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bekahzabel's reviews
323 reviews
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems by Megan Fox
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
My qualm is that I wish it was twice as long.
It is not my place to judge another woman’s trauma and experiences. Pretty Boys are Poisonous yanked on my heartstrings. I really felt for her throughout the entirety of this collection, and honestly had no idea that she’d been through so much. You never know what happens behind closed doors and when a celebrity releases poetry or a memoir, I’m grateful for a peek behind those doors… because truly none of us are entitled to know. This was dark, vulnerable, and all the poems were shorter style micropoems, but I’m into it.
I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoys modern poetry about losing and finding yourself after abusive relationships. Good for her for releasing this, she gained a new fan and respect from me.
It is not my place to judge another woman’s trauma and experiences. Pretty Boys are Poisonous yanked on my heartstrings. I really felt for her throughout the entirety of this collection, and honestly had no idea that she’d been through so much. You never know what happens behind closed doors and when a celebrity releases poetry or a memoir, I’m grateful for a peek behind those doors… because truly none of us are entitled to know. This was dark, vulnerable, and all the poems were shorter style micropoems, but I’m into it.
I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoys modern poetry about losing and finding yourself after abusive relationships. Good for her for releasing this, she gained a new fan and respect from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A reflection of ruthless decisions driven by a dark turn of events.
I devoured this one on audio in one sitting. Yellowface follows our main character June, who steals her colleagues manuscript after a tragic passing. While I know June wasn’t supposed to be a well liked character, there were plenty of moments where her thought process had me laughing out loud. Diabolical is a great way to describe this FMC.
RF Kuang addressed a unique plot here that could very well happen in modern day society. Fast paced and captivating, I was very engaged from start to finish.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys modern literary fiction with a bit of a thriller type feel.
4 ⭐️
I devoured this one on audio in one sitting. Yellowface follows our main character June, who steals her colleagues manuscript after a tragic passing. While I know June wasn’t supposed to be a well liked character, there were plenty of moments where her thought process had me laughing out loud. Diabolical is a great way to describe this FMC.
RF Kuang addressed a unique plot here that could very well happen in modern day society. Fast paced and captivating, I was very engaged from start to finish.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys modern literary fiction with a bit of a thriller type feel.
4 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
A Soul to Protect by Opal Reyne
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? No
5.0
5 shiny gold stars.
Nathair and Linh’s story quickly became my absolute favorite thus far. Both characters have dark pasts, and A Soul to Protect was a journey of healing, love, laughs, and of course steamy passion.
I also adore the representation that Opal continuously puts into her books. Nathair is mostly mute, and the language barrier while Linh learns to understand his signs was so precious. Linh is Vietnamese, and I connected with her mindset and struggles so much which made me have so much more connection with the story as it played out.
I would say this is one of the spiciest ones yet. While this installment focuses solely on Nathair & Linh, I look forward to seeing how everything comes together in the final book of the series up next.
Forced Proximity,
Language Barrier,
Overprotective MMC,
Monster 🍆🍆,
Witty Banter & Dialouge,
Rediscovering Self After Trauma,
Strong Willed FMC
Nathair is such a sassy little noodle. Protect him at all costs.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Nathair and Linh’s story quickly became my absolute favorite thus far. Both characters have dark pasts, and A Soul to Protect was a journey of healing, love, laughs, and of course steamy passion.
I also adore the representation that Opal continuously puts into her books. Nathair is mostly mute, and the language barrier while Linh learns to understand his signs was so precious. Linh is Vietnamese, and I connected with her mindset and struggles so much which made me have so much more connection with the story as it played out.
I would say this is one of the spiciest ones yet. While this installment focuses solely on Nathair & Linh, I look forward to seeing how everything comes together in the final book of the series up next.
Forced Proximity,
Language Barrier,
Overprotective MMC,
Monster 🍆🍆,
Witty Banter & Dialouge,
Rediscovering Self After Trauma,
Strong Willed FMC
Nathair is such a sassy little noodle. Protect him at all costs.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Manacled by SenLinYu
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Ahhhh Ford MF’in Grant 🥵🥵🥵🥵
Elsie Silver truly never disappoints. Wild love is a slow burn, small town, brother’s best friend, single dad, billionaire romance. Taking place in the rural town of Rose Hill British Columbia, Rosie Belmont finds herself pulled back to her hometown after losing her job in the big city. When she reconnects with her brother’s best friend Ford, their connection is undeniable.
The burn was extra slow but that tension build was HAWT HAWT HAWT. Very worth it. If you enjoy small town romance, Elsie Silver’s work is not to be overlooked. Wild Love was a heartwarming read that I will be recommending for years to come.
Do you love a cutesy pink cover that contains a MMC with an undeniably filthy mouth? Step right up because this book is up to bat.
4.25⭐️//2.5 🌶️🌶️
Elsie Silver truly never disappoints. Wild love is a slow burn, small town, brother’s best friend, single dad, billionaire romance. Taking place in the rural town of Rose Hill British Columbia, Rosie Belmont finds herself pulled back to her hometown after losing her job in the big city. When she reconnects with her brother’s best friend Ford, their connection is undeniable.
