caseythereader's reviews
1749 reviews

The Most Wonderful Time: A Novel by Jayne Allen

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
The premise doesn’t make sense. Chelsea needs to rent her house to pay property taxes, and I guess one week of Ramona AirBnBing it will pay whatever that is for a beachfront house in Malibu? But also she’s negotiated to go stay in Ramona’s Chicago condo…for free? 

But I stopped when Ramona’s best friend - a man - just lets himself into Ramona’s condo KNOWING she is away and a guest is staying there. 

Finally, this book is two hetero romances but the cover is just the two women, making it look like a sapphic romance. 
A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.25


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Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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

4.5


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The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book.

 - This is a potentially controversial opinion, but I think THE PAIRING is McQuiston’s best book since RWRB.
- I adored both Kit and Theo. They’re my favorite kind of romance characters: smart and kind but also dummies who can’t see what’s right in front of their faces.
- It’s true that this book could be half the length if they just talked to each other. But the slow burn that keeps heating up and heating up is so delicious.
- Also delicious: the food! the wine! the art! the many many hot people they encounter! This book is a feast. 

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Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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Salt the Water by Candice Iloh

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emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75


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Hum by Helen Phillips

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.

 - I am a big fan of Phillips’ atmospheric horror. With HUM, she takes it into the near future with incredible results.
- What a time to be reading this particular vision of the future, which feels about nine seconds away from right now with the rise of AI, constant surveillance, and online viral notoriety.
- Phillips is also excellent at evoking the horrors of motherhood. Even as someone without my own children, I found myself losing my breath as May rode the rollercoaster of this plot. 

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