juliaegreene's reviews
659 reviews
The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
saso ily
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
was so confused the whole time, retelling stuff wasn’t very clear, fantasy was thrown in so sporadically it didn’t work
You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
valentina is working so hard this summer to be a better captain/soccer player/friend/person/sister/girlfriend? and break the cycle of generational trauma baby please go to therapy
really loved the ensemble cast and the romance was well-developed !! vale was a bit frustrating as a character sometimes (definitely not the most loveable) but it's all contextualized and she is 17 at the end of the day, so i always understood her even if i didn't love her. no knowledge of sports needed but i surprisingly enjoyed the soccer stuff. racquel is a great writer and you can see her growth from ophelia to this book.
really loved the ensemble cast and the romance was well-developed !! vale was a bit frustrating as a character sometimes (definitely not the most loveable) but it's all contextualized and she is 17 at the end of the day, so i always understood her even if i didn't love her. no knowledge of sports needed but i surprisingly enjoyed the soccer stuff. racquel is a great writer and you can see her growth from ophelia to this book.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
not sure if the rating will stay the same (writing this pre-book club meeting). this was interesting. i was not entirely prepared for how dark this was going to get - especially coming from liang's latest book, this time it's real - or how morally grey the main character alice is. the premise of this is really cool, but i think the balance is a bit off. alice does some pretty horrible things throughout the story, although her intentions are good as she tries to pay for her education, yet her relationships with henry (her academic rival - she hates him, he has a crush on her) and her roommate attempt to paint her in a softer light that doesn't always feel genuine. i really liked henry as a character, but the romance didn't work with the grit of the main plotline. the discomfort and tension in the story were actually pretty fun to read - you want to justify alice's actions like she does, but it gets harder and harder to do as she gets more and more greedy. but at the end, she's just a teenage girl who wants things. the ending is definitely sugar coated and surely not what would actually happen - it doesn't match up with the rest of the story's tone and actions. the puzzle pieces just didn't fit. honestly would have enjoyed this more if it was just 1) a story about a girl who randomly turns invisible and has to learn about that lesson while also figuring things out with her rival-turned-crush and roommate or 2) a tense and complex story about a girl willing to do anything (including KIDNAP SOMEONE) for money and the place she wants in the world. doing both didn't work very well for me.
Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
absolutely stunning art, well-designed characters and dynamics and a story that has lots of heart to it.