jsreadingcorner's reviews
178 reviews

One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson

3.0

Read for political science college class. It was very insightful. 

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

Thank you to King's English Bookshop for this ARC. 

I loved The Blonde Dies First. I'm normally not a horror girl, I tend to read sci-fi and fantasy but this book was amazing! Everyone needs to go pick this book up right now. And if you've never heard of Joelle Wellington go get Their Vicious Games as well.  You know the books where you read them and you leave the world and it feels like you just paused a movie? That is this book. The storytelling was amazing! This is described as Scream meets The Breakfast Club and I think that is incredibly accurate. I have only watched two of the Scream movies and this rivals them in every way shape and form. This is the perfect book to read in spooky season and I will definitely be re-reading it then.

 I don't know if I've ever read a thriller set in the real world in the sense that when you're watching a horror movie, you don't get that much insight into what a character is thinking. Why does the girl go down into the basement? Why would you run towards the strange noise? Why don't you get in the running car?  The way this book was written I loved because it made me invested in the characters and there was reasoning behind why a character would make these choices. Additionally, I loved the characters. There was not one character where I was like oh, I kinda hope they get eaten by a demon. I was rooting for all of them to survive as Devon calls it the "Best Summer Ever". 

There were a few times when I was pretty sure I knew what was going on because there's typically a format for horror movies/books but that was not the case here. Every time I turned the page I was stunned because there was something new and exciting happening. I need more time with the writing and the characters and I hope everyone goes and gets this book when it comes out July 30th.

Drown Me with Dreams by Gabi Burton

adventurous emotional tense 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? Yes

3.75

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Gabi Burton for this ARC! I loved that the moment the book was opened we were transported straight back into Keirdre. I enjoyed watching Saoirse develop as a character throughout this book. It felt like we had a true completion of her arc as a character in the conclusion to this duology. We get to see her with the help of Hayes truly accept who she is.

The stakes in this book were so high. But it never felt like I was forcing myself to read a part to get to the action. Every time I turned a page there was a new problem to solve. And even though I've read a ton of fantasy books I was unable to predict where this story was going.

Also, I'm a sucker for a character that knows how to be cunning and manipulative effectively. Saoirse has become one of my favorite fmc because she's so smart and knows how to use it to her advantage. You can remove her from her siren powers and she's still a strong character.

I'm not a huge romance fan normally. But Gabi could write 20 stories about Saoirse and Hayes and I would love them just as much as I loved this duology.

Finally, I loved the fact that this book takes place in a world where everyone is Black and Brown. It's the kind of fantasy book I wish I had been able to read when I was younger. And I am so glad it exists now for everyone to read.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Thank you to Kristen Simmons and Tor Teen for sending me an ARC! I really enjoyed reading this book. This is not my typical genre, but I was excited to read something of this genre with October and Halloween coming up. I loved seeing different perspectives throughout the book. I was hooked right from the beginning of the book. But, I do wish there was more development or explanation of the game and the world they're in for the reader. But at the same time, it added to the book because I was picking up on small details that would later become important at the same time the characters were. Overall, I enjoyed the experience I had reading this. 

The Complete Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han

3.75

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

adventurous 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

3.25

I genuinely enjoyed reading this debut. I thought the book was a very solid thriller that kept me hooked all the way to the end. I would say the book was an easy read. Not in the bad sense, but that I was so invested and the book was written in a way that made it easy to digest quickly. The book reminded me of The Obsession meets The Lake. Surprisingly I was not able to predict where this story was going or where it would end. I would say I wasn't very invested in the beginning of the book, but once the mystery started to unfold I couldn't put it down. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA thriller that isn't overly difficult to understand and is entertaining.

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

dark emotional tense 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? Yes

5.0

Nora Sakavic has done it again. I was not mentally prepared for Jean's story but then again neither was Jean. Nora weaved the events of the last AFTG book seamlessly into The Sunshine Court in such a way I felt like I had never left.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Rape

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Prefer a physical format, so will be reading that version instead.

I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang

emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Ann Liang has done it again. Even though I don't consider myself a romance reader Liang never fails to pull me into her books. The banter was amazing. I found myself nervous for Sadie and longing to understand Julius. I'm a huge lover of academic rivals to lovers so this book hit perfectly. I related to it at times and suffered second hand embarrassment at others. 5 star read all around. Everyone should read this book and her others as well. 

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy

adventurous challenging mysterious tense 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

4.75

Loved this book so much. Such an addicting read, I couldn't put it down.