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acouplereadss's reviews
1641 reviews
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
When Justin posts a Reddit thread about his dating curse he never expects a woman to slide into his DMs with the same bad luck. The two hatch a plan to date one another to break the curse, to meet the love of their lives after dating one another. But when Justin and Emma meet they find themselves drawn to one another in an unexpected way. Will they break the curse together or apart?
Ever since The Friend Zone I’ve been a fan of Jimenez’s angsty romances. With summer around the corner I’ve been itching to get into the warmer weather spirit and thought this book would be perfect. But this one just had too much in it. Too many different elements that just didn’t seem plausible at all, including the background stories of side characters. I also struggled with Emma and Emma’s relationship with her mother. Justin’s relationship with his mother would’ve been enough of a plot device, I’m not sure we needed the double issues. It just felt a bit messy to me. Justin was a gem but too much of a gem? I was frustrated by his can’t do no wrong persona. It was all just a bit disjointed for me.
As always this is just how the book played out for me so you should give it a try! Thank you @hbgcanada for sending me an ARC for review, 2.5⭐️.
emotional
hopeful
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
2.5
When Justin posts a Reddit thread about his dating curse he never expects a woman to slide into his DMs with the same bad luck. The two hatch a plan to date one another to break the curse, to meet the love of their lives after dating one another. But when Justin and Emma meet they find themselves drawn to one another in an unexpected way. Will they break the curse together or apart?
Ever since The Friend Zone I’ve been a fan of Jimenez’s angsty romances. With summer around the corner I’ve been itching to get into the warmer weather spirit and thought this book would be perfect. But this one just had too much in it. Too many different elements that just didn’t seem plausible at all, including the background stories of side characters. I also struggled with Emma and Emma’s relationship with her mother. Justin’s relationship with his mother would’ve been enough of a plot device, I’m not sure we needed the double issues. It just felt a bit messy to me. Justin was a gem but too much of a gem? I was frustrated by his can’t do no wrong persona. It was all just a bit disjointed for me.
As always this is just how the book played out for me so you should give it a try! Thank you @hbgcanada for sending me an ARC for review, 2.5⭐️.
The Night House by Jo Nesbø
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Haar by David Sodergren
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
When you hear magical thinking do you think of manifesting? The power of positive thinking? Positive thinking can be classified as our internal thoughts overcoming small or large events and issues in our lives. Similarly through the ages prayer can be seen in the same light. Montell argues the validity of this concept and delves into how our brain’s coping mechanism has been compromised by the sheer amount of information taken in on a daily basis. Montell takes psychological concepts to bring sense to our anxiety riddled brains in this new age of information.
While I align with some of Montell’s thoughts and views there is a little bit of that magical thinking that I can’t help but wonder has a bit of power that science can’t explain.
Compared to Cultish this book was quite different. While Cultish had thorough research and a clear focus, not to say this one didn’t have effort put into research it did, but it felt there was less of a clear focal point and was more of a rambly memoir. I also sensed a lot of anger which may be related to the fame and challenges of running the Sounds Like a Cult podcast? Just some underlining things behind this one I can’t quite put my finger on.
I enjoyed this but the overall vibes, for lack of a better word, put me off a little, 3.5⭐️.
While I align with some of Montell’s thoughts and views there is a little bit of that magical thinking that I can’t help but wonder has a bit of power that science can’t explain.
Compared to Cultish this book was quite different. While Cultish had thorough research and a clear focus, not to say this one didn’t have effort put into research it did, but it felt there was less of a clear focal point and was more of a rambly memoir. I also sensed a lot of anger which may be related to the fame and challenges of running the Sounds Like a Cult podcast? Just some underlining things behind this one I can’t quite put my finger on.
I enjoyed this but the overall vibes, for lack of a better word, put me off a little, 3.5⭐️.
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Visit #ACoupleReadsHorror #ACoupleReadsReviews for more reviews on Instagram.
A young girl, Mouse, is tasked with cleaning out her late grandmothers house. A task that is daunting because of the hoarding situation. Amongst all the clutter she finds a journal that belonged to her step-grandfather, in which are nonsensical ramblings and strange secrets, including a hidden colony of creatures in the woods. Alone with her dog, Mouse uncovers terrors deep in the woods she wished she never found.
I’m slowly making my way through Kingfisher’s backlist and while most have been hits for me, this one came up short. I couldn’t quite connect with Mouse and the first person narration was too repetitive for me. I also found the buildup was quite slow for me.
I still think this was a good idea and the execution was strong. It wasn’t the book, it was me, 3✨.
A young girl, Mouse, is tasked with cleaning out her late grandmothers house. A task that is daunting because of the hoarding situation. Amongst all the clutter she finds a journal that belonged to her step-grandfather, in which are nonsensical ramblings and strange secrets, including a hidden colony of creatures in the woods. Alone with her dog, Mouse uncovers terrors deep in the woods she wished she never found.
I’m slowly making my way through Kingfisher’s backlist and while most have been hits for me, this one came up short. I couldn’t quite connect with Mouse and the first person narration was too repetitive for me. I also found the buildup was quite slow for me.
I still think this was a good idea and the execution was strong. It wasn’t the book, it was me, 3✨.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
lighthearted
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
Chlorine by Jade Song
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Visit #ACoupleReadsReviews #ACoupleReadsRecommends #ACoupleReadsHorror on Instagram.
Ren Yu’s entire life is swimming. All she thinks about is swimming and being a swimmer. If she’s the best swimmer, she’ll be scouted and get a scholarship to attend a good school. Her coach will be proud of her. Her parents will love her. Ren’s obsession with swimming goes far beyond human tendencies. Growing up on stories of deep creatures who lure humans to their death, Ren aches to be one with the water.
Meandering through this coming of age title you’ll wonder why it’s shelved under horror. When you get there the payoff is worth the wait. The longer I sit with this book the more my love of it grows. Ren was so raw and real. The coming of age pre teen to teen experiences always make me cringe a bit because of how complicated emotions and hormones are at that age. Nobody gives teenagers enough credit for navigating all the changes of the body and mind. The letters from Ren’s friend didn’t quite work for me though.
As a swimmer myself this brought back many complicated memories of my time in the pool in my teens. I swim because it’s very zen for me now, it’s the only time other than weightlifting where my mind slows down. But back in the day it was a cause of anxiety and stress for me. I was nowhere near the fastest and I hated competing, the pressure was too much and I related to Ren in that aspect. I love when a book brings you back to your own experiences, 4✨.
So glad I could rant to @cozyinthenook about all our swim experiences!
It’s been awhile since I wrote a review so I’ll be making more of an effort to keep on top of them, they do inspire me to pick up the next book. And I definitely need that with my three week slump so far.
Ren Yu’s entire life is swimming. All she thinks about is swimming and being a swimmer. If she’s the best swimmer, she’ll be scouted and get a scholarship to attend a good school. Her coach will be proud of her. Her parents will love her. Ren’s obsession with swimming goes far beyond human tendencies. Growing up on stories of deep creatures who lure humans to their death, Ren aches to be one with the water.
Meandering through this coming of age title you’ll wonder why it’s shelved under horror. When you get there the payoff is worth the wait. The longer I sit with this book the more my love of it grows. Ren was so raw and real. The coming of age pre teen to teen experiences always make me cringe a bit because of how complicated emotions and hormones are at that age. Nobody gives teenagers enough credit for navigating all the changes of the body and mind. The letters from Ren’s friend didn’t quite work for me though.
As a swimmer myself this brought back many complicated memories of my time in the pool in my teens. I swim because it’s very zen for me now, it’s the only time other than weightlifting where my mind slows down. But back in the day it was a cause of anxiety and stress for me. I was nowhere near the fastest and I hated competing, the pressure was too much and I related to Ren in that aspect. I love when a book brings you back to your own experiences, 4✨.
So glad I could rant to @cozyinthenook about all our swim experiences!
It’s been awhile since I wrote a review so I’ll be making more of an effort to keep on top of them, they do inspire me to pick up the next book. And I definitely need that with my three week slump so far.