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aftereliza's Reviews (946)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
This story follows the middle Brown sister, Dani, as she enters into a fake relationship with the security guard at the university she teaches at after a video of him carrying her out of the building during a fire drill went viral. What Dani doesn't realise is that while she's hesitant about solidifying her feelings toward Zaf, he's all in with her. This story is one of the better romance novels I've read, due to the characters communicating well despite the issues in their backstories, and they felt realistic and imperfect, but all together likeable.
I really enjoyed it, far more than the original Chloe Brown book. The characters felt better developed, more interesting and built upon what was started out in the first novel, and I liked the dual-perspective narrative, which gave the reader a really good overview of the whole picture, but also made me want to tear out my hair because at points they just weren't communicating, very much like real people don't! The spicier scenes weren't as explicit or (in my opinion) vulgar or graphic as in Chloe Brown and it felt like it worked with the plot more than the first book.
I much preferred this book in the series to its older sister, it just felt like the tropes were more interesting and I was more interested in the characters this time around.
This story follows the middle Brown sister, Dani, as she enters into a fake relationship with the security guard at the university she teaches at after a video of him carrying her out of the building during a fire drill went viral. What Dani doesn't realise is that while she's hesitant about solidifying her feelings toward Zaf, he's all in with her. This story is one of the better romance novels I've read, due to the characters communicating well despite the issues in their backstories, and they felt realistic and imperfect, but all together likeable.
I really enjoyed it, far more than the original Chloe Brown book. The characters felt better developed, more interesting and built upon what was started out in the first novel, and I liked the dual-perspective narrative, which gave the reader a really good overview of the whole picture, but also made me want to tear out my hair because at points they just weren't communicating, very much like real people don't! The spicier scenes weren't as explicit or (in my opinion) vulgar or graphic as in Chloe Brown and it felt like it worked with the plot more than the first book.
I much preferred this book in the series to its older sister, it just felt like the tropes were more interesting and I was more interested in the characters this time around.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
This novel follows the youngest Brown sister, Eve, as she tries to find a passion in life but ends up stumbling into a BnB as their new chef. After getting off on the wrong foot with the owner, she ends up working there in the summer getting closer than she expected. But there's something holding her back and will Jacob help her figure it out?
I've enjoyed the Brown sisters series but I felt like I knew the least about Eve and this novel didn't really help me learn that much more. I understand why it's called Act Your Age, because Eve is truly very childish throughout it, though it may be in part due to her mental health diagnoses. It felt like there was very little plot and mostly just the spicy scenes, which I admit I skipped through.
Unfortunately for the baby of the Brown family, I liked the story of Eve the least of the lot. It felt like there was too little plot for my liking and I didn't find the rest of the cast as engaging as those of the other books. That being said, I do believe that this was the perfect ending to tie together the entire cast and conclude the series.
This novel follows the youngest Brown sister, Eve, as she tries to find a passion in life but ends up stumbling into a BnB as their new chef. After getting off on the wrong foot with the owner, she ends up working there in the summer getting closer than she expected. But there's something holding her back and will Jacob help her figure it out?
I've enjoyed the Brown sisters series but I felt like I knew the least about Eve and this novel didn't really help me learn that much more. I understand why it's called Act Your Age, because Eve is truly very childish throughout it, though it may be in part due to her mental health diagnoses. It felt like there was very little plot and mostly just the spicy scenes, which I admit I skipped through.
Unfortunately for the baby of the Brown family, I liked the story of Eve the least of the lot. It felt like there was too little plot for my liking and I didn't find the rest of the cast as engaging as those of the other books. That being said, I do believe that this was the perfect ending to tie together the entire cast and conclude the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
This novel has been on my shelves for a VERY long time and on my radar for even longer. It's about Xiomara, a 15-year-old girl with a fiery attitude and a passion for writing, living with her absent father, overbearing, conservative mother, and identical twin brother, who couldn't be more her opposite in terms of temperament. She receives a notebook as a present from her brother and starts writing her thoughts and feelings in the form of poems. Everything from her feelings towards boys in her class, the sexual harassment she received while walking around her neighbourhood, her thoughts on religion that definitely do not align with her mother's, all things she keeps to herself and fears her mother will find out. It doesn't help that her teacher is encouraging her to get involved with a Spoken Word club and a Slam at the end of term.
I thought this was an excellent novel for teenagers, it was an interesting format, much different from most YA I read when I was that demographic and since. The characters are very well developed, you can see they each have their own position, goals and values and they come across very well in the dialogue and their actions. It's such a empathetic and raw look at the kinds of things that teenagers are going through and thinking about now.
This is one of the best YA books I've read. It's mature but age appropriate, challenges the norm and shows you how there is a support network if things don't work out, even if it doesn't seem like there is. This is definitely a book I'd be recommending to my teenage relatives or daughter down the line.
Did you go through an angsty-teenage poetry phase or was it just me?
