Title links are to Goodreads and “My rating” links are to my reviews if applicable. Click here if you’d like to see a list of 6 books that I did like that other people didn’t.
On the Fence by Kasie West – My rating: 3 stars; Goodreads: 4.05 stars
What other people are saying: “Tomboy Charlie was a lot of fun getting to know. She wasn’t exactly my favorite at the beginning but she grew on me. I liked her growth in the story and her progression of self-acceptance was very believable.”
“…this was a generally enjoyable read and it has a giddily happy ending…”
What I say: I honestly didn’t like Charlie very much–she just seemed too clueless! I get being a tomboy (I was one too) but even without a mom, I feel like there were some things that she just should have known by being around other females like her teammates. I also didn’t particularly care for any of the secondary characters–they just seemed super flat. Lastly, the ending was just too fast and the repeated use of the word “love” made me cringe so much.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – My rating: 3 stars; Goodreads: 4.05 stars
What other people are saying: “Everything was fabulous: writing, setting, uniqueness, feels-inducing, swoon worthy villains characters.”
“First, Alina is such an incredible main character. Not only is she likable and relatable, her growth throughout the story is stunning to read. It is so believable, even in a completely unbelievable world.”
What I say: Alina…..ugghhhh. She is honestly one of my least favorite main characters. I felt like she was actually pretty pathetic and so SO weak. And talk about “special snowflake”. I don’t think I’ve seen another character who was a more special snowflake. I never felt like the romance between her and Mal was genuine and it creeps me out how everyone is super into the Darkling. HE’S TERRIBLE, YOU GUYS. I did like Bardugo’s concept of magic, etc. But seriously, Alina was the most annoying character ever.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – My rating: 3 stars; Goodreads: 4.06 stars
What other people are saying: “This is one of the cutest feel-good teen romances I have ever read. It has a bit of everything that you want… humour, a likeable protagonist and a completely swoon-worthy guy called Etienne St. Clair.
“I love how Perkins created this romance between [St. Clair] and Anna. It was perfectly executed for my tastes, albeit at sometimes super drama-filled, but there was depth to their feelings for one another and I appreciated that.
What I say: I do not understand the hype with St. Clair. I just don’t. He’s cheating on his girlfriend the whole time and it’s NOT OKAY. Also, the author really went overboard describing how beautiful he’s supposed to be. I got tired of it after the first 50 pages. Anna as a character was fine and I thought the secondary characters were fine too, but I am not on board the Anna/St Clair ship. Sorry, not sorry.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – My rating: 3 stars; Goodreads: 4.08 stars
What other people are saying: “The book is harsh, romantic, action packed, fast paced, with twists and turns that it literally kept me up all night so I could finish it. LOVED it.”
“I also loved Mare, who never became lovesick though she was not immune to the charms of her princes. There was no eye-rolly moony-eyed moments. ”
What I say: I felt like Mare was such a wishy-washy character who had major trust issues. I mean, how can you commit to joining a rebellion if you’re not actually sure that you want to be part of the rebellion? She just didn’t feel very well thought-out. And don’t get me started on the brother love triangle. I absolutely ABHOR those.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (series) by Jenny Han – My rating: 2, 2, and 2 stars; Goodreads: 3.96, 4.14, and 4.17 stars (respectively)
What other people are saying: “Belly’s character is great, in the first book she was a bit immature but as I read the other two books I saw how she had grown up and changed.”
“This story has depth in character growth, emotion, back story, and sweep you off your feet love.”
What I say: These books were just…way too angsty for me. I felt like Belly was a really immature main character. I mean, I know she’s super young in the first book, but she still seemed like she was always on the brink of crying or getting overly embarrassed by things. While she does grow throughout the series, I don’t feel like she grows all that much. I also didn’t particularly care for the two main love interests (and AGAIN with the brother love triangle. Gag). These were just kind of throw away books to me. Super easy to read, but not something I would ever reread.
The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord – My rating: 3 stars; Goodreads: 4.15 stars
What other people are saying: “This was truly a book in which every reader could find themselves in. The protagonist might represent one thing but a voice was given to so many other perspectives.”
“Emery Lord never ceases to amaze me. She has a magical way of weaving words and creating flawed, complex characters that are entirely relatable.”
What I say: Yes, there was a lot of diversity in this book. Dare I say even…too much diversity? It just felt like Lord was trying to cover too many things. I think the story would have felt tighter and more impactful if she had only chosen a couple of things to focus on instead of trying to cover everything. Lucy was just okay as a protagonist to me. She didn’t actually feel that authentic as a Christian teen to me. I also didn’t think that Henry was realistic at all either. He seemed about 25 instead of 17 or 18.
What's She Reading? 