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nadia's reviews
565 reviews
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
Awww, I had such a wonderful time with this book. I went into a bookstore with a friend who said: "In December, I like to just read books I don't know much about that my friends have loved throughout the year, so choose me a book, Nadia!"
I said: "I love this! I want to do this too! You choose me a book!"
And she chose me Lessons in Chemistry. I knew nothing about what this book was about except for the fact that maybe there was some cooking involved because of a marketing stand I saw of it at the London Book Fair.
My friend told me the book was many things and boy was she right!
The humour, the emotion, the shocking moments, the reflective moments, the life lessons. Just brilliant and filled with quirky fun! I had several out-loud chuckles and smiles. Even one gasp. Lots on public transport.
Will definitely be looking out for whatever Bonnie Garmus releases next!
I said: "I love this! I want to do this too! You choose me a book!"
And she chose me Lessons in Chemistry. I knew nothing about what this book was about except for the fact that maybe there was some cooking involved because of a marketing stand I saw of it at the London Book Fair.
My friend told me the book was many things and boy was she right!
The humour, the emotion, the shocking moments, the reflective moments, the life lessons. Just brilliant and filled with quirky fun! I had several out-loud chuckles and smiles. Even one gasp. Lots on public transport.
Will definitely be looking out for whatever Bonnie Garmus releases next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, Pregnancy
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked this book! I was worried that it wouldn't be suitable as an audiobook but I think it worked really well. I was engaged the whole way through and enjoyed both of the main storylines/time periods. Also, loved the creepy vibes! It just had a bunch of things I love in a novel.
I'd heard that this book had a lot of footnotes and that that, combined with the different timelines, might be confusing on audio, but it flowed well. Maybe even better than if I'd been reading it in print! Also, pretty impressed with how I hardly got lost amongst what was a large cast of characters.
I'm only sad that I missed out on the illustrations. I took a little peek in a bookstore when I was about 60% through and was hoping to find them all online in the PDF attachment that came with the audiobook, but it only had the map of the school! Will have to go back to another bookstore and see! (This disappointment had no impact on my rating, mind.)
I'd heard that this book had a lot of footnotes and that that, combined with the different timelines, might be confusing on audio, but it flowed well. Maybe even better than if I'd been reading it in print! Also, pretty impressed with how I hardly got lost amongst what was a large cast of characters.
I'm only sad that I missed out on the illustrations. I took a little peek in a bookstore when I was about 60% through and was hoping to find them all online in the PDF attachment that came with the audiobook, but it only had the map of the school! Will have to go back to another bookstore and see! (This disappointment had no impact on my rating, mind.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Vomit, Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy
Saga: Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan
4.5
Great to revisit Vols 1-9 to prepare for Vols 10 and beyond...and catch up on my pages goal. 👀
The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend by Rob Copeland
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Ray Dalio's Principles was recommended to me about a decade ago and I only finally started reading it 6 months ago after finding a nice hardback edition in the bookstore. And I'm still reading it mainly because I've been taking notes...
...and well, when I saw that this book existed — I think I may have gasped when I saw it online — I had to check it out. 😅
There were a few things I had been sceptical about in Principles and it was interesting and validating to see just how right I was in certain cases.
Both (very) surprised and not surprised about what's detailed in this book. There were several intriguing and tense "behind-the-scenes at Bridgewater" stories and the audiobook narration was very good. Copeland himself did a great job of making you remember who each person was as the story progressed, which is great as losing track of who's who is often a point of difficulty in books like these.
I'm still going to finish Principles, but with an even bigger grain of salt than the one I had cultivated on my own. 😅
...and well, when I saw that this book existed — I think I may have gasped when I saw it online — I had to check it out. 😅
There were a few things I had been sceptical about in Principles and it was interesting and validating to see just how right I was in certain cases.
Both (very) surprised and not surprised about what's detailed in this book. There were several intriguing and tense "behind-the-scenes at Bridgewater" stories and the audiobook narration was very good. Copeland himself did a great job of making you remember who each person was as the story progressed, which is great as losing track of who's who is often a point of difficulty in books like these.
