1.72k reviews by:

purplepenning

adventurous emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
funny informative reflective medium-paced

Brilliant! Fascinating and funny. If you have any interest in the Greek myths, the modern novelized retellings (Circle, Ariadne, A Thousand Ships), or the application of feminine perspectives to scholarship of any kind you won't want to miss this. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional medium-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Do you remember the 21st night of September? You probably would if it was a disastrous end to a humiliating first day at college and you got stuck reliving it over, and over, and over. Barrett Bloom is stuck in a freaking time loop. High school was THE WORST and she desperately wanted college to be a fresh start but she didn't want it to be multiple restarts. When she realizes that Miles, the annoying guy in her physics class, is in the same predicament, things get even more interesting. And eventually even a little steamy. If they break the loop, what else might they break?

I love the trope, but it's hard to pull off a "Groundhog Day" time loop story without some pacing issues, so I went in aware of that. There were a few places where the story felt overly long, but for the most part it all worked pretty well. The characters are well drawn, diverse, and interesting. The story is a fun setting and vehicle for some meaningful and timely explorations of deeper themes. And there's a great balance of humor, angst, and swoon-worthy moments. 

I mean...
"I could wake up on the same day a thousand times, and every single one would be different because of you. Every single one would be life-changing. Because of you."

*swoon*


Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

"I beg your pardon," [Bixby] said without the least hint of apology in his voice, "but is this a romance or is it an adventure? For I will remind you, we are missing the ongoing action." 
Charlotte and Alex exchanged a smiling glance.
"I think what this is defies definition," Charlotte said.

India Holton is back with another definition-defying historical fantasy romance farce — now with more magic! more derring-do! more iron-spined maiden aunts! more innuendo! more rogues and rakes! more petticoats and pilfering! and (to my great enjoyment) more skillfully bastardized classic prose (mostly Austen, with a bit of the Bard thrown in)!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

A charmingly original debut with a Fredrik Backman vibe! Tova is an older woman who has lost her share of loved ones and, sometimes to her friends' dismay, copes by staying busy and applying Scandinavian stoicism. While staying busy at her cleaning job at the aquarium, she makes an unexpected friend — a surprisingly deft, gently humorous giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Observing what others may not,  Marcellus unlocks the mysteries of the past and opens the possibilities of the future.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Miuko: "Come on. There is so much more out there than this."
Senara (eyes glittering with tears, or perhaps excitement): "For a girl?"
Miuko: "For anyone brave enough to look."

This was both exceptional and not quite for me. It felt a little disjointed and repetitive at times, but I often feel that way about fairytales and quest adventures. So much of the action seems to unfold and redirect on the go that it can feel like being in a pinball machine. Not that this wasn't brilliantly plotted — it obviously was — with interesting characters, a fascinating mid-story shift, a take down of patriarchal oppression, and a girl finding the strength to make mistakes and try again and again as she fights the demons around and within her. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

I'm not exactly the target audience for this. I've seen one season of Outlander and have a broad interest in Scotland due to family heritage, but I'm not a super fan. And I don't really like whisky. So this was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. Overall interesting and entertaining, especially the history bits. But the buddy adventure tone got to be a bit much at times, especially when coupled with the casual sexism that went as far as wrapping up a narration about a horrendous (historical) rape and its horrifying, traumatizing affect, with a gleeful discussion about adding it to the already rape-filled script and a charming, twinkling comment about the old fox of a clan leader and  "ravishings." Yuck. No. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings