Reviews by takarakeireads | The StoryGraph

632 reviews by:

takarakeireads

Ella Enchanted

Gail Carson Levine

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: Yes

Reread (from childhood). Reads pretty typical for a young fantasy/fairytale retelling from the 90s.

Content Warnings

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab

5.0

emotional 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

Re-read. This remains one of my favorite books of all times. Sobbed just like I did the first time reading it. I also did a combo with audiobook (narrated by the queen Julia Whelan). The ending of this book makes me feral.

Content Warnings

My Mechanical Romance

Alexene Farol Follmuth

3.5

lighthearted medium-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

Battle bots x YA romance
Women in STEM!
Dual POV

This was a very cute YA contemporary romance. I don't think that's really my genre... but if it is I think you would really enjoy this! I did love Bel's journey of finding her path into young adulthood.

Content Warnings

Reel

Kennedy Ryan

3.75

emotional medium-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: No

Hollywood romance
Chronic Illness Rep

Was just a bit too long (but it's not a slow burn?) for my taste. I did really enjoy the audiobook presentation - since the story follows a movie being made about a jazz singer, there is some singing amidst the story.

4/5 🌶️

Content Warnings

The Plus One

Mazey Eddings

3.75

emotional funny 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

Fake dating
mental health rep (PTSD)
childhood enemies
brother's best friend
Philly area

I really enjoyed the mental health representation in this book and Jude's journey towards healing. The banter was super quick-witted and funny. The spice was pretty good. The ending was so cute.

3.5/5 🌶️

Content Warnings

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus

5.0

emotional funny inspiring 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: No

"Sometimes I think ... that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn't make it past noon."

This book lives up to the hype fairly well. Can I say I 'enjoyed' the experience of reading it the whole time? probably not because it's extremely rage inducing. But the ending is satisfying, so all is well.

Elizbeth Mott is hilarious (unintentionally)
Honestly so is Mad
THERE'S A DOG POV
Fuck the Patriarchy!

Content Warnings

Across the Green Grass Fields

Seanan McGuire

3.75

adventurous emotional 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: Complicated

This one is for the horse girls - the world is called Hooflands. I really appreciate reading the diverse POVs in this series, the MC in this one is intersex. This one is a stand-alone within the series without overlap of previous book’s characters

Content Warnings

Come Tumbling Down

Seanan McGuire

3.5

adventurous 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

This one didn't quite keep my attention and I'll be honest I don't really remember a lot besides

Jack and Jill switching bodies multiple times?

Content Warnings

An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir

4.25

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

If you like books where no one is who they say they are and you don't know who you can trust... this is it! It's very dark, honestly I am surprised this is labeled as YA. Besides it following young adults and them all being horny teenagers, the subject matter that this deals with is very adult (see TW). I really enjoyed the dual POVs, world building, and the mysterious qualities. It is very attention grabbing and interesting right from the get-go, and it was a very unique concept. I can feel a much more intriguing plot line to come in the rest of the series...

You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...

Content Warnings

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

John Green

5.0

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

THE AUDIOBOOK! John narrates it himself (I find his voice so soothing) & one of my favorite essays was an audio exclusive. I just described this book to someone as a 'pop culture' book, but I think that does it a great disservice. This book is just so much more than that. I actually have not read any of John Green's novels (yet), but I have been following him and his brother Hank (read The Carls!) for a couple years, so I knew going in that John has a way with words. You may flip through the table of contents to read the titles of the essays and think this book sounds rather ordinary, but John is able to take even the most seemingly mundane topics and weave beautiful connections to (the often brutal) humanity. There were several times when I was misty eyed.

I give John Green's book 5 stars.

Content Warnings

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