nati18's reviews
50 reviews

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

slow-paced

3.0

Kind of an exhausting book to get through, though not because it was terrible. It's very on the nose about gender roles and it just didn't feel too good to relive the same things I see on a daily basis. Also, the ending didn't leave me satisfied. I did enjoy the build up to the mystery so that's why I kept going, but I doubt I'd revisit this

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

dark tense

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

3.5

One of the better horror novels I've read, although I'm not the biggest fan of the writing style. I'm gonna chalk that up to the disconnect between translations though and maybe revisit this in Spanish later.

I think this is really paced out well! I enjoyed the world building for what it was. They touched upon so many things that could've been further explored but since I prefer character driven stories, probably wouldn't have cared much for through the lens of Marcos. I enjoyed the trajectory of his character arc and liked the ending, but he wasn't captivating as a person. In fact, I wasn't really feeling the fear of anyone finding out about Jasmine at all because I didn't care about him.

Speaking of the ending, it was great! Marcos was already not exactly a stand up guy and while I love a little redemption arc, he strayed too far from that path to warrant bringing him back. 

My Husband by Maud Ventura

dark tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

3.5

Such an uncomfortable book! I feel like this made me spiral a bit because objectively, her thoughts are very extreme and irrational, but they also make sense to me?? Perhaps not a book for over thinkers

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

4.0

No real crit just happy to be here

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

2.0

I am pissed!! Considering this was the end to a trilogy, I expected the plot to move fast and yet it dragged on so unnecessarily slow. There's way too many perspectives crammed in here that don't interest me at all and disrupt the flow of the book. Why should I care about what they have to say when we're almost at the finish line? 

I only stuck around for the characters; I long gave up trying to understand what the hell they were all talking about but found the main cast fun and liked their dynamics. So to ruin even that aspect for me? Yeah, this sucks. I wouldn't be mad if I didn't care. I regret joining the long ass wait list for this book

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

3.5

I knew I'd enjoy this book after reading Migrations. It packed a pretty emotional punch early on! I don't like it as much as the other book, but I'd still recommend it if you were looking for something grounded in nature

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Irresistible by Mary Balogh

slow-paced

2.5

Not terrible, but the romance here felt a little dry. I was constantly aggravated by Sophie's terrible decision making. Like everyone respected her privacy and wouldn't have needed all the details in order to help her, but she sometimes it felt like she was choosing to be miserable even after seeing how much everyone cared for her. 

Nathaniel is also very Manly Man (which I was kind of expecting from a period romance, but still, ew) which is hard for me to care about, so I was more interested in the background romance. 

Also very much not a fan of

everyone threatening to out the gay villain. Like the characters talk about how fine they are with other people being gay but still decide that it is an appropriate punishment. Hm.

 

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

The book really had me for the first act! The rest wasn't exactly something I felt I had to slog through, but it wasn't as engaging. I just didn't enjoy the characters as much and skimmed through the paragraphs of quotes. A few here and there are fine, but I just wasn't in the mood to dissect so much Shakespearan text. I was also hoping for more of a mystery and a more satisfying unraveling of the truth. The end felt a bit rushed in that regard and just felt like all of Oliver's time in prison was for nothing? I think I know what was implied at the end but that's just a whole other can of worms that doesn't give much closure. This was an engaging read but one that fell a bit flat for me

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

This is a super atmospheric book about grief above all else, despite all the cosmic horror stuff going on in the background. I think the slow buildup is all well and good, but it could've been a tad bit shorter considering that I was forcing myself to keep going through the middle. Miri's chapters were also kind of hit or miss for me. I wasn't in love with her character, but certain lines resonated so much and I just felt so sad for her.

However! I absolutely adore the marriage of horror and themes of grief. Dressing it up with this intriguing mystery and heart wrenching romance made it a relatively easy read despite its slow pace. It's a quiet book from both perspectives which I think really adds to the haunting atmosphere of both the time spent at sea and slowly losing someone you love. Would recommend for more patient readers

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

Ooohhhhhh what a gorgeous gorgeous book. It throws a lot of curve balls at you to keep things interesting so at no point did I ever feel bored. I looove books about love, so the descriptions here between Franny and birds, Niall, and her crew are a gut punch everytime. I cried! It's literally just the last page that threw me off but I think I'll wrap my head around it better when upon reread