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rachieanniereads's reviews
46 reviews
Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
5.0
a new all time favorite!! this was everything i needed from a queer coming of age story. i wish it was so much longer, because i didn't want it to end.
these characters felt so real - people i could fully visualize, hear and know.
of all the coming of age stories i've read in my lifetime, this was the best by far and one that i can relate to so deeply. just the perfect portrayal of realizing trauma, becoming confident in your sexuality, and the deep, unparalleled heartbreak of a friendship ending. cannot recommend enough.
also! we need more books showcasing the joys of queer friendship and the bliss/uniqueness of sapphic romantic relationships.
these characters felt so real - people i could fully visualize, hear and know.
of all the coming of age stories i've read in my lifetime, this was the best by far and one that i can relate to so deeply. just the perfect portrayal of realizing trauma, becoming confident in your sexuality, and the deep, unparalleled heartbreak of a friendship ending. cannot recommend enough.
also! we need more books showcasing the joys of queer friendship and the bliss/uniqueness of sapphic romantic relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Transphobia
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i'm really struggling to understand how this book has so much hype. this was...poorly written, i'm sorry.
where to begin...?
the narrative choice of giving us the ending at the beginning was certainly a choice. can't confirm if it was a good one. it took some of the emotional impact out of it, but also made the rest of the book feel like it was written in an odd mix of present and past tense. it seemed like Autumn was speaking/thinking in reflections, but it was written in present tense.
the whole book was telling us everything, but showing us nothing. we got told, repeatedly, how cool, edgy and different Autumn/her friend groups was, but didn't get to see any of that. her "i'm not a cool kid if i do *insert thing here* because the normal popular kids are doing it" internal monologue made me cringe. the only way we were shown that she was super different and quirky and weird xd lol was that she wore a tiara...all the time...with every outfit. i don't understand pls.
the dialouge was so clunky. we barely got any for the first half of the book. but when we did get dialouge it was dry and unrealistic. "okay." "haha." "oh." it felt like reading someone talk to their nonchalant situationship that doesn't care to hold a conversation.
the descriptions of high school like felt so stereotypical with no level of realism. popular cheerleaders that have an unspoken rivalry with the edgy kids? not cookie cutter at all.
again, so many aspects of this felt unrealistic especiallymultiple pregnancies among the characters after one singular time having unprotected sex. yes, it's possible, but also not common enough for it to happen twice within the same novel. one felt unnecessary, and the other felt like a convenient plot device to prevent suicide
i'm genuinely confused if i read the same book as all these 5 star reviews. 2 stars just because i did feel compelled in some way to finish it.
where to begin...?
the narrative choice of giving us the ending at the beginning was certainly a choice. can't confirm if it was a good one. it took some of the emotional impact out of it, but also made the rest of the book feel like it was written in an odd mix of present and past tense. it seemed like Autumn was speaking/thinking in reflections, but it was written in present tense.
the whole book was telling us everything, but showing us nothing. we got told, repeatedly, how cool, edgy and different Autumn/her friend groups was, but didn't get to see any of that. her "i'm not a cool kid if i do *insert thing here* because the normal popular kids are doing it" internal monologue made me cringe. the only way we were shown that she was super different and quirky and weird xd lol was that she wore a tiara...all the time...with every outfit. i don't understand pls.
the dialouge was so clunky. we barely got any for the first half of the book. but when we did get dialouge it was dry and unrealistic. "okay." "haha." "oh." it felt like reading someone talk to their nonchalant situationship that doesn't care to hold a conversation.
the descriptions of high school like felt so stereotypical with no level of realism. popular cheerleaders that have an unspoken rivalry with the edgy kids? not cookie cutter at all.
again, so many aspects of this felt unrealistic especially
i'm genuinely confused if i read the same book as all these 5 star reviews. 2 stars just because i did feel compelled in some way to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pls this book made me sob + have an existential crisis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
this was a snooze until the last 100 pages. i love books that follow someone while they study abroad, particularly to see the character immersed in a new culture while discovering themselves. instead, at the end, the character tells us how she’s grown rather than us being shown her development throughout the book.
instead, most of the book focused on her thesis. the romance took a backseat to this weird side plot that i couldn’t care less about. as for the romance, love triangles aren’t always bad if they’re done well. but it was obvious from the start who she would choose.
wouldn’t recommend :/
instead, most of the book focused on her thesis. the romance took a backseat to this weird side plot that i couldn’t care less about. as for the romance, love triangles aren’t always bad if they’re done well. but it was obvious from the start who she would choose.
wouldn’t recommend :/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity