chronic_listener's reviews
127 reviews

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀

☾ the trauma the characters went through wasn't just swept under the rug but focused on

☾ the tension and build up between

Rhys + Feyre

☾ the friendship group + found family vibes

☾ the secondary characters and their stories

☾ the action scenes were so well written imo

☾ Rhysand (especially the way he treated Feyre, always with honesty + on equal footing)

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗗𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲

⊖ long. so. so. long. the first 450 pages were kinda slow and dragged on

⊖ the lengthy monologues to explain everything were tedious
⊖ I liked the tension, flirting and banter between

Rhys+Feyre

but the spice wasn't doing it for me at all 🫣

A couple other things I didn't particularly vibe with (and have decided to overlook for the sake of my enjoyment and sanity) but overall a fun experience.

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥: Packed with intrigues, secrets, magic, fleshed out backstories for each character and lush world-building.

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In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

This was such a fun book! The FMC was painfully relatable, her inner monologue made me snort-laugh more than once and I had a permanent stupid grin on my face while reading. Loved the chaotic cast of side characters, especially Benny.

𝗜𝗻 𝗔 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘇𝗲 is definitely a book you read for the laughs, the giggles and the immaculate cozy winter vibes, and not necessarily for its sound logic. Don't think too hard about and you'll have a great time!

The message it was trying to convey was heard loud and clear: be brave enough to go for what makes you happy.

What managed to piss me off was the

quick engagement in the epilogue.

Somehow this always kinda ruins the ending for me because why the fuck.

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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Calling this a review is really a stretch because even after a couple of weeks I still have no idea what to say about this, except that I felt so f-cking seen by some of the quotes.

This book left me feeling hollow and heavy at the same time, please check trigger warnings before reading because this is chock full of them.

There's lots of talk about video games and the creativity and mechanics behind creating them (which I enjoyed reading about a lot). The writing style seems (intentionally) detached which would suggest the reader would not be as affected by the things happening in this story (wrong, I was very affected lol). It was like watching a train wreck happen and being unable to do anything about it, it was frustrating and infuriating and still an undeniably good book in its own way.

𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 is a book you either love or hate, and I really feel like I get both sides of it. I've come to the conclusion that I just was not the target audience for this, since I enjoy my books providing me a with good time rather than depression.

If you like books with deeply flawed characters, lots of complex issues, told over the course of multiple decades, video games and emotional damage, this might be for you!

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The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Liked this much better than the first book, Noah + Hazel had more of a genuine connection, the mystery aspect was also more intriguing, the spice was spicing. Lots of snort-laugh moments, Noah was such a sweetie, he had some depth to him and they both had good character growth.

Third person POV isn't my fav + I didn't like the epilogue at all,

because why is Hazel acting all surprised at the proposal when this man literally has their initials tattooed on his chest (which is an ick in and of itself for me but I digress)

otherwise a surprisingly enjoyable, light and fun book.

✨boy obsessed, he falls first, he's down BAD

✨small town romance

✨summer adventures

✨shy bookworm introvert fmc x reformed rake tattooed fisherman mmc

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Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney

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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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 was an absolutely delightful read. Well-developed main characters who actively tried dealing with their flaws, a focus not only on the romance aspect (which was swoon-worthy and giggle-inducingly great) but also on the complicated family dynamics and personal struggles the main characters faced.

There was a delicious amount of angst, palpable chemistry, an inn with only one bed (🤩) and family Christmas shenanigans.

There was no 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘴 but a realistic "I can‘t fix everything at once right now but I'm gonna try do to better, even if it takes me a while, even if I don't succeed every time". Incredible.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 had me smiling like an idiot™️. If you love pining, complex characters, a perfectly imperfect story about love and family and learning when to hold on and when to let go: pick this up, I'm begging you.

