jennireadsmaybe's Reviews (678)

Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC <3 

Zombieland but make it gay as hell!! I've loved Zombieland long enough to have suffered through the decade long wait for Double Tap, so when this came up on my IG feed I immediately knew I had to read it. And let me tell y'all, I didn't disappoint!!! Lindsay King-Miller captured all the gritty, gory, and gut-punching elements of a zombie outbreak better than ever before. Add in the unbearable heat of an Arizona summer and The Z Word was sickening. 

Wendy and her queer friend group are messy as hell. It's a hilarious and delightfully honest portrayal. So much of the book surrounds Wendy as she struggles to find her place after a messy break up. Honestly, I was obsessed with her from start to finish because of the mess (relatable!!!). Also, I'm always here for chaotic, imperfect queer people, because we're allowed to be just as flawed as cishet people. 

Read this if you've been craving a book about zombie outbreaks, messy queer friend groups, queer people fighting against awful government officials, and gritty, campy horror. 

A special shout out to Del from @booksbeyondthebinary over on Instagram for putting this on my radar!! 

Pillow Forts and Hurricanes is a heartwarming novella that focuses on a queerplatonic between two best friends. Emma and Noah communicate so well especially within the realm of developing a QPR. Margherita Scialla captures everything about their QPR so well. I would read a hundred more books about the entire friend group and the various QPRs. 

Emma and Noah are both characters that I enjoyed reading about. I also really liked the side characters and felt they added a little something to the plot. It just felt like a warm hug that I didn't want to leave behind. Looking forward to reading more from xem! 

PF&H is short, sweet, and wholesome. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for more aroace representation, found family friend groups, and the messiness of being a college student. 

Cash Delgado is my dream (woman)! As usual, Tehlor Kay Mejia completely wrecked me with another book! I love Cash Delgado is Living the Dream so much! It follows the titular FMC who is a bartending, single mom fighting to keep a major corporation from taking over her small town and falling in love with her best friend. It's just so up my alley. 

Cash's later in life exploration of her sexuality is so real LMAO (the am I gay googling is iconic!). The romance is so soft and steamy and won't leave my brain ever. Cash's mental breakdown-inspiring dirty dreams got progressively more hilarious and when she and Inez finally got their moment I screamed. So hot 🥵 

Read this if you like sapphic romances, single mom romances, friends-to-lovers, quirky small towns, and queer friendship groups. 

This is Why They Hate Us is the perfect example of a book that can save lives. If I had had this book as a teenager struggling with many of the same things as Qique I might have felt more comfortable seeking help earlier. Qique's story is so important for people of all ages!

Aaron H. Aceves is so so good at crafting likable characters who you can't help but root for. Qique's POV is hilarious, heartfelt, and so true to the messy nature of teenage-hood. All of his different relationships are handled so well. All of his hook ups remained true to who he is and what he was trying to do. I really really really (probably a lot more reallys too) his friendship with Fabiola who is basically his other half; they were both so funny and messy! 

Read if you like coming of age stories with romance, diverse queer representation (bisexual, mentally ill, Latine, teenage boy mmc and several other side characters as well), and navigating queer identities as a teenager, and wholesome coming out stories. I genuinely can't wait to read whatever comes next for Aaron H. Aceves! 

I listened to ALKBF in one day. Once I started I just couldn't stop. Jucee and Cyn (aka Poppa 🥵) have the kind of romance I couldn't help but root for from the start because it's coming off of years of friendship and the sudden "oh shit I think this attraction I have towards my best friend isn't exactly friendly anymore" realization. It really was a delightful, delectable, down bad(able) romance from start to finish. 

A fat, Black, butch lesbian and a fat, Black, bisexual femme!?!? Chencia C. Higgins has the best representation in everything she writes! It's also so atmospheric from the clubs to the food, it was like being right next to them as I listened. Cyn's family is the kind I dream of (ouch) and they bring Jucee right into the fold. 

