taylasversion's reviews
97 reviews

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Oscar Wilde is a certified YAPPER. 

This is a hard book to rate because I can appreciate it. It’s wonderfully written and a classic, but I found it so hard to read and decipher. To me there was just a lot of unnecessary babbling about stuff that (to me at least) added nothing to the story. 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

dark emotional relaxing sad tense medium-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

4.5

I think when I got past realising that the point of this wasn’t about the Lisbon sisters story, I appreciated it a lot more. I went into thinking I was going to get something about the sisters and how they were feeling, what they were going through and what led up to the suicides. 

But it was about the boys. About the outsider perspective. About the male gaze. The writing and prose in this is fantastic. It’s so impressive how Eugenides has almost made the suicides a backseat plot, despite the books namesake, and have the flow on effects of the event be the main story. It’s very reminiscent of real life. Unless you’re the one the story is happening to, you don’t know the ins and outs, you only see it from the outside. 

The Lisbon’s lives are told through such wonderful symbolism and themes, I can’t wait to delve further into the literary devices of this one. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m not going to lie, I HATED this at first. Like for a good 45% of it I was so close to putting it down. Glad I persevered because I did end up liking it. The character development of both Nora and Charlie had me giggling kicking my feet, even if it was very dramatic and over the top. It’s cliche and cheesy, but I think that’s the whole point what with them being a book agent and editor. 

It’s not as good as Beach Read but it’s sweet and wholesome and pulls at the heartstrings. I would rate it higher if I didn’t dislike so much of the start. 

Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

medium-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

1.0

‘We have Chuck and Blair at home’
Chuck and Blair at home: 

I think what makes Chuck and Blair a more compelling story is that even though they’re just as toxic for each other as Magnolia and BJ, we go through it with them. The rise and fall. The falling in love, the break up and the aftermath. With Magnolia Parks we’re thrown into 3 years post break up, like why would I care about these two? I’m not rooting for them because I’ve seen nothing to root for. I don’t know anything about the backstory of these people so I do not care about them at all. 

They’re both terrible people and they’re terrible to each other. There’s no chemistry, it’s just too people holding onto their first love because they don’t know anything else, and it’s frustrating as hell. Because we’re supposed to be rooting for them to be endgame but I really couldn’t think of anything worse than them ending up together. 

Further notes

I hate the use of multiple names for the same person all in the same page or so? You can’t just use them all intermittently especially so early into the book, i have no idea who you’re talking about. I feel like you can give them a name and then in the dialogue have characters call them a nickname but not just in the 

This book would’ve been infinitely shorter if there was a description of every single persons outfit and every single detail. It’s like the author just wanted to show how much research they did into rich people clothes but it doesn’t come across as natural at all. 

Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves

fast-paced

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

0.5

Thank god this was short. It feels like a book written by a 16 year old who is trying to be edgy and dark for the first time. There is absolutely no nuance, everything is spelled out in the most obvious way. Cringe and cliche. The smut scenes weren’t even that good either. 

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

challenging dark hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I was never a Disney kid and haven’t seen iCarly or Sam and Cat, so while I feel repulsed and devastated at Jeannette’s story, I can’t even imagine how hard it would be for people who loved and grew up with these shows to know what was going on behind the scenes. 

Wonderfully written. So raw and personal. A really open and honest look into child stars, eating disorder recovery, and life with mothers such as hers. 

I hope Jennette has found peace. 

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

If I was reading this on Wattpad or ao3 I’d give it a higher rating. But this is a PUBLISHED book that is being adapted into a movie, so it gets one star from me. 

It’s repetitive. It constantly contradicts itself. It’s cliche. It tries to be all pro women but is also really belittling to fan girls and to boy bands, which is rich considering the author is making a living profiting off the both a particular boy band and their fan base. 

The age gap thing is portrayed so repulsively in this, shown by just some of the examples below:

“… there was something so boyish about him that it almost felt wrong. Almost.” 

“His skin: so flawless, soft, like a baby’s”

Referring to him as ‘this sweet boy’ while sucking his dick?? 

I’ll still be watching the movie, both because of Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway and from what I’ve seen of the trailer, they’ve just taken the idea (heh) of middle aged mother falling in love with young boyband member which in itself is a compelling story. 

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

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

1.0

I really didn’t care much for this. Very underwhelming and unsatisfying. The main character was very ‘literary sad girl’ but not in any way that was even remotely interesting. Even her being a vampire didn’t make her interesting. Probably the shortest book that has taken me the longest to read.