libbyhb's reviews
171 reviews

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

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emotional funny
  • 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

5.0

I want nothing more than for Bolu Babalola to write a million more romcoms, whether they're books or movies. She just GETS the genre - you can tell this book is the result of a deep love and familiarity with what makes a perfect romcom. Kiki is such a great protagonist, with so  much to admire about her but also relatable flaws. Same goes for Malakai, he just felt like such a real, actual person while also having that kind of glow that a love interest in a romance should. The plot is also perfect, and the conflict didn't annoy me for once!
Still Life by Sarah Winman

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was such a surprise to me! I expected it to be more of a basic historical fiction, but it was so much more rich and nuanced than that. I loved so many of the characters and how they were both realistic and larger than life at the same time. Some of the language and dialogue was a little over the top and made me roll my eyes in its flourishes, but it generally fit the story. I just really enjoyed this!
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

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adventurous dark emotional slow-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

I love this series so much. Naomi Novik's worldbuilding skills are just beyond. This was a really satisfying end to the trilogy, answering questions I didn't even know I had from the first two installments. I loved seeing these characters in new settings beyond the Scholomance itself, and seeing how the various enclaves worked. As with the previous two, the only thing that didn't quite work for me was how dense and rambling the writing was, especially with mental tangents.
Chemistry by Weike Wang

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funny reflective 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

I am officially a Weike Wang stan! I loved basically everything about this book. The writing style is so unique and felt both intimate and distant/removed at the same time, somehow. I loved seeing the main character's journey to happiness and how stubborn she was about getting there. And the way she developed community in her best friend (and her baby) and the students she tutored! Just so good.
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

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adventurous funny mysterious 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? No

3.5

As always, never mad to spend a book hanging out with Joyce and the rest of the club. The mystery in these books isn't usually that interesting to me, and this was no exception. And as usual, I felt like too many chapters were spent on random perspectives I didn't care about. I did really enjoy the additions to the crew, and the development of plots that have been unfolding since the first book. 
True Biz by Sara Nović

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emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

This was a nice read, even though I didn't really vibe with some aspects of it. I liked Charlie and Austin as characters, and their arcs throughout the book, but didn't enjoy any of the time spent with February. Her parts just kind of dragged to me. And most of the romance/relationship-building stuff didn't work for me. I did really like all of the little informational bits between chapters, and the format choices for dialogue, and the overall plot, though. Glad I read it!
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was just...so good. Jeannette is so vulnerable, thoughtful, and funny throughout this book. It's really well-structured and I felt like I got a complete look at her life through her eyes. I'm also so glad I listened to the audiobook for this, she did a great job narrating!
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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reflective 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

3.0

I enjoyed parts of this, like any time they got in the weeds of video game development especially. Oh, and the chapter set in the online wild west game - so interesting. Other parts fell flat for me, like basically every romantic relationship, and the big twists and turns. I also really didn't vibe with the writing style, so much of the vocab felt like it was found on thesaurus.com. I think it just wasn't necessarily for me!
Matilda by Roald Dahl

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

2.5

What a strange little story. This was obviously a childhood favorite of mine, but I hadn’t reread it in over a decade. I picked it up again this time to prepare for the new movie based on the musical (AMAZING), and I had forgotten how weird and awful most of the adults are in it! That’s classic Roald Dahl though, so not surprising. I don’t think this will still be on my favorites list, but fun to revisit.
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Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!! I hope it never ends. I loved this installment so much - Hava, the ship life, the journey across Arctic type land, the intrigue, all so good. I follow Kristin Cashore on social media so I saw how much research she did, but it was also just evident from the text. I really hope there’s more to come!!