alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

This book wasn’t at all what I expected (the cover? siblings. who would have thought!!!) — it covered mental illness and family dynamics and sexuality through the lives of Little (Suzette, a Black, Jewish, bi teen) and Lion (Lionel, a redheaded Jewish teen with newly diagnosed bipolar disorder). I love seeing books with characters that reflect real life, with real struggles (such as navigating meds and therapy and psych visits, or exploring sexuality and crushes and what to do with it all). YA books do this so well! I wanted a biiiiit more character development but it was solid for sure.

When @bookofthemonth sent me the February box and said this one was about “what happens after a Vegas wedding,” I expected a cliche romcom. But this book is NOT THAT. It’s poetry, absolute poetry— the words are incredibly flowery and heartfelt and they weave a tapestry that is far more than just a shallow romcom.

Honestly, it raises the bar for what love can look like (even though it veered over the edge into unrealistic at times). It addressed mental health and race and sexuality and the myth of the American dream while telling this love story between strangers-turned-wives who call themselves lonely creatures but are actually anything but. (their friendships?! like New Girl level but amped up.)

Basically, this book blew my expectations out of the water and gave me a story so much more real and rich and romantic than the inside flap gave away.

there’s something about YA novels telling coming-of-age stories highlighting diversity using free verse poetry that just GETS ME.

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again— read books from and about people who are different from you! whether it’s race or religion or sexuality or family dynamics or nationality or WHATEVER. it’s good for you and IMPORTANT.

this story of michael growing up and discovering his identity and learning how to express it confidently and navigate relationships and prejudices was powerful. i learned more about the world of drag from reading this one, something i’m very unfamiliar with! it’s a fast read but a meaningful one, and i appreciated the scope and depth of it.

I hate to admit it, but it took me this long to finally read a book by MLK himself. It was incredible— rich, thought-provoking, Gospel-centered, timely, relevant, powerful.

Main characters with chronic illness!
Mixed race relationships!
Strong sister bonds!
To-do lists that turn into bucket lists that actually awaken things that really matter!
(Also many steamy scenes so not for a PG audience

This book took me more than a year to work through, and I’m glad I took my time with it. The sheer number of flags on these pages will tell you how meaningful this one was for me... as a rape and sexual abuse survivor who is still battling the long term effects of PTSD, this one hit home so hard.

It gave me hope, it helped me understand deeper levels to what I’ve lived/am living through, it taught me so much about how the body holds pain and past experiences, it broke my heart as I read of stories similar and different to mine, it reminded me again and again how important therapy and EMDR and psychiatry are for healing...

(also hear me say: I am a Christian who fully believes in the power of prayer, and I also see a psychiatrist and take a daily antidepressant and have additional anxiety meds for when triggers cause panic attacks, I see a Christian counselor every single week, I have gone through EMDR, I have trusted friends and loved ones supporting me daily, and ALL of these things are helpful tools in my arsenal as I work to heal and be healthy.)

This powerful book is not for the faint of heart, and it’s not really an easy read, but wow, I am so incredibly thankful for all of the research and wisdom and stories that went into this important and needed work.

I feel seen, heard, understood, known, and most beautifully, hopeful.

finally finished the sequel to Firefly Lane and was glad to have more conclusions to the stories of three of the main women (Tully, Marah, and Cloud). it wasn’t AS good as Firefly Lane but reading them back to back was perf for me!

trigger warnings abound, so tread lightly, but def recommend reading it if you want to get some resolution (and growth!!!) to their storylines.

This was a fun weekend read (I mean, if Annie is known for anything, it’s fun, so this was to be expected!) — it felt just like her podcasts, but in book form, and with just her voice, not conversations. I appreciate learning from enneagram 7s like Annie, as a 1 who moves toward 7 when I’m healthy. Her encouragement to fall in love (with people and God and the beautiful world we live in) and pursue new things just for the heck of it was timely for me!