I'm still going to finish Principles, but with an even bigger grain of salt than the one I had cultivated on my own. 😅
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Listened to this on audio and the narration was very good! I was curious as to where the story was going but ultimately lost interest towards the end and didn't find the ending/final motives clear/satisfying.
Wayyy too many similes used in this one. Became rather cringe! 😬
Wayyy too many similes used in this one. Became rather cringe! 😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol
Different Seasons by Stephen King
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
A great collection of novellas. I enjoyed the variety, evoking everything from scary tension to childhood nostalgia! It was really interesting to read the Shawshank Redemption story and now I wanna rewatch the film!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really thought this was gonna be my second 5-star read of the year, and my 33rd across all-time. I was obsessed with this book when I started it, reading it for the first ever official StoryGraph readalong.
I was here for the mystery and intrigue...but then it unfolded in a way that I wasn't expecting and couldn't get on board with. And I was disappointed.
On top of that, some explanations for things, or where things were left, felt unsatisfactory given the build-up. I don't need everything laid out to me, not at all, but given the slow build-up and anticipation, I expected a little more here.
However, the vibes were immaculate and I loved the writing, the setting, the atmosphere, and the cast of characters on the whole, but when I try and give this book a 4.5-star rating, it feels too generous given how disappointed I was with what turned out to be a key element of the book.
I wasn't looking forward to giving The Starless Sea a go given the little I'd heard about it, but now I'm excited to check it out, even if it ultimately ends up not being for me.
I was here for the mystery and intrigue...but then it unfolded in a way that I wasn't expecting and couldn't get on board with. And I was disappointed.
On top of that, some explanations for things, or where things were left, felt unsatisfactory given the build-up. I don't need everything laid out to me, not at all, but given the slow build-up and anticipation, I expected a little more here.
However, the vibes were immaculate and I loved the writing, the setting, the atmosphere, and the cast of characters on the whole, but when I try and give this book a 4.5-star rating, it feels too generous given how disappointed I was with what turned out to be a key element of the book.
I wasn't looking forward to giving The Starless Sea a go given the little I'd heard about it, but now I'm excited to check it out, even if it ultimately ends up not being for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent
Minor: Blood, Pregnancy
Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
I really appreciated just how mature this romance was. It was a breath of fresh air in that regard. I really loved how the characters were consistent and it didn't feel like there was any random plot points shoved in for the sake of mess/drama. The disability representation and the handling of it, I'm guessing especially because the author identifies with her main character, was handled expertly.
However, the book was missing a lil' summin' summin' for me. I'm not sure what form that would taken but I didn't get swept up in this love story or get as emotionally invested as I would have liked. I got to the end and thought: "Well, I knew that would happen and that was nice" and that was that!
However, the book was missing a lil' summin' summin' for me. I'm not sure what form that would taken but I didn't get swept up in this love story or get as emotionally invested as I would have liked. I got to the end and thought: "Well, I knew that would happen and that was nice" and that was that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Hemlock by Kiersten Modglin
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I listened to this on audio and was very intrigued at the beginning, curious as to where it was all going...
Ultimately, I got frustrated with the main character and her decisions and the key romance thread/theme in the book got rather repetitive. On top of that, based on what we'd been told about the characters, some of their actions at different times felt farfetched/unbelievable.
I wasn't as emotionally invested come the end as I thought I'd be given the beginning.
Ultimately, I got frustrated with the main character and her decisions and the key romance thread/theme in the book got rather repetitive. On top of that, based on what we'd been told about the characters, some of their actions at different times felt farfetched/unbelievable.
I wasn't as emotionally invested come the end as I thought I'd be given the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Mental illness
Pleasantview by Celeste Mohammed
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really liked this book! I knew the sound of a novel in interconnected short stories set in a fictional town would be right up my alley. I love how all of the stories fit together but can be enjoyed standalone and I appreciated the variety of perspectives on the same characters and the different scenarios each story presented. I got a little confused with some of the relationships between the characters and also got a little confused with one of the plot points but overall I had a great time with this book. It got me tense and on edge quite a few times too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder