bookswithlee's Reviews (669)

Are you looking for a book that has a strong female protagonist centered in strength, activism, with a whole lot of magic? Then this book is for you. I felt like this book was everything I always wanted when I was young!

This book is a companion novel to pet, although I don’t believe you need to read Pet before reading this book. I have not read Pet and it didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

I really enjoyed this story although there were things that I felt could have been executed better.

What I enjoyed:
- The magic! I loved how the author added in magic to really highlight some real world problems. I felt like it was the perfect balance and executed well
- I felt like I could have been a part of the friend group. I felt like I was one of the.
- The romance storyline was so cute
- Representation of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as BIPOC individuals

My critique:
- at times the story felt a little more middle grade than young adult to me. This is not counting against my review as I am not the target audience for this book.
- I felt like parts of the story were a bit underdeveloped. I would have like to know more about Bitter’s life prior to attending the school. This may have been discussed in the first book.

Overall this was a fun read that I enjoyed! It was pretty fast past and an easy read. I’m starting to love everything written by this author! I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review

I have mixed feelings about this one

All her little secrets follows Ellice a Black Lawyer after she finds her boss (and lover) murder. We watch as she discovers new secrets while trying to keep old ones at bay.

As a women of color, I love to see representation of traditionally marginalized groups in literature, so as soon as I heard about this book, I was beyond excited to read it. The fact that it was a thriller was a nice bonus!

Here are other aspects of the story I loved:
- it was an easy read with some twist (as all thrillers have)
- I loved that the story drew on real experiences of Black women especially those who become successful in a White male dominated profession.
- I enjoyed how the book used flashbacks to the past to better explain the experiences that shaped the main protagonist and the decisions she makes as an adult.

What I didn’t really care for:
- The main plot twist to me has been overused especially with characters of color. I knew what it would be from the very beginning.

I also want to say that one criticism I’ve seen from others as they write reviews is that it’s so frustrating that as a lawyer Ellice made decisions that were not aligned with her profession, and I believe comments like this have missed the mark. What they fail to understand is the impact intergenerational trauma has on people of color.

Although Ellice has left the toxic environment she grew up in, those experiences continue to shape her decisions. I believe the author was trying to convey how trauma impacts and shapes up long after our direct experience of it cease. When we are in a high state of fight or flight we react irrationally often times falling back on our trauma to guide us. I believe the author did a great job conveying this and made me enjoy the story even more.

I will definitely read more from this author in the future! Great debut!