coolfoolmoon's Reviews (357)

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

I've been feeling very hopeless / miserable lately and even just the first poem made me be like wow there really is hope for the future / humanity. I paid $28 for this book and it was worth it. 

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My ex bought me this for our one month anniversary and I finally read it two years later hoping the book would be bad so I could give it away but it was so good! So cue so sweet. I shall be keeping it.

I was so sure that The Outsiders wasn't canon in this world and then she mentioned it! It's nitpicky but naming yourself after Ponyboy is much cooler than just naming yourself after an animal randomly. That boy got to senior year and didn't read The Outsiders?! It's so gay he would've loved it.

A great book for explaining what a trans person is to kids / teens. It has a perfect mixture of people familiar with the world and explaining to someone who knows nothing. Great writing. I laughed a plenty.

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challenging mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Damn. I spoke too soon (in my review for Annihilation). I dozed off at least three times reading this. It wasn't exceptionally boring or bad but I believe if something is good enough even if I'm already tired I'll stay alert to enjoy it.

As a joke the first time I saw Lowry's name I thought "What if I google that name and get spoiled that Lowry was secretly the big bad all along?" I didn't google it but I ended up being right??? What the hey hey.


I thought of Control as a manchild, mostly because of his attachment to his mommy but also he didn't seem to get much of anything done. Not a critique of the book I just don't have anyone to talk to about it. Also negative points because characters have names now and I just think that's misogynistic!

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

There are stories that aren't told enough. This is one of them. It's so important to me as a Black girl also from LA, although wildly different eras. What a unique life and experience, and I love how she captured it. 

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Take a shot every time you see "Not really." So, about 5 shots.

Very good. Read it in two sittings, same day. Wasn't too creepy or scary, I was just as curious as the mc. Maybe men CAN be good writers... we shall see with the sequels!

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If I had a nickel for every time I read an amazing book by a Black female author named Toni...

At first I didn't get it... but like... I got it, you know? Like I get it but I don't. But I get it. And, for me personally, that's some of the best writing humanity has to offer.

Unrelated to the book, kinda, I think it's funny how the conversations the revolutionaries were having in the late 70s, almost 50 years ago, are the same conversations we're having now. Not funny haha, funny sad.

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Small town woes. The writing is just okay. I really disliked the characters.
I liked the twist because of the fact that there wasn't a twist. Like, if the dad wasn't the killer then that would've sucked.
Everyone in this town was bad but maybe the book could've been better if all the characters were truly awful. MC (I don't care to look for her name) was an angel who could do no wrong and forgive all and everyone else around her, except her man, were all flawed. Boo!!!

Hardest thing of all this was to get me to believe the mayor/dad WASN'T racist. Killing his wife and family for money was fine but racism was where he drew the line? He's from a small town in Texas but he thought between murder and saying slurs murder was more acceptable??? Don't get me wrong I'm not endorsing either one but let's be so fuckin forreal right now!!!

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

SICK AND TWISTED !!!!! Almost a perfect book!

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I love Romy. That's literally my baby girl child.

This is my second time reading so I knew what was gonna happen but it's been years. But the twists! The turns! I still have whiplash!!! 

And to all the baby girls out there, this should be required reading! Master manipulators / groomers use the same tactics J used in this book! Every girl is special and wonderful and need to trust their instincts! Romy doubted herself because she's a girl, because she thought she was a foolish child; but I need every baby girl to know that you are wiser than you realize! You can doubt the world but don't doubt yourself!!!


Such amazing thrilling writing. I opened the book at 3 pm and finished it by 11 pm! Then I went and added several of James' books to my TBR as soon as I finished this. Lauren James you will always be famous!!!

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Great photos / images. Some nice drawings. One poem had one line I thought was beautiful, other than that the poems were just okay.

That play though? One of the worst things I've ever read. No substance. No plot. Barely qualifies as a slice of life piece. Maybe I would've given the zine as a whole 2 stars if not for that play. It was so bad. F- !!! See me after class!!!

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