bayleereads's reviews
154 reviews

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this on audio, having Jennette narrate her life to me. Although it was extremely triggering as someone who has had an ED in the past, it was hopeful listening to her talk about her beginnings of recovery and how her life has changed since her mom died. I loved iCarly growing up, so this felt like an old friend telling me about her life over a cup of coffee. I enjoy Jennette's sense of humor and her sarcastic storytelling.

As much as I loved this, how it ended didn't fully sit right with me. I think for me it’s the fatphobia. I understand she was taught these things from her mother and her eating disorders are from her mom, but she never talks about or addresses her internalized fatphobia. As a fat person, I’m tired of people’s biggest fear being looking like me. It felt like it was written from a person who hasn’t fully fully healed from her trauma-- which is valid! But it felt like she wrote this still in the midst of her struggles, rather than being deep into recovery and using this book to "warn" others of toxic relationships and ED's.

Memoirs are to be written by anyone at any stage of their life-- I get that. But when the content can be potentially harmful/dangerous, especially to youth and teens, I think there needs to be more talk about the consequences of ED's and fatphobia. It shouldn't be ignored or dismissed, no matter the type of book.
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Set on You by Amy Lea

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Curvy girl representation! I loved this one! As a curvy girl, it can be hard to find books that have fat protagonists who *actually* enjoy being in their bodies and aren't ashamed of their curviness. This book has such great body positive and body neutrality messages! Crystal and Scott are such a dreamy couple and I loved their chemistry! I also loved all the side-characters and side storylines (can't wait to read Tara's book!) I ADORED the family wedding aspect and Crystal's grandma was seriously so precious! Third-act breakups are one of my least favorite romance tropes, so that's why this one didn't hit five stars for me. Loved everything else though! 
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A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Continuing on with the fifth book in my favorite romance series... Lyssa Kay Adams did not disappoint-- again! I love Colton SO much and Gretchen was loveable as well. This book combines two of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and grumpy/sunshine. The fun part about this though is the grumpy/sunshine is reversed (grumpy gal w sunny guy)! I loved the Christmas aspect (definitely recommend reading this one around the holiday season to get it's full effect!) and enjoyed the playful banter between these two. Also-- for the love of family drama!!! Of course, the Bromance boys are hilarious per usual-- I always bust a gut when the guys get together. Truly a great addition to the series and I can't wait for the next(?)
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Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I'm beginning to think Ali Hazelwood is going to be one of my go-to authors. I loved this book so much! I adored Bee and Levi so much, both together and individually. The banter was hilarious and there were so many details I enjoyed about this book, such as Star Wars references, cats, the WWMD twitter page-- literally SO good and I never wanted to put it down! It didn't quite hit five stars for me because I was confused fairly often throughout because there are *so many* science/neuroscience/NASA references that I just simply do not understand lol. I found myself googling every now and then to look up a specific word or person mentioned. Other than that bit, I loved this and totally recommend!
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My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Was this cheesy as hell? Yes. Was the mystery somewhat predictable? Yes. Did I love it with my whole heart?... also yes. This book was just what I needed to pull me out of a slump. Myles is everything I want in a man and I simped HARD for him. I loved Taylor and Jude's sibling dynamic and love for each other. The murder mystery was entertaining, but Taylor and Myles' growing relationship was the best part! The steam was phenomenal and truly the best part of the book 😂 Can we get a sequel of Jude and Dante now, Tessa?!
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Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was SO good! I listened to it on audio, which was narrated by the author, and I HIGHLY recommend the audio! This book is a necessary read and was sectioned in a comprehensible chunks. Acho did a wonderful job putting difficult topics into perspective and I liked all the resources provided at the end of each chapter. This is an outstanding and relevant book that I will definitely be purchasing so that I can re-read it with a highlighter in hand! 

→ Things I Liked: Engaging, thought provoking, informative

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, Could’ve called out the racists a bit more tbh
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Damn, was this one ever sad 🙁 I expect that from Greek mythology, but goodness— it’s depressing! I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in this and I adore Achilles + Patroclus. Chiron was a favorite as well! As much as I loved this, it didn’t hit five stars for me because 1) there were *so* many characters and I was confused the whole book and 2) I wanted more romance with less action.

→ Things I Liked: LGBTQ+ representation, Descriptive settings, Emotional

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, Gore, Old-timey writing style
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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Grumpy + sunshine collides with fake dating?!?! Sign me up! Olive was such an inspiring character, being a powerful woman in STEM. Even though Adam was an asshole, he was a lovable asshole and I absolutely adored their romance. The plot had so many twists and turns and I stayed hooked through the whole thing! As always, I had a hard time with all of the lying, since lying storylines aren't my favorite, but Olive redeemed herself in the end. I highly recommend this one if you like steamy rom coms!

→ Things I Liked: Funny banter, Fast-paced, Diverse side-characters

→ Things I Disliked: Longer chapters, The term "smart-ass" was highly overused
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

Okay, okay, I get it. I get the hype. This was such a great read. My heart broke for Kya during the *entirety* of this novel, and I just loved her so much. I also LOVED Tate, and I seriously was rooting for them the whole time. I loved Jumpin's character, and I love her brother, Jodie as well. As a birder, I thoroughly enjoyed the many bird references throughout the book and was able to resonate with Kya's love for birds and nature.

This one didn't hit five stars for me for the following reasons:

1) I refuse to give any white author who uses the n-word a 5 star review. We know it was the segregated racist south. We can use our imagination for the words they would have used. A white woman writing the n-word in her novel is unnecessary and uncalled for. It's crossing a line.

2) The "whodunit" reveal left me... empty. Like, what? If you've read the book, you probably understand what I'm trying to say here. But since I always leave my reviews spoiler-free, I can't articulate exactly what I'm thinking about the ending. I'll just say this: I NEEDED MORE THAN A PARAGRAPH EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED!

3) The author is low-key under investigation for a murder??? I know she hasn't been proven guilty and is still mingling about in her community, but that just doesn't sit right with me, tbh.

 
→ Things I Liked: Short chapters, Fast paced (for me), Powerful FMC

 
→ Things I Disliked: Jumpin + Mabel's dialogue (very chopped up and hard to read, tbh. I know it's to show how the characters were likely uneducated, but it really messed with me), Ending felt *very* rushed, Unnecessary use of n-word
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Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

This was a perfect sequel to IHOS. I loved the friends to lovers trope/storyline! Hannah is such a bad-ass woman and I want to be her friend. This one was steamy, but not nearly as much as IHOS. Fox is such a stone-cold guy, and I love how Hannah makes him all soft and mushy. It didn't hit five stars for me for two reasons: 1) it was SUCH a SLLOWWW burn and 2) Fox was a whiny man-child for at least 50% of the book.

 
→ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Dual POV, Badass female MC, steamy

 
→ Things I Disliked: Slow burn, Fox was a literal child sometimes
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