30something_reads's Reviews (820)

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this!! Granny and Bev had me DYING. I loved the spin on some of these classic characters. 

There were a few moments that made me cringe (I think it was more about trying to stay too similar to specific moments within the original story and then those moments feeling a little clunky) So even though there were some things that just didn't translate well into a contemporary romance, this was still a very entertaining retelling of Pride & Prejudice. I cannot wait to read Nikki's next book! 

*I did make a note during it that there was an unnecessary reference to Harry Potter while they are discussing pop culture that Dorsey isn't familiar with- there's just way too many options these days, idk why authors are still using HP as cultural references. 

This is a fantastic and quick read that I would recommend for literally anyone. New to nonfiction? Read this book. Think you're already familiar with the topic? Nah, read this book. 

I think, regardless of your familiarity with ableism and how it presents historically and in current society, this is still an accessible reminder that we all still carry unintended biases around disability. 

I read this via audio- which I highly recommend if you enjoy audiobooks. 

For me, the chapter around Neurodiversity really hit hard, but it was all very informative. 

This is a t4t, all Black, spicy Hades/Persephone retelling and the first in a series of interconnected standalones in this worlds. 

The thing I always struggle a bit with is the world building in modern mythology retellings like this. Nothing is ever quite explained well enough- the power structures, the relationships. So you have to go in knowing it's a little confusing in that regard. 

What I did love about this was Hades and Persephone as characters. Persephone is such a strong main character in this one. She has fought for her life and she is unrelenting in pursuing her dreams. Hades also had a well developed backstory that gave weight to the dark character he is always portrayed to be. I loved the fragility in Hades that Persephone got to see and how she gave him strength in her own ways. 

And the spice was top tier. 

I'll definitely be digging into the rest of the series. 

Truly a perfect collection of essays. Is this better than They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us? Possibly. 
~~~ 

Perfect.

I'll maybe compile some better words to describe my experience reading this. Maybe.

~~~ 
Honesty, nothing I come up with will do justice in describing Hanif Abdurraqib’s work. The way he writes- perfect. The way he thinks - fascinating. The way he connects history and love and grief and takes something so personal but make it so widely relatable? Insane.

This is a lovely meditation on Black performance in America and the ways it’s inextricably woven into the very fabric of our history.

One of the greatest writers of our time and we’re lucky to experience it in the moment. 

 Happy Pub Day!

"For a long time, I thought I knew what my calling was. My Grand Purpose. But when I met Ricki, I knew I was wrong. I was a fool, thinking I was born to do anything grander than loving her."

This is the story of Ricki Wilde and Ezra Walker - two creative souls brought together by fate at the beginning of February in Harlem, NY.

Ricki Wilde is the free-spirited, youngest daughter of the Wilde Funeral Empire. Expected to dutifully carry on with the family business, Ricki makes the choice to leave her home in GA and follow her dreams of opening a flower shop in NY. It’s there that she meets the mysterious Ezra Walker. They are instantly drawn to one another, but Ezra tells her it would be best if they never see one another again. But fate has other plans in store for Ricki Wilde.

This book is such a refreshing blend of romance, history, music, & friendship with the perfect magical twist. I think that if you’re a fan of Ashley Poston’s romances, this is definitely a book you need to pick up.

Not only is this a beautiful love story between two remarkable people, but it is also a love letter to Black creatives and the Harlem Renaissance.

I absolutely adored all these characters and the way their stories were woven together. This is a story that made me feel everything- I laughed along with all the funny circumstances they found themselves in. I was so angry at Ricki’s family & how they treated her. My heart swelled for the family Ricki built for herself in NY. I swooned right along with Ricki and Ezra as they fell in love. And I WEPT happy tears during the epilogue. (Which is my favorite thing to do while reading romance.)

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette for the early review copy* 

Here's the thing... I specifically picked this book up for the express purpose of needing a silly little smutty alien book. And on that front, it delivered exceptionally. (This Is the Dalia Davies who wrote the Easter Bunny smut so... You know.)   

But this book suffered from major pacing inconsistencies and I think it had a lot to do with the excessive amount of spicy scenes. Spice for the sake of spice is fine unless you also have an actual plot that I'm trying to follow.

I enjoyed the premise. The beginning started off very interesting. I was a little confused on the whole "bonding" thing. Do they bond with anyone that they have a sexual encounter with? If so, that's super inconvenient. Do they have ways of preventing that? Do they just not have sex until they want to bond? Seems confusing. But I don't think that was ever addressed.

The middle was a slog. Definitely meandered and I think the sheet number of spicy scenes muddled it.

The ending picked back up and got interesting again. There is definitely more story to be told in the series. Unfortunately, I don't know if there was enough side character development to make me interested in picking up the next one when it comes out. None of the other brothers really stood out to me.

So idk. It was fine and did what I needed it to do at the time.

Content Warnings: Abduction/Kidnapping Breeding Explicit Human/Non-Human sex (bipedal aliens) Fluid Kink Gender Essentialism Mentions of Femicide (historic, extinction-level & recent, singular. Off page) Hunting Animals (invasive population, not food) Pregnancy (Planned, 1st trimester, main character and secondary characters)

These poems were all so good!

I've been enjoying poetry so much this month and I think I'm going to make it a point to pick up at least one collection every month this year. 

There are some absolute bangers in this collection of short stories.*
  *Edit: I actually just increased the star rating. The more that I think about it, every one of these short stories were bangers in their own right. I was trying to come up with what I may not have liked but even the story that I liked least had some phenomenal moments that made my skin crawl so like... bravo?

I think the ones that resonated the most with me were:

Pre-simulation Consultation XF007867- This is like the darker side of the holodecks from Star Tek.
Time Cubes- A dystopian nightmare, honestly.
#ClimbingNation- Me, a non-thriller reader: this would be an amazing plot for a Thriller novel. I will always support women's wrongs.
Twenty Hours- Remember that Netflix show, Altered Carbon? But make it with 3D printers and the weird middle-aged white couple next door.
Bridezilla- Actually this one reminded me of an essay titled "We Swarm" by Sabrina Imbler in How Far the Light Reaches where they are discussing salps (which kind of have a similar if not entirely more benign description as the sea monster in this short story.) Totally unrelated I guess but I think about that essay a lot. 

Okay, OKAY- I get it. This was good.

There were a few instances where the plot momentum felt a little clunky but overall I really enjoyed this.

The characters were an absolute delight. I love Zafira- strong, capable, confident. Nasir is the blueprint for dark and damaged love interest that we adore. ALL of the supporting cast had me intrigued - especially by the end.

And what an ending! I will be jumping into the next book immediately.

(Also- *pats myself on the back* because I am doing a great job working through my 2024 Fantasy TBR.) 

My initial comment when they announced this book last year:
I love that Ali Hazelwood was like, " Oh, you're tired of STEMinists? BOOM," and then gave us this treasure ❤️
 
...Well, joke's on me! Misery is, in fact, a woman in STEM. (I loved it.)

Ali really set us up with a potential for a whole series in this universe and I, for one, am here for it.

A Paranormal Romance with all of the nerdy silliness that we've come to expect from Hazelwood characters. Not only is Misery Lark a vampire pawn in the political relations between her people and the Werewolves- she's also an ethical hacker with her own motivations behind her agreement to her arranged marriage.

This is told in single POV (Misery's) but we do get little snippets of the MMC's (Lowe) thoughts at the beginning of every chapter and they are delicious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I'd love to see more from this world. (There are more than a few side characters whose books I would read.)

Thank you to PRH audio influencer program for providing an early listening copy!