Reviews by cozyfitz496 | The StoryGraph

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78 reviews by:

cozyfitz496

Cat's People

Tanya Guerrero

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

I love a book about a diverse group of lonely people coming together over something, and coming together over a stray cat? Oh heck yeah, sign me up! The primary FMC is a barista with three rescue cats who volunteers for a TNR organization (trap-neuter-return) in her meager free time. One especially perceptive little guy, Cat (whose perspective we get to see and who we learn goes by many names), has quite a few friends in the neighborhood; he's a good listener, and each of our other MCs confides in him. There were some traumas and twists, but overall this was a sweet and gentle read that made me tear up and feel warm and cozy.

I received a digital copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder

Bellamy Rose

5.0

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This cozy mystery mixed with a little romance broke my streak of hating that genre mashup! I couldn't stop reading about this heiress with a murdered grandmother who lost access to her riches and hotel-home. The pacing was quick but carefully plotted, and the romance added a sweet and believable angle without ruining the feel of the mystery. This title was described as Cher from Clueless meets Only Murders In the Building, and I think that description is spot-on. Pomona is loveable, not just in spite of but because of her quirks, and her character growth is endearing to watch. Would definitely enjoy more titles from this author - she also writes rom-coms under "Amanda Elliot", and some of those books are definitely on my TBR!

I received an advance digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

How It Works Out

Myriam Lacroix

4.0

Content Warnings

Murder in the Dressing Room

Holly Stars

5.0

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Cozy murder mystery with a nonbinary drag queen MC? Of course I had to read it, and of course I loved it. A poisoned drag mother, lots of secrets, social dysphoria, all wrapped in good vibes. Feels like "Only Murders in the Building" mixed with "Drag Race" (aka feels GREAT), and sets itself up very naturally for another book in the series; I will definitely read whatever comes next, there's quite a few ends to tie up!

Content Warnings

Sweet Farm!: More Than 100 Cookies, Cakes, Salads (!), and Other Delights from My Kitchen on a Sugar Beet Farm

Molly Yeh

5.0

funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

The Sunday morning routine at my house: sleeping in, making a French press (and often breakfast), and watching Food Network in the hopes that we’ll catch a few episodes of Girl Meets Farm. So this book could have had nearly anything in it and I’d still be singing the praises of this sprinkle-loving millennial who studied percussion at Juilliard and followed a love of baking (and her husband) to live on his family’s sugar beet farm in the Midwest. But I don’t have to delude myself, because it’s just a great sweets cookbook (not just baking but drinks, frozen, no bakes, and more)! Molly’s blogging background really shines in her recipe intros, and if you’re a superfan (or looking to become one), you’ll love all the lore. And the recipes resemble classics but always have a great spin, often inspired by her Jewish and Chinese heritage and the Midwest - Miso Toffee Crackers, Black-and-White Cookie Salad, Black Sesame Babka. I’m still not totally sold on sweet salads, but I am completely sold on Molly Yeh.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

I Shall Never Fall in Love

Hari Conner

5.0

funny informative lighthearted 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

A real gem; if Heartstopper and Bridgerton had a baby - very gay English period romance YA graphic novel. The queer yearning and intense female friendships were top tier, it was diverse but not always utopian, the pacing was great... Hit all the right notes for a few hours of swoony and sweet “tehe”ing.

Content Warnings

All the Lonely People

Mike Gayle

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

Mike Gayle has delighted me again with a sweet but sometimes painful story that had me gasping (more than once). Another pandemic novel, Gayle examines loneliness through 82-year-old Jamaican immigrant Hubert. He’s on a quest to prove to his daughter that he’s got plenty of friends and she shouldn’t worry about him from Australia. Alternating flashback chapters give Hubert’s present circumstances a deeper poignancy. As all my favorites do, this novel turns a group of trauma-inflicted misfits into a real community. A great examination of relationships and aging.

Content Warnings

Home Sweet Home: Modern Cross Stitch Designs for Home and Garden

Cheryl McKinnon

4.0

lighthearted

Lots of little elements in this one, so while the patterns overall read a little too granny for my taste, I did rearrange some coffee, tea, and craft bits to make a fun Frankenstein hoop.

Cross Stitch with Cattitude: 20 pawsome designs

Emma Congdon

4.5

funny lighthearted

Some cute patterns, adapted a few of the little faces to make rough portraits of my cats. Definitely planning to come back around to the cat alien-abduction pattern with text about humans being gross.

Calling In

Loretta J. Ross

4.5

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Ross's story was very inspiring and full of hope, more so because it was at times so heartbreaking. Throughout her life she has been the victim of rape, incest, teen pregnancy, forced sterilization; an essential voice in the reproductive justice movement; a call-out thrill seeker, a person who struggled with drug abuse and committed embezzlement; a deprogrammer of Nazis and rapists. It's one thing for theorists to talk about community, abolition, and restorative justice; it's another for someone to be both the victim of abuse and the perpetrator of harm and share their lived experience on forgiveness and redemption in a widely applicable way. I really appreciated that Ross not only shared when she had been wronged, but also when she had misjudged allies or even stolen from others in response to her own suffering or anger. The theme throughout is to lead with love because movement requires all hands on deck. Too often in organizing spaces we see the narcissism of minor differences resulting in wide-spread call out culture and alienation of offenders - then every organizer is bemoaning the lack of community buy-in and volunteers. Fostering a call-in culture might be the first step to rebuilding the traction we seem to have lost in recent years.

Content Warnings

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