Like [b:Perfect on Paper|49204960|Perfect on Paper|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607324016l/49204960._SY75_.jpg|74656790], but with lesbians (and unfortunately, not as well written)

I wish I enjoyed the characters enough to root for this romance but I didn’t. It felt a bit heavy on clichés and while I love aggressive flirty banter, it often felt borderline rude. I really wanted to like this one, but sadly, this just was not for me. That cover art sure is cute though.

2.5 stars. An author gets an interesting job offer that leads her down a path of discovering about another families life.

While this book has an interesting premise, it’s characters are as realistic as the idea that biting wood is sexy.
There are two “perspectives” which tell the story. I liked the chapters from the main characters point of view, while she wasn’t the smartest sometimes, her motivations were at least clear. The chapters from Verity’s point of view were down right horrible. Her motivations were sex and sex alone and it got very dull. I felt as though she had no personality, just horny and hatred.
Another element of the book I didn’t like was how plot twists were dealt with. One of the plot twists was so constantly alluded to, it took out all the mystery and excitement. I was just begging for it to happen already so we could get over with. The next plot twist took me by shock, and not in a good way. Looking back there were absolutely no clues to indicate it, making it feel very unbelievable. I wish these plot twists would have been better balanced.
In summary, I think this book would be better done as a movie. The premise is great, the writing just failed to convey enjoyable characters and interesting plot twists.

3.5 stars. This is one of the longest books I have read, and thus I am unsure how to briefly put my feelings into words. There are many heroines in The Plain Bad Heroines, of various time periods. While all of the heroines stories revolve around Brookhaunts, an estate and school for girls, I did desire more of a connection between the stories. The lore in this book is interesting and I enjoyed how it unfolded through various stories. I also loved how multiple perspectives revealed the personalities of the heroines. I loved how queerness and non-typical relationships were apart of almost every character. I also thought the many motifs of Brookhaunts tied in well to all of the plots, though sometimes seeming redundantly overused. In all, I enjoyed this book greatly in the beginning, but the ending (perhaps a result of its length) left more to be desired.

As I said, this book is difficult to briefly describe so below I will briefly describe my feelings for each group of heroines.

Flo and Clara: Their story was a wonderful way to open the book, as it was interesting and was connected to the other stories in a meaningful way. However, Flo and Clara’s story seems to get left behind as the book progresses and while I wish there was more to uncover about their story, it is mostly mentioned without addition.

Libby and Alex: My favorite plot in the book, filled with suspense and mystery. I do feel like some parts lacked decent foreshadowing, the conclusion felt rushed, and again I lacked the connection to the next trio of girls.

Harper, Audrey, and Merritt: My favorite characters in the book, with their unique personalities and background that lead to very quippy and sometimes flirty conversations. Three of my favorite scenes in the book were set around these characters, with beautiful (or weird) imagery and connection. However, those scenes once again lacked any meaning to the ongoing plot. There also felt to be more tension between all of the girls in the first act than in the second. The ending for this group was also the most disappointing. It was rushed and I wasn’t sure what the unfinished ending meant in regards to their past or potential (off-book) future.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Harper Audio audiobook narration, as the speaker did a wonderful job creating unique voices for every character which lead them to be recognizable without much context.

I started by lowkey hating this book, but I ended up loving it so much… which I now realize is kinda perfect.

Liked:
- Logical, realistic character development
- Feminist support of cheer as a sport
- Entertaining supporting cast
- Banter that goes from cruel to cute
- Winter holiday vibes

Disliked:
- Over dramatic drama at times
- Everything had the most absurd names (was kinda funny though)

Witches, murder, mystery, LGBTQ+, dark academia… need I say more?
This! Book! Was incredible from start to finish. The beginning was a bit slow but about a quarter in, it begins to pick up pace. There are quite a few twists, and well done twists too. Plot twists can tend to be either over predictable or unrealistically unpredictable: this book balances its twist between, with even the twists I could predict still leaving my jaw unhinged, gripping my phone as I listen in anticipation.
I think the key to this books success lies in its characters and how they change dynamically and realistically as the plot unfolds (even the minor characters!)
And one of the rarest of all my thriller reads: a satisfying ending.
Read it.

4.5 stars. Sea monster fighting pirates, part 2. I love how this author writes, I feel like much of this review will be repeating the first book’s review but I truly like how she makes me understand and care for every character, even the villain who has essentially trapped the main character. I also felt the main characters pain and pressure with the high stakes. This book wasn’t as thrilling as the first I will admit, it had a clearer flow and was more predictable. However, being exactly what I expected is not a bad thing as it is exactly what I wanted. I also love how the author used great vocabulary throughout this series and I think it is one of the many reasons I will definitely re read this series again in the future, as well as seek out her other books. Thanks again for this adventure.

Do you think you could never be smarter than you already now? That you will always suck at math? Or that you could never be capable of learning to draw? Or are you a “perfectionist? This book might be for you.

This book addresses how mindsets affect our every day life. From an early age, our society and praise from others teaches many of us that in order to be “smart” or good at something, we must be perfect. This is the fixed mindset and can often leave us feeling like a failure when we don’t meet others or our standards. This book addresses how the fixed mindset and the growth mindset differ and how mindset affects our schooling, hobbies, work, relationships, and more on a daily basis.


Things I loved about Mindset:
The subject matter.
I am so passionate about this topic as it has truly changed my way of being. I always thought I was incapable of many things and would give up so easily, frustrated by my less than perfect results. This book highlighted for me that my perfectionism is a result of the fixed mindset. Many of the stories helped me identify how this mindset came to be, as a result of childhood experiences and society’s saying and stereotypes. I am looking forward to using some of the tips to encourage myself to grow rather than be perfect. I am also excited to have the tools to encourage growth in the children that I interact with so that they can learn to value growth over being perfect.

Things I would change about Mindset:
More applicable information.
The stories provided were greatly informative of where the mindset comes from and how it displays itself in various elements of life. Stories are also an entertaining tool for conveying information. However, I wish there was more advice for how to apply the information throughout the book. The last chapter is set up as a workshop with more applicable advice but it is a small portion of the book and felt dense so I will have to revisit it to really absorb the material.

Cohesive layout.
This book covered so many areas of life as well as the different mindsets. I felt a little discombobulated as we switched topics from school to sports back to school and school sports. A lot of the information seemed to connect in many ways and I struggled from context switching. I do wish I understood the chapters layout, though that can be the downside of audio format as well.

Less of…
Less stories- the point is clear and many of the stories felt a little too much, like a sermon more than a lesson.
Less repetition- like the above. I do think repetition helps people learn but it can also be frustrating.
Less about the author- I understand the value of personal experience but often times personal experience is more valuable to the person who experienced it. I enjoyed more of the stories from the close outside perspective. Meaning, the stories from the parents, teachers, and students or people themselves. Not the stories about the author and not the stories about a famous figure who might display features of growth mindset but no one can truly be sure if you aren’t close enough to that person.

All comments about execution aside, the lesson this book holds is very valuable. While I continue to search for a book that addresses this idea with less on the flaws listed, I would still highly recommend this book to anyone who:
- wants to grow in a hobby, a job, relationship, or any other area in which they feel stuck
- teachers, coaches, or mentors anyone, especially children
- wants to grow

A timeless, enjoyable, and educational read. I think I would have read this book a lot sooner if it wasn’t for the title. The title seems boastful, and I don’t want to manipulate people! However, I think an alternative title could be: How to Successfully Communicate with Anyone.

This book covers a lot of great advice for how to communicate with anyone, a coworker, stranger, friend, family, or child (in fact, some of the advice seemed very similar to the current “gentle parenting” advice given). It teaches you how to think of the other persons perspective in the conversation and how you might use that perspective to navigate tough conversations.

I thought it most interesting that one of the biggest points in this book was to be genuine! It encourages the reader many times to only be genuine in praise and be honest in failures. Understanding, honesty and kindness seem to be the key pillars of every point of advice.

The advice given in this book is very often paired with stories. I found these stories to be quite enjoyable as there were a good number of stories about historical figures such as Lincoln, as well as stories from typical people in many unique fields and positions. It’s incredible how timeless this advice feels. The book is almost 100 years old and yet everything said makes sense and still applies.

There is a reason this book is still read and recommended often (I’ve seen it talked about many times on LinkedIn). It’s good advice. It’s a lot of advice. But when you put it into action, the advice really works.

Quick read, both much more spicier than I expected and much more depressing than I expected.

I loved the poetic writing but I felt it was also distancing the reader and therefore lacking character and world development. I wished for more of a twist or variation in the plot but it seemed pretty straightforward. The first few chapters were immediately captivating, but it slowly dragged on before becoming slightly rushed towards the end.

My rating lies somewhere between 3-4 stars. It was beautifully written and I am all for queer poly vampires but this was just not as impactful as I desired.

Great book about having meaningful conversations in any situation: coworkers, strangers, friends, family, etc. I liked that this book had good points that were short and simple to understand, with related “case studies” as examples of the do’s and do not’s and how they can lead to lasting effects after the conversation.

It is true that some of these points are obvious, but I think with good reason. It is easy to understand what you need to do in order to be a good conversationalist, and harder to implement these things on a consistent basis, as it requires awareness and discipline.

I definitely recommend this book. Free with audible premium.