tiffanytt's reviews
60 reviews

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

spoilers

okay i did fly through this book crazy fast but that being said i don't think i enjoyed it that much. first, i felt like there was so much going on, with emma's mom and justin's mom and there were a lot of characters. did justin need three siblings? two could have sufficed. i also didn't like maddy's character very much. although in the end she was right about emma's mom, i didn't like the way that she was not very emotionally supportive of emma and her desire to keep her mom in her life. at the end of the day, that was emma's mom and not hers so she should have just been supportive of her friend. maybe it's a sore spot that made it stick with me...anyway the other thing is that the concept was kind of goofy. like meeting someone off reddit and moving to be near them even if just for six weeks? that is pretty wild. and also they fell in love with each other very quickly i felt. it didn't really make much sense to me. the writing was also kind of millenial, like the jokes were not for my crowd.
i didn't really like justin's character too much, but maybe that's because i'm a romantic cynic. he just liked emma a lot and overtly showed it all the time. #unrealistic. it was also just cringy a lot of the time. the pool floaty thing? that was goofy. the pre-date questionnaires and post-date surveys? goofy. and i didn't really like the ending that they separated for six months, no contact and then she said what she said and everything was okay. those six months were probably definitely brutal for justin. like he probably felt so hurt and he did, that's what he said and so for it to all just go away because of her confession? idk...maybe a hot take but i don't think someone who loves you should ever hurt you that badly...but maybe sensitive.
idk i just don't think that it was well-written and it was very heavily focused on both of their struggles and oh yes i forgot about this but both of them were going through turbulent times so it irked me a little how much they liked each other because to me it felt like he was leaning on her and wanting her because she was the most stable aspect of his life currently. i just didn't think that was very healthy. so maybe in hindsight it was good they separated but idk. not my taste, probably won't read another one of her books.

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

very chilling and eye-opening. it was disheartening to read how many people witnessed Keyes kidnap Samantha but her fear kept her from getting help. and no one noticed anything as suspicious. and it was disheartening to realize how easy it would be to be a serial killer, in terms of hiding evidence from the police. a lot of the things Keyes confessed to weren't groundbreaking techniques to not get caught. they just illuminated how technology and people have their limits.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

i really enjoyed this book and i’m excited to watch the movie eventually. it was confusing at times to keep track of all the names and maids but i figured it out by the end.

Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this book, it was disturbing for sure but I thought it was quite good. I'm not sure if it was a satisfying ending

because I almost expected Andrew to get caught or die

but I'm not sure if that would have been a good ending. Anyway, despite their perverseness, I found Jay and Andrew's relationship almost...enviable...I don't know if that is the right word but when they found each other and connected on this insanely twisted and dark level, it was like #goals.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

i always (twice) manage to read an emily henry book at emotionally vulnerable times in my life in such a way that the book tugs on all the right emotions. potentially though it is that any romance of some literary merit (has a plot, not just smut) will pull on the right strings if i'm vulnerable and sensitive enough. tbh the last 10-15% was not as enthralling as the beginning but anyway i enjoyed it and i would like to reread it at some point probably.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

 i fear i may have wrote about this book twice but alas it is not showing up now so i will write again! i wanted to read this silly romance book but the second storyline with Ira was just so boring...i'm sorry but it was slow and like i just didn't really care about it. every time it switched to his perspective it was just about his lovely life with his wife which is nice! but i just didn't care. sorry nicholas sparks. 

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez

informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

first non-fiction book i've read for enjoyment maybe...? that might not be true. this book was really good and i hope to retain at least some of the information from it. it definitely affected my thinking as i read it and experienced things firsthand. some examples: 1) these two guys came up to me to ask what i was reading and they seemed to scoff a little at the notion that women are lacking representation, i gave them the example of how cars are not required to be tested with female dummies, causing women to more likely be harmed in accidents. one of the guys then suggested that doesn't that mean children are also more at risk? the issue with this whole interaction is the act of bringing up another issue in response to the first issue as it minimizes and basically dismisses the problem that women are not required to be considered in car manufacturing. 2) one of coworkers had let me volunteer myself for a task twice and i gladly offered to help because i truly did not mind, but i think that i also likely have a stronger desire to prove myself to be adequate and hard-working at work. not that i have faced any sort of discrimination at work (i think) but just because i was raised as a girl, needing validation from people of authority if i want to be respected.

i would love to reread my own copy of this book and annotate it and write notes on it. i fear that i have already forgotten details but i got the gist! man has been for so long considered to be the default and women have been seen as "other" and therefore not worth representing. clearly, this causes countless other sexist issues as women are half of the world's population and when they are not sufficiently considered, they suffer.

anyway this book was really good and also reminded me of something else that i would like to read more about relating to feminism. i detest the idea that, in order to be respected, women need to act more like men, that being feminine is not worth respecting. it is a loathsome, subtle, implicit suggestion that this is how women can be respected. i appreciate seeing powerful women who are feminine! and i want to be that as well in my future and every day actually.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.

I wanted to enjoy this book but it was too slow and never really picked up ever. It was also just not very interesting to me and I think it's kept me in a slump.

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i think this book may be a little too high brow for me. my problem with this genre and period of book is that there is so little realism (imo) and it's very difficult for me to fully understand the characters feelings. similar to a shakespeare's play, the language and way of life is hard for me to grasp fully. of course i understood the gist of the novella and the story it tells is sad but because of the language, it's hard for me to feel that emotionally. it was 56 pages long and took me nearly 4 hours which is just a testament to my disinterest.

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

what’s the deal with hockey players? anyway i read this book for one reason and it satisfied that reason. the book and writing itself was not good and i often crinkled my nose at the cheese ball lines and phrases.

how many times can you say “wife” in a <200 page book??