alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

this was cute!! i haven't seen anyone talk about this one, so it was fun to go into a book totally without influence of any opinions or thoughts. it's perfect book about books, with a great author/editor relationship at the core that builds and develops over time with some great layers. it had "younger" vibes at times for me (a show i looooooved!) and was a fast, cute, fun read overall.

this was our #alltheradreads book club pick for september since i had loved the guncle and heard early rave reviews about this one, but i sadly didn't love most of it 😢 from the jump, it was hard for me that one of the main characters had the same name as my toxic ex (authors! don't make your men have j names!!!). the friend group at the core of this whole story also was hard for me because they genuinely didn't seem to really like each other? i genuinely didn't like any of them until the last 5o pages or so... it just seemed to drag on and feel pretty lackluster until the very, very end. the end did tug on my heartstrings and get me choked up, which almost made me give it another star, but truly, this was just a very, very okay read for me.

this was CLEVER and creative and once i got into the storyline (which admittedly took a little), it had me so hooked and curious! loved how it unfolded and evolved, playing with magic/timelines/a "goop" like workplace/PR wedding/culture in unique ways that worked so well in a story. i really enjoyed this one!

i have to keep it real with you: i feel like i have read this book a dozen times before and there was not much fun or new about this version that made me love it. 😔 when i saw @abbimbay (of @bybayjewelry) say essentially this thought in her @goodreads review, it summed it up so well. 

summer stories and second chance romances with childhood friends-turned-first loves can be done so well and maybe if i hadn’t read other GREAT ones (every summer after comes to mind most notably!), i would have enjoyed it more! 

and listen, i still liked it! i just wasn’t wowed by it, and it felt overly familiar in that way of “wait, didn’t i read this one?” which… isn’t great. just, tired, i guess.

“a talented hollywood starlet and a reclusive A-lister enter into a fake relationship… and discover that their feelings might be more than just a PR stunt…” SIGN ME UP!!!

betcha can’t guess how this one turned out 😏 or what happened after they tried to hook up to get it out of their systems 😏 or how their careers benefitted from their little situationship 😏

but it was fun! and also had some real tenderness and serious topics (alcoholism, mainly) to add a deeper layer. plus an age gap and a dual pov and major grumpy-sunshine dynamics!

⭐️⭐️⭐️— i liked it! #radthreestarreads // thanks for my free copy, @randomhouse!

i took an affirming spaces training at work this summer and it covered so much helpful history, information, and best practices on how we can be truly inclusive, supportive, and affirming of humans with all gender expressions and sexualities. it was rich and meaningful and i’ve been more intentional about pursuing stories that continue to help me grow in empathy, understanding, and love for all of my fellow humans. 

this graphic memoir was one that really beautifully and honestly explored so much of maia’s journey of self-discovery and honoring of eir identity. i’m so grateful for books like this, that allow me to slip into someone else’s story and get a glimpse of what it’s like to have another experience in the world, and it makes me so sad (and mad! and a million other emotions!) that this is the most banned book in america. 

our queer kids (and ALL OF US) need books like this. they make us better. they help us love and care for each other better. and nobody should get to decide for someone us what they can or cannot read. 

i hope you’ll read this one (and other banned books). i’m so glad e wrote it and shared eir story with us.

if you like cults and influencer culture and the world of hippie woo-woo wellness goop-like retreats and generally unhinged characters, this is for you! read it in afternoon at the pool and otherwise likely wouldn’t have finished it— it’s off-putting but not in a way i found fun and it mostly just gave me the ick. but i landed on ⭐️⭐️ 🤷🏼‍♀️

a boarding school setting, with a senior prank to be executed by a group of friends with a second chance romance blooming at its core, told over one fun and tense and high-stakes night! it captures teenagehood so beautifully, with all its tangled up emotions and chaos and cuteness and quirks, and it felt fun to go along for the ride with this crew for a night.