melissaslibraryy's reviews
319 reviews

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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2 Fights by Nikki Castle

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.5

*the tw’s are between the fmc and her shitty ex dw*
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Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

Roman Kitt my beloved, you hold my heart in your hands <3
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A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.0

Story fell flat for me unfortunately. I saw so many great 4-5 star reviews about this book which hyped me up to start my first Danielle L. Jensen book, especially since her bridge kingdom series has been on my radar/tbr for a while. The Norse mythology retelling is what intrigued me the most because it’d be my first book with this type of background within a fantasy setting.  Yet once I got into it, the story and the characters were just meh. 
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The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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 book is unlike any other I’ve read (or at least remember reading lol.) The magical realism was well written throughout the story and once I got over the initial confusion I felt, I knew I was hooked. While I’m aware the romance wasn’t a huge part of the story, I would’ve appreciated June and Aemond coming together more other than her relying on her memories for her to love him again.
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Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my third Ali Hazelwood novel and she did her lil thing with this one im ngl 😋 I’m obsessed with Nolan and how smitten he was with Mallory after she outsmarted him and won their chess game. Also the fact that she is bi and has a supportive family is just 🥹🫶 bc we rarely get to see rom-coms where the mc’s in a heterosexual relationship have different sexualities other than being straight, so this was refreshing. I do agree with some people opinions that this should’ve been marketed as a new adult instead of YA bc even if it wasn’t incredibly descriptive, the spicy scene in the book was hardly fade to black either. I will definitely continue to read books by this author bc I enjoy her writing and how each book sheds a positive light on feminism.
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The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Premise of this book was great, the execution on the other hand was just meh. I predicted what the twist was midway through the book and since the ending was written to start off the sequel, I’m sure the person behind the twist is exactly who I think it is.
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Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

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

5.0

This was such a heartbreaking, gut wrenching read and I feel as though words cannot express how deeply I care for this book. The way Charlie had the opportunity to be better once she got out of the facility she was placed in after her suicide attempt yet chose the path she knew would ruin her and set her back to that terrible mental state. Having to be put through the horrid events she’s experienced from such a young age bc of her environment, was hard to read about bc we know she deserves better yet she doesn’t feel she’s worthy of getting it. 

The beginning of her end was her upbringing with her parents who had many problems of their own and bringing her into their world, just seemed to make it worse. The catalyst of it all was definitely what she was put through by her best friend Elise. Sure she was her only friend but that didn’t necessarily mean she was a good influence in Charlie’s life especially after she started getting mixed up in substances, bad boyfriends and bringing those issues to Charlie.

I’ve teared up and cried and straight up paused the audiobook several times bc of the contents in the book. Whether it was from genuine disbelief in the bad decisions Charlie continued to make, the shit other characters put her through (both in the past and present) or from knowing that the story can only end one of two ways 1. She relapses & cuts herself to death or 2. She finds the strength to get the proper support she needs in order to create the life she wants and deserves for herself bc she’s still a kid with a bright future ahead. I’m happy it ended the way it did, with Charlie getting closure from Riley at the concert and her on the way to achieve her dreams of becoming an artist as she starts a letter to Elise. It was the official end to that era of her life so she can truly gain the happiness she needs after a lifetime of misery. 
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5 Rounds by Nikki Castle

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

I loved the relationship Remy and Tristan have bc you could tell that the tension between was definitely years in the making & by the time they finally open up and get together, that they were meant to be. The ending was so cute, especially since Remy got to live out her dream of being a published author instead of staying at her boring 9-5 office job as well as Tristan getting to professionally fight in the UFC like he’s always wanted and trained for.
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What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

soft(?) dnf at 74% bc I’m getting bored of the plot & the fantasy aspect of the book isn’t doing enough to keep me engaged rip. It’s a shame bc I was really looking forward to reading this when I put it on hold on Libby. Since I left off at chapter 28, I’m still counting it as read and leaving it at a 3⭐️
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