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aliciaclarereads's Reviews (1.25k)
It's official: I love Alyssa Cole. This book combines so many fun tropes of the genre that kept me squealing the whole time: mistaken identities, getting stranded and forced to ~cuddle~ for warmth, a poor heroine and rich hero. However Cole also managed to keep this novel so fresh. Naledi was a science-minded heroine who was ambitious and determined and dealing with all the trails of being a black woman in academia one can face (her post doc made me roll my eyes so hard, but also he was upsettingly realistic). Thabiso was a playboy prince who was also so knowledgeable on policy and politics and clearly cared about his country, it was so sweet! Also he was so genuinely infatuated with Naledi, my heart was soaring! I love a hero who is so absolutely devoted to the heroine.
This book was so fun and sweet and sexy and romantic, and now I'm ready to consume every book by Alyssa Cole. I'm also quite interested in the next story which I believe is focused on Portia since she seemed like she has a lot of growing to do.
This book was so fun and sweet and sexy and romantic, and now I'm ready to consume every book by Alyssa Cole. I'm also quite interested in the next story which I believe is focused on Portia since she seemed like she has a lot of growing to do.
read for Popsugar 2018 Advanced Challenge: a book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
Boy oh boy does Terese Marie Mailhot have a way with words. Her prose is fantastic. It's dreamy and lyrical even when describing really hard and difficult topics. Mailhot takes you inside her internal struggles, and she graciously breaks down her relationship with her parents, depicting them in a very fair manner (although I must say I do not think her father deserves it). She takes the reader inside her mind and allows us a glimpse of her struggles with PTSD and bipolar disorder as well as providing a cultural lens that allows us to see how these disorders can manifest when the world is pushing hard against you. I got a lot of Sylvia Plath vibes in the beginning (which had a hard effect on my mood as the weather was super dreary outside), but now I'm very curious to read the Indigenous writers she cites as influences on her work. I'm also not surprised at all by the comparisons to Hunger by Roxane Gay, because I certainly felt the similarities as I was reading it - which also makes me want to listen to this book on audio. I think the prose would translate beautifully.
Boy oh boy does Terese Marie Mailhot have a way with words. Her prose is fantastic. It's dreamy and lyrical even when describing really hard and difficult topics. Mailhot takes you inside her internal struggles, and she graciously breaks down her relationship with her parents, depicting them in a very fair manner (although I must say I do not think her father deserves it). She takes the reader inside her mind and allows us a glimpse of her struggles with PTSD and bipolar disorder as well as providing a cultural lens that allows us to see how these disorders can manifest when the world is pushing hard against you. I got a lot of Sylvia Plath vibes in the beginning (which had a hard effect on my mood as the weather was super dreary outside), but now I'm very curious to read the Indigenous writers she cites as influences on her work. I'm also not surprised at all by the comparisons to Hunger by Roxane Gay, because I certainly felt the similarities as I was reading it - which also makes me want to listen to this book on audio. I think the prose would translate beautifully.
How are you supposed to write about a "romance reader" when you don't even respect the genre? Pywell claims she wanted to write a romance novel where there was a classic novel story alongside a "real" romance. BUT THERE ISN'T EVEN AN ACTUAL ROMANCE!!!!!!!! WTF, did she learn nothing about the genre? Instead, the reader is treated to Neave's whole life story and the story of her siblings with weird interludes from her dead sister and dead dog (I straight up lost it when the dog started talking in the "afterlife" thing). The main focus of the story is the sister's abusive ex-husband, which is not what people pick up romance novels for! Hell, the love interest isn't introduced until halfway through the book, and he doesn't come back until the final quarter! And there's literally ZERO romance.
Fuck this book.
Fuck this book.
"Forever isn't love's only ambition"
I loved this even more than Janet Mock's first memoir. This memoir is more intimate and personal. Janet details her early twenties which were filled with a wide range of experiences. She focuses less on her family than she did in her first novel, and this time more on herself and becoming an adult. It's clear how much growth she went through as a young adult that made her the self-assure, confident, and eloquent woman she is now. She also details her first marriage throughout this memoir, which is filled with a lot of love and heartbreak, as two people who clearly love each other realize they are just not meant to stay together. Mock is so compassionate towards Troy, and it reminds me a lot of her writing about her parents in her first memoir (although Troy seems to have been a bit more of a supportive and doting on her).
Also, I deeply enjoy having Mock's books on audio. Her voice is ridiculously soothing and meditative.
I loved this even more than Janet Mock's first memoir. This memoir is more intimate and personal. Janet details her early twenties which were filled with a wide range of experiences. She focuses less on her family than she did in her first novel, and this time more on herself and becoming an adult. It's clear how much growth she went through as a young adult that made her the self-assure, confident, and eloquent woman she is now. She also details her first marriage throughout this memoir, which is filled with a lot of love and heartbreak, as two people who clearly love each other realize they are just not meant to stay together. Mock is so compassionate towards Troy, and it reminds me a lot of her writing about her parents in her first memoir (although Troy seems to have been a bit more of a supportive and doting on her).
Also, I deeply enjoy having Mock's books on audio. Her voice is ridiculously soothing and meditative.
read for Popsugar 2018 Challenge: a book made into a movie you've already seen
I saw Love, Simon when it first came out, and I was absolutely blown away. I was instantly charmed by the story of Simon and Blue and his friends. I cried multiple times in the theatre and knew instantly I had to read this book. At first, I wasn't as charmed by the book - it took me a bit longer to get into than the film. Simon was a bit weirder, Leah was a bit rougher, and the story seemed to amble much more. However, I ended up really loving this. Albertalli wrote a wonderful story about discovering yourself, coming out, first love, and the joys of being in high school. I don't think high school is the best time of one's life - far from it. But, Albertalli channeled the specific joy of high school theatre which was my personal experience, and it was so thrilling. She also managed to capture the weird intricacies of high school friendships. This book just felt so real and genuine!
I'm a sucker for cutesy YA books, and this one really fit the bill! I'm so grateful this book and now its film are out for those who need the representation and those who just want to read about a boy falling in love with another boy.
I saw Love, Simon when it first came out, and I was absolutely blown away. I was instantly charmed by the story of Simon and Blue and his friends. I cried multiple times in the theatre and knew instantly I had to read this book. At first, I wasn't as charmed by the book - it took me a bit longer to get into than the film. Simon was a bit weirder, Leah was a bit rougher, and the story seemed to amble much more. However, I ended up really loving this. Albertalli wrote a wonderful story about discovering yourself, coming out, first love, and the joys of being in high school. I don't think high school is the best time of one's life - far from it. But, Albertalli channeled the specific joy of high school theatre which was my personal experience, and it was so thrilling. She also managed to capture the weird intricacies of high school friendships. This book just felt so real and genuine!
I'm a sucker for cutesy YA books, and this one really fit the bill! I'm so grateful this book and now its film are out for those who need the representation and those who just want to read about a boy falling in love with another boy.
An EXCELLENT beginning, cannot wait to see where the rest of this series leads.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel while I read it. The relationship between the sisters and the tie-in with ghosts and serious illnesses was well done. Plus the coloring was so lush and gorgeous. I really like when graphic novels aren't afraid of color. However, when I finished I looked at reviews and noticed there was a lot of pushback about how the author handled Dia de Los Muertos and also pacifying Spanish missions that have a history of brutality towards indigenous/Native American people. All of this left a bit of a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. From what I can tell, the author is white, and while I deeply appreciate white authors creating books with more diverse characters (I think the protagonist's dad is the only white person in the story? And even then, I can't tell), it goes to show how it important it is to have diversity in editing, not just writing.