elementarymydear's Reviews (967)

This book is bursting at the seams with heart, celebration, and empowerment. Ted, a newly divorced man in his 40s, decides to pursue his lifelong dream of being a drag queen (a detail which should DEFINITELY be in the synopsis, I was umming and ahhing whether I should read it until I found that out!). On the way he rediscovers his childhood joy of singing and dancing, uncovers family secrets, connects with queer people of all generations, and finds love in an aspiring interior designer.

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It’s impossible not to immediately fall in love with Ted. As the narrative flits between the modern day and flashbacks, we very quickly root for him as we see the ways he has been made to feel like an outsider throughout his life. The relationships he builds over the course of the book are wonderful too. He goes on a real journey and it’s so heart-warming to be taken along for the ride.

The romantic element was also brilliant. The romance between Ted and Oskar was incredibly sweet, with the right amount of ‘figuring it out’ that happens at the start of any new relationship. The way they helped each other grow was a real asset to the story, and even before they’ve met I was rooting for them!

There is a lot packed into this book, at times too much. Pretty much every character has a tragic backstory, and by the end a few too many emotional climaxes/plot twist reveals were written as “X explained that…” followed by a summary often including very dark, heavy topics such as domestic abuse or persecution. For a story with such a joyful main storyline, almost every other arc was filled with tragedy and there were so many that they started to lose their impact. Had one or two of them been cut, or scaled-back-on, there would have been a bit more space for the remaining ones to be explored in more depth, and a bit more balance in the book as a whole.

The narration by Samuel Barnett brings all of the residents of St-Luke’s-on-Sea to life, with an impressive range of accents in his arsenal! I was hooked by the narration from the very start, finding any excuse to stick my headphones on and listen to some more.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 There are many varieties of three-star read for me. This is the ‘some things were great and others weren’t’ variety, which is definitely my preferred sub-category!

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So first, what worked for me. The strongest element of this book was Jade’s character arc. There was a real sense of fulfilment and growth by the end, and while I didn’t necessarily like the actions she took to get there, she had a very real, very vivid presence and a satisfying arc. I also really liked the switching perspectives. Each voice felt very distinct, and allowed us to see the characters from different angles and at different points in their lives.

The writing style was hit-and-miss for me. At the start especially, there were some really beautiful, evocative passages. As the book progressed, however, the writing often felt quite repetitive and the ending was a little bit of a let-down for me stylistically. I would be intrigued to read other books by the author though, as it was very readable and at its best was absolutely stunning.

The main thing that didn’t work for me was the relationships between the characters, particularly the romantic relationships. At the end, I realised that I wasn’t sure why Jade wanted to be with either of her love interests, besides the fact that she would tell us how in love she was, or how special she felt. As a reader I didn’t pick up on much, if any, of the emotion behind those relationships, which meant that aspect of the character arcs fell flat for me.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, with a few frustrations here and there, but enough heart for a satisfying conclusion.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 DNF @ 20% (NetGalley ARC)

I very rarely write a review for a book I didn't finish, but here are the main two reasons I stopped reading this book:

1. The writing style and the story did not match up in the slightest. It's written in a whimsical, light-hearted way, with no variation for very dark and traumatic things that the characters go through.

2. The 'white feminist fantasy'. Every 21st century white feminist (myself included) wants to believe that, if they were born decades earlier, they would still hold the exact same values, and that belief is the entire basis for this book. Already, during a flashback to the 1950s, the main character has treated us to Second Wave Feminism 101, stating as obvious fact what two decades later would be radical ideas. She claims to speak on behalf of all women, but internally says that most women don't feel the same way she does and she looks down on them for it (because, of course, she is Not Like Other Girls, and neither is her daughter).

It's so frustrating because had this book been better executed, it could have been an incredibly powerful and nuanced tale. Perhaps it improves; I doubt point 1 will, and I'm not optimistic enough about point 2 to keep reading. 

 What a brilliantly impactful book!

Ultimately, this book is about reconciling your internal identity with your perception of your external appearance. This includes a wide range of topics, from healthcare, to gender, to fashion, to disability, to tattoos. It’s about creating a healthy relationship with your body, with a focus on the specific challenges faced by different groups within the LGBTQ+ community.

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I would have read this in one sitting if I’d been able to, it was that readable! There was the perfect balance of research and personal experience, with testimonies from other people included throughout which brought in lots of different perspectives. This book took a truly intersectional approach, and was definitely the better for it.

