bayleereads's reviews
154 reviews

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

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funny lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

Y'all, I DEVOURED this book! This was such a fun ride from the beginning all the way to the very end! I appreciated how we got to see both points of view, which I love because oftentimes the male's POV is left out of the book! Brendan was adorable and although Piper could be a bit *much* at times, I loved her as well. The spice was HOT and the perfect amount, imo. This is easily the best grumpy x sunshine trope I've ever read! Love love love this one-- probably my favorite read of 2022 so far!

→ Things I Liked: Chapter lengths, Lovable characters, Dual POV, Perfect amount of smut

→ Things I Disliked: Wasn't a fan of Mick, but I guess there's gotta be a villain in every story.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book was super hyped for me, and I'm sad to say I'm a little... disappointed. It didn't blow me away! I had a hard time getting into it, and even though I ended up liking it a bit more once Henry was introduced, I grew to dislike Addie * a lot.* Toward the end, I was simply bored with her character and everything she did I rolled my eyes at. This book also heavily lacked diversity and was *super* white. 300 years and this woman stayed in Europe and North America? Not once did she travel to Africa, Asia, or South America? She could have experienced so much culture and knowledge from other places but she stayed in white countries throughout her 300+ years. If there was any book/storyline out there that had the potential to explore other cultures-- it was THIS one. But alas, it did not. I did like Henry and Addie's romance, I loved the LGBTQ+ representation, and I loved how art was weaved into the whole story. But honestly, the plot for this book has so much potential and could have been *so* much stronger, and overall I'm just a bit let down.

 
→ Things I Liked: short chapters, LGBTQ+ rep, multiple timelines

 
→ Things I Disliked: sub-par characters, severely eurocentric, unnecessarily long
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What We Don't Talk about When We Talk about Fat by Aubrey Gordon

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

 This was such a good read/listen. I encourage everyone— of all sizes— to read this one. Aubrey Gordon talks about diet culture, fatphobia, eating disorders, weight loss, sexual violence, and SO much more as it pertains to being a fat person. As a fat individual, this one really resonated with me and I would like to go back and read a physical copy to annotate for my own shelves. I removed a half star because I wish there would have been more talk and emphasis on eating disorders in fat people, and how they are often overlooked and dismissed because they look different. Although this is touched on, I would have liked more. 
 
→ Things I Liked: narrator, informative 
 
→ Things I Disliked: anecdotal— it could have had more “take action” conversation 
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The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

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emotional funny inspiring relaxing medium-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

Gosh, I just love Helen Hoang’s writing! This one was so fun— I think I liked it almost as much as the first! I absolutely loved Quan (where can I find one of him?!) and Anna. I loved her resilience and although it took a while, I was so proud when she finally stood up for herself. On that note, Priscilla made me want to throw the book across the room and scream. I couldn’t stand her! The ending was perfect and I felt like a proud friend watching Anna 🥲

→ Things I Liked: humor, mental illness representation, short chapters, multiple povs

→ Things I Disliked: Priscilla— she made me irrationally angry 😅
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Becoming by Michelle Obama

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funny hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

I knew going into this one that I would love it, since I adore Michelle Obama and the entire Obama family. I listened to this on audio, which I highly recommend doing because Michelle narrates it and she's an AMAZING storyteller. I love how she was able to write her entire life story into one book, and it was done in an entertaining/non-dragging way. I love her relationship with Barack and how protective she is of her daughters. I removed a 1/2 star simply because I didn't love her information regarding BMI and how it's a true indicator of health (in regards to childhood obesity when talking about her Let's Move campaign and changing school lunches). I wish she had done more research on BMI and how it's not actually an indicator of health and is often times used as an oppression tool. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I can't wait to listen to Barack's in the future :)
 
→ Things I Liked: informing, author narration, humor, real stories 
 
→ Things I Disliked: long chapters, minor misinformation
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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

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3.0

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Y’all… I’m officially on the CoHo train! Ugh this book!! Gutted. Raw. Cried like a baby. Smiled and laughed like a toddler. Beautiful writing for such a beautiful story. Also the steam??🥵 Needless to say, it simply does not get much better than this.

→Things I liked: chapter lengths, lovable characters, strong character development

 →Things I disliked: absolutely nothing y’all 😩
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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What an interesting and captivating book! This was fun and had me hooked straight from the beginning. I was on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time. The big mystery wasn’t all that exciting for me when it was revealed, and I was actually gonna give it a 3.5. But there was a bigger mystery introduced right after for a cliff-hanger for the next book, which made me like the book a bit more.

→ Things I Liked: short chapters, likable characters, interesting plot 
 
→ Things I Disliked: lots of characters to keep up with, big mystery not that exciting 
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Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

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

4.0

I’m a sucker for a sports romance novel. I loved the *steamy* romance between Travis and Georgie, even though it’s a trope I usually don’t go for (forbidden romance). It also is a fake dating trope, too, which I LOVE. I just really liked this one and can’t wait to read the next in the series! I removed a star because I am SO OVER the miscommunication/secret keeping storyline in romance novels. Come on, no one miscommunicates THAT MUCH! 
 
→ Things I Liked: humor, great chapter lengths, genuine chemistry
 
→ Things I Disliked: miscommunication/secret keeping trope 
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Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo

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challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

5.0

Such a powerful and informative book. It really takes "not all men" to a whole new level. I knew a baseline amount of information about white supremacy and male America before listening to this book, but now I understand so much more about our country and the policies put in place to basically paralyze any person in America that isn't a cis male, straight, Christian, and white. Oluo backs up her statements with facts and sources that prove her point even further.

Simply a phenomenal book. I think it should be a required reading for high school or college students in political science courses. But, of course they wouldn't do that, because it's "biased." Can something really be biased though, if it's backed up with immense research and facts? White male supremacy in America is harming pretty much everyone and our country isn't doing a damn thing about it.
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