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radhi_inthelibrary's reviews
240 reviews
Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Happy Pub Day to this book🥳. Thank you so much @netgalley @kensingtonbooks @holymolyjennyholi for providing me with the ARC of Earls Trip! I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself🥰.
Summary: set in the early 1800s, Clementine finds herself in a bit of a..situation...so her father enlists the help of Archie to help her out. Archie is about to go on an annual trip with his friends, & now his plans are diverted to help his childhood friend. What comes afterward is such a cozy, wholesome story that'll make you giggle & squeal a LOT 🤭🙈🥰.
On to the review!
I am a lover of all things romcom, but I'm sooo picky & I've been craving one set in the past - this is hard to come by with my requirements. This one DELIVERED 💯👏. I was SO obsessed & was giggling right from the start🤭. The writing, simple, yet exquisite🤌. The setting sooo cozy omg🥹, I'm such a sucker for cozy vibes in a story lol.
What stood out to me the most in this book were the characters. I literally cannot get enough of them! I love love Clementine, her cheerfulness, love for nature & science, it was all bleeding through the pages and straight into my heart🥹🥰. And then there are the men😭🥹🤌. Where does one find such SOFT men?! I don't mean just the romance, which btw was everything😭🫣🙈🥰 it was such a perfect slow burn, the way the characters don't even realize they're in love😭 I really really didn't want the Earls Trip to end. What I want is more time spent in a rundown castle, during the Autumn of the 1800s, with Archie and the whole group, racing turtles & such (you should read to find out🤭). This was one of those books where I wish I could reread it for the first time over & over again,
About the men though - AHHH they are SO SOFT😭🥹. I really don't know how else to describe them😅. This is a true found family, where their love & understanding for one another cannot be described through words alone. It made me reflect on my own friendships & how thankful I am to have this type of love with a handpicked few🥰.
ANYWAY. Go grab this book right now, you will not regret!!
Summary: set in the early 1800s, Clementine finds herself in a bit of a..situation...so her father enlists the help of Archie to help her out. Archie is about to go on an annual trip with his friends, & now his plans are diverted to help his childhood friend. What comes afterward is such a cozy, wholesome story that'll make you giggle & squeal a LOT 🤭🙈🥰.
On to the review!
I am a lover of all things romcom, but I'm sooo picky & I've been craving one set in the past - this is hard to come by with my requirements. This one DELIVERED 💯👏. I was SO obsessed & was giggling right from the start🤭. The writing, simple, yet exquisite🤌. The setting sooo cozy omg🥹, I'm such a sucker for cozy vibes in a story lol.
What stood out to me the most in this book were the characters. I literally cannot get enough of them! I love love Clementine, her cheerfulness, love for nature & science, it was all bleeding through the pages and straight into my heart🥹🥰. And then there are the men😭🥹🤌. Where does one find such SOFT men?! I don't mean just the romance, which btw was everything😭🫣🙈🥰 it was such a perfect slow burn, the way the characters don't even realize they're in love😭 I really really didn't want the Earls Trip to end. What I want is more time spent in a rundown castle, during the Autumn of the 1800s, with Archie and the whole group, racing turtles & such (you should read to find out🤭). This was one of those books where I wish I could reread it for the first time over & over again,
About the men though - AHHH they are SO SOFT😭🥹. I really don't know how else to describe them😅. This is a true found family, where their love & understanding for one another cannot be described through words alone. It made me reflect on my own friendships & how thankful I am to have this type of love with a handpicked few🥰.
ANYWAY. Go grab this book right now, you will not regret!!
Maya's Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
Thank you so so SOOO much to @thealinakhawaja @hearourvoicestours & @harpercollins for providing me with this physical ARC❤️! And my sincere apologies for reviewing so late, I've been so busy this Ramadan, but I made it!
On to the review 👇
Our FMC, Maya, is getting married but seemingly for all the wrong reasons 🥲, and she also manages to get herself into some crazy unfortunate situations 😅. We follow along on her journey where the plots keep TWISTING 🤭😆.
Honestly, this was such a well written book, and I see so much potential in the author with this being a debut ❤️. The characters are fleshed out and were interesting. The plots are well thought out, so we're not left hanging - all will be answered 👀. Oh and when I said the plots were twisting, I was gasping!!! I'd have screamed too lol, but ya girl fasting and breathing is an effort😂. Anyway, yall have to read to find out what's up👀.
And of course, you guys know I could love a book for the setting alone, and this one gaaave 🥹😍. I feel like I've traveled to these places in person🥹. and despite being South Asian myself, I'm ashamed to admit that I had no idea just how large Pakistan is!
Speaking of, we get plenty of Pakistani and general South Asian rep, which I'm always very happy to see🥰. We do get some Islamic elements, too. I don't know if I'd say it's entirely Muslim rep... However, it did make me think about how all of us Muslims practice and grow at different levels, and so even if it's not something I could relate to personally, it could be someone else's experience.
