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binreads's reviews
72 reviews
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
I started this, got 10 minutes in and just found it wasn’t for me
Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Wow. Geena Davis is a badass.
I obviously knew who Geena was from her iconic roles in Beetlejuice, A League of Their Own, and of course.....Stuart Little. But in recent years I had fallen in love with her character as Nicole Hermann on Grey's Anatomy so when I saw she had a book I was immediately interested.
I chose to listen to the audio version since Geena has such a distinct voice, it was nice to hear it all come from her. She speaks on so many topics, some make you laugh, some make you gasp in fear and some fill you up with joy. Growing up as a quiet young girl to branching out into the world as a model turned actress learning to take no BS, Geena focuses on the importance of speaking out for yourself and others. Dying of Politeness is the perfect title.
I obviously knew who Geena was from her iconic roles in Beetlejuice, A League of Their Own, and of course.....Stuart Little. But in recent years I had fallen in love with her character as Nicole Hermann on Grey's Anatomy so when I saw she had a book I was immediately interested.
I chose to listen to the audio version since Geena has such a distinct voice, it was nice to hear it all come from her. She speaks on so many topics, some make you laugh, some make you gasp in fear and some fill you up with joy. Growing up as a quiet young girl to branching out into the world as a model turned actress learning to take no BS, Geena focuses on the importance of speaking out for yourself and others. Dying of Politeness is the perfect title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Dementia and Death of parent
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who is unapologetically in love with everything Twilight, it was fun to read something supernatural again. It's been so long!
I loved Rory's inner thoughts, and I honestly found her hilarious. I loved the dynamic between her and her sister, Scarlett. All the other characters like Ash, Seth, Mia, etc were all great additions, all with their own unique personalities. The pacing was great, love how we started at Halloween and ended after New Year's. I never felt bored and it kept me wanting more and more of the story. I could totally see a sequel.
This is labelled as a 'dark comedic love story', which it's really not? I find it focuses mostly on Rory and her transformation both mentally and physically while grappling with her becoming a werewolf. Her relationship with Ian's is a fun bonus but there's not enough focus or depth to it for the entire book to be labeled a love story. Really, it's a love story with Rory and finding herself to be honest.
The one thing I didn't find so believable is the fact that Rory is on this work leave that lasts for months and she's only in her 20's. Coupled with the fact that her job is in NYC, and she happens to be at a high ranking level, I'm not saying it's impossible but honestly, her being a werewolf is much more believable. I don't think the NYC backstory, really added much to character.
The ending climax definitely felt rushed. Would have loved to see more fallout and conflict after what happens. I feel like her and Mia's conflict could've lasted longer. And the fact that Ian just outright accepts Rory literally being a werewolf felt far fetched. I actually thought Ian was going to be the one who changed Rory, but once we find out it's Mia all along, it totally made sense. I also think it could've worked though if it was just a random person who did it. I hope down the line Rory finds Dave and gives him what he deserves.
I loved Rory's inner thoughts, and I honestly found her hilarious. I loved the dynamic between her and her sister, Scarlett. All the other characters like Ash, Seth, Mia, etc were all great additions, all with their own unique personalities. The pacing was great, love how we started at Halloween and ended after New Year's. I never felt bored and it kept me wanting more and more of the story. I could totally see a sequel.
This is labelled as a 'dark comedic love story', which it's really not? I find it focuses mostly on Rory and her transformation both mentally and physically while grappling with her becoming a werewolf. Her relationship with Ian's is a fun bonus but there's not enough focus or depth to it for the entire book to be labeled a love story. Really, it's a love story with Rory and finding herself to be honest.
The one thing I didn't find so believable is the fact that Rory is on this work leave that lasts for months and she's only in her 20's. Coupled with the fact that her job is in NYC, and she happens to be at a high ranking level, I'm not saying it's impossible but honestly, her being a werewolf is much more believable. I don't think the NYC backstory, really added much to character.
The ending climax definitely felt rushed. Would have loved to see more fallout and conflict after what happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Car accident
Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Not really what I expected. It explores the life of a young pregnant girl who lives with the trauma of her father's passing, and I think it really dictates the decisions she makes. I honestly didn't realize it at first but as the book went on, it is made very apparent that she is definitely struggling deeply with her life and future.
Her obsession with Jenny becomes really intense and scary. Very much stalkerish vibes. I felt extremely bad for her boyfriend and mother. The ending was really out of left field.
I thought this was going to be more lighthearted but it was really sad.
Her obsession with Jenny becomes really intense and scary. Very much stalkerish vibes. I felt extremely bad for her boyfriend and mother. The ending was really out of left field.
I thought this was going to be more lighthearted but it was really sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Infidelity
The Catch by Alison Fairbrother
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book really makes you think of how your actions will affect people when you have left this life.
I thought it was interesting to have our main character, Ellie, try and chase down the people from her father's past to understand who he really was and why he made certain life decisions. I find that we like to see people in the best light, especially our parents, but in the end, they are just human who make complex mistakes.
