Isabella Quinn

Isabella QuinnThis was good for like, 30 pages, and then just a bunch of issues piled on top of one another. First, Lauren wasn’t the most likable character, I feel like she some really bad decisions or mostly just dragged things out longer than she should’ve. At the same time, I hated how much hate she got from the other characters. Not only did it drag, it seemed like the author was just trying to get us to feel pity for her. And I didn’t enjoy the commentary either. There’s some themes on drug abuse, consent, new parental relationships, and the spread of rumors online- but it’s too much. None of the themes are really addressed enough, and the author still tries to comment on every one (while completely neglecting the eating disorder theme? Why?) And the romance just was so flat. The thriller stuff was okay, I definitely couldn’t guess some parts, but nothing had me really gasping, and one major scene went by way too quickly for any impact. I think this is a good definition of a 3 star read- alongside the limited development of everything, it falls into the category of YA thrillers that are a bit fun but very forgettable or “meh”, and while you might enjoy it, there’s definitely better options.

Isabella QuinnWelp, the last thing I expected for a BookTok romance, especially an Adult one, was for it to be pretty good. I didn’t read any of the previous books in the series before this, but I understood everything pretty well. I absolutely adored Emma and Justin- their chemistry and relationship was just really cute and they were definitely soulmates. I also think the themes of PTSD, the foster system, and neglectful parents were done well. I was really debating between 4 and 5 stars for this, but decided on 4 stars because of some problems- first, the climax dragged, especially with the “breakup” (because it wasn’t really a breakup, just a long period that got really tedious to read through), and I wanted more exploration of the “curse” Emma and Justin had, maybe a loo k into their dating history or exes, because there was no evidence of this curse and it was hard to believe they were trying to break it and find a soulmate, rather than thinking they were people who just casually met on Reddit and met up in Minnesota with no motive for dating. But I was surprised by how good this was, and I’ll definitely read the rest of the trilogy or the author’s new novel.

Isabella QuinnI have no idea how to start this review, but let’s just say I loved this book. It’s definitely not for the people who want a really good fantasy plot or worldbuilding, but I really enjoyed the vibes, especially being both romantic but also sort of dark. In terms of the romance, I was getting a sort of Grumpy x Sunshine trope feeling, and it was just really cute, especially with the little poetry moments. And there was a good amount of plot twists and development, some of it a bit generic but I couldn’t guess a lot of it. My only issues is that the climax dragged a bit especially with a Dual POV where the characters weren’t in the same place, and Ofelia could’ve really used a reality check sometimes, she felt like a slightly older Disney princess who was way too optimistic. I understand where some of the negative reviews of this are coming from, but I’m a reader who simply wants cute sapphic romance and vibes, rather than demanding the world’s best characters and worldbuilding, and I’m just going to say this is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year.

Isabella QuinnEver since I’ve read and loved Steven’s “The Society for Soulless Girls” and “Every Exquisite Thing”, I decided to try out her latest novel, and it was very different, but I enjoyed it overall. It’s a nice balance of a deep romance, sadness, and a tiny bit of a thriller. I was surprised by how well this book was dedicated to showing off every single timeline and romance that Arden and Evelyn had, and those historical set chapters were both deeply romantic and also heartbreaking at the same time (because after maybe 2 or 3 of them you realize how every individual one is going to end.) Plus, there was a good amount of passion between Evelyn and Arden. But I wasn’t a real fan of the ending. It did the whole “let’s make a twist no reader will be able to guess by making it so ridiculous and different” approach, which is actually quite annoying. And the logic behind why this twist happened was really stupid, especially from Evelyn. But overall, this was a good book, I definitely think this is my least favorite of Steven’s novels, but anyone who wants a somewhat tragic star-crossed lovers story, a romance with supernatural elements, or simply wants to read the same romance play out in different universes and settings may want to give this a try.

