thejoyfulbookblogger's reviews
780 reviews

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Andromeda by Therese Bohman

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

An indulgent, slow literary fiction. I enjoyed it but at the same time didn’t think it was notable nor something to be overly recommended. It was certainly reflective, thoughtful, and interesting.

The Wellness-Evolved Woman: Embracing Your Authentic Self Throughout Your Passion Fit Life by Reena Vokoun

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

The first 40% had me going and I was interested. Around 45/50% it started to drag on and I found myself bored. I was pushing myself to finish and realized I felt like I was punishing myself. Life’s too short to read books that you’re not vibing with. Skimmed the rest for some takeaways.

Some positives:

One of my favorite snippets: Remember how you feel when wellness is integrated into your life. This is SUCH a good reminder! I always feel so much better when I’m eating healthy and working out on a regular basis. My mind is more clear, my body isn’t heavy, and I feel comfortable on my own skin.
Another favorite quote: One of the most important relationships we have in life is the one we have with ourselves. It’s the root of all our other relationships. If we can’t love ourselves, how can we love anyone else?
Some simple exercises that can pack a punch - such as listing your favorite qualities about yourself.

Some negatives:

One aspect I dislike is that the author continues to refer to a wellness empowered woman throughout the book. I think she’d have a wider audience if she didn’t limit the audience to this phrase, what if a man or nonbinary individual wanted to read this and gain knowledge from her insight? I totally get that it’s the title of the book but I think it could’ve used a bit of a rework there.
The book feels like a researched personal journal with prompts written in response to the researched articles. It feels like someone took educational courses through a program and regurgitated what they learned while loosely offering guidance on how to do the same. Halfway through I was just bored.

I really wanted to love this book especially since I love personal development books, but this just wasn’t for me.

It's Getting Hot in Here by Jane Costello

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challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Goodness me, how I loved this book. It was intriguing, entertaining, and thoughtful. Towards the end the author threw my emotions through the wringer {is that the right word?} but in such a good way. Absolutely beautiful work of fiction and I need immediately to purchase a copy of her first book that I somehow haven’t read. I’ve somehow got two copies from the Olive Influencer program (also bought a copy from OUABC Box) and I’m so excited to do a giveaway for both, so that I can share this story with others and hope that it touches them the same way it touched me.

First 5 star read of the year for me and it’ll go on my forever favorites, and books that I can’t stop recommending. Just absolutely loved it. Possible contender for favorite book of the year and it’s only February!

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

A bit of an overdone story - which I wouldn’t hate, hello Roman holiday vibes - but the accents in the audio were too chaotic for me and just kind of made me cringe.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced