suzyvee's reviews
212 reviews

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.25

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The Adventure Is Now by Jess Redman

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

I love Amanda Gorman. Her words are a balm for our nation. 
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.25

I lived in Bloomington when this happened. I went on a couple of the searches. I met Mrs. Spierer. I will never forget the pain that radiated from her. 

This book included details that had never been published before. The writing was good, and I felt that the coverage was as balanced as it could be, given that it included direct quotes from the persons of interest. As many people have said and will continue to believe - someone who saw and interacted with Lauren that night knows more than they’ve come forward with. It’s heartbreaking that this family has not gotten answers.  
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The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

I really enjoyed this. As a sequel, it did not disappoint. I really loved how the relationships among the character developed and would not hate a third installment of GUP, Maisie, and Grant. 

There were so many funny, touching, and memorable moments from this story. I would definitely recommend this for readers who loved The Guncle. 
The Talk by Darrin Bell

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challenging emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

5.0

This was a well-written and heartbreaking read. I plan to get the graphic novel and go through it again, as I listened to the audiobook this time. I loved that the author read it. This should be required reading for everyone, particularly white folx. I got goosebumps and teary eyes throughout. There is so much work to be done. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. 
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A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
This is a collection of short stories and the two that I read were good. I just was not in the right mood to finish it. I might come back to this at a later time. 
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.25

This is categorized as Christian fiction, but I have no idea why. There are literally no mentions of religion or spiritual beliefs. 

I listed to the audiobook as an ARC from NetGalley. This is told from the two perspectives of the two MCs - Kelsey and Georgina, who meet in the hospital after Kelsey is hit by a car. Kelsey feels like there’s a reason the two were brought together, and inserts herself into Georgina’s life. Georgina is a highly successful businesswoman who gave up her family for career success. Kelsey comes up with the idea of the summer of yes for her and Georgina - where each of them say yes to opportunities they’d have otherwise said no to. Kelsey convinces Georgina to go on a roadtrip with her, secretly planning to go to the town where Georgina’s husband and grown son live. 

I thought this was a completely predictable but fun read - a great book for the summer. 
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Honey: A Novel by Isabel Banta

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC audiobook. 

I listened to this at 1.5x speed and got through it in 2 days. The book was very well-written and I enjoyed it, for the most part. At the beginning, it was a bit difficult keeping all of the characters straight. I liked that much of the story was really told from the internal thoughts and dialogue of Amber. I wish that the story explored the reaction to Gwen’s story and relationships more. 

As someone who would’ve been just a bit older than Amber at the time the story takes place, I could relate to a lot of the angsty feelings of being a teenager. As an adult, I kept hoping that she would make better choices. As the story went on, I really hoped she’d wise up to how she was being treated by Wes. 

Because this is about teenagers who become pop stars - think Britney, Christina, BSB, etc. - there is a fair amount of discussion of sex, abortion, drugs, smoking, etc. 
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The Dreamweavers by G.Z. Schmidt

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

4.0