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988 reviews by:
ashylibrarian
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ruta Sepetys does it again with an amazingly crafted historical fiction, uncovering the hidden history of Romania. I wanted to cry, laugh, fight, and escape while reading.
I reread this book for a work book discussion I host with one of our high schools, and it was even better the second time around. I Must Betray You is haunting, heartbreaking, and powerful. The characters all have such important parts to the plot and are each uniquely their own with their own secrets.
As a book discussion group, we were able to talk with a teacher who had been living in Romania under the communist regime as a teenager, and she said that this book is 100% accurate to the events that occurred. It was horrifying to hear that, but I am also always so impressed with the research, detail, emotion, and perspective that Sepetys puts into her novels. She easily remains one of my favorite authors of all time.
I reread this book for a work book discussion I host with one of our high schools, and it was even better the second time around. I Must Betray You is haunting, heartbreaking, and powerful. The characters all have such important parts to the plot and are each uniquely their own with their own secrets.
As a book discussion group, we were able to talk with a teacher who had been living in Romania under the communist regime as a teenager, and she said that this book is 100% accurate to the events that occurred. It was horrifying to hear that, but I am also always so impressed with the research, detail, emotion, and perspective that Sepetys puts into her novels. She easily remains one of my favorite authors of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence
The Henna Wars is a whirlwind story of advocacy, friendship, love, and self-acceptance. Nishat is balancing family disappointment, school projects, and new crushes. Find out if Nishat is able to keep up with the heat of the competition.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wrapping up summer and welcoming in fall with a quick book review.
BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry is comical, emotional, and a tiny bit cheesy. I don’t know why I waited so long read it!
The cast of characters is dynamic and each one holds their own complexities. The plot is energized and engaging. Sure, some of it was predictable with some cheesy tropes, but the predictability was worth it and the cheesy tropes were poked at in the book, too!
Book Lovers is a romance novel, and it’s so much more. The characters have to navigate grief, love, heartbreak, family, and careers, all while figuring out who they are and who they want to be.
This book may not be perfect but it is 100% worth it.
BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry is comical, emotional, and a tiny bit cheesy. I don’t know why I waited so long read it!
The cast of characters is dynamic and each one holds their own complexities. The plot is energized and engaging. Sure, some of it was predictable with some cheesy tropes, but the predictability was worth it and the cheesy tropes were poked at in the book, too!
Book Lovers is a romance novel, and it’s so much more. The characters have to navigate grief, love, heartbreak, family, and careers, all while figuring out who they are and who they want to be.
This book may not be perfect but it is 100% worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Thank you to author Sarwat Boota for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was immediately drawn into the description of this book - “Pakistan’s new generation breaking gender barriers and stereotypes.” I was excited to jump into this woman’s fiction read.
My overall, big-picture answer to this book is I like what it did. Boota took a challenging topic and crafted it into a new-adult book that pulls at, bends, and breaks traditional gender stereotypes and expectations. This book shows the misogynistic barriers women face, yes, but it also shows powerful, determined, and beautifully-strong women who fight against the “norm.”
Being a bit more nitpicky, I did have a hard time following the plot. I felt the storyline was all over the place and that I was reading multiple stories at once. This made it a bit difficult for me to feel invested in the characters as well as know what was happening in the story. I think cutting down on some of the plot points could strengthen the story and really hone in on the important discussions that happen throughout.
Overall, this story does cover important topics and shows that speaking up and out with strength and confidence can really make differences, both big and small.
I was immediately drawn into the description of this book - “Pakistan’s new generation breaking gender barriers and stereotypes.” I was excited to jump into this woman’s fiction read.
My overall, big-picture answer to this book is I like what it did. Boota took a challenging topic and crafted it into a new-adult book that pulls at, bends, and breaks traditional gender stereotypes and expectations. This book shows the misogynistic barriers women face, yes, but it also shows powerful, determined, and beautifully-strong women who fight against the “norm.”
Being a bit more nitpicky, I did have a hard time following the plot. I felt the storyline was all over the place and that I was reading multiple stories at once. This made it a bit difficult for me to feel invested in the characters as well as know what was happening in the story. I think cutting down on some of the plot points could strengthen the story and really hone in on the important discussions that happen throughout.
Overall, this story does cover important topics and shows that speaking up and out with strength and confidence can really make differences, both big and small.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse
Minor: Stalking
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finished the audiobook of There There by Tommy Orange yesterday. The stories are raw. They are real. They are emotional.
Orange tells the story of twelve (12) characters who live intertwined lives with one another. They all attend a powwow in Oakland, California, for different reasons, though their lives are not all to different from one another.
I was immediately drawn in to the ties and knots that connected each character together. Orange crafted the lives of each character so individualistically but also so very interconnectedly.
I won’t make any spoilers here, but the ending truly ripped a piece of me and left me frustrated, sad, upset, and confused. These stories may be fictional, but I can only assume there is truth behind the words that Orange wrote, sharing Native voices and stories, expanding hidden truths, and exposing unseen traumas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, thank you, Jamila Rowser. I didn’t know I needed to read this graphic novel, but I NEEDED to read this graphic novel. I am loving and living for the new adult content.
Secondly, I don’t think there is much more this book could have done to represent friendship and new adulthood. Both the author and illustrator did a fantastic job creating scenes that felt real, honest, and relatable.
Wash Day Diaries tells the story of four (4) friends who are all experiencing different aspects of new adulthood and enveloping themselves in Black beauty and joy: Kimana (Kim) is growing her singing career; Cookie is working to amend family tension; Tanisha (Nisha) is exploring what love means for her life at the moment; and Davene is learning how to prioritize her mental health.
Through minimal dialogue, text conversations, and intricate illustrations, readers are emersed in four major life points in each of the characters' lives and taken through how all four women intertwineidly (yes, I just made that word up) interact with one another. The friendship and genuine connection between these characters leave something to be admired and, dare I say, envied.
I love the use of wordless spreads throughout this book. These spreads are really powerful and push the reader to consider what is actually happening in the action of the characters and why the illustrator and author chose to include those scenes. These spreads in particular seem to share the beauty and intricacies of caring for the female body
*SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD* READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
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I think the way in which Cookie handles Davene sharing her mental health struggles is a representative and common response many people get when opening up about mental health, and with that being said, I think it is something that needs to be addressed. Cookie’s response to Davene when she shares that she was struggling with depression is to encourage positivity and encourage being around friends. She also scoffs in astonishment when Davene mentions asking her therapist about starting medication. This sort of reaction can feel really invalidating and potentially be super damaging.
I hate that this was Cookie’s response to her friend opening up about her mental health, but I am also kind of happy that Rowser chose to write the plot this way because it shows the raw truth behind mental health sigmas and assumptions, especially the ones that suggest you can “just be positive” and “think positive thoughts” to make things better.
I thought the follow-up for this interaction at Kim’s concert was a nice addition to show that Cookie really does care and is trying to understand. She is cognizant that Davene is out with friends after an extended absence of not going out with them and offers to stay back with her instead of going out to another party. This in turn gets the other two friends to stay in and have a girl's night, something they all seemed to need.
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I initially read the eARC through NetGalley and then reserved the physical version as soon as it became available through my public library. The added color to the illustrations in the final version was the icing on an already beautiful cake. There is so much detail and thought put into this book, and I am ready to recommend it to everyone and anyone who will listen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Stalking
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking
Minor: Grief, Sexual harassment
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS BOOK. 10/10, 100% recommend.
Bookstores, witches, magical creatures, and more! Mooncakes is an amazing graphic novel that tells a fun, fantastical story while integrating so much representation. This book did nothing but make my heart happy. There is diversity rep, body rep, LGBTQ+ rep. Nova and Tam make the most perfect duo alongside the Nanas as they discover the mysteries and dark forces fighting against them in their town.
Mooncakes is a book I will be rereading for sure and definitely recommending to readers in the future!
Bookstores, witches, magical creatures, and more! Mooncakes is an amazing graphic novel that tells a fun, fantastical story while integrating so much representation. This book did nothing but make my heart happy. There is diversity rep, body rep, LGBTQ+ rep. Nova and Tam make the most perfect duo alongside the Nanas as they discover the mysteries and dark forces fighting against them in their town.
Mooncakes is a book I will be rereading for sure and definitely recommending to readers in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Violence
lighthearted
**Thank you to NetGalley, author Karen Henry Clark, and Sasquatch Books, Little Bigfoot for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
This is a wholesome book about the power and magic of libraries and librarians. I love that the story also encourages imagination and recognizes that young children can have worries about what their peers think of them, even in a space such as a library. I believe this book can be powerful to readers across age ranges as they discover themselves within its pages or even discover that libraries are magical, welcoming, and accepting places to learn, explore, and create.
This is a wholesome book about the power and magic of libraries and librarians. I love that the story also encourages imagination and recognizes that young children can have worries about what their peers think of them, even in a space such as a library. I believe this book can be powerful to readers across age ranges as they discover themselves within its pages or even discover that libraries are magical, welcoming, and accepting places to learn, explore, and create.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Map to You is a decent romance with a whole lot of other things packed into it. I enjoyed reading this book, but it isn't one that left a super memorable impact on my reading. It was nice to get a cute friends-to-lovers story, but there was so much more to it than that. There are mental health struggles, family struggles, and relationship (romantic and platonic) struggles.
This book packs a lot into 300 pages and does it fairly nicely. I thought the character development and plot development were strong at most parts of the book and the romance was definitely a building factor throughout. I will likely put this book on my recommendations list for readers, however, I don't think I would read it again myself.
This book packs a lot into 300 pages and does it fairly nicely. I thought the character development and plot development were strong at most parts of the book and the romance was definitely a building factor throughout. I will likely put this book on my recommendations list for readers, however, I don't think I would read it again myself.