SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO 2022: FAVORITE TROPE

WOW! Oh, I LOVED this book. It's witchy, it's exciting, it's gay, it's adventurous, it's reflexive, it's sweet! I thought the plot was really captivating, and I liked following Emmy's story. I also absolutely love Talia as a character. I found lots of the characters we get to know were very 3-dimensional and had more to them than surface-level emotions and actions. I love the little romance between Emmy and Talia. And I love Lindon as a best friend character. I love that the main plot to overthrow the Blackmores started as a way to seek justice against a douchebag who wronged these three amazing women. 

I constantly wanted to know what happened next, and I love both Emmy's and Talia's self-discovery of what they actually want - of recognizing and deciphering the balance between their needs and what other's think of them. It really hit home for me.

I listened to the audiobook, which was super well done! So if I spelled any names wrong in this review, it's because I of that. I borrowed it from the library, but I would buy this in a heartbeat to read again.

I quite enjoyed this book! However, I am writing my review 10 days after finishing it, and I can't really remember what happened. That could very well be on me rather than a critique of the writing, though. I was invested in the plot, but not so much the characters. All the male-presenting characters were kind of pricks and really rude (even the one guy you THINK is nice turns out to be a jerk). I honestly think the eldest sister (sorry, I can't remember her name) was my favorite and I would have preferred more of her in the story. Also, the whole "humans are worthless" thing got a bit old after a while. 

I've followed Nyle Dimarco for some time now and absolutely love who he is and what he stands for. He touches on a lot of different topics in his memoir, from being Deaf to family relationships to exploring his sexual identity to school to his time on reality tv shows. He states frequently that there needs to be more Deaf representation to show that Deaf people are like everyone else - that they are people who happen to be Deaf - and his memoir does just that. 

It was so interesting to see ASL in written language in the book alongside English. It helped enforce the idea that ASL is not just "signed English" and that it has rules and grammar of its own. 

I generally think memoirs are usually so-so, and unless I really like the person I'm reading about, I get bored by them. But because I love Nyle Dimarco, his message, and the way his memoir was written, I loved this book!

Read for Kid Book Club: Book with a Blue Cover.

Wow - I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! I loved all the characters and how each one was unique and fun. It was such a fun story that centered around the power of imagination. The graphic novel format was stellar when it came to showing the imaginative play versus the reality of how a situation looks. 

I also loved how each character was dealing with something more serious at home - whether it was

fighting parents, unsupportive moms, controlling grandmas, upset fathers, etc

. It emphasized that friendships and imagination can help you escape to better worlds. 

SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO 2022: OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! It turned out to be such a rich and powerful feminist witchy novel. There's so much love throughout the book, both romantic and familial love, and it's written in such a powerful way that you can't help but become a future witch who will help burn down the patriarchy, too. 

Eek. I was so excited to read this series. I've heard it was a great LGBTQ manga, but I'm honestly really crushed about this. There was no plot besides the very uncomfortable I-like-you-and-now-we-are-step-siblings trope (I've learned from this experience that I am not ok with that trope). There were also a lot of sexual assault and lack of consent from at least 3 characters (two of them being the main characters). The art is gorgeous, but it felt like it was written for an audience that fetishizes wlw relationships. I'm sad to give it a one star, and I won't be continuing the series. 

SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO 2022: POC CHARACTER

Wow. I don't really know where to start with this one, but I loved it so much.

Skye as a character was unlike anyone I've read. She's aware of her immature behaviours, but continues to do them anyway. She runs away from relationships, but eventually finds a home with a found family. She goes through forgiving those who have wronged her as well as forgiving herself for her part in them. Her grown is so powerful and written so well.

Speaking of the writing, it was sooooo good. I loved the details and the pacing. There were moments of hilarious commentary form Skye as well as serious, raw situations. 

I found the plot to be slow-moving, but I didn't mind it. It lent to the character development well. The plot itself was something out of a soap opera on paper, but it didn't quite read like one (which isn't necessarily good or bad). I was constantly entertained, from either laughing at Skye and her wits or wanting to strangle her to stop being an ass.

If you ever need to find a well-rounded three-dimensional character, look no further than the characters in this book. 

SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO 2022: FULL-TIME WRITER

Ugh...I love Jennifer Dugan so much. Please keep bringing me queer YA novels that depict deeper meanings than figuring out they are gay (which is still important, don't get me wrong). I just love that Dugan adds multiple layers that adds so much more value to the story. In "Some Girls Do," we have fights and conversations about what being out means for all parties involved with insightful nuances and struggles. We have the question of fighting for what's morally right and our part in it and how it affects others. We get to stop and think about the other side of an issue. We see a variety of family dynamics and how that affects how we view our self-worth. It's so much more than a typical queer YA novel.

Other than that, I absolutely loved all the characters. I felt they weren't two-dimensional or flat. I wanted to be friends with them. I actually wished I could have been Morgan growing up.

This is one book I wish I would have had as a teenager. 

It’s so lovely that the queer community is being represented in books - specifically middle grade books. This one was really sweet with a hint of paranormal ghosties. I’ve certainly never read anything like it before. 

I will say that I found the resolution of the book obvious from the beginning, so the small mystery in the story felt slow-moving since I saw it coming. It was still nice to see it from the main character’s prospective. 

Read for Kid Book Club: Book that Starts with the Letter "S"

Oh, wow - this was so well done. I'm constantly more and more impressed with the middle grade graphic novels and the tough topics. 

Smaller Sister explores the complex feelings and relationships of sisters, friends, family, and eating disorders. As a anorexic in my high school years, I found this book to be very well done. The author did a wonderful job of capturing the hateful feelings one has towards oneself when they are sick with an eating disorder and how it becomes a focal point for life. I was definitely tearing up at moments when Lucy started questioning herself.

There's something about the graphic novel format that makes this story whole. The illustrations and the panels where nothing is spoken says just as much as those that do. 

This is such an important story that needed to be told. I wish I had something like this when I was younger.