caseythereader's Reviews (1.84k)

 - THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES is the platonic ideal of a cozy fantasy novel.
- There’s good worldbuilding, a great ragtag crew, and a little bit of adventure (but not too much).
- Cozy fantasy can often be completely free of the ugly parts of life like racism and homophobia. While that is certainly often welcome, I appreciated how Leong was able to weave these into the world she built and explore them thoughtfully and kindly. 

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book.

 - This is a potentially controversial opinion, but I think THE PAIRING is McQuiston’s best book since RWRB.
- I adored both Kit and Theo. They’re my favorite kind of romance characters: smart and kind but also dummies who can’t see what’s right in front of their faces.
- It’s true that this book could be half the length if they just talked to each other. But the slow burn that keeps heating up and heating up is so delicious.
- Also delicious: the food! the wine! the art! the many many hot people they encounter! This book is a feast. 

 - Look, what’s not to love about a sapphic historical romance by Adriana Herrera? Gowns! Art! Longing! Found family! Smart ladies blazing their own trails! So spicy!
- Manuela and Cora are such a good pair. They’re sort of opposites attract, but they’re also similar in many ways so you can see exactly why they are drawn to each other.
- Herrera strikes a perfect balance between acknowledging the reality of life for sapphics at that time while also having a lot of cheeky fun.
 

Thanks to PRH Audio for the free copy of this book.

 - Okay, this review is going to have major spoilers but there’s no other way I can talk about this book.
- I adored the first 3/4 of this book. Iloh brings Cerulean and their messy emotions to life so effortlessly. I liked that this book tackled the small, everyday ways marginalized kids are dehumanized by those in power over them.
- But the last 20% or so of the book was very confusing to me. There’s suddenly a perspective change and a huge time jump, and we find out that in that skipped time Cerulean made a decision that to me didn’t fit with everything we knew about them. And then the book ends, without any exploration of why or what happened to them. I really just can’t fathom why this narrative decision was made in an otherwise excellent book. 

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.

 - I am a big fan of Phillips’ atmospheric horror. With HUM, she takes it into the near future with incredible results.
- What a time to be reading this particular vision of the future, which feels about nine seconds away from right now with the rise of AI, constant surveillance, and online viral notoriety.
- Phillips is also excellent at evoking the horrors of motherhood. Even as someone without my own children, I found myself losing my breath as May rode the rollercoaster of this plot. 

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free copy of this book.

 - A LITTLE LESS BROKEN is memoir with a big dash of research (or the lack thereof) about autistic women.
- I found a lot of this book to be highly relatable, and I think many will, even people who aren’t autistic. There’s a lot here about women and acceptable social behavior, medical diagnoses, and parenting.
- Schembari reads the audiobook and brings a ton of heart to it. She is a very engaging narrator and you can hear her joy and frustration throughout. 

This is a clever modern retelling, but at their meet cute both of them said weirdly racist things to each other and it was basically ignored?? Also why is everyone so sure they're going to find a man at a party for a new condo building?