This novel has been on my shelves for a VERY long time and on my radar for even longer. It's about Xiomara, a 15-year-old girl with a fiery attitude and a passion for writing, living with her absent father, overbearing, conservative mother, and identical twin brother, who couldn't be more her opposite in terms of temperament. She receives a notebook as a present from her brother and starts writing her thoughts and feelings in the form of poems. Everything from her feelings towards boys in her class, the sexual harassment she received while walking around her neighbourhood, her thoughts on religion that definitely do not align with her mother's, all things she keeps to herself and fears her mother will find out. It doesn't help that her teacher is encouraging her to get involved with a Spoken Word club and a Slam at the end of term.
I thought this was an excellent novel for teenagers, it was an interesting format, much different from most YA I read when I was that demographic and since. The characters are very well developed, you can see they each have their own position, goals and values and they come across very well in the dialogue and their actions. It's such a empathetic and raw look at the kinds of things that teenagers are going through and thinking about now.
This is one of the best YA books I've read. It's mature but age appropriate, challenges the norm and shows you how there is a support network if things don't work out, even if it doesn't seem like there is. This is definitely a book I'd be recommending to my teenage relatives or daughter down the line.
Did you go through an angsty-teenage poetry phase or was it just me?
Thanks to @HeadlineBooks and @NetGalley for providing me with a proof copy in advance of publication.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - New Yorkers by Craig Taylor
This review has been made possible thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
New Yorkers is an insightful look into the people who live and work in the city, have seen it through a number of changes and developments and have made their communities what they are today. It looks at all the different aspects of life in New York, the hustle of it all, the burnout, what the streets are really like, how life differs for the super-rich and the poorer communities
This is a fantastic book with a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds and stories and it seems like the perfect amalgamation of New Yorkers, through and through, aspiring stars coming to New York to make their debut, everyone from Wall Street to cops and cleaners, all who contribute something to the society and make New York what it is. This book is perfect for anyone who loves New York, or even the idea of it, anyone who's lived there or planning on moving there, or your friend who did psychology who is fascinated by the human condition. Truly fantastic read, I cannot recommend it enough.
This review has been made possible thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
New Yorkers is an insightful look into the people who live and work in the city, have seen it through a number of changes and developments and have made their communities what they are today. It looks at all the different aspects of life in New York, the hustle of it all, the burnout, what the streets are really like, how life differs for the super-rich and the poorer communities
This is a fantastic book with a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds and stories and it seems like the perfect amalgamation of New Yorkers, through and through, aspiring stars coming to New York to make their debut, everyone from Wall Street to cops and cleaners, all who contribute something to the society and make New York what it is. This book is perfect for anyone who loves New York, or even the idea of it, anyone who's lived there or planning on moving there, or your friend who did psychology who is fascinated by the human condition. Truly fantastic read, I cannot recommend it enough.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Born in a Second Language by Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love the subject matter, as someone who also feels trapped between several languages and cultures, I related to it very much. I liked how the author played with shape poems throughout the collection. There was a good mix of prose poetry and I really enjoyed seeing the same phrases or images repeating themselves through the collection.
Some of my favourite poems include for those for whom this need not be translated, which is one of the strongest starts to a poetry collection I've ever read and it's full of emotion and conviction. I also enjoyed I know a place where I can spread myself out and be enough to fill a room, What my hands have learned, I am deciding which language to spend the night in, and it goes without saying. I feel like this collection was a fantastic all-around look at the experience of not belonging to one country, culture or language and the limbo state the author found herself in while living in these various places.
Born in a Second Language is out today!
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love the subject matter, as someone who also feels trapped between several languages and cultures, I related to it very much. I liked how the author played with shape poems throughout the collection. There was a good mix of prose poetry and I really enjoyed seeing the same phrases or images repeating themselves through the collection.
Some of my favourite poems include for those for whom this need not be translated, which is one of the strongest starts to a poetry collection I've ever read and it's full of emotion and conviction. I also enjoyed I know a place where I can spread myself out and be enough to fill a room, What my hands have learned, I am deciding which language to spend the night in, and it goes without saying. I feel like this collection was a fantastic all-around look at the experience of not belonging to one country, culture or language and the limbo state the author found herself in while living in these various places.
Born in a Second Language is out today!
⭐️⭐️ Review - Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagán
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and @amazonpublishing for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is about Libby, her husband Shiloh and their twin teenage daughters as Libby comes to terms with her father's recent death, her 10 year anniversary of being cancer free and the divorce of her brother and his partner. In order to celebrate her 10 year remission anniversary, they take a trip to Puerto Rico, where she and her husband met, and visit an elderly friend Maligros. They get caught in a hurricane, their daughter is running low on insulin for Type 1 Diabetes and their friend Marigros has a heart attack.
