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juliannewarren12's reviews
56 reviews
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
This memoir makes me want to go home and hug my mom and never take that for granted again.
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
This memoir was a beautiful story honoring the author’s mother. It was a very raw take on caring for a sick family members and all of the struggles that come with. It is intertwined with personal recounts of traveling and growing up half Korean in America that were equally as interesting.
I think this quote was so impactful:
I think this quote was so impactful:
I thought of how cyclical it was to be sandwiched between my new husband and my deceased mother. I imagined our four bodies in aerial view. On the right side, two newlyweds beginning their first chapter, on the left, a widower and a corpse, closing the book on over thirty years of marriage.
This memoir makes me want to go home and hug my mom and never take that for granted again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
God of the Woods was amazing. I was so interested, it pained me to put the book down while reading. The twists were interesting and I didn’t predict until right before the reveal.
Liz Moore does a great job at balancing the flashbacks and alternating character POVs where it is not confusing to keep up with. I enjoyed which characters she chose to give a POV from and how everyone from “all sides” were represented. This genuinely made me interested in both the characters and the plot.
Everyone online seems to hate the ending but personally I adore it.Judy respecting Barbara’s wish to disappear was powerful in my opinion. I especially enjoyed the simplicity of the last scene: “Do you want me to leave you alone?” “Yes.” I felt like leaving the conversation at that was very telling and was an interesting balance of closure and non-closure. I can see why people would find it a let down if they were looking for a dramatic end OR no end reveal, but the ending that was written almost feels more life-like.
This was easily one of the best books i’ve read in the past year.
Liz Moore does a great job at balancing the flashbacks and alternating character POVs where it is not confusing to keep up with. I enjoyed which characters she chose to give a POV from and how everyone from “all sides” were represented. This genuinely made me interested in both the characters and the plot.
Everyone online seems to hate the ending but personally I adore it.
This was easily one of the best books i’ve read in the past year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
Too hard to keep track of everyone. I couldn’t get past the first few chapters because it was too hard to remember all of these names with their stories switching back and forth.
Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.5
If you are reading this in 2025 and on… Trigger warning El*n M*sk is mentioned in the bonus chapter lol
All three novellas were very cute and I enjoyed how they are were connected. I think the bonus chapter really tied it all together beautifully.
I wish Below Zero was longer because it felt too rushed. I think it would’ve been better as a novel so we could feel more of the tension between Ian and Hannah. The whole plot felt rushed but was still enjoyable.
I think Ali Hazelwood does best with longer novels but reading them straight through (like in Love to Loathe You) helped make the characters seem more developed.
Under One Roof has the most character development so naturally it was the best but I would lovveeee to read Below Zero in a longer form.
All three novellas were very cute and I enjoyed how they are were connected. I think the bonus chapter really tied it all together beautifully.
I wish Below Zero was longer because it felt too rushed. I think it would’ve been better as a novel so we could feel more of the tension between Ian and Hannah. The whole plot felt rushed but was still enjoyable.
I think Ali Hazelwood does best with longer novels but reading them straight through (like in Love to Loathe You) helped make the characters seem more developed.
Under One Roof has the most character development so naturally it was the best but I would lovveeee to read Below Zero in a longer form.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.75
This was my first intro to Ali Hazelwood and safe to say I am hooked. I genuinely couldn’t put this book down and read it in one day. I enjoyed the balance of romantic and (especially female) platonic friendships throughout the story.
This book would be rated higher for me if every twist wasn’t so predictable.The only part that actually made me gasp was when Tom assaulted Olive. The pain of experiencing that and then hiding it from Adam was beautifully written in my opinion. I think Ali perfectly captured Olive’s struggle of deciding if she should tell Adam and risk him losing his relationship with Tom or not.
The only thing that irked me about this story was just the amount of staff willing to date students. Maybe it’s more realistic at the PhD level but I was kind of grossed out about how no one (esp other staff) seemed to care about the power imbalance of that.
The Love Hypothesis was a fun story to read and as a biologist, this holds a special place in my heart.
This book would be rated higher for me if every twist wasn’t so predictable.
The only thing that irked me about this story was just the amount of staff willing to date students. Maybe it’s more realistic at the PhD level but I was kind of grossed out about how no one (esp other staff) seemed to care about the power imbalance of that.
The Love Hypothesis was a fun story to read and as a biologist, this holds a special place in my heart.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death of parent
Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña
emotional
relaxing
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
2.25
I really enjoy reading this author’s work and hope she branches out of this specific trope in the future. Just like the other two books, all you need to know is that this follows the same structure in each book (except this time there’s a dog) Personally Sofi and Leo’s relationship was the least interesting to me but that may just be because the flow of the story is getting repetitive.
A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña
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
3.0
Cute story but all you need to know is that this series follows the same structure in each book:
boy and girl already know each other from their youth -> get close and start dating with their grandpas meddling -> big dramatic event leads to a third-act breakup -> grandpas intervene -> couple gets back together and professes their love each other
I hope the author branches out more because her writing style is so enjoyable to read.
boy and girl already know each other from their youth -> get close and start dating with their grandpas meddling -> big dramatic event leads to a third-act breakup -> grandpas intervene -> couple gets back together and professes their love each other
I hope the author branches out more because her writing style is so enjoyable to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Kidnapping
Minor: War
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
This book got me out of a reading slump and is perfect for what it is- a cute romcom slow burn. It is very light to read, even the heavier topics including alcoholism and parent death. Could the characters and heavy topics been more developed? Yeah. Could the plot include more depth and twists? Also yeah. But this was still very cute and fun to read. Unlike many other reviews, I enjoyed Gabe and Chani together. I thought their interactions were pretty realistic in the “Then” chapters in terms of affection/flirting for only each other for one weekend. I also enjoyed the way the book was structured. Splitting between “Then” and “Now”, along with having each chapter end with a relevant article, withheld the right amount of information that was slowly revealed. I liked the we slowly got bits and pieces of their history. I’d be interested in a second book about this couple.
Liars by Sarah Manguso
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not the book for me but the message is powerful. As a woman, it’s hard not to relate to parts of this story. As much as I enjoyed the overall theme, I just couldn’t get into it. The lack of chapters added stress while reading. I understand the decision to not include chapters but that style is just not for me personally. All of the characters just felt so bland. I wish we could’ve gotten more about Jane’s mental health besides “I’m crazy” and “I want to kill myself.” The child was so bland as well too. I hate hate hate John so much. I know way too many men like him…
By the end I was just speed reading to get it over with. I wouldn’t recommend this book as there are others that portray female rage/being stuck in marriage and motherhood better.
By the end I was just speed reading to get it over with. I wouldn’t recommend this book as there are others that portray female rage/being stuck in marriage and motherhood better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This is a memoir everyone should be reading during times like this in America (2025). This story beautifully shows the suffering, and joy, of immigrating “illegally” to America through the lens of a child in the 1990s. Watching the childlike ease harden into constant fear and anxiety way too young is very eye opening to those who’ve never experienced this. It unfortunate that many people still experience the same feats of racism and poverty while immigrating to America but I hope that this story opens up people to become empathetic.