Harisa

Latvia book around the world.

Definitely more “suspense” than any romance but this was good. Also did not like the detailed gore–thought that was unnecessary but overall this was very very good and kept me interested.

I'm surprising myself at this high rating, but the last 80% really turned this book around for me. I love YA like this where a lot of important topics are covered but it still feels very real and believable. A very good coming of age story that also fits my books around the world challenge.

I can definitely tell this author is a poet. Very pretty writing.

Vietnam book around the world. AND a goodreads choice of the year book!

Extremely beautifully written and important story. Evoked emotions and a really good read.

Also my Uruguay book around the world.

Philippines book around the world

This was very well done. One of my favorites book read during this Books around the world challenge. Good job of capturing emotion while also telling the story of a complicated war.

Croatia book around the world.

Belgium Book around the World.

This one was rough. My book around the world challenge is rough. Writing about war and super traumatic things is hard. It's hard because even no one wants to relive that and feel connected to it as they relive it to write it on the page. Even this guys grandpa who wrote a diary just kinda of wrote facts throughout the years. It's not like he seemed to pour his heart out into the diary.

With that being said, I have a very hard time connecting with these types of stories. They're sad, yes. They make me think about big things like what we do to other humans/ourselves, yes. But as far as novel quality? It's just not good.

Overall, I'm missing the emotional connection and there is just a lot of telling without feeling close to the characters.

Probably a 2.5

Basically YA. Counting this as my Panama book around the world.

I agree with others that say this had great potential and failed to meet it. Could've easily been about 100 pages longer

Much better! Happy Lady Danbury was such a constant. I think I just liked my heroes tortured or nerdy (Phillip and Gareth) so let's see how Gregory, Anthony, and Benedict go! Almost there with this series :)

Probably closer to 2.5.

Malawi Book around the World.

Another “okay” installment in the series. Colin was frustrating. His best quality was that he didn't fight his feelings for our heroine (almost ever) so that was pleasant.

The side story was long and there was a lot of complaining done to Penelope, who I would argue had the most to complain about. Lots of fighting and “he bit out” language which wasn't super fun.

I'm just not one of literary novels, I think. But I try haha. I keep trying.

Trinidad book around the world. I'm going to power through and try to get as many of my Book around the World challenge as I can these 2 months as I can.

This one wasn't as strong as the other ones. The romance was harder to get into, but I have a hard time with second change/widows anyway so that's possible.

BUT I appreciated the readers note re: the medical issues presented in the novels. I really wish JQ would've done the same for the “melancholy” in “To Sir Phillip with Love.”

Rwanda book around the world.

I appreciate this book about not only the war but the human aftermath and how individuals and a nation moves on. Some of the internal struggles discussed were very quickly skirted past though and it made it hard to connect. Still, a good insightful novel.

Read this in one afternoon! This was great fun and I really thoroughly enjoyed pretty much everything about it. It would be 5 stars but i was a bit bothered with the handling of post partum depression and depression in general but I guess it was true to the time period so i can't ding it too much.

I look forward to the rest of this series!

I...hated this.

Mozambique book around the world.

I think I'm just getting really over authors using a time period/difficult region and violence to make a story.

I lost my headphones and my replacement ones don't fit my ears properly. I'm also feeling under the weather. The combo of actually having to hear people on the metro and at work plus me feeling physically weak MIGHT be making me meaner than usual but this one was especially terrible.

The love story was just ???????. I didn't see how I could root for this couple just such a terrible and weird story. I'm going to give the first book in the story a shot then I may give up on this series.

May need a break from historical romance in general.

Lithuania book around the world, This felt... very incomplete with a rather abrupt ending.

This one was VERY close to 5 stars. This was just plain old fun. I'm surprised I liked it as I did but it was extremely fast paced and just a blast.

Liberia book around the world. Hard to keep up as it kinda went all over the places

Sierra Leon book around the world.

Another tough but very important read.

Wow! Very good.

This one was very boring