🎧 10/10 narration

✨forced proximity
✨enemies-to-lovers (for her)
✨"it's always been you" (for him)
✨great banter

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Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

With charm and his signature humor, the narrator (Ernie) breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader, poking (good-natured) fun at the genre and Christmas specials in general. I loved the twists and turns, some I guessed right (shot in the dark tbh) but some took me by complete surprise, which made for an exciting and satisfying read.

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You, with a View by Jessica Joyce

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

Delicious tension, sizzling chemistry, beautiful writing, great banter, relatable and lovable FMC, realistic issues that have a satisfying resolution, a wonderful healing journey, and believable dialogue - I cannot fathom 𝙔𝙤𝙪, 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘼 𝙑𝙞𝙚𝙬 was Jessica Joyce's debut novel. Absolutely fantastic!

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦? 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯?"

I was really vibing with the humor, I loved Noelle's inner monologue and my favorite (but rare) thing about a single POV book is when it's so obvious to the reader that the MMC is into the FMC without ever being inside his head, truly the sign of great writing.

Every single aspect of this book was well done in my opinion. It was easy to root for these characters, easy to follow along, easy to fall in love right alongside them.

It felt real and realistic without being boring. It was refreshing to read about a couple that actually made sense together beyond physical attraction. You could practically feel the affection Theo felt for Noelle dripping off the page, I loved every second of it.

So many other small things to enjoy in this: the closeness of the family, no unnecessary dragging out of conflict, the special connection to their grandparents, learning to heal from grief, grandpa Paul being an absolute sweetheart, the man that is Theo Spencer... I could go on for a while. 🎧 audiobook was a 10/10 as well

✨ forced proximity
✨ former High School rivals
✨ road trip
✨ bickering as flirting
✨ grief rep

𝙔𝙤𝙪, 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘼 𝙑𝙞𝙚𝙬 did what many other contemporary romances can only hope to achieve: made me laugh and sigh and swoon, entertained me and moved me, made me feel seen and understood and 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡, long after closing the book.

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Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.25

Done and Dusted was a very quick read with some sweet and fun moments but overall it was a very average read to me, the things I liked and the things I didn't like evening out in the end.

What I Loved

➳ I'm a softie for books with great dads in them

➳ the themes (ADHD rep, healing after trauma, people being able to change, being desperate to leave your hometown and then coming back to realize this is where you want to be, reevaluating your wants and needs)

➳ I'm invested in Wes/Gus/Teddy's stories now

➳ about 75% of the spice save for

the spitting (why???) and him calling her a slut (I get that's something some people are into but god my knee jerk reaction was to DNF)

I didn't really vibe with the writing style, some scenes gave me full body cringe-shivers and they way this book was milking the "my best friends little sister" thing to death made my eye twitch.

The second half of the book was definitely better than the first but still not 100% for me (I also had really high hopes so maybe that's on me).

I'll still check out the other books in this series because I'm counting on the writing style to have improved as she evolves as an author and I'm invested in the side characters stories now. Also there were some great moments that stuck with me and it left me with a kinda warm feeling now that it's been a couple days since reading. Not a horrible book by a long shot but still not one of my favs.

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In The Weeds by B.K. Borison

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 felt like taking a deep, centering breath.

There really is so much I loved about this, the writing, the characters, the themes discussed, the romance, the found family vibes, just all of it.

Not a whole lot of plot happening but it didn't need plot, that was not what this book was about. It's about rediscovering yourself, slowing down, realizing it's okay to change, and finding your happy every day.

The author managed to write such a cozy and warm environment, I just wanted to crack this book open and crawl right inside to live in Inglewild and be friends with all of them. 🥹

This book was warm, achingly soft and sweet and gave me all the heart-fluttering feelings, a gentle reminder to take a breath and just 𝘣𝘦.

» grumpy x sunshine
» social anxiety and sound sensitivity rep
» dual POV
» found family
» small town
3/5 🌶️

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chronic_listener's reviews 127 reviews

chronic_listener's reviews
127 reviews