jcaceres88's reviews
386 reviews

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This had lots of twists and turns and definitely kept me guessing up until the very end. It was interesting to see how the story unraveled and all the parts that were played that night Andy went missing. I found some parts hard to believe that a high school student could get all this done. And also surprising that the people around her weren't getting upset with her manipulations and obsession with solving the mystery. But still a very good story!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. It sucked me into the world from page 1. It definitely makes you face some hard truths about our world/country and the human race. It was so fantastical but also so believable that it felt like a version of our world that was literally on the other side of a thin transparent veil. I would definitely read this again.

Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Wowzers... what a freaking mess these people are. It was like reading about a train repeatedly barreling straight toward a wall. Are all of these people terrible? Absolutely. Was it entertaining as hell to read about them? Sure was. 

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Looooved this audiobook. It was such a cute rom com. Thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't stop listening once I started! Loved the characters, the banter, the growth, the community. 10 out of 10.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

funny reflective tense slow-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

3.0

This was an odd one. It was hard for me to get into at first because I was finding the main character's behavior very repetitive. There were segments where I felt we were seeing a lot of progress and there was a lot of activity and interactions that kept me entertained. Then there were large sections (too many for my preference) where there was just a lot of introspection and clearly no lessons being learned by the main character and we were just going through the same old motions again. Towards the end her behavior was just starting to make me really anxious and I needed a conclusion to come soon lol. I was hoping she would learn a little more about herself and we'd see some personal growth but if anything we got the opposite. But all in all I was entertained for probably like 60% of the book. It probably could have been much shorter. Uh hyÿ

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

Loved this just as much as I loved the first one. Loved all the characters and Soledad's growth. I really enjoyed seeing how Soledad and Judah come together. I was truly flabbergasted with Edward's storyline! What a POS. I also liked the touches of Soledad's heritage throughout the story. It was fun to read a book that touches on things I see and experience with my own family. Can't wait for the next one! I already have a book hangover.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

4.5

My read was a little disjointed so it was kind of hard to get into it at first but once I was in I was FULLY sucked in. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved the genre bending. I wish there was a little bit more meat on the bones of the actual love story between Ricki and Ezra but it was still a beautiful story. It won me fully over by the end.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous reflective 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? No

3.0

I loved the premise of this story and the magic system but the people in this world are all terrible. It makes it hard to feel any attachment to the story. And the love story lacked emotional depth... it felt like the only thing that brought them together was physical attraction/lust. It was also way too much introspection for my liking.

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

mysterious tense 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? No

3.0

I happened to forget how much the FMC annoys me in this series. But by the end I wasn't mad at myself for taking time to read this next installment. The 2nd half was interesting to see how we ended up where we did. But the entire first half I just wanted to shake Millie as hard as I can. Her gullibility and singular focus and naivete just drove me nuts. It all buttoned up at the end a little too neat and tidy and I think Millie gives herself a little bit too much credit. But it was a fast read and entertaining towards the end.

Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional lighthearted 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

4.0

I love how this one brought back characters from the other two books. And once again I feel like Abby Jimenez handled the problems Emma struggled with really well. Justin was a bit too perfect for me and the time jump towards the end felt a little abrupt. I wish we had spent more time seeing Emma work through everything but overall I really enjoyed the book.