I struggled to the very end to like the main character, Ellie. She's 24 years old and yet her actions are of someone who is extremely naïve and in the end I believe that doesn't learn from her actions. Maybe she did get that from her father after all.
Spoilers ahead discussing the relationship between Ellie and Lucas.
So...does she end up with Lucas?! I hated that we didn't get a solid confirmation from that. I truly don't understand how she finds out about all these sad and practically unforgivable things her father did to the people in his life and yet, she still thinks it's okay to stay with a man where their relationship is built on an affair/lies.
Am I the only one who didn't think Lucas even loved her? He lusted over her the entire time. There was no depth between their interactions. It was all about s*x, he constantly was telling her how beautiful she was in moments where she was trying to be serious. If he really loved her, he would've made the decision to leave his wife on his own terms, not Ellie having to bring it up or for a coworker to tell his wife. He would've let it drag and drag on if it was up to him. And how thoughtless of him to bring her to a home that is covered in his wife's things???
To be honest, as a man who is almost 40 years old, is almost old enough to BE her father, I feel like he preyed upon her naivety and age. I wouldn't believe a word he says, he never once seemed sincere. I am happy for Mina for getting out of that situation even though she's not even in the book except for other people mentioning her. I was seriously hoping for them to finally interact, whether it be Ellie fessing up or them meeting be accident.
The whole relationship between Lucas and Ellie is riddled with Ellie's daddy issues. The constant comparisons she makes between her father and Lucas is bizarre considering this is a man she's sleeping with, and I don't understand how she never really puts the dots together earlier.
I really enjoyed the side characters like Van, Colette and Jane. Larry's story broke my heart wide open.
TW: Eating disorder, body dysmorphia mention
I find that the relationship between Ellie and her mother is also very complex. Especially how it relates to the mentions of eating habits, body dysmorphia, fatphobia etc. As someone who has dealt with these issues myself, it's hard for me to fully judge either Ellie or her mother for their own issues.
Overall, I wish things ended differently. I wish our protagonist could've truly learned from the mistakes of her father and applied it to her own life.
I thought it was interesting to have our main character, Ellie, try and chase down the people from her father's past to understand who he really was and why he made certain life decisions. I find that we like to see people in the best light, especially our parents, but in the end, they are just human who make complex mistakes.
I struggled to the very end to like the main character, Ellie. She's 24 years old and yet her actions are of someone who is extremely naïve and in the end I believe that doesn't learn from her actions. Maybe she did get that from her father after all.
Spoilers ahead discussing the relationship between Ellie and Lucas.
Am I the only one who didn't think Lucas even loved her? He lusted over her the entire time. There was no depth between their interactions. It was all about s*x, he constantly was telling her how beautiful she was in moments where she was trying to be serious. If he really loved her, he would've made the decision to leave his wife on his own terms, not Ellie having to bring it up or for a coworker to tell his wife. He would've let it drag and drag on if it was up to him. And how thoughtless of him to bring her to a home that is covered in his wife's things???
To be honest, as a man who is almost 40 years old, is almost old enough to BE her father, I feel like he preyed upon her naivety and age. I wouldn't believe a word he says, he never once seemed sincere. I am happy for Mina for getting out of that situation even though she's not even in the book except for other people mentioning her. I was seriously hoping for them to finally interact, whether it be Ellie fessing up or them meeting be accident.
The whole relationship between Lucas and Ellie is riddled with Ellie's daddy issues. The constant comparisons she makes between her father and Lucas is bizarre considering this is a man she's sleeping with, and I don't understand how she never really puts the dots together earlier.
I really enjoyed the side characters like Van, Colette and Jane. Larry's story broke my heart wide open.
TW: Eating disorder, body dysmorphia mention
I find that the relationship between Ellie and her mother is also very complex. Especially how it relates to the mentions of eating habits, body dysmorphia, fatphobia etc. As someone who has dealt with these issues myself, it's hard for me to fully judge either Ellie or her mother for their own issues.
Overall, I wish things ended differently. I wish our protagonist could've truly learned from the mistakes of her father and applied it to her own life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
I loooooved this. The story was extremely detailed and immersive that I could picture it all in my mind as vividly as if I was watching a movie. Not only is the cover beautiful but the illustrations within the book are gorgeous and are a great addition.
Very much gave Coraline vibes with the themes of the a girl finding a portal to this other world.. And the Other Mother is basically Death. Feeding off of their victims.
The beginning was a bit slow but once I got to the halfway point then banged it out in one night. Would not recommend reading in the dark in the middle of the night because I started to spook myself out, unless you're into that then go for it!
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
The kind of dark that tricks the eye. Makes you see things where ther are none. Or miss things when they are there. The dark that lives in spaces you know you should not look, lest you catch sight other eyes, staring back.