The spice y'all!!! I was melting, blushing, kicking my feet and giggling! Read if you like sapphic romance, friends to lovers, single parent romance, musically inclined mcs, hot & steamy smut scenes, and really if you just want to have a damn good time! 

I don't read a ton of adult fantasy; however, Jade City is such an interesting start to a fantasy series. It's not a favorite by any means, but I am very invested in what will happen next. Fonda Lee is phenomenal at world building. Every detail from the smallest to the biggest creates an atmosphere that is impossible not to be trapped in for a long time after putting the book down. 

I liked getting glimpses at all three of the siblings, because they're all so different but trapped in this mafia like environment. Each of their personalities were distinct. Even the lesser(?) members of the Kaul and Ayt families were intriguing. Lee really captured the mafia/mob at each turn from the violent attacks to the political upheaval. I'm excited to find out what happens next for both families. 

Anytime I'm in a bit of a slump, I can count on Devney Perry to get me out of it. Her books are so easy to fall in love with. Blitz is the second, standalone romance in a series of sports romances. I missed a bit of the romantic suspense that I'm used to seeing, but it was still a super cute, fluffy romance with a man who is so down bad for the fmc. 

Jennsyn is going through it. She's come to Montana to figure out her life. She's a bit of a loner because she doesn't trust anyone. I really liked being inside her head because I could feel just how desperate she was for a fresh start. Toren is such a great character for her to fall for. He meets her where she's at. He's the first person to want her for her potential as a person outside of volleyball.

Honestly, the car detailing scene changed the way I feel about love and how soft it can be

Read if you like forbidden romance, age gap, coach x student, and small town vibes. If you want Devney Perry writing without romantic suspense, the Treasure State Wildcats series is perfect for you. 

Their Vicious Games is a brutal satire in the vein of Ace of Spades (on of my all time favs), Squid Games, and The Bachelor. Joelle Wellington is truly a force to be reckoned with! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Honestly, I walked away thinking it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities for something like this to happen. It was freaking terrifying. 

Adina is a wonderfully executed take on desperation. She has to reckon with how badly she wants her dreams to come true if The Finish is what it takes to get there. Her friendship with Saint is the bit of wholesomeness that I needed to get me through the horrific events. It was heartbreaking to watch them both suffering, but I knew they would be there for each other. 

I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a YA thriller with a diverse cast of characters and commentary on upper crust society. Joelle Wellington made the list of debut authors to watch out for. 

There's something about Timothy Janovsky books that keep me coming back for more every time. Every single one feels like a warm hug, You Had Me at Happy Hour is no exception. From the start, Janovsky's characters, Julien and Greg, create this sense of belonging (Julien has OCD and Greg GAD), that personally makes me feel so seen with my own mental illness. 

They're almost complete opposites — grumpy/sunshine, wine vs liquor, and so forth. A spilled tray of drinks and one semi-ruined shirt leaves them starting off on the wrong foot, but the sizzling attraction is burning steadily on the back burner. It's both hot & steamy and soft and full of yearning glances. I enjoyed every second of it! 

You should read this if you like mental health representation, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, food-adjacent romances, and sweet and steamy love. 

Honestly, this was such a fun mash up by two authors I love (Adiba Jaigirdar + Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. I was so glad I received both an e-ARC and an ALC. The audio narration is amazing all three narrators added a little something to each character. I definitely recommend listening!

Plot wise, I really enjoyed Tiwa and Said's childhood friends to haters to friends to lovers romance. They each know each other so well and it makes their past heartbreak all the more emotional for it. It also takes time for them to grow comfortable with each other again... which I loved because it gave me the moments of learning each other again.

An ode to Muslim communities, Tiwa and Said join forces to help rebuild their local Islamic center after it gets damaged in a fire. I am a huge fan of YA stories with political elements because teens are so powerful! AJ + FAI capture teenage struggles amidst so much other happenings for the characters so so well.

The commentary on anti-Blackness within the Muslim community is so so important. I hope this book gets into the hands of teenagers everywhere!