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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Racism
- I loved Ruby Barrett’s previous book, but THE FRIENDSHIP STUDY blows it out of the water. I adored Jesse and Lulu, who each felt like real, unique people.
- The friendship study itself is sort of vague, but it gives the characters such a great “we can’t be doing this” setup that I was willing to forgive how unscientific it felt, lol.
- Jesse is a bisexual man dealing with chronic pain after an injury, and Lulu is a queer woman just beginning to think she might have ADHD. Both are struggling with where their lives are going and the way making new friends as an adult seems impossible. And amid all these feelings, this book is HOT.
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident
Minor: Biphobia, Rape
- DINNER ON MONSTER ISLAND is a knockout essay collection. De Rozario fills this short book with rage, love, and thoughtfulness.
- De Rozario speaks not on just being queer, but being fat, brown and queer in a society that actively works to suppress or eliminate all these things. I think we in the U.S. often think of Singapore as being an incredibly strict society, and while that’s true, a lot of what is described isn’t so far off from the way we treat each other here.
- A good chunk of this book centers on self-policing and what to do when your fellow citizens are the ones doing the surveillance and reporting. I’m not sure there is an answer since it’s such a big thing to grapple with, but it’s something to open our eyes to for sure.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic
- When I finished THE FETISHIST, I thought, “What the heck just happened? That was awesome!”
- If you’re looking for a book that is slightly unhinged, funny, and yet filled with deep emotions, this is the book for you. It’s also a weirdly fast paced for a character-based story; I couldn’t put it down.
- I heard about this book because it was published by Min’s daughter after Min’s death. I wish we’d been able to see more from her, and I also hope people will pick up this strange little book and appreciate what she did give us.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol
- The world Kacen Callender has built in INFINITY ALCHEMIST is one of the best YA fantasy settings I’ve seen in a long time. It’s complex without being overly complicated, and explores hard topics alongside some really cool visuals.
- This book gets deep into classism, racism and power the way the best fantasy books can: it’s parallel to our world, but not didactic.
- I love how deeply queerness is woven into this book. The main characters are a trans boy and a person who shifts gender and pronouns at will, and it’s done in a way that I can’t imagine the book featuring any other characters. Plus - and I won’t give total spoilers here, but - fans of the love story in IRON WIDOW will also want to check out INFINITY ALCHEMIST.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault
- Yamilet is a great character with a unique voice, and you will root for her even when she’s making mistakes.
- Nearly everyone makes mistakes - both big and small - in this book, and that’s part of what makes it great. Everyone is just trying to get through all the hard things happening to them, and no one is doing it perfectly but they figure out how to love each other regardless.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deportation
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- Anita Kelly continues to be the best with HOW YOU GET THE GIRL. Kelly brings their signature wit and heart to this sapphic sports romance. I swooned, I cried, I cheered.
- Where this book punched me in the heart, though, is Julie’s character. Julie is me and I am Julie. I think I’m ace, but maybe not, because this person has knocked me off my feet? Am I pathetic for being “behind” everyone in terms of experience? Do I need a label? What if I never sort it out? NO, YOU’RE CRYING! (this is me saying thank you for bringing this character into existence, truly.)
- Characters from Kelly’s previous two books feature pretty heavily in this one (I squealed every time), so I would recommend reading those first to get the full background and experience. And you should read them anyway because they’re great!
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
- I’m so happy to be back with Mossa and Pleiti for another cozy mystery on Jupiter! I could honestly read an endless number of books set in this universe.
- These books are so clever, both in the worldbuilding and in the actual mystery.
- And I love watching Mossa and Pleiti slowly work their way back into each others’ lives. They don’t always understand each other, but they’re so tender and thoughtful.
Graphic: Death, Murder
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy