Listed: Mini Reviews {December 2018}

Hello lovelies! Jen has her own awesome overview post called 'What I've Been Reading Lately," so rather than use the same format and make it confusing about who's posting, I decided to stick to my short review style from The Forest of Words and Pages. Though truthfully, the fact that Jen literally reads 10 times the amount of books as me will also likely be a dead giveaway.

 So, whether I loved these books or not, I’m going to lay out a few bullet-pointed reasons you should, or shouldn’t spend your time reading some of my recent reads.

Like Never Always by Ann Aguirre

Source: Library

✽ Not going to lie, a cover like this always gets me. It screams, "Open me! I'm creepy and exciting!" However, it was the concept of the main character, Liv, waking up after an accident in another person's body that intrigued me most. I just never felt 'wowed.'

✽ I wanted to understand WHY it had happened. I waited and waited and WAITED for it and when it finally came, it was covered very briefly and I wasn't satisfied. I assumed it would be revisited, but nope.

✽ I also must confess that I didn't much like the characters for the first third of the book. Even when I did start to like some of them, a love triangle involving brothers made it a bit hard to swallow. Not to mention the creepy older guy who had some sort of relationship with Morgan, that Liv, now in her body and life, has to extricate herself from. There is a lot to unpack there and a lot of it is messy, dark and unneeded.

✽ While the story wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped, I really did enjoy it enough to keep picking it up. Still, I was hoping for a bit of a thriller based on the cover and synopsis, and I while it did have some intense moments, I was a bit underwhelmed. There were so many details and elements that felt disconnected to me, even by the final pages.

✽ I finished this book awhile ago and it's already fading into the abyss of books I wouldn't call memorable. Was it a 'bad book?' Not necessarily, but with so many unread books on our shelves, I can't honestly recommend it.

Bottom Line: It was okay🌟🌟🌟

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Source: Audiobook from Jen

✽ Yes. It took me 4 years to read this glorious book. However, I'm weird about watching movie and TV adaptions if I haven't read the book. So fortunately, I now totally get it.

✽ HOWEVER, you guys, the word 'daddy' is used in this book too damn much. Too. Damn. Much. Dont @ me.

✽ Obviously, this books was way too cute for me to not get over that and as soon as the letters starting going out to her boys, I was absolutely hooked. Also, I loved the sweetness of the entire book. It was happiness and sunshine on paper and I smiled the whole time I was listening to the audiobook.

✽ This story is a perfect example of a love triangle done right. Yes, Lara Jean has choices. Yes, she's conflicted, but she's navigating her emotions and evolving as a person. I loved her story.

✽ Because it must be said, Peter Kavinsky is now one of my favorite book boys. And the movie only intensified that. ;)

Bottom Line: Loved it! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Source: Audiobook from Library

✽ This story is told in such a weird and wonderful way. The chapters are really short at times and longer for others, shifting between the present and the past. Because of this, it is a bit jarring at first, at least if you choose to listen via audiobook, but I quickly became completely absorbed in the story.

✽ Judith is an extremely intriguing character and I loved that as much as I felt like I understood her, she still surprised me. Even the characters you're not supposed to like are so well written that I still found them intriguing and compelling.

✽ Also, YAY for a positive female friendship that empowers Judith to take a big chance, going against her mother and the puritan town she lives in. It's lovely to watch her bravery awaken.

✽ I really enjoyed that the romance aspect was important, but did not eclipse Judith's own story and growth. Nor was it the most important part of the story. Everything was really balanced and given just the right weight.

✽ The ending was a bit of a shock, but so fitting! I can't wait to read the other Julie Berry books on my shelf!

Bottom Line: Really liked it! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Have you read any of these? Did you enjoy them? Despise them? Despise my review of them? Let me know in the comments!

Labels: discussion, listed, mini reviews, reviews