While I have read some of Pagan's work before, I was disappointed with this novel. Libby is described as a sunny, positive person, who can bring light to any room. However, in the novel, she only complains, worries, reprimands her daughters and whines to her husband about their lack of a sex life. This novel only pushes her further into herself and feels wildly depressing and unpleasant. It didn't feel like I was reading this novel to escape anything in my life, I only felt trapped in their situation and wished I could make it stop. I didn't find the 47 year old's life interesting, relatable or worth telling a story about. Libby felt stuck in her situation and beyond a change in her perspective, hadn't changed by the end of the book.
Personally, I would not read or recommend this novel again, but if a middle-aged woman is going through a dry spell with her partner, feeling stuck at work and would like to read about how it could always get worse, this is the book for you.
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and @amazonpublishing for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is about Libby, her husband Shiloh and their twin teenage daughters as Libby comes to terms with her father's recent death, her 10 year anniversary of being cancer free and the divorce of her brother and his partner. In order to celebrate her 10 year remission anniversary, they take a trip to Puerto Rico, where she and her husband met, and visit an elderly friend Maligros. They get caught in a hurricane, their daughter is running low on insulin for Type 1 Diabetes and their friend Marigros has a heart attack.
While I have read some of Pagan's work before, I was disappointed with this novel. Libby is described as a sunny, positive person, who can bring light to any room. However, in the novel, she only complains, worries, reprimands her daughters and whines to her husband about their lack of a sex life. This novel only pushes her further into herself and feels wildly depressing and unpleasant. It didn't feel like I was reading this novel to escape anything in my life, I only felt trapped in their situation and wished I could make it stop. I didn't find the 47 year old's life interesting, relatable or worth telling a story about. Libby felt stuck in her situation and beyond a change in her perspective, hadn't changed by the end of the book.
Personally, I would not read or recommend this novel again, but if a middle-aged woman is going through a dry spell with her partner, feeling stuck at work and would like to read about how it could always get worse, this is the book for you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Summer Job by Lizzie Dent
When Birdy's friend Heather runs away from a sommelier job at a remote hotel in Scotland, Birdy impersonates her to work there for the summer. The only problem is that Birdy doesn't know the first thing about wine except for their colours! Things get more complicated when the very handsome chef starts taking Birdy out for fishing, day trips into nearby towns, and giving her private cooking lessons. Everything comes to a head when Birdy's ex comes up from London and nearly blows her cover. The only question left is whether Birdy will be able to hold up the persona until the summer is over.
When we first meet Birdy, I expected someone a bit more carefree and impulsive, not so much someone who gets tripped up so easily. She was an interesting character but I felt like the supporting cast was so diverse, with incredibly strong personalities shining through that I would have liked to read more about them! I thought the premise was really unique, Dent appealed to everyone who can't distinguish a Chardonnay from a Cabernet and showed the dynamics of working in hospitality really well.
While there were some moments where I didn't fully understand Birdy's logic, approach or resolution to the situation, I enjoyed the story, learned a lot by the end and would definitely consider it a staple read for everyone this summer! Thanks to @BookandTonic for organising this summer's reading challenge and here's to me completing week one!
When Birdy's friend Heather runs away from a sommelier job at a remote hotel in Scotland, Birdy impersonates her to work there for the summer. The only problem is that Birdy doesn't know the first thing about wine except for their colours! Things get more complicated when the very handsome chef starts taking Birdy out for fishing, day trips into nearby towns, and giving her private cooking lessons. Everything comes to a head when Birdy's ex comes up from London and nearly blows her cover. The only question left is whether Birdy will be able to hold up the persona until the summer is over.
When we first meet Birdy, I expected someone a bit more carefree and impulsive, not so much someone who gets tripped up so easily. She was an interesting character but I felt like the supporting cast was so diverse, with incredibly strong personalities shining through that I would have liked to read more about them! I thought the premise was really unique, Dent appealed to everyone who can't distinguish a Chardonnay from a Cabernet and showed the dynamics of working in hospitality really well.
While there were some moments where I didn't fully understand Birdy's logic, approach or resolution to the situation, I enjoyed the story, learned a lot by the end and would definitely consider it a staple read for everyone this summer! Thanks to @BookandTonic for organising this summer's reading challenge and here's to me completing week one!
When faced with the death of her fiancé, Anna takes his boat on the trip around the Caribbean that they were always planning. Of course, nothing goes to plan, and sheets someone else who travelling now that his life isn't going the way he had hoped. Keane and Anna take to the seas to complete the travel itinerary set out by the late Ben, but they discover a deeper connection along the way.
This was a sweet novel about overcoming, or rather coming to terms with, grief, expanding your worldview and pushing beyond your comfort zone. This is an excellent fiction book about self-development. I enjoyed listening to it and the characters are really compelling. While I'd recommend this to anyone as an excellent summer read, I'm not sure if I'd read it again.
Would you ever go sailing?
This was a sweet novel about overcoming, or rather coming to terms with, grief, expanding your worldview and pushing beyond your comfort zone. This is an excellent fiction book about self-development. I enjoyed listening to it and the characters are really compelling. While I'd recommend this to anyone as an excellent summer read, I'm not sure if I'd read it again.
Would you ever go sailing?