I loooooved this. The story was extremely detailed and immersive that I could picture it all in my mind as vividly as if I was watching a movie. Not only is the cover beautiful but the illustrations within the book are gorgeous and are a great addition.
Very much gave Coraline vibes with the themes of the a girl finding a portal to this other world..
The beginning was a bit slow but once I got to the halfway point then banged it out in one night. Would not recommend reading in the dark in the middle of the night because I started to spook myself out, unless you're into that then go for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Injury/Injury detail
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was an okay read, it did make me laugh at some moments. The overall concept of a little old lady just murdering people whenever she feels like it on the surface is funny. Honestly though, it's quite dark. But, it's interesting how it's under 200 pages, it felt super slow to me. I may pick up the sequel.
I wish we would've gotten more insight on what happened to the victims after they were murdered. </spolier>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I originally thought this was only going to be about Tom's adventures within the Harry Potter world but it was so much more than that. He gives insight on his life before HP, during the magical fun of Hogwarts and his struggles trying to find himself after. It was funny, touching, and even emotional. Love hearing the behind of scenes. I'm totally interested in watching some of Tom's work outside of Harry Potter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing and Death
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I also think the reveal of the interviewer being Julia left me with the question of did maybe Billy or Daisy lie about anything as to conceal the truth from Camilla and Billy’s daughter? Such as IF they might’ve taken things farther? Because to me, I understand them lusting for each other but to call it love when they had never even been together more than an ‘almost’ kiss….meh I don’t buy it. It’s honestly quite sad. I feel most sad for Camilla tbh. Like here you are raising this man’s 3 children and you know he’s infatuated with his co-singer. And she just stays with him? Billy didn’t deserve either of those women.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I started seeing the ads for the show everywhere, and the overall aesthetic definitely intrigued me so I picked up the book to read before diving into the show.
From the start, I can agree with lots of other reviewers on here when they said it was hard to get into due the the interview-esque writing style. I felt like I couldn’t immerse myself fully into the story, or completely understand the characters. I wish the author would’ve spliced in scenes from the past, written regularly from maybe Daisy or Billy’s POV (or even the other band mates) to take a break from the interviews and allow us to experience their story while it happened. It was really slow for me up until the halfway point then it picks up.
I loved Daisy and Karen the most.
Overall, a decent read! I’m really excited to start the show now and see what’s the same/what they changed from the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity and Abortion
Minor: Pregnancy
Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love by Carlos Allende
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
This is possibly unfortunately the worst book I've ever read. Let me explain.
From the title to the summary on the back of the book, I went into this thinking this would be a combination of a dark but funny story as it is described. The summary initially reminded me of the You series by Caroline Kepnes so I was eager to read something along those lines but with LGBT and POC representation.
The "humor" in the story is riddled with racism, fatphobia and misogyny to the point where it doesn't feel funny or enjoyable to read. I was shocked at most of the statements made by these characters and their motives behind their actions.
For lack of a better word, it just felt gross? The overtly nasty comments about Jignesh's weight and sexuality, toppled with the horribly boring, racist, gold-digging and annoying character Charlie, made me mentally check out of this story very quickly. I forced myself to get through it.
The pacing also makes no sense. The beginning was great (and tbh the only reason I'm not giving this book a 0 star rating) it was fast and steady. Up until the point where Manuel dies Then suddenly there is a time jump and after that the whole middle of the story is a snooze fest. Also, the ending was all over the place.
And on top of that, adding in a sleuth of new characters towards the end of the story (Deirdre, Jana, the detective, Anthony and Ricky) was so unnecessary. That one chapter between Ricky and Anthony was so out of place. And the ending made no sense!!! Random gay cruise??? Murat dying??? So what, Jignesh and Charlie just get away with it, yet 3 of Jignesh's coworkers are now missing/dead and no one suspects him?! It was so confusing.
Overall, there's a way of making dark comedy without just literally offending every single subculture you can think of. I was excited to read a novel by a hispanic, gay author but now I feel extremely disappointed and embarrassed for my own communities.
From the title to the summary on the back of the book, I went into this thinking this would be a combination of a dark but funny story as it is described. The summary initially reminded me of the You series by Caroline Kepnes so I was eager to read something along those lines but with LGBT and POC representation.
The "humor" in the story is riddled with racism, fatphobia and misogyny to the point where it doesn't feel funny or enjoyable to read. I was shocked at most of the statements made by these characters and their motives behind their actions.
For lack of a better word, it just felt gross? The overtly nasty comments about Jignesh's weight and sexuality, toppled with the horribly boring, racist, gold-digging and annoying character Charlie, made me mentally check out of this story very quickly. I forced myself to get through it.
The pacing also makes no sense. The beginning was great (and tbh the only reason I'm not giving this book a 0 star rating) it was fast and steady.
Overall, there's a way of making dark comedy without just literally offending every single subculture you can think of. I was excited to read a novel by a hispanic, gay author but now I feel extremely disappointed and embarrassed for my own communities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
I highly do not recommend this book.