It was an honor to read this book so make sure to check it out!
On to the review 👇
Our FMC, Maya, is getting married but seemingly for all the wrong reasons 🥲, and she also manages to get herself into some crazy unfortunate situations 😅. We follow along on her journey where the plots keep TWISTING 🤭😆.
Honestly, this was such a well written book, and I see so much potential in the author with this being a debut ❤️. The characters are fleshed out and were interesting. The plots are well thought out, so we're not left hanging - all will be answered 👀. Oh and when I said the plots were twisting, I was gasping!!! I'd have screamed too lol, but ya girl fasting and breathing is an effort😂. Anyway, yall have to read to find out what's up👀.
And of course, you guys know I could love a book for the setting alone, and this one gaaave 🥹😍. I feel like I've traveled to these places in person🥹. and despite being South Asian myself, I'm ashamed to admit that I had no idea just how large Pakistan is!
Speaking of, we get plenty of Pakistani and general South Asian rep, which I'm always very happy to see🥰. We do get some Islamic elements, too. I don't know if I'd say it's entirely Muslim rep... However, it did make me think about how all of us Muslims practice and grow at different levels, and so even if it's not something I could relate to personally, it could be someone else's experience.
It was an honor to read this book so make sure to check it out!
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
We have our fmc, Annie, who suddenly has the possibility of acquiring a lot of wealth upon the death of a mysterious great aunt. She goes to a cozy English countryside village to visit this aunt only to find out that she's dead. Oops! The rest of the book follows Annie who is trying to find out what happened to her great aunt, and in the meantime she stumbles across some of the aunt's diaries and we get to learn a lot of JUICY history! And will Annie acquire any wealth at all? 👀
On to the review!
It's been a LOOONG time since I flew through a book, so that should say a lot about this! I've also been craving a cozy mystery for the longest time and this was a bundle of cozies (despite the murderous behavior lol).
To be honest, there's nothing I disliked about this book, I LOVED everythinggg. So, I'm going to list out and explain all of my loves:
- Annie is so lovable and quirky and hilarious, not to mention her cutesy, modest fashion sense🥹.
- The other characters are just as intriguing with their own drama going on on the side. One of my absolute favorite things about the characters was the diversity represented. The author includes poc characters who appear as a normal fabric of society, and they're not "othered". We don't go into depth with racial/ethnic history, but rather the characters are stated to be of ethnic backgrounds, and they are essential to the story, plot, and the environment of the village. This doesn't work for all books, but it worked for this one and I liked that the author found a balance.
- The mention of Afghanistan as a beautiful place, with no mention of war or western veterans. YES AND THANK YOU 👏👏👏
- There's sort of a double mystery going on, between Annie's and the great aunt's pov. Along with all the tea we learn from the great aunt's past - at some point I was sooo invested in all of that drama more than the murder lol
- Such smooth beautiful writing giving both of our fmcs very distinct characteristics and personalities, I was so invested like I said!
- THE COZINESS, I can't even begin to describe it, ---> which is why you all need to go read this book asap!!!
On to the review!
It's been a LOOONG time since I flew through a book, so that should say a lot about this! I've also been craving a cozy mystery for the longest time and this was a bundle of cozies (despite the murderous behavior lol).
To be honest, there's nothing I disliked about this book, I LOVED everythinggg. So, I'm going to list out and explain all of my loves:
- Annie is so lovable and quirky and hilarious, not to mention her cutesy, modest fashion sense🥹.
- The other characters are just as intriguing with their own drama going on on the side. One of my absolute favorite things about the characters was the diversity represented. The author includes poc characters who appear as a normal fabric of society, and they're not "othered". We don't go into depth with racial/ethnic history, but rather the characters are stated to be of ethnic backgrounds, and they are essential to the story, plot, and the environment of the village. This doesn't work for all books, but it worked for this one and I liked that the author found a balance.
- The mention of Afghanistan as a beautiful place, with no mention of war or western veterans. YES AND THANK YOU 👏👏👏
- There's sort of a double mystery going on, between Annie's and the great aunt's pov. Along with all the tea we learn from the great aunt's past - at some point I was sooo invested in all of that drama more than the murder lol
- Such smooth beautiful writing giving both of our fmcs very distinct characteristics and personalities, I was so invested like I said!
- THE COZINESS, I can't even begin to describe it, ---> which is why you all need to go read this book asap!!!
Gone by Michael Grant
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
slow-paced
2.0
Unfortunately, I really had suchhh a hard time liking this book (the entire series tbh) 😭. I honestly feel so let down. Throwback to when The Atlas Six first came out, self published, the hype about it on booksta/booktok was insane to the point where I believe there was a bidding war by publishers (?). I gave in and read it & I was obsessed with the dark academia + magic vibes 😍. I couldn't waitt for book 2 - I'll never forget how I drove through a storm after work to go grab it at the bookshop. This is where it all went downhill. I should've gone home, saved some money & gas💀😭. Since that was not what happened, I ended up stuck in this dark academia that took a philosophical turn that made no sense with all of the thick, academic style writing.
