purplepenning's Reviews (1.72k)

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Brandon Sanderson

5.0

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I haven't read any other books but Brandon Sanderson yet, so this was an unforeseen delight! The kind of book that the whole family can enjoy — whether they're familiar with the Cosmere or not. And the audiobook is excellent, so load it up for your next family road trip!

Content Warnings

A House with Good Bones

T. Kingfisher

Content Warnings

The Undetectables

Courtney Smyth

3.5

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

A unique serial killer thriller in an urban fantasy setting that follows a trio of Gen-Z magical folk as they investigate — a fresh, spooky season read for murder mystery fans!

I picked it up for the tagline: "Be Gay. Solve crimes. Take naps." The writing didn't immediately click for me because I couldn't quite get a feel for the setting and characters, but I stuck with it for the absurdly endearing character of Theodore (an irrepressible ghost stuck in the ridiculous cat costume he died in on Halloween), the excellently portrayed chronic pain rep, and the Gen Z voice of it all. By the end, I found myself hoping that this is going to be the first in a series.

Content Warnings

Better Hate than Never

Chloe Liese

3.5

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Chloe Liese is exceptional at writing neurodiverse characters and frank bedroom talk. This one is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, family angst, relationship communication (no third act breakup), and those looking for excellent ADHD, chronic migraine, mental health, and demisexual rep. It lacked a bit of sparkle in the banter for my tastes, but other readers seem to find it funnier than I did, so your mileage may vary.

Content Warnings

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

KJ Charles

4.25

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Content Warnings

The Hating Game

Sally Thorne

3.75

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Content Warnings

Firekeeper's Daughter

Angeline Boulley

4.5

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Content Warnings

Lost & Found

Kathryn Schulz

4.25

The Wake-Up Call

Beth O'Leary

3.75

The Long Game

Elena Armas

emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Strong Roy Kent / brunch daddy vibes, but alas — the story as a whole didn't work for me. I'm not sure how a book with a growly retired soccer player coaching a quirky small town U10 girls team while dealing with a menagerie of mischievous farm animals managed to both bore and annoy me, but it did. I couldn't connect with the boss babe main character, thought the story was slow-going until the last quarter, yet still felt the characters were under-developed.

I think I'll just have to accept that this author isn't for me. A previous title was a DNF and this one was one goat and a spunky 8-year-old away from the same fate.

Content Warnings

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