep that sharpness I like so much, that boldness and fearlessness. I don’t want you to ever lose those things, to cage yourself.”
“But I still don’t know how to fix myself.”
“There’s nothing broken to be fixed,” he said fiercely. “You are helping yourself. Healing the parts of you that hurt too much — and perhaps hurt others, too.”
When it came to the romance between Cassian and Nesta I’m having mixed feelings. It’s weird because I truly loved both of them individually, but I didn’t really love them that much together. I mean, I did love how patient and forgiving Cassian could be with her, especially when he kept reaching out, time and time again, and never stopped caring for her so deeply.
However, I would have definitely preferred more emotional affection from them throughout the book instead of having all their interactions result in sex. There was simply way too much smut. The extreme amount of smut was the biggest difference from any other SJM books I have read, and it was not a good change for me.
I also know there are people who have complained about all the other side characters in this book and blame them for how they have supposedly treated Nesta badly, but I found almost all of them to be incredibly understandable in their actions. Furthermore, I actually think the development and forgiveness she found with some of them to be a really beautiful part of her journey.
Anyway, first of all, whoever is complaining about Feyre is actually insane, because she never did anything bad to Nesta, even though she would have been justified to do so after all Nesta said and did to her over the years. But no, Feyre always remained supportive and kind to her, despite Nesta pushing her away in a harsh and cold manner. I genuinely thought it was so lovely to see Feyre never give up on her, which, in turn, made Nesta realise how grateful she is to have her as a sister and also how much she truly loves her. Seeing their sister bond heal after all that time was really lovely.
Stroking Feyre’s cold hand, Nesta spoke into the timeless, frozen room, “You loved me when no one else would. You never stopped. Even when I didn’t deserve it, you loved me, and fought for me, and …” Nesta looked at Feyre’s face, Death a breath away from claiming it. She didn’t stop the tears that ran down her cheeks as she squeezed Feyre’s slender hand tighter. “I love you, Feyre.”
She had never said the words aloud. To anyone.
“I love you,” Nesta whispered again. “I love you.”
There’s also not a single bad thing that could be said about Azriel. He never judged Nesta or tried to punish her in any way. Instead, he continually offered his silent support and allegiance while being surprisingly sweet and gentle to her.
Mor, as well, never actually did anything bad to Nesta. She wasn't particularly warm or loving, but I don't think she needed to be.
Now, Rhys was harsh, I agree, but he also never actually did anything bad to Nesta. He judged her, yes, but why shouldn’t he, based on her actions and attitude? Besides, his protectiveness and love for Feyre made any dislike he had towards Nesta completely valid for me; I would lash out as well towards those who hurt the ones I love, and he actually did that surprisingly little.
The only characters I genuinely had an issue with, though, were Amren and Elain.
Amren was cruel and mean for no reason, and it actually pissed me off so much. Amren’s immense ego and narcissism were definitely bugging me here and for her to drop Nesta so quickly because of one little thing she said was just awful. With that, she showed that she is not someone who truly has your back or who you can count in.
Meanwhile, Elain was even worse. She was ungrateful and truly had no justification for her disdain towards her sister. Elain is actually the only person in the world who has no right to blame Nesta for anything, yet she treated Nesta the worst. She had no right to be so mean and dismissive to her when Nesta had always done anything for her, always stood by her side and defended her, willing to give up everything for her. Thus, for Elain to now be so cold and unloving towards Nesta when Nesta finally needed her most is unforgivable. Elain should have been there for her; should have shown more patience and understanding towards someone who was always her number one supporter. It made Elain appear very unsympathetic, disloyal and compassionless. And it was actually kind of satisfying to see Nesta realise how flawed her sister was.
Nesta glanced up the stairs past Feyre. Elain had again opted to remain in her room when Nesta was present, which was just fine. Absolutely, utterly fine. Elain could make her own choices. And had chosen to thoroughly shut the door on Nesta. Even as she fully embraced Feyre and her world. Nesta’s chest tightened, but she refused to think of it, acknowledge it. Elain was like a dog, loyal to whatever master kept her fed and in comfort.
Also, I’m not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I personally like the Valkyries more than the Inner Circle. Their friendship seemed a lot more genuine and less toxic to me. The Inner Circle always appeared to be bound through obligation and guilt more often than not, while the Valkyries truly bonded through common interests, shared experiences, love and genuine care. Gwyn and Emerie were the exact friends that Nesta deserved and needed, and Nesta was the best friend to them out of anyone in this whole series was to anyone.
Her friends regarded her curiously, and Nesta swallowed. “Let me make a wish for all of us,” she explained, gathering the three charms. A small gift — for the friends who had become like sisters.
A chosen family. Like the one Feyre had found for herself.
Nesta squeezed the charms in her palm, closing her eyes, and said: “I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what.”
Also, it might sound insane but my favourite “character” in this whole book was the House of Wind! I swear, they were so supportive, precious and sweet! They were seriously the best kind of friend a girl can have.
The only one who rivals the House’s spot for being my favourite would be Azriel. There’s something so insanely endearing and precious about him. He’s so broody and aloof, but also so sweet and gentle at the same time. His shy and thoughtful nature really made me love him so much.
Oddly enough, I also really like Eris. There’s something so mysterious and interesting about him.
All in all, I think this was an engaging book despite the lack of plot and I think that’s solely due to Nesta being a complex and intriguing character all on her own.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This really wasn’t bad, but I just found it to be kind of boring. I didn’t really feel engaged, whether it was through the characters or through the story, so I often found myself losing interest in what was happening (which already wasn’t that much to begin with). The only one I really cared about was ART; they were such an adorably precious and sarcastically witty machine!
Not in My Book by Katie Holt
The story is about two upcoming authors who are both opposites in the type of genre they like to write and spend most of their college workshops hurling insults at each other. They’re genuinely mean and rude towards each other, and do not hold back.
I honestly struggled with this a little bit at first, because aside from her inner monologue acknowledging how handsome he was from the start, I truly could not feel any romantic tension or feelings between them at all. I was afraid their romance was going to fall flat for me. However, I shouldn’t have feared, because once I saw their relationship slowly develop and blossom, I actually appreciated that they started out with so much animosity. They genuinely acted like rivals at first and it was a true slow-burn.
This was not the only reason I appreciated this romance so much though. It was so much more than just that! It was the way I genuinely got so invested in their relationship that I literally felt my heart pang or beat rapidly in my chest whenever something happened between them, good or bad. You know that feeling, when you are so into it that you genuinely have physical reactions to the story? It could be your gut dropping or cramping, or maybe your chest feeling tight, or perhaps even full-blown butterflies in your stomach? Those were the feelings I got whenever one of them said something that really hurt the other person, or if one of them felt deep pain or sadness, but also when they were being insanely gentle and vulnerable and sweet to each other. Their dynamic was so organic and their interactions felt so real to me that I couldn’t help but feel intense emotional (and physical) reactions to all of it!
And I don’t mean all this in a way like everything was constantly angsty or emotional between them, because they actually had a lot of really cute and sweet moments as well. I’m honestly pretty hard to please when it comes to domestic scenes, because I tend to find them a little uneventful or even boring quite easily, so you must really believe me when I tell you these scenes were adorable and felt really authentic. It never felt forced or over-the-top; I genuinely felt like these two were having these gentle or cutesy moments together because they loved each other deeply and were the perfect fit for each other, which simply made it incredibly sweet to read. Especially since all of those moments were so nicely written too!
Moreover, I also really liked the unique premise this book presented where we saw fragments of the book that the two characters were writing together throughout this story. The actual book is written from the heroine’s POV, but these fragments gave us a lot of insight into what the hero was thinking too and it was often incredibly swoon-worthy. I always love seeing the parts in a romance where the hero is pining for the heroine, and these fragments gave us that (albeit second-handedly) in a very refreshing and powerful way!
All in all, I was honestly surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I have to admit that I thought this book would be kind of silly and perhaps even superficial (I’m not sure why, really), yet it felt much deeper and more emotional than that to me. Whether it was the pretty and easy writing, the pleasant pacing, the well-rounded characters, or the angsty, well-developed, beautiful romance; I loved it all!
**I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
This was a true rivals-to-lovers slow-burn with all the feels and angst!
”There hasn’t been a second where I wasn’t wondering what you were thinking and if it was of me.”
The story is about two upcoming authors who are both opposites in the type of genre they like to write and spend most of their college workshops hurling insults at each other. They’re genuinely mean and rude towards each other, and do not hold back.
I honestly struggled with this a little bit at first, because aside from her inner monologue acknowledging how handsome he was from the start, I truly could not feel any romantic tension or feelings between them at all. I was afraid their romance was going to fall flat for me. However, I shouldn’t have feared, because once I saw their relationship slowly develop and blossom, I actually appreciated that they started out with so much animosity. They genuinely acted like rivals at first and it was a true slow-burn.
”I know you prefer what’s in your books, and I pretend I don’t want to be like them, but I do. I want to be the person you picture when you’re reading and dreaming because you’re who I picture every single time.”
This was not the only reason I appreciated this romance so much though. It was so much more than just that! It was the way I genuinely got so invested in their relationship that I literally felt my heart pang or beat rapidly in my chest whenever something happened between them, good or bad. You know that feeling, when you are so into it that you genuinely have physical reactions to the story? It could be your gut dropping or cramping, or maybe your chest feeling tight, or perhaps even full-blown butterflies in your stomach? Those were the feelings I got whenever one of them said something that really hurt the other person, or if one of them felt deep pain or sadness, but also when they were being insanely gentle and vulnerable and sweet to each other. Their dynamic was so organic and their interactions felt so real to me that I couldn’t help but feel intense emotional (and physical) reactions to all of it!
”I’m not yours anymore.”
“Fine. If you’re not mine, then know that I’m yours.”
And I don’t mean all this in a way like everything was constantly angsty or emotional between them, because they actually had a lot of really cute and sweet moments as well. I’m honestly pretty hard to please when it comes to domestic scenes, because I tend to find them a little uneventful or even boring quite easily, so you must really believe me when I tell you these scenes were adorable and felt really authentic. It never felt forced or over-the-top; I genuinely felt like these two were having these gentle or cutesy moments together because they loved each other deeply and were the perfect fit for each other, which simply made it incredibly sweet to read. Especially since all of those moments were so nicely written too!
”I’ll wait for you, Rosie. I swear it. I’m in it for the long haul. I want all your tomorrows. Every single one you’re willing to give me.”
Moreover, I also really liked the unique premise this book presented where we saw fragments of the book that the two characters were writing together throughout this story. The actual book is written from the heroine’s POV, but these fragments gave us a lot of insight into what the hero was thinking too and it was often incredibly swoon-worthy. I always love seeing the parts in a romance where the hero is pining for the heroine, and these fragments gave us that (albeit second-handedly) in a very refreshing and powerful way!
The truth was I liked her no matter what she did, no matter what she said.
All in all, I was honestly surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I have to admit that I thought this book would be kind of silly and perhaps even superficial (I’m not sure why, really), yet it felt much deeper and more emotional than that to me. Whether it was the pretty and easy writing, the pleasant pacing, the well-rounded characters, or the angsty, well-developed, beautiful romance; I loved it all!
**I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**