1.84k reviews by:

caseythereader

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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: No

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emotional funny lighthearted 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: Complicated

Thanks to Montlake Publishing for the free advance copy of this book.

 - Aren't we all so lucky to be living when Alexis Hall is writing books? SOMETHING SPECTACULAR is everything I've come to love about his romance: silly, spicy, queer, messy, and tender.
- This book has two protagonists who would likely be considered nonbinary today, though they don't have the word for it in the Regency era. I loved that they both experienced gender and expressed themselves differently.
- As with many Hall books, there are some real, thorny emotional struggles here, but they are handled so lovingly and gently. It's probably also the funniest and most over the top Hall book I've read so far. Just the best. 

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny hopeful 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

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Big Swiss

Jen Beagin

DID NOT FINISH: 70%

What we’re not going to do in 2023 is finish books that casually drop in the R word for no reason. 
adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

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Sizzle Reel

Carlyn Greenwald

DID NOT FINISH: 48%

This might turn out to be a cute love story but I can’t with a main character who can throw around terms like “allocishet” and “comphet” but also needs her best friend to repeatedly explain to her how sapphics have sex and that it still “counts” even without penetration. 
challenging informative slow-paced

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

 - I am writing this review of A HEART THAT WORKS while curled up crying on the floor forever. What an incredible, painful, beautiful gift to the world this book is.
- I knew Delaney primarily as a comedian on Twitter, and that joyful, weird spirit of his is present in this writing, even on such a horrific topic.
- And Delaney does not hold back on the unending horrors of what he and his family went through. This is one the hardest books I’ve ever read, and I don’t even have children.
- Through it all, even as Delaney unleashes this primal scream, he still shows us the love and joy he found in his son. This book is full of pain, yes, but we also learn about all the little everyday things about a child that only their parent knows, and I will carry a small piece of Henry with me now. 

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challenging dark emotional hopeful relaxing sad medium-paced

 - THEY CAN’T KILL US UNTIL THEY KILL US might be the single best essay collection I’ve ever read in my life. Abdurraqib is one of those writers who is able to cut clear to the heart of existence in just a few sentences, and I’m continually in awe of his craft.
- It does help that I was big into the 2000s emo scene, which many of the early essays in this book center on. No, YOU cried about Fall Out Boy while reading this book!
- It’s not just about the music, though, it never is with his writing. Music is life, and it illuminates what it’s like live in Abdurraqib’s body in this world. 

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