kaiolenatac's reviews
119 reviews

The Comeback by Ella Berman

3.75

Was like reading/listening to a celebrity memoir, which I love but I think some parts really fell flat. Plot and characters weren't as impactful as I expected but it was an easy and quick read. Reminded me of Malibu Rising and I'm Glad My Mom Dad all in one but both of those books were better than The Comebak lol. I don't think I'd reread it but worth the time and was enjoyable. 

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

3.25

Was a cutie and entertaining read, wasn’t a super straight forward romance which was refreshing and felt like what I needed at the time. Wouldn’t read again but def wasn’t a waste of my time!

In Pieces by Sally Field

3.5

Enjoyable memoir, poignant and intruguing; wasn’t anything I haven’t heard from any other young Hollywood star story and didn’t leave me with life changing reflections like other memoirs have. However I always like Hollywood memoirs and this was still a pretty good read!

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

2.75

I feel like nothing happened the entire book, turns out this book just didn’t have any kind of impactful messaging or plot points. Kiley Reid mega let me down with this one, her debut was so good and unfortunately this follows flat.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Book was so cutesy and unlike anything i’ve read before. The naive yet hopeful narrative voice throughout the story made the book feel cozy and endearing. Ishiguro paints pictures with his imagery of light and color that really make the book come alive. Such an awesome read, sad I didn’t get to it sooner. Would be an A+ read at the end of high school/beginning of college. A book to recommend to my friends and my mom! 

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

2.0

Lowks romance book FLOP. Was reading to feel something and felt nothing... first one was better. Am just trying to yearn.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

3.5

Audio book soooo good I loved it and will be thinking about it for a while. YAY

Lie with Me by Philippe Besson

3.0

Did not cry, did not even well up... I really enjoyed the prose and structure of the novel but the story was neither gripping nor investing. In the first 40 pages, you know how the book will end, and made the journey getting there feel lackluster. Was a good quick read but think it was just alright. 

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

3.75

I think I put a lot of hype around this book and that negatively impacted my reading. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the novel but it was just so long. I think I often don't rate 400+ page novels very high because the story's impact gets lost over such an extended period. While the ending was satisfying, I think we could have gotten there and still have felt connected to the characters and the story in 350 pages. Great read and I would recommend it, just would probably not reread it ever. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

3.5

Entertaining and exactly what I expected from an Emily Henry. I really liked Miles, I know a lot of people have given him mixed reviews cause he's not the regular summer romance type but I thought he was cool. I think the brooding type is definitely common in Emily Henry novels, i.e. Beach Read, but I didn't feel like it was a copy-paste. The side characters, Julia and especially Barb and Lorane I quite liked. Without the cast of characters, the book could lean bland. I think coming after Malibu Rising this just wasn't anything special. I've felt that all of Emily Henry's books follow the romance tropes enough to be a little predictable and borderline boring, but always have a few redeeming factors. Glad I read it so I can add it to my Emily Henry bookshelf stack, but I still think Happy Place has been my favorite so far.