elementarymydear's Reviews (967)

 

This book was such a fun read, filled with twists and turns, completely out there while still being painfully relatable!

I’ll admit that at the start I didn’t really like Georgina, and much preferred the side characters, but as the story went on she really grew on me and we saw the whole cast as the flawed, well-rounded characters that they are. What this book did really well is capture that coming out experience for so many bisexual people, especially what it’s like when you start to participate more in the wider community. It felt almost painfully true to life, and the ‘double-life’ idea was such a good way of demonstrating what it can feel like.

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As well as touching on some more serious topics such as grief and mental health, the story was fun, relatable and fresh. I laughed, I cringed, and I put my head in my hands as Georgina tried to navigate these two, seemingly separate worlds. I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a ‘romcom’, as it’s marketed, but it’s definitely a ‘com’ with the main character trying her best at the ‘rom’.

This is a great addition to the growing list of bi books, and I’m sure it will mean a lot to a lot of people as soon as it hits the shelves.

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

 

 This was a truly wonderful read. Stunningly written, it had all the qualities of a slow-burn, sweeping epic while being readable in one sitting.

In Victorian England we follow Nathan, the son of a viscount, who has been sent to live in the family’s summer home following a disagreement with his father (the exact details of which we don’t learn until later). As he is settling in to his new solitary life he meets the new groundskeeper, Peter, and they strike up a tentative friendship.

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The romance between the two main characters built up so organically across the book, and you could feel Nathan’s yearning through the page. (So much yearning!) They complement each other really well as characters, and you can’t help but root for them from the get go.

As well as the romance, the other key element here is a gothic one. Nathan can hear and see things others can’t, and is able to recall melodies which he has never heard, but the listener remembers from their childhood. These touches added an air of darkness and mystery to the book that I loved, and I loved that we as the reader got to explore them alongside Nathan as he begins to experiment with his talents.

I can’t wait to read more from Talbot Finch; if this debut is anything to go by, great things are in store!

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

 

 Mermaids? Pirates? Sapphic romance? Sign me up!!

I love a good fairytale-inspired story as much as the next person, and this debut did not disappoint. It’s an adventure from start to finish, taking you along the journey right up until the final page (which I really hope isn’t the end… I need to know what happens next!).

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We follow Kae, a human princess-turned-pirate, and Aqeara, a siren who makes a deal with a sea-witch to become human and exact revenge on her cousin who was killed by siren hunters. I loved the way sirens were depicted in this book, it was exciting and immersive while still staying true to the sirens of legend.

You can’t help but root for them in their enemies-to-reluctant friends-to-lovers story, and all the adventures they have on the way. Melissa Karibian has created such a vivid world; it’s proper escapist fantasy. The plot broadly echoes the main beats of ‘The Little Mermaid’, and while there were a few twists and reveals that seemed a little too out-of-left-field, on the whole it’s a good pace that carries through right to the end.

If you like pirates and/or mermaids and/or sapphic romance, this is definitely one to check out! And in the meantime I will be (not so) patiently waiting for a sequel…

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

 

This was a lovely read, with two compelling leads, a fully-fleshed out world, and a wonderful cast of supporting characters.

Anne, the Duchess of Hawthorne, is trapped in a miserable marriage of convenience. She’s dreading the return of her husband, his lover in tow, and goes to great lengths to prevent it - namely, hiring an interior designer to completely overhaul her house in the hope that it will be unliveable. Letitia Barrow, a designer determined to make a name for herself, wants to not only be appreciated for her skills but to earn enough money to comfortably support herself and her son. No prizes for guessing what happens next!

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Not only do we have slightly older leads than we usually do in regency romance, each of our two leads had her own character arc, including friends and family, that was distinct (but not completely unconnected) from the romance. In fact, I would say that the romance acted more as a vehicle for their individual storylines, both of which were incredibly satisfying to read.

I also loved the focus on the wider queer community, the challenges they faced, and how the characters dealt with them. While the author doesn’t shy away from the very real dangers facing queer people of this era, she isn’t afraid to give them all a happy ending too.

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

 

 I loved this book SO MUCH! It’s been a long time since I was this excited to carry on reading, counting down to when I would be able to read some more, staying up until the early hours to finish it.

The story is told from the perspective of Milo, a Florida high school student who has been raised in a conservative Christian household, and is himself Christian. Milo is such a great protagonist, with a great voice to read from and a very moving character arc. The other of our title characters, Marcos, met Milo a few years prior at a Christian summer camp, and while he also has very traditional parents he is a firm atheist. Their reunion in high school not only coincides with some apocalyptic events, but brings old (and in some cases repressed) feelings to the surface.

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Primarily this is a story about Milo, Marcos and their friendship-turned-relationship, with the apocalypse element happening alongside, underlining and emphasising the important turning points in their relationship. It was so brilliantly done, capturing so many elements of that very specific queer Christian teen experience. The books could easily have been either very dark or very light-hearted, but Snipes found the perfect balance, keeping some levity while giving the serious moments the weight they deserved.

I was intrigued going in as to how the themes of religion and belief would play out, but I was really pleased to see it done so well, exploring the complexities of belief and organised religion and all the nuances within that. The way family dynamics was portrayed, the friendships – everything was absolutely top tier.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It was moving, it was cathartic, it was about the small and the mundane as well as the end of the world. This is one of the best debuts I’ve read, and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you to Harper360YA for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

 

 For a book with such strong themes of death, you would expect something much darker than what Ayanna Lloyd Banwo has written. It has its moments, certainly, but the dark moments are just one side of this story, which uses magical realism and romance to weave a multi-faceted narrative.

The stand-out feature of this book for me was the writing itself. Banwo has such a talent with words. There were so many times I highlighted a passage, or put my Kindle down to just allow myself to digest what I had just read. I’m very excited to read her future work; if this is her debut novel, I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

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Although there is a strong romantic element to the story, the romance itself doesn’t come until quite late on, instead taking the time to build up the two main characters on their separate storylines. Of the two characters I did find Darwin much more compelling, as we slowly uncovered not just his story but the goings-on around him.

While the individual elements of the story were great, there was something about it that I just couldn’t quite engage with. Once I was sat down reading I could quite happily whiz through several chapters, but it didn’t quite compel me to pick it up once I’d put it down again. That being said, the writing was stunning and the overall story was unusual and unlike anything else I’ve read.

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