dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)

Love Me Whole

Nicky James

5.0

emotional hopeful sad 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

i don’t know how i could put in words the emotions i felt reading this book.

before, i barely had an idea what DID was. i have heard of it multiple times, but i didn’t know what it was. but, this book helped me understand it— maybe not to the fullest level, but at least the perception of it.

vaughn and oryn’s love story wasn’t easy at first, but with vaughn’s patience and oryn’s discernment, their story became one of the most beautiful stories i have ever read. i truly pity oryn for his condition— i have never felt this proud of a fictional character with their own character development; it made me sob. every oryns around this world doesn’t deserve to be discriminated— and deserve their own vaughns.

overall, i really loved this story. one of my favorite books of the year, to be honest. i will sell my soul to read this the first time again.

Content Warnings

My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel

Larissa Zageris, Kitty Curran

3.0

relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

definitely a fun read to get out of a reading slump. however, in my case, i only ended up clicking about five buttons. it doesn't take up that much of my time, though.

A Room With a View

E.M. Forster

1.0

reflective slow-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

please spare ur time for something more interesting.

Content Warnings

November 9

Colleen Hoover

1.0

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

there are only three words on how to describe november 9: sad, beautiful, and tragic.

colleen has always been my favorite contemporary authors, so i really had high expectations for this book. and it reached it.

i’ve been meaning to read this book ever since i started getting intrigued by her. but, i wanted to wait until november 9 so i can celebrate their anniversary with them. this is a favorite of many— and i can see why.

colleen is known for her heartbreaking books with crazy plot twists. is this heartbreaking? absolutely. however, i do not know how, but i guessed the plot twist. is it her fault? no. am i taking away points for that? yes. not also that, but she’s also known for her realistic features in her stories. i’m taking a half point away for the kind of unrealistic setting, though.

overall, this is definitely worth the hype. everyone read this like right now.

Content Warnings

The Fine Print

Lauren Asher

4.5

emotional 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

i couldn’t put this book down from the dedication until the end of the epilogue. i still don’t know how to describe how much i enjoyed this book.

i love the setting, it’s so unique compared to the other books i read. the book was a mix of laughter and pain, in all honesty. their breakup scene broke me, but rowan’s acts of service definitely covered that with me being a hopeless romantic.

i would’ve given this 5 stars if the characters and the plot weren’t cliche. overall, still worth the read.

Content Warnings

The Dare

Elle Kennedy

1.0

emotional lighthearted fast-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

finally saying goodbye to these characters, even if i’m not in favor of it.

controversial to a lot of opinions, i actually loved the dare. yes, it’s a romance book just like the other books in the series, but compared to the other books, it has more depth to it. it tackles relevant topics like fatphobia, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and body shaming— in a non-misleading way.

i agree that it may not be the best closing novel for a series, but as a stand-alone, it’s a pretty good book.

conor and taylor’s relationship is very realistic in terms of college romance. it pisses me off that they won’t talk about their problems first and always ends up taking a break from their relationship. but as i’ve said, it showcases a realistic relationship, so i couldn’t bother to give it at most 4 stars.

still bittersweet about leaving these characters, but it is what it is.

Content Warnings

The Play

Elle Kennedy

1.0

emotional tense slow-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

i don’t know what i expected picking this book up, but wow.

out of the three books i read from briar u, i liked this the most. it’s the most realistic story.

my heart aches for demi, that girl has been through a lot. let’s just say that she’s exactly what gaslight, gatekeep, and girlboss is. hunter, my beloved, he’s also so strong. i felt like throwing up reading his childhood trauma.

i am now more intrigued with reading the last book, but i don’t think i’m mentally prepared enough to say goodbye to these characters. they genuinely felt like family.

Content Warnings

The Risk

Elle Kennedy

1.0

emotional 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

rivals to lovers, forbidden love, and fake dating— my favorite tropes combined in one book ? i think yes.

we follow brenna, the daughter of the coach of briar u, and jake— the captain of the hockey team in harvard. briar u and harvard are known as rivals, especially in terms of hockey. it has been around 3 decades since the last time harvard took the cup home.

we all know how this follows. still somehow cliche, but told in a good way. i aspire to be as brave as brenna and to be as passionate as jake. i absolutely loved their relationship, but their breakup frustrated me a bit. there were also misusage of aave, and that caught it off guard.

in my own opinion, the risk is better than the chase. however, it still haven’t reached the standards that elle kennedy reached with the off-campus series.

Content Warnings

The Chase

Elle Kennedy

1.0

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

i left off reading off-campus with high expectations for its sequel. i was ecstatic to pick this up, especially that i’ve been intrigued with summer since i met her in dean’s book. however, it did not reach my expectations.

don’t get me wrong, i love both fitzy and summer; i’m in love with their relationship. but, being exactly there was definitely not happiness and rainbows. it was exhausting to see them fighting over almost non-sense for above 50% of the book. i’m aware that summer’s character flaw is her stubbornness and that fitzy’s character flaw is being unable to speak up, however, it pisses me off that they won’t communicate and were leading each other on.

regardless, i still enjoyed the book. i now want dean as a brother of mine, and i definitely fell in love with tucker all over again (even if he only had one appearance). i’m excited to read the next book in the series, and hopefully it’s better.

Content Warnings

Shadow and Bone

Leigh Bardugo

3.0

adventurous dark tense 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

(reread)

shadow and bone is your typical ya fantasy. it contains of course a love triangle, fantastic world building, escapism, and an old, attractive villain. regardless it being cliche, i definitely still enjoyed it. bardugo’s writing is impeccable— i always have a difficult time understanding the first chapters of her books, but once you grasp it, you’d be amazed with the world building. if it didn’t have cliche elements, i would probably give it a higher rating. overall, i give it 3 stars. (i can’t wait to meet nikolai again in the next book).

Content Warnings

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