3.5 stars! Gave me The Girls vibes. Really well written and deeply unsettling from start to finish. Heller is British and I’m obsessed with books that sound very British haha. The narrator Barbara was off putting and I don’t know what to make of her. The plot was intriguing, but I prefer extremely developed, interesting characters and I didn’t really get that from this book- we only got to know Sheba and Barbara, and even so their stories come from an untrustworthy source.

I loved Concrete Rose more than On The Come Up, but less then The Hate U Give. I didn’t know it was a prequel to THUG when I started it, but learning about Maverick and where Starr comes from and how she came to be made me love the entire “series” even more. I love Thomas’ writing style and the way she pushes readers to think not only about race and racial justice, but also masculinity and femininity. Maverick is an incredibly strong character, and by that I mean he is sensitive and thoughtful and selfless. He gets lost sometimes (who doesn’t?), but he always finds his way back to what matters: the people he cares about and the people who care for him. Also, bonus points for CR being a little fruity of course. Angie Thomas, I love you and thank you for another book- with characters I can’t help but fall in love and empathize with- that made me think deeply, while also serving as an escape.

a really amazing mystery!!! super compelling, but a couple inconsistencies! florence was a fascinating character! and i did not expect the very end and normally i’m hard to surprise

“But to be alive in the world, every day, as we are given more and more and more, as the nature of ‘what we can handle’ changes and our methods for how we handle it change, too, that’s something of a miracle.” I loved Homegoing but I love Transcendent Kingdom more. It reminded me of Americanah and When They Call You A Terrorist. Yaa Gyasi is a beautiful writer and she writes absolutely heartbreaking stories about the most incredible, strong characters. Gifty has experienced real trauma and she becomes a brilliant, curious woman with a huge heart and steadfast determination. Ellie and I have been sending books to each other for 2 years now, and this is my favorite so far- Thank you, Ellie for sharing this with me. A must read.

I gasped out loud multiple times throughout this book. Full of twists, turns, and shockers, Conviction follows Anna McDonald, a mystery podcast junky, solve a mystery on her own. There were moments that I feel were unclear and confused me, but in the end the book came together. Conviction is contemporary and relevant, but also has dark humor and surprise. Mina's writing is also beautiful and powerful and I want to read more by her.