fanboyriot's reviews
907 reviews

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

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emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Read For:
✓ Hurt/Comfort
✓ Iconic Characters
✓ LGBTQIA Characters 
✓ Healthy Relationships
✓ Wholesome Friendships

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
I’m going to be so devastated when this series is over.  This is such a comfort read.  The characters growing up, planning their futures, and figuring out what they want in life.

It’s so cute and heartwarming.  I loved seeing Charlie becoming more comfortable with his body and gaining his confidence back.  I loved seeing Nick start to figure out who he is when he’s not with Charlie, talking to his other friends while on the uni road trip.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Angst Level: 💧💧💧
POV: Graphic Novel
Release Date: 19, December 2023
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New Kid by Jerry Craft

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lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

Read For:
✓ Artist MC
✓ Middle Grade
✓ Comforting Read
✓ BIPOC Characters
✓ Wholesome Friendships 

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
Jordan starts at a new private school that consists of mostly white students and teachers, he is one of the few black students and he starts to notice all the micro aggressions and the out right racism he and the other black students are treated with.  

While dealing with important and heavy topics this book is very well balanced, there are so many funny moments too and they help make it feel so lighthearted and comforting to read.  

It’s a really great read for Middle Grade level, but I’d recommend it to anyone honestly. This was such a good book and the narration was awesome!!  All the narrators really brought the characters voices to life.

Angst Level: 💧
POV: Graphic Novel
Release Date: 05, February 2019
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Twisted Games by Ana Huang

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emotional funny 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

Read For:
✓ Royalty
✓ Plot Twists
✓ Bucket List 
✓ Forbidden Romance
✓ Princess x Bodyguard

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
There were so many iconic lines from this book.  It was an entertaining read, it was funny, angsty, and spicy.  The characters had depth to their personalities and while the plot wasn’t what I was expecting it kept my interest.

There were a few parts that made me question how this book was going to end before grabbing the good old plot twists.  The reveal to Rhys dad was not expected but was a nice plot twist.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 
Angst Level: 💧💧💧
POV: Duel, First Person
Release Date: 29, July 2021
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A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

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mysterious tense
  • 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

2.0

Read For:
✓ Car Accident
✓ Memory Loss
✓ Unraveling Lies
✓ Toxic Relationships
✓ “Who’s the Murderer?”

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
I kinda guessed who did it right away but it was a bit entertaining to see that conclusion confirmed; even with how unlikable all the characters were.  The ambiguous ending though had me kinda annoyed.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: n/a
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 29, May 2018
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The Relationship Mechanic by Karmen Lee

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funny 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? Yes

4.0

Read For:
✓ wlw 
✓ Mechanic 
✓ Small Town Vibes
✓ Secret Relationship
✓ LGBTQIA+ Characters

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
This was really cute from the start, the main characters had nice chemistry and in general were lovable characters.  The small town setting of Peach Blossom was really wholesome even with the amount of spice in this book.

Jessica arriving to town after a scandal where she was caught with not one but two of her mom’s co-workers she is made out to be someone she isn’t.  Jessica had great character depth and I really appreciated how she worked through the baggage she had.

Vini being the mechanic that came to Jessica’s rescue when her car broke down.  While Vini wasn’t known for casual hookups she finds herself drawn to Jessica; going into the benefits of their situationship knowing it was only a temporary thing… or is it?

A big thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.  I’m so excited to share my thoughts on it!!

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Angst Level: 💧
POV: Third Person 
Release Date: 21, January 2025
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This Pact Is Not Ours by Zachary Sergi

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dark mysterious tense 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? No

1.0

Read For:
✓ Lies
✓ Cheating Trope
✓ Anticlimactic Plot 
✓ Young Adult Vibes
✓ Unlikeable Love “Triangle”

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
I had really high hopes for this but I just can’t get over the cheating trope.  The main relationship was so annoying.  Not to mention they were all supposed to be friends and then one cheats with the other.  The lack of character depth was a bit disappointing and the main character spent the whole time pining on his taken best friend??  Like, excuse me bro you’re going to have to get over your crush and grow up.  But what we get instead was an off-page jerk off scene.

The characters in general were just unlikeable in general.  One is too “everything is about me”, the other is oblivious to their friends feelings, one is a cheater, and the other one can’t keep a secret even when asked.

Not really resolved well in my opinion by the end.  The overall plot leaves me with more questions than answers and I’m not a big fan of how it ended.  Sure, some major things had been resolved but it never really let on why it was like that or why the parents were so useless, rules in place or not your kid is being hunted and one person from the group is supposed to be sacrificed but you can’t find way to bend the rules and give them more points or prepare them better??

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Angst Level: 💧
POV: First Person
Release Date: 03, October 2023
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The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

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lighthearted 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

1.0

Read For:
✓ Small Town
✓ Forced Proximity 
✓ Bookstore Worker
✓ Boring Relationships
✓ Hallmark Movie Vibes (derogatory)

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
I don’t really know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this.  I really liked the first chapter, the character Hazel was really relatable but it went down hill from there.  While the book wasn’t horrible or anything it just wasn’t a fit for me, I think for the right person it could be quite a cozy and comforting read.

The characters seemed a bit basic and the plot was kinda boring and overdone.  It felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie.  I was tempted to DNF but I kinda wanted to just finish it anyway.  The main couple was just annoying to me, of course the FMC had only been in serious relationships while the MMC was known for sleeping around and never having a serious relationship.  And don’t even get me started on how annoying everyone in the small town was; especially when it’s revealed who was behind the mystery… seriously such a let down. 

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Angst Level: n/a
POV: Duel, Third Person
Release Date: 29, August 2024
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Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

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dark emotional funny 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

5.0

Read For:
✓ He Falls First
✓ Forced Proximity 
✓ Best Friend’s Brother 
✓ Enemies with Benefits
✓ “Who did this to you?” Trope

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
I really didn’t think that I would like this book.  But damn.  Having never read anything by this author I still found it easy to understand the side characters and friendships that were most likely in other books within this book world.

But overall, Josh and Jules had such a good dynamic and their banter was quite entertaining.  Both characters were lovable, complex, and had good depth to them.  I loved how they both turned to the other when they needed someone even if they weren’t always on the best of terms they were always there for each other.

The friendship between Josh and Alex was written really well and I really liked that they worked through their issues.

Also there was way more going on with the plot than I had expected.  Jules having a messed up past that comes back to haunt her one last time and the ending is rather satisfying with it.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 
Angst Level: 💧💧💧
POV: Duel, First Person
Release Date: 27, September 2022
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The Cupcake Cottage by Jean Oram

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

2.0

Read For:
✓ Clichés
✓ Rom-Com
✓ Hockey Romance
✓ Close-Door Romance 
✓ Hallmark Movie Vibes 

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
Got this for free on Stuff Your Kindle Day and thought why not.  And honestly I liked it for the first few chapters.  It was cute, the characters were decent, and the set up of it sounded sweet.

However, it wasn’t for me.  The main couple agrees to a fake relationship and then two seconds like are like “let’s make this a real relationship”then acted as if it wasn’t mutual pining… like most of this book the FMC is over sexualizing the other MC, then there was the overall cliché vibes from the plot, also star rating off for having to read the name Daisy-Mae so many times.

Overall it just felt very juvenile and some of the characters connections were difficult to understand since I’m assuming they were from other books by the author.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: n/a
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 05, May 2022
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I Funny: School of Laughs by James Patterson

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funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Read For:
✓ Comedy
✓ Libraries 
✓ Middle Grade
✓ School Library 
✓ Wheelchair User (MC)

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗
Not really my favorite read but it was kinda cute.  It showed the importance of school libraries and libraries in general.  Though a few of the characters were annoying.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: n/a
POV: First Person
Release Date: 03, April 2017
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