The burn was extra slow but that tension build was HAWT HAWT HAWT. Very worth it. If you enjoy small town romance, Elsie Silver’s work is not to be overlooked. Wild Love was a heartwarming read that I will be recommending for years to come.
Do you love a cutesy pink cover that contains a MMC with an undeniably filthy mouth? Step right up because this book is up to bat.
4.25⭐️//2.5 🌶️🌶️
A Soul to Steal by Opal Reyne
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Aleron is to be protected at all costs 🥺🥹
Loved this installment to the series. Took me a bit longer than usual since there was quite the journey in this one, but overall thoroughly enjoyed Aleron’s and Gideon’s stories. Without spoilers you do get to see some past favorite characters in this one, which I ate up 🤪 I like that we’re slowly but surely learning more and more about the Witch Owl & Weldier. Looking forward to the next one because y’all know these are some of my all time favorites.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//🌶️🌶️
Loved this installment to the series. Took me a bit longer than usual since there was quite the journey in this one, but overall thoroughly enjoyed Aleron’s and Gideon’s stories. Without spoilers you do get to see some past favorite characters in this one, which I ate up 🤪 I like that we’re slowly but surely learning more and more about the Witch Owl & Weldier. Looking forward to the next one because y’all know these are some of my all time favorites.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//🌶️🌶️
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Such a change of pace from my normal choices and I loved it!
With all the hype around the new season being released, I figured I’d give the audiobooks a try- the first on didn’t disappoint. Daphne and Simon’s love story was heartwarming and lighthearted. I found myself completely immersed in a world of regency. The narration was perfect keeping me highly engaged throughout the entire book. There’s a lot of similarities to the tv adaptation but you also get a little more depth in the story I think.
Just a dash of spice which was plenty, it wasn’t overdone which I like. I’m looking forward to continuing with this realm.
With all the hype around the new season being released, I figured I’d give the audiobooks a try- the first on didn’t disappoint. Daphne and Simon’s love story was heartwarming and lighthearted. I found myself completely immersed in a world of regency. The narration was perfect keeping me highly engaged throughout the entire book. There’s a lot of similarities to the tv adaptation but you also get a little more depth in the story I think.
Just a dash of spice which was plenty, it wasn’t overdone which I like. I’m looking forward to continuing with this realm.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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? No
4.75
All Aboard The Powerless Hype Train 🚂🚂🚂
I caved, and by the end I can say that I loved it. There were moments in the middle between 30-60% that yes, I did feel some hunger games similarities… BUT overall this is definitely a work of its own. By 60% I was sure this was going to be a 3.5 or 4 star read, but the ending really pulled through to bring it up to 4.75 for me.
There’s a lot of books in the fantasy realms that have similarities to one another, tropes and plot points that can be related to previous reads- that doesn’t deter me from reading them.
Where can I get myself a Kai????? 👀😋 The writing was engaging and easy to read, & I was foaming at the mouth with the witty interactions between Kai and Paedyn. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book because that cliffhanger was criminal.
Powerless contains:
Classism and Hierarchy,
Deadly Trials,
Love Triangle,
Rivals/Enemy Romance
Secrets & Betrayal
Light Magic/Powers Undertones,
Phenomenal Character Arcs
I caved, and by the end I can say that I loved it. There were moments in the middle between 30-60% that yes, I did feel some hunger games similarities… BUT overall this is definitely a work of its own. By 60% I was sure this was going to be a 3.5 or 4 star read, but the ending really pulled through to bring it up to 4.75 for me.
There’s a lot of books in the fantasy realms that have similarities to one another, tropes and plot points that can be related to previous reads- that doesn’t deter me from reading them.
Where can I get myself a Kai????? 👀😋 The writing was engaging and easy to read, & I was foaming at the mouth with the witty interactions between Kai and Paedyn. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book because that cliffhanger was criminal.
Powerless contains:
Classism and Hierarchy,
Deadly Trials,
Love Triangle,
Rivals/Enemy Romance
Secrets & Betrayal
Light Magic/Powers Undertones,
Phenomenal Character Arcs
Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
This series was so much fun for me.
Really reminded me of a mix between criminal minds and dexter. Lana and Logan’s HEA made my heart so warm and every book just got better and better. The supporting characters are great as well, I love Jake & Hadley.
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed every installment along the way. I 100% recommend these to anyone looking for a good suspense thriller with romance undertones. Not nearly as smutty as I would’ve assumed with the covers, but it was just right.
5⭐️//1.5🌶️
Really reminded me of a mix between criminal minds and dexter. Lana and Logan’s HEA made my heart so warm and every book just got better and better. The supporting characters are great as well, I love Jake & Hadley.
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed every installment along the way. I 100% recommend these to anyone looking for a good suspense thriller with romance undertones. Not nearly as smutty as I would’ve assumed with the covers, but it was just right.
5⭐️//1.5🌶️
All the Lies by S.T. Abby
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.75
You gotta be kidding me with these cliffhangers man 😳
Each book is darker and more suspenseful. I have to go straight into the next one, otherwise I might have a conniption. Thoroughly enjoying these 🫡
4.75⭐️//1.5🌶️
Each book is darker and more suspenseful. I have to go straight into the next one, otherwise I might have a conniption. Thoroughly enjoying these 🫡
4.75⭐️//1.5🌶️