Isabella QuinnSo, the only thing I really disliked about this was the constant astrology talk. Sure, it was explained well for the uninhibited, but when there was 3-4 pages of astrology yapping in a row per chapter, it got boring. Other than that, I found this pretty cute. I liked how all the characters connected to each other, as it helped give more depth to each individual one, and there were some good morals about self-improvement and having a life that you were happy in. The talking cats were the main thing that got me to purchase this, and they were simply adorable, and the food + atmosphere descriptions were beautiful. It’s basically like a Studio Ghibli film but with some (very, very slightly) more mature topics (not “mature” mature, but a bit more complex and career/adulthood focused than the typical Studio Ghibli themes meant mostly for kids.) So not much more to say about this one, again, the astrology talk was a slog, but it’s a cute little cozy fantasy/magical realism story, and I’ll definitely pick up any later installments in the series.

Isabella QuinnI mostly read this because I just wanted a bloody, creepy dark academia with no focus on sadness or commentary, just pure darkness, and what better than an obsessive relationship? My main issue though, was the amount of on-and-off with the relationship and ignorance, but it made sense- at least they acknowledge that their relationship is semi-obsessive. Which it definitely is. I also didn’t like how it took so long for the characters to get an explanation for what the Afterdark was, because I already knew about it from the blurb, and it was being hidden for too long. But the intensity of this was good- from the passionate kisses to constant twists and paranoia. And that ending was totally unexpected, and not in a way that it felt out of place. This had some technical difficulties, but if you love dark academia with great atmosphere, intense moments, and characters who love each other so much that they could rip each other apart, this is a good recommendation.

Isabella QuinnSo, this was… interesting. I think the strongest part of the book was the actual thriller element, it was quite entertaining and unpredictable. It was the characters and humor that made me question if I actually liked this book or not. All the characters are unlikable brats with secrets, plus one other personality trait to set them apart. The humor was weird too, I was laughing at it, but a lot of it was really stupid by the standards of YA and humor in general. Plus, a lot of it depended on stereotypes and questionable representation (but consider that this was written in 2016 when YA wasn’t the biggest thing yet and the diversity in the genre wasn’t the level it is now.) I did like the commentary on celebrity lifestyles and what it means to be in a fandom… it was just communicated through incredibly cheesy and dumb characters and humor. You’ll either love the satire (it would work well as a bad parody film) or hate the stupidity and stereotyping. I don’t really hate this book, but it’s definitely not for everyone. I

Isabella QuinnI’m really into dark academia, but in my opinion, it can either be amazing or missing the mark entirely. This one was on the better end. It was a little slow moving, but it got started quickly compared to most books, and I feel like it isn’t the kind of story that would benefit too much from faster pacing. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, it was entertaining getting a gothic dark academia set in an entirely fictional world, and it wasn’t clogged with annoying pop culture references like many similar stories I read (but based on the context of the story, I could not tell if this was meant to have a historical or modern setting.) I was surprised by how much the romance took up in the novel, this should’ve been marketed more as a gothic romance. But Effy and Preston was a pretty good couple, they weren’t really cute or anything, but they were well developed and understood each other. And the feminist angle + the social commentary on women was well developed, and it wasn’t done in a way that it overshadowed the actual horror or atmosphere in any way. My only major critique was with the climax- it started with huge revelations and was tense and exciting, but the villain was dealt with within 3-5 pages, and then there was more major revelations, but it was done in a more cinematic way for emotional impact, and it was a bit of a slog to get through. There’s definitely other dark academia/gothic stories that I find to be better than this one, but this is on the higher end of them in my opinion, I will recommend it to others and I have already preordered the sequel.

Isabella QuinnIt’s been a while since I’ve read just a simple YA romance, so even if this was a little generic, it was refreshing enough for me. I liked how there was a bit more focus on the romance than the actual D&D, since as much as I love the game, it can get tedious reading the technical details of it. Logan and Quinn were cute and wholesome, but my favorite part was the friendship Quinn formed with Kashvi, they were so wholesome together. I don’t have any major complaints about this, but rather a bunch of tiny naggings, including Quinn’s old friends being the worst people ever but Quinn didn’t really do anything to deal with it by the end, Logan and Quinn constantly going from buddies to bickering to buddies again, the whole “let’s just take some time away from each other” trope, and the story making it obvious that something would happen to Quinn’s grandma. But most of this was just based on the fact that I’ve read so much YA romance that it starts to feel all the same after a while, and that I still read it since it’s cute. So despite the little critiques, overall this was a cute little story, and I will read the companion novel.