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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Dementia, Abortion
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 I loved this exploration of grief and the many ways people try to move on (or not) from a loss.
📚 Jessa-Lynn is a hard to root for protagonist but you find yourself doing so anyway, or at least I did. We love a messy gay.
📚 The taxidermy passages are not for the faint of heart, but ultimately I did find them fascinating, and began to understand the meditative quality the work could take on for Jessa-Lynn.
📚 Jessa-Lynn is a hard to root for protagonist but you find yourself doing so anyway, or at least I did. We love a messy gay.
📚 The taxidermy passages are not for the faint of heart, but ultimately I did find them fascinating, and began to understand the meditative quality the work could take on for Jessa-Lynn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 Can a review just be entirely the 🤯 emoji? Asking for a friend.
📚 So many voices with so many conflicting feelings and dreams and obligations and small freedoms. There's not a dud in the group.
📚 This book prodded at all the ways the Christian church in America can push someone down, trying to force them into molds they don't fit. Some stories were all about that, and in some the church was just a shadow in the background, which I loved.
📚 Each story was in some way about boundaries - how much church to let in, who you have relationships with, when you allow someone in to see the messiness.
📚 So many voices with so many conflicting feelings and dreams and obligations and small freedoms. There's not a dud in the group.
📚 This book prodded at all the ways the Christian church in America can push someone down, trying to force them into molds they don't fit. Some stories were all about that, and in some the church was just a shadow in the background, which I loved.
📚 Each story was in some way about boundaries - how much church to let in, who you have relationships with, when you allow someone in to see the messiness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 How do I even review this book? There is SO MUCH jammed into it. It's so incredible.
📚 Clark creates such a vivid world in just a few pages, and although I'd happily read more, it's also perfect at this short novella length.
📚 There are so many excellent and terrifying battle scenes, but it's also a wonderfully character-driven story.
📚 I don't want to give away too much, but I'm here for explorations of how hate manifests and mutates.
📚 Clark creates such a vivid world in just a few pages, and although I'd happily read more, it's also perfect at this short novella length.
📚 There are so many excellent and terrifying battle scenes, but it's also a wonderfully character-driven story.
📚 I don't want to give away too much, but I'm here for explorations of how hate manifests and mutates.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
📚 The writing is this book is ethereal and beautiful - I could just imagine the soft light of the stars and the mystery of the celestial palace.
📚 It's so wonderful to read a YA fantasy that doesn't center white teenagers or build off European mythology.
📚 I wish there had been a lot more world-building in this book - there could have been so much more to the history of the star court and the palace intrigue Sheetal finds herself in the middle of, but instead she is relegated to the sidelines, finding out information secondhand. I would definitely have read a sprawling trilogy version of this book.
📚 It's so wonderful to read a YA fantasy that doesn't center white teenagers or build off European mythology.
📚 I wish there had been a lot more world-building in this book - there could have been so much more to the history of the star court and the palace intrigue Sheetal finds herself in the middle of, but instead she is relegated to the sidelines, finding out information secondhand. I would definitely have read a sprawling trilogy version of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
📚 This is one of the most engaging nonfiction books I've ever read. Wilkerson's narrative style draws you in immediately.
📚 It's such an incredible account of ordinary people doing something extraordinary. So much of the history we learn is about the exceptional people, and Wilkerson reminds us that history is also written by everyday people.
📚 I never learned about this period of history in school - we never made it much beyond the turn of the century in my classes. We often think of historical events as discrete periods of time, but THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS deftly shows how interconnected everything is.
📚 It's such an incredible account of ordinary people doing something extraordinary. So much of the history we learn is about the exceptional people, and Wilkerson reminds us that history is also written by everyday people.
📚 I never learned about this period of history in school - we never made it much beyond the turn of the century in my classes. We often think of historical events as discrete periods of time, but THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS deftly shows how interconnected everything is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Kensington Books for the free advance copy of this book.
📚 Kate Clayborn is so good at creating places and people full of fine grain details. I feel like I know Will and Nora personally.
