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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
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
Thanks to FSG Young Readers for the free advance copy of this book.
- LOVE SOMEBODY is pitched as a YA rom-com, and it is partly that, but it also goes quite deep on the complexity of relationships. The characters' attractions are quite fluid: bisexuality was generally no big deal, former dates could be current best friends.
- It also nicely covers that end of high school panic, when you feel like every choice you make might determine the rest of your life and trying to fight that feeling, along with trying to handle family expectations around your life path. There is some pretty intense family stuff in this book, and it's great to see a book with kids realizing their parents aren't everything they thought they were.
- Plus, love a book that could have been a huge angsty mess about one character realizing their queerness and just wasn't. The character just took it in stride and so did everyone else.
- LOVE SOMEBODY is pitched as a YA rom-com, and it is partly that, but it also goes quite deep on the complexity of relationships. The characters' attractions are quite fluid: bisexuality was generally no big deal, former dates could be current best friends.
- It also nicely covers that end of high school panic, when you feel like every choice you make might determine the rest of your life and trying to fight that feeling, along with trying to handle family expectations around your life path. There is some pretty intense family stuff in this book, and it's great to see a book with kids realizing their parents aren't everything they thought they were.
- Plus, love a book that could have been a huge angsty mess about one character realizing their queerness and just wasn't. The character just took it in stride and so did everyone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Colonisation
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
Moderate: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria
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:
No
Thanks to Forever Publishing for the free advance copy of this book.
- To absolutely no one's surprise, welcome to my queer screaming about LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!
- Honestly, I don't even know if I can summarize everything I loved about this book. Grumpy/sunshine. Cooking competition. Self discovery and reinvention. Nonbinary representation. Characters gently taking care of each other and supporting each other through hard things.
- I love a romance novel that really digs into character backstories and growth, and LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS is one of the best examples of that I've ever read. Dahlia moving on from divorce. London dealing with their dad. And both of them learning more about themselves and each other as the story progresses.
- Also, I loved that even though some transphobia was part of London's story, they were never misgendered or deadnamed on the page. Their identity was taken seriously and as incontrovertible fact, not as something they needed to prove as part of coming out.
- To absolutely no one's surprise, welcome to my queer screaming about LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!
- Honestly, I don't even know if I can summarize everything I loved about this book. Grumpy/sunshine. Cooking competition. Self discovery and reinvention. Nonbinary representation. Characters gently taking care of each other and supporting each other through hard things.
- I love a romance novel that really digs into character backstories and growth, and LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS is one of the best examples of that I've ever read. Dahlia moving on from divorce. London dealing with their dad. And both of them learning more about themselves and each other as the story progresses.
- Also, I loved that even though some transphobia was part of London's story, they were never misgendered or deadnamed on the page. Their identity was taken seriously and as incontrovertible fact, not as something they needed to prove as part of coming out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
- A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH is a bit meandering, taking awhile to put all the pieces together and get where its going, but Nina and Oli are lovely, classic Little Badger characters, full of love and respect for family, culture, and friends.
- As with ELATSOE, I loved that Nina was so casually asexual - it's a fact just dropped into the story, and no one has a problem with it and it has no bearing on the plot. She simply is, and that's all that matters.
- I wanted more of Nina's world in this book - more about her grandmother, more about her storytelling. That said, I didn't want to lose any of Oli's story to that. His life and friends in the Reflected World were just as wonderful. I think this book might have been able to be more fully rounded if it was more solidly YA, rather than somewhere between YA and middle grade.
- As with ELATSOE, I loved that Nina was so casually asexual - it's a fact just dropped into the story, and no one has a problem with it and it has no bearing on the plot. She simply is, and that's all that matters.
- I wanted more of Nina's world in this book - more about her grandmother, more about her storytelling. That said, I didn't want to lose any of Oli's story to that. His life and friends in the Reflected World were just as wonderful. I think this book might have been able to be more fully rounded if it was more solidly YA, rather than somewhere between YA and middle grade.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- IF, THEN is another entry in the subgenre of literary sci-fi, which I am increasingly growing to love. Day's writing is spare, but quickly creates a looming sense of dread that keeps you turning the pages.
- There aren't a lot of answers in this book; it's mainly question after question. Not only the question of what is happening to these people, but that evergreen question of "what if?" What if we had made different choices? Would we be different? Would we be happier?
- It’s both thought provoking and heart pounding, a tough combination to pull off.
- There aren't a lot of answers in this book; it's mainly question after question. Not only the question of what is happening to these people, but that evergreen question of "what if?" What if we had made different choices? Would we be different? Would we be happier?
- It’s both thought provoking and heart pounding, a tough combination to pull off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
- ARSENIC AND ADOBO was my first cozy mystery, and I can't wait to read more. I love a book where you know it's gonna be okay in the end.
- I loved Lila's family - really the whole town they lived in. I'm not a small town kind of person but Shady Palms was so lovely. And the food! So many wonderful descriptions, displaying Filipino food with such love.
- This book wasn't perfect - some clunky dialogue, some rushed exposition - but that hardly mattered while we were trying to catch the murderer.
- I was also a fan of the fact that while Lila has love interests, they aren't her main priority (she hardly even notices one of them!). The book isn't terribly interested in having her paired off at the end. Also! Bonus queerness! Her best friend is a lesbian and there's mention of a few other queer people as well.
- I loved Lila's family - really the whole town they lived in. I'm not a small town kind of person but Shady Palms was so lovely. And the food! So many wonderful descriptions, displaying Filipino food with such love.
- This book wasn't perfect - some clunky dialogue, some rushed exposition - but that hardly mattered while we were trying to catch the murderer.
- I was also a fan of the fact that while Lila has love interests, they aren't her main priority (she hardly even notices one of them!). The book isn't terribly interested in having her paired off at the end. Also! Bonus queerness! Her best friend is a lesbian and there's mention of a few other queer people as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Racism, Death of parent, Alcohol