A big focus of the book is unpacking not just the binary gender, heteronormative beauty standards that are upheld by society as a whole, but also a lot of the pressures experienced within the LGBTQ+ community. This includes the expectations placed on gay men to achieve the ‘perfect’ body type, or how trans people are expected to uphold a gender binary. There’s also discussion of how these issues impact each other: for example, the author discusses how they struggle to find masculine clothes that fit their body type. They take a very comprehensive view of how modern Western beauty standards can impact queer people, while still having an overall optimistic tone. In the best way, reading this book is like sitting down and chatting with a wise friend.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

More rom- than -com, there were two main storylines in this book. There was the romance, between the main character Nareh and her love interest Erebuni, and then there was the journey Nareh went on with becoming more connected with her Armenian heritage.

I thought the author did a great job of not only intertwining those two threads, but making them a part of Nareh’s wider character growth. She really goes on an amazing journey throughout this book, and was a great example of how the difference aspects of someone’s character and identity intersect. It did take me a while to warm to her, but by the second half of the book I was fully rooting for her as she found her confidence and her voice.

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Nareh’s family, particularly her mother and grandmother, were the unsung heroes of this book. I would love a whole book just on the grandmother’s life, every tidbit she came out with was brilliant! She also built up a good group of friends over the course of the story, although it would have been nice to have them fleshed out a little bit more.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 What a lovely, heart-warming book! I was obsessed from the first page, and like the Grinch I am my heart grew three times larger in my chest at the end when I was sobbing with queer joy.

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I fell in love with the characters from the very start, and I was desperate for Mahalia to get the happy ending she deserved. The dynamics between her and her friends and family were the real hero of this book; her best friend, the girl she fancies, and her mum, all had complicated relationships that evolved over the course of the story. I particularly enjoyed the way her relationship with her dad and his family was explored in the last few chapters, opening up her world to us in an unexpected way.

The book was filled with wonderful details. My favourite was the inclusion of Mahalia’s bank balance and statement at the start of each chapter, which was a really nice way of reminding us of the ongoing struggles she was facing and keeping them present while balancing them with the other aspects of her story.

This was a joyful read, and a great addition to the growing collection of queer YA books.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 What a fun little novella this was! Full of tongue-in-cheek humour, we follow Scarlet as she sets off across the Scottish Highlands in search of Beira’s hammer, the legendary object that shaped the Scottish landscape. Along the way she meets all sorts of characters and beings from Scottish folklore, eventually coming face-to-face with Beira herself.

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The story was so immersive and atmospheric. As I sat and read it in a service station in Birmingham on Christmas Eve, all I wanted to do was go to the Scottish wilderness and experience the magic and beauty depicted in the book! It’s a love letter to nature, to folklore, and to how those things intertwine.

The humour was also right up my alley; the end had me laughing and rolling my eyes at the same time, and the characters had plenty of observational one-liners. It didn’t take itself too seriously, without losing sight of the mystical setting and tone.

My main complaint is that I wanted more! Not just because I was having a great time reading it, but a few extra paragraphs here and there would have really added to the world-building and the characterisation. However it was still a very enjoyable read, and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own. 

 Honestly? I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. My favourite bit was the historical note at the end (which is both a praise for the historical note and a criticism of the book itself) but I did find myself gripped by the story, and enjoying the ride along the way.

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The book is a romance between Mary, youngest daughter of a Scottish duke, and her third cousin (yikes but eh, third cousins is okay I guess), a military man nicknamed Tre who is reeling from the trauma he experienced on the battlefield. They are both real people, but aside from their names and the positions very little is known about them. The two bond over solving mysteries together which I absolutely loved. It gave us plenty of fun adventures, and gave Mary and Tre something to bond over and spend time on together, so their relationship grew very organically over the course of the book.

So while I enjoyed the main plot immensely, it was the little details that let this book down for me. Mary’s characterisation felt very inconsistent; for the first half of the book she would talk about how she’s mousy and shy, but her actions demonstrated the opposite. And then, later on, she said those four words that we all dread: “not like other girls”. For wanting to be friends with her husband, apparently. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way women’s bodies were described (especially for a book written by two women, shout-out to Marguerite Kaye whose name should also be on the cover). Weirdest of all were the repeated, shoe-horned in references to Princess Beatrice (daughter of Queen Victoria), which of course reminds of us Princess Beatrice (daughter of the author) – except it was always in the context of Mary not wanting to end up like Princess Beatrice.

All in all there was a strong core to this book, but the details and inconsistencies let it down for me.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.