📚 Nora's apartment building feels like Stars Hollow in miniature, the way the residents all know each other, love each other, argue with each other, and take care of each other.
📚 LOVE AT FIRST is a lot about grief and moving on, but it's also about love and nostalgia and hope and the way two people can lean on each other in order to make it through.
📚 Kate Clayborn is so good at creating places and people full of fine grain details. I feel like I know Will and Nora personally.
📚 Nora's apartment building feels like Stars Hollow in miniature, the way the residents all know each other, love each other, argue with each other, and take care of each other.
📚 LOVE AT FIRST is a lot about grief and moving on, but it's also about love and nostalgia and hope and the way two people can lean on each other in order to make it through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
📚 Oh wow, it is hard to write about this book without crying! SISSY is riotously funny, highly educational, and gloriously proud.
📚 I love that there are more and more memoirs and stories by nonbinary people coming into existence, showing us it is possible and valid to not fit neatly into a gender box, and that within that, there are many ways to be nonbinary.
📚 Tobia's voice shines through the writing - even though I read the print version I could practically hear them reading it out loud in my head.
📚 I think one of the most important things about SISSY is the discussion of how traumatic the enforcement of gender roles can be. Even if you are cisgender, the fact that we're still policed into very narrow definitions of what "girl" or "boy" means is so hurtful and keeps so many people from feeling free to be themselves.
📚 I love that there are more and more memoirs and stories by nonbinary people coming into existence, showing us it is possible and valid to not fit neatly into a gender box, and that within that, there are many ways to be nonbinary.
📚 Tobia's voice shines through the writing - even though I read the print version I could practically hear them reading it out loud in my head.
📚 I think one of the most important things about SISSY is the discussion of how traumatic the enforcement of gender roles can be. Even if you are cisgender, the fact that we're still policed into very narrow definitions of what "girl" or "boy" means is so hurtful and keeps so many people from feeling free to be themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Religious bigotry
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 We talk a lot about how romance novels are secretly feminist because they are sex positive and center female desire, and THE ROOMMATE is the most direct version of that I've ever seen.
📚 Clara and Josh are a great mismatched pair, and I loved watching them work to understand each others' history and approach to life.
📚 Also, I'm obviously here for any book with a plot about toppling corrupt, patriarchal corporations and taking matters into your own hands (in more ways than one, ha).
📚 I did find that each time Josh and Clara found themselves in a sexual situation it felt WAY contrived. Like, (minor spoiler), you did not need to strip and get into the shower with her to help her wash her hair, sir.
📚 Clara and Josh are a great mismatched pair, and I loved watching them work to understand each others' history and approach to life.
📚 Also, I'm obviously here for any book with a plot about toppling corrupt, patriarchal corporations and taking matters into your own hands (in more ways than one, ha).
📚 I did find that each time Josh and Clara found themselves in a sexual situation it felt WAY contrived. Like, (minor spoiler), you did not need to strip and get into the shower with her to help her wash her hair, sir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 Whew, meet the book that's going to be the most-banned book in no time! A SHOT AT NORMAL looks antivaxxers in the eye and doesn't back down.
📚 I loved Juniper and how curious and smart she was - she took her parents' "think for yourself" ethos to heart.
📚 I'm having a hard time articulating it at the moment, but this book walks a fine line between not turning the parents into cartoon villains while also not taking a "let's hear both sides" approach.
📚 Though, sometimes, when Juniper is arguing with her parents, she does so in paragraphs of talking points that don't sound like the real words of a teenager.
📚 I loved Juniper and how curious and smart she was - she took her parents' "think for yourself" ethos to heart.
📚 I'm having a hard time articulating it at the moment, but this book walks a fine line between not turning the parents into cartoon villains while also not taking a "let's hear both sides" approach.
📚 Though, sometimes, when Juniper is arguing with her parents, she does so in paragraphs of talking points that don't sound like the real words of a teenager.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Miscarriage