Don't get me wrong, this kind of writing is beautiful, but only at the right place & time. There was a lot of academic jargon that made no sense or point to the plot, and Atlas Six never once made me think it was going to be more than some crazy mystery. The series had sooo much potential but in book 2 & 3 it felt like there was no direction to the plot or the characters. Paradox picks off with plots pulled out of thin air & it's basically the same with complex. I was ssstrugglingg to find connections & to finish this one. Honestly I should've dnf-ed during Paradox.. but I really thought there might be some redemption to the plot. My only motivation to get through it was the fact that I borrowed it from the library 😂
I will say, I watched Oppenheimer soon after finishing this, & I noticed some matching philosophies that made me think deeper about this series. However, I couldn't think deep enough because it already felt like reading some academic work trying hard to meet the word count... 😭
Don't get me wrong, this kind of writing is beautiful, but only at the right place & time. There was a lot of academic jargon that made no sense or point to the plot, and Atlas Six never once made me think it was going to be more than some crazy mystery. The series had sooo much potential but in book 2 & 3 it felt like there was no direction to the plot or the characters. Paradox picks off with plots pulled out of thin air & it's basically the same with complex. I was ssstrugglingg to find connections & to finish this one. Honestly I should've dnf-ed during Paradox.. but I really thought there might be some redemption to the plot. My only motivation to get through it was the fact that I borrowed it from the library 😂
I will say, I watched Oppenheimer soon after finishing this, & I noticed some matching philosophies that made me think deeper about this series. However, I couldn't think deep enough because it already felt like reading some academic work trying hard to meet the word count... 😭
The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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 didn't realize I was a political fantasy girly until I read The Poppy War trilogy. Since then, I was in search of something similar, & I never would've thought that I'd find it in The City of Brass (aka Daevabad trilogy).
Pictured here is the last book, The Empire of Gold, but my review is going to be for the series as a whole. I know I've talked so much about this series already & this is probably going to sound repetitive, but I feel like words aren't enough to describe the things this series has made me feel.🤧
I've said this before, and I'll say it again, within the first few pages it is apparent that we're getting Muslim cultural representation, East & South Asian + African cultures, racism & prejudice, class imbalances, systematic injustice. All of that in fiction is like a book speaking to my heart.
But what makes this series that much more is that it is all tied to fantasy elements! And of course, romance! I'm always down for a good slow burn 🤭🤭. It's a love triangle & I've never wanted both men this bad😭😅 I was so worried how Nahri(fmc) would be able to make a choice between them - but not to worry, it's 3 very THICK books long 🤗🤭.
& I love how so very imperfect the characters are?! One of the mmc is the best warrior of his time, but he's also super nerdy, loves to read, feels the need to create justice but messes up A LOT on his journey. The other mmc is super macho, has amazing magical abilities, is blindly trusting, also makes A LOT of mistakes along the way. Etc. You see what I mean? They're morally grey, but so very HUMAN. And Nahri🤗 this girl is my soul sister🥰. Anyway, with each character, you see their flaws and you relate, because they are very much like us.
To wrap this up, repeating myself again: This series is an excellent condensed take on current world politics and all the injustices taking place in🍉 and everywhere else.
Pictured here is the last book, The Empire of Gold, but my review is going to be for the series as a whole. I know I've talked so much about this series already & this is probably going to sound repetitive, but I feel like words aren't enough to describe the things this series has made me feel.🤧
I've said this before, and I'll say it again, within the first few pages it is apparent that we're getting Muslim cultural representation, East & South Asian + African cultures, racism & prejudice, class imbalances, systematic injustice. All of that in fiction is like a book speaking to my heart.
But what makes this series that much more is that it is all tied to fantasy elements! And of course, romance! I'm always down for a good slow burn 🤭🤭. It's a love triangle & I've never wanted both men this bad😭😅 I was so worried how Nahri(fmc) would be able to make a choice between them - but not to worry, it's 3 very THICK books long 🤗🤭.
& I love how so very imperfect the characters are?! One of the mmc is the best warrior of his time, but he's also super nerdy, loves to read, feels the need to create justice but messes up A LOT on his journey. The other mmc is super macho, has amazing magical abilities, is blindly trusting, also makes A LOT of mistakes along the way. Etc. You see what I mean? They're morally grey, but so very HUMAN. And Nahri🤗 this girl is my soul sister🥰. Anyway, with each character, you see their flaws and you relate, because they are very much like us.
To wrap this up, repeating myself again: This series is an excellent condensed take on current world politics and all the injustices taking place in🍉 and everywhere else.