sooo many thoughts….. so many criticisms
This book had so much potential, but Hamid kinda dropped the ball. When Anders wakes up to discover that he went from being a white man to a brown man, he panics, as anyone would. But his panic is rooted in racism. He begins to experience the world and thoughts of a person of color. Before his eyes, he goes from being one of the few brown people in his community, to existing in a community with only brown people. Hamid does make a poignant observation about racism. But at the same time, this book came off really racist. The writing style was underdeveloped and the characters were sort of 2 dimensional, creating racist commentary that wasn't well thought out. A bummer because I absolutely loved the concept.

rounded up from 3.5*
I don't often read fantasy, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I loved it nonetheless. About a girl who was stolen from her home and weaponized because of her ability to control and manipulate water, finds herself joined an unlikely team planning a heist to overthrow the very person who stole her. Alongside her thief ex-girlfriend, her guardian while under the princes control, a man with the ability to kill just about anyone or anything and his dog, and a couple others, they embark on a long journey. I loved Lloyd-Jone's writing- it was fun and engaging and descriptive. The characters and their relationships, dog included, were incredibly complex and I loved the way she effortless described their histories while intertwining them with the heist. I highly recommend for anything who is queer and trying to get more into scifi/fantasy.

Rounded up to 4*
This book was so fascinating and introduced me to a whole new set of ideas and beliefs! About several generations of Chinese women, Jamie Ford explores epigenetics- how are trauma and love and memories passed through generations? How do they change the way we see the world and interact with people? Ford considers science, spirituality, culture, and religion to understand this. This book was devastating, as were the characters, but that's what made it, and them, so beautiful. Through stories of immigration and womanhood, Ford writes an original novel that will take your breath away and challenge you to see the world differently.

Ford did, however, make this book weirdly more confusing than it needed to be. In an effort to talk about 5 generations in less than 400 pages, I felt like I never truly got to know each other women. So much happened and, therefore, almost nothing happened in this book. I love the way it all came together in the end, but my dislike for some of the characters overshadowed my love for and interest in some of the characters. A cool concept, but could've been executed a little better.

This book was right up my alley. I love a juicy, hollywood elite drama with strong, complex, diverse women. I love the concept of this book- getting to know the current, ex, and work wife of one asshole male hollywood director over the course of a 12 hour day. I was worried at the beginning that this book would be very performative, but it ended up being really complex. What at first felt like surface level representation of women of color and lesbians and the 1% turned into intense conversations about whether individuals can be blamed for choosing financial security over a diverse, equitable job. I was worried about Hart's ability to accurately describe the emotions and experiences of a victim of sexual abuse, and yet Phoebe was an incredibly written character. Zanne was complex and personally relatable. Holly was probably the least interesting to me, I don't have that much sympathy for people like her, but she ended up redeeming herself a lot. I would recommend The Work Life for any fan of diverse contemporary fiction who comes into my bookstore.

A queer, Latina #OwnVoices retelling of Much Ado About Nothing. I was engaged because who doesn’t love a shitty, smutty enemies-to-lovers, but I absolutely hated the characters in so many ways. Ben is an asshole and the whole “I love Jane Eyre” and “Oh no I have trauma because my parents are rich” thing felt BORING and so *eye roll* and he and Beatriz lack chemistry besides the fact that they have steamy sex. I also thought Beatriz wasn’t complex at all, which is unfortunate because she could’ve been a realllly interesting, cool, complex character. Side characters were interesting but felt like we were just checking more identity boxes and the mental health stuff was frankly poorly done and triggering. TW very blatant biphobia, fatphobia, suicide, drugs and alcohol, anxiety and depression, familial trauma

So powerful. I learned so much in these 273 pages, more than I have, I feel, in my lifetime. Rasheed Newson tells a beautiful fictional story about a Black gay boy named Trey, surrounded by historical happenings and unforgettable resisters. I’m honestly speechless by how much this book made me feel- scared, devastated, hopeless and hopeful, excited, and safe. This book, our history is not for the faint of heart. Rasheed Newson, through Trey, as well as Angie and Simon and Rustin and the countless other brothers and sisters who we exist on the shoulders of, illustrates the ACT up movement fraught with sacrifices and loss and resilience, in such a beautiful manner. This is truly a must read. Definitely in my top 3 of 2022 thus far.

I don't read a lot of romance because it typically can't keep me super engaged, but I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive and devoured every word of it. Alison Cochrun's writing style is playful and witty. She also creates impeccable characters. Charlie is adorable and so charming and vulnerable and Dev is relatable and complex. I loved how diverse the representation was from the bisexual and lesbian princesses to the nonbinary and asexual best friends, as well as the discussions about sexuality, sometimes race, and of course, mental health. It's hard to not offend when writing about a lot of these topics, but Alison's efforts worked so well. This book was quite literally charming. The bachelor concept did not feel overdone, in fact, Cochrun made me want to be a part of it. A delightful read!

So cute! Bitty is soft and sensitive and awkward and soooo gay! Ukazu's attention to detail both in the dialogue and illustrations is amazing! Every character is developed so well and I closed this feeling like a member of the Samwell University Hocky team and the need to read book 2. I wish it was a bit more on the gay romance side than it was (only 1 kiss?!), but it only builds up the suspense for book 2. Highly recommend.

What happens when the closeted cheerleader who is dating a closeted football player falls for the new QT.... who is a girl? Drama! Obviously. Funny, sweet, adorable, and breezy. Adler provides a romance for the gays and the sports lovers. With complex friendships, she perfectly captures the high school experience.

This semi-autobiographical romance novel about 2 girls in their first year at Pitt was adorable and funny and heartfelt. Alex has a difficult home-life, but is beautiful, while Molly has everything she could ever want, except the ability to talk to people. A fake-dating, enemies-to-love, Alex helps Molly get the girl of dreams in an effort to prove to her own girlfriend (sorta) that she can make friends without flirting. This book was even more special knowing Rachael and Alyson wrote it about their meet-cute now that their married. Not just a squishy YA romance, but complex with amazing dialogue and even better side characters.