Malerman was insistent on letting us know that the two main characters are 17 years old. Did you know that they are 17? Isn't it awesome that they are 17? They are falling in love and THEY ARE 17. This book read like it was written for a high school creative writing class. And I honestly know some 17 YEAR OLDS who could have done the story better. Can someone please explain to me how a person underwater can gasp in surprise without choking? Oh, I know: it's because THEY'RE 17. 

A short and sweet fantasy that reads more like oral storytelling than a novel. Great ambiance, simple plot, and slightly underdeveloped characters. Good enby and sapphic rep. 

Party girls in New York city living la vie boheme. I loved it. This was a plotless, character driven story and I ate it up.

If you like noir, you might like this. There is nothing particularly wrong with this book; it's just not a genre I typically enjoy. I liked learning more about this era in Mexican history.

This is such a powerful book for middle grade children. It addresses immigration policy and racism so, so well. It is age appropriate but still packs a big punch. Love!

This book was well done. It addresses the unequal balance of emotional and cognitive labor in heterosexual marriages. It illustrates the heavy burdens mothers have to carry when their husbands don't step up and the feeling of entrapment once a woman gets in this kind of situation. It also covers grief and postpartum depression well. Overall a really solid read. 

This was a fun read and the setting created a good level of tension and intrigue. At one point towards the middle of the book I lost the thread and had no idea where the story was headed but was still enjoying the ride. The ending was fine. I wanted something a bit more dramatic, shocking, and grandiose because I felt like it was building up to something huge but the ending didn't match the buildup and was a bit of a let down. 

Backman's character work is top tier. If you are a character driven reader, this is a must. Add it to your list!

I am surprised by how unsurprising this was. There wasn't anything told in here that would create any more "scