Reviews
I cannot claim to be a writer without also being a reader. Here is a collection of reader reviews of the books I’ve binged. To stay even more up-to-date with what I’m currently reading, add me on Goodreads.
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“The Ship We Built” by Lexie Bean • Book Review
“I hope someone celebrates me when I change.”
★★★★ (4 / 5 stars) The Ship We Built is a beautiful story told beautifully. I would strongly recommend this read for any young person who chooses silence over speech, who buries their nose in a book to avoid conversation, who seems to drift miles away while only inches from you. It is equal parts powerful and hopeful and the book I wish a 10-year-old me had had to read when I felt alone and lost and misunderstood.
“Written in the Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur • Book Review
“Elle was hopeless when it came to Darcy. Hopeless in that there was no cure for how she felt.”
★★★ (3 / 5 stars) Written in the Stars is a sapphic romantic comedy set during the holidays with an astrology edge. I love the dichotomy between the two characters and think the story is cute overall, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style (too drawn-out, in my opinion). Regardless, you might want to pick this up if you like fake-dating tropes, Thanksgiving family blowups, and believing in soul mates.
“My Favorite Half-Night Stand” by Christina Lauren • Book Review
“I thought about getting a cat today. That’s a solid step into the commitment zone.”
★★★★★ (5 / 5 stars) When I first read this book, it was an automatic five-star read. I was instantly obsessed with Millie and Reid and the way the story focused on more than just their relationship. Millie had a lot to deal with, and the authors dive headfirst into those issues and capture them so authentically.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's "You've Got Mail" with a nerdy twist, and I loved everything about it.
“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell • Book Review
“Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can’t quite keep up with gravity.”
★★★★ (3.5 / 5 stars) For me, Rainbow Rowell’s books and I have a slow-burn relationship. In the beginning, I’m curious and not instantly in love with the writing style. But by the end, my heart has grown three sizes and I’m just keeping myself from collapsing into a puddle of tears.
Overall, I would recommend this book! Not as lighthearted as I’d hoped, but love the literature integration. It’s a rich story and extremely enjoyable.
“The Fill-in Boyfriend” by Kasie West • Book Review
“I like it when you're not perfect.”
★★★ (3.5 / 5) Gotta love those read-in-a-day books, am I right? This was a fun, easy read with a lot more happening than I expected.
Some of the shallow behavior made me roll my eyes, but hey—that’s high school, I guess. Meanwhile, the fake relationship trope was well done (and I’m a sucker, anyway), and Beck was by far my favorite character. I was surprised how much I could relate to the perfect-family-image issues Gia was dealing with and felt like this was a much, much nicer spin on “Mean Girls.”
Overall, The Fill-In Boyfriend is nothing too special but an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it.
“Leah on the Offbeat” by Becky Albertalli • Book Review
“You can't just like Harry Potter. You have to be balls-out obsessed with it.”
★★★ (3 / 5 stars) Maybe it’s just because I’ve been reading so many contemporary books back-to-back, but I’m kind of tired of the nothing-happening-pining-from-afar-while-filler-plot-takes-place-until-crushes-are-confirmed-with-a-dramatic-kiss stories... While I enjoyed Leah’s less-common, pessimistic narrative, it didn’t quite save the book for me.
Why do we keep writing teens who deny their own feelings to themselves? This is not something I did when I was young, so when an entire book relies on that very repression for its plot, I just can’t relate.
“What If It’s Us” by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera • Book Review
“People like me should come with a mute button.”
★★★ (3.2 / 5 stars) I have such mixed feelings about this book, I’m not even sure where to start. On the one hand, the pop culture references were cute and Arthur’s chapters were pretty hilarious. On the other, I felt basically zero chemistry between these two characters and the entire end was just meh.
I’m glad we’re normalizing more non-hetero romances in contemporary fiction, but it was hard to even root for this couple once they met. I was just hoping for more, especially with the ending. But it is what it is! Hope I get more satisfaction out of similarly hyped books like Red, White, & Royal Blue.
“Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell • Book Review
“I didn't know love could leave the lights on all the time.”
★★★★★ (5 / 5 stars) The email cuteness of “You’ve Got Mail” meets the rooting-for-the-underdog romance of Jim and Pam in “The Office” to craft a supremely funny and real book that is a must-read for any rom-com fan out there.
I cannot wait to dive more into Rowell’s books and see what the rest of the hype is about. This will be a re-read for me, for sure, when I need a feel-good romance story. 10/10 would recommend.