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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Thanks to Libro FM for the free copy of this book.
- SIPPING DOM PERIGNON THROUGH A STRAW is a memoir that feels like listening to your smart, funny friend tell you stories. Read by Ndopu himself, he brings across all the joy and frustration packed into this short, snappy book.
- Earlier this year, I read Judith Heumann's memoir, which covers her fight to get an education in the 1950s-60s. Reading Ndopu's memoir now strikes home how much advancement there has been in access for disabled people and how much is still exactly the same.
- I do wish there had been more detail on Ndopu's activism and schoolwork. However, I also see the reason and benefit of structuring the book around his access issues: it shows precisely how much ableism is baked into the system and how it gets in the way of literally everything else he is trying to do.
- SIPPING DOM PERIGNON THROUGH A STRAW is a memoir that feels like listening to your smart, funny friend tell you stories. Read by Ndopu himself, he brings across all the joy and frustration packed into this short, snappy book.
- Earlier this year, I read Judith Heumann's memoir, which covers her fight to get an education in the 1950s-60s. Reading Ndopu's memoir now strikes home how much advancement there has been in access for disabled people and how much is still exactly the same.
- I do wish there had been more detail on Ndopu's activism and schoolwork. However, I also see the reason and benefit of structuring the book around his access issues: it shows precisely how much ableism is baked into the system and how it gets in the way of literally everything else he is trying to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Excrement, Medical content, Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-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
Thanks to Penguin Press for the free copy of this book.
- SAMMY ESPINOZA'S LAST REVIEW is for all the former emo girls out there.
- There is so much going on in this book - second chances, friend fights, flighty mom, long lost family and more - and it all works. It all serves to make Sammy and everyone in Ridley Falls feel like real, whole humans even with a complicated romcom plot.
- It's a thoughtful, loving exploration of how emotional traumas linger and affect your actions years later, even when you know what's happening and why. I just love a romance novel that's both swoony and rooted in reality.
- SAMMY ESPINOZA'S LAST REVIEW is for all the former emo girls out there.
- There is so much going on in this book - second chances, friend fights, flighty mom, long lost family and more - and it all works. It all serves to make Sammy and everyone in Ridley Falls feel like real, whole humans even with a complicated romcom plot.
- It's a thoughtful, loving exploration of how emotional traumas linger and affect your actions years later, even when you know what's happening and why. I just love a romance novel that's both swoony and rooted in reality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Racism
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Saga Press for the free copy of this book.
- THE SPLINTER IN THE SKY is a standalone sci-fi novel heavy on both political maneuvering and heart.
- This book felt sort of like if you took the linguistics out of A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE and added the critique of colonization of BABEL.
- Oddly enough, for a standalone novel I felt like it could have been either a bit shorter or expanded into a duology. The main plot takes awhile to kick into gear, and then a ton of action is packed into the second half of the book.
- THE SPLINTER IN THE SKY is a standalone sci-fi novel heavy on both political maneuvering and heart.
- This book felt sort of like if you took the linguistics out of A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE and added the critique of colonization of BABEL.
- Oddly enough, for a standalone novel I felt like it could have been either a bit shorter or expanded into a duology. The main plot takes awhile to kick into gear, and then a ton of action is packed into the second half of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: War
Minor: Suicide
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Scribner Books for the free copy of this book.
- RIPE is one of those books that's satire, but only just barely. I work in marketing, and though luckily I've never had this horrific a job, I see elements from the larger field taken to their logical endpoints all over this book.
- I loved the slight fantastical element of the black hole that follows Cassie around. I'm not sure the device got used to its full potential, but it kept the book from being simply a rote recitation of horrors.
- Although I think the black hole plot thread and the dictionary definition framing device didn't quite work as well as intended, we do a love a book where a character gets an ab0rtion simply because she just cannot have a child right now.
- RIPE is one of those books that's satire, but only just barely. I work in marketing, and though luckily I've never had this horrific a job, I see elements from the larger field taken to their logical endpoints all over this book.
- I loved the slight fantastical element of the black hole that follows Cassie around. I'm not sure the device got used to its full potential, but it kept the book from being simply a rote recitation of horrors.
- Although I think the black hole plot thread and the dictionary definition framing device didn't quite work as well as intended, we do a love a book where a character gets an ab0rtion simply because she just cannot have a child right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Domestic abuse
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- I'D RATHER BURN THAN BLOOM is one of the toughest YA novels I've ever read. Flipping back and forth between the present and before her mom died, this book is deeply tangled in Marisol's anger, grief, and feelings of helplessness.
- Marisol's emotions felt real, and she exploded off the page. The small details are what had me taking breaks from the book, just the way details can knock the breath out of you when you're grieving a loss of your own.
- I had some issues with the pacing and how some plot threads ended, but overall I'm glad this book exists for kids who need to know they aren't alone in their overwhelming feelings.
- I'D RATHER BURN THAN BLOOM is one of the toughest YA novels I've ever read. Flipping back and forth between the present and before her mom died, this book is deeply tangled in Marisol's anger, grief, and feelings of helplessness.
- Marisol's emotions felt real, and she exploded off the page. The small details are what had me taking breaks from the book, just the way details can knock the breath out of you when you're grieving a loss of your own.
- I had some issues with the pacing and how some plot threads ended, but overall I'm glad this book exists for kids who need to know they aren't alone in their overwhelming feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
I’m usually fine enough with the miscommunication trope but we can’t be this far into the book and the MCs haven’t even thought about talking to each other yet.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
No
Thanks to Little Brown Young Readers for the free copy of this book.
- Oh, GIVE ME A SIGN is so lovely. I adored being at Camp Gray Wolf with Lilah as she worked to figure out how she wanted to approach life with a disability.
- The varying experiences of the kids at the camp show just how broad a term "deaf" is, and the book gets into the many nuances of Deaf culture, which was so wonderful to see in a YA novel.
- As a hearing person reading this book, it really struck home for me how exhausting moving through everyday interactions with hearing loss can be. The book wasn't delicate about any it, ranging from how Lilah's hearing friends and family didn't do super basic things to accomodate her, all the way up to a terrifying interaction with police who didn't understand either.
- Oh, GIVE ME A SIGN is so lovely. I adored being at Camp Gray Wolf with Lilah as she worked to figure out how she wanted to approach life with a disability.
- The varying experiences of the kids at the camp show just how broad a term "deaf" is, and the book gets into the many nuances of Deaf culture, which was so wonderful to see in a YA novel.
- As a hearing person reading this book, it really struck home for me how exhausting moving through everyday interactions with hearing loss can be. The book wasn't delicate about any it, ranging from how Lilah's hearing friends and family didn't do super basic things to accomodate her, all the way up to a terrifying interaction with police who didn't understand either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: War
Minor: Suicide
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.
- Oh, this was so fun! A MOST AGREEABLE MURDER is essentially CLUE set in Regency England, with all the attendant silliness and pointing fingers and secrets unearthed.
- Everything about this book is over the top in the best way. Historical romances and cozy mysteries are lovingly poked fun at as we careen through the estate wtih Beatrice discovering that literally no one is who we thought they were.
- The end of the book left room for sequels, and I really hope that happens. I would love to spend more time solving murders with Beatrice.
•
- Oh, this was so fun! A MOST AGREEABLE MURDER is essentially CLUE set in Regency England, with all the attendant silliness and pointing fingers and secrets unearthed.
- Everything about this book is over the top in the best way. Historical romances and cozy mysteries are lovingly poked fun at as we careen through the estate wtih Beatrice discovering that literally no one is who we thought they were.
- The end of the book left room for sequels, and I really hope that happens. I would love to spend more time solving murders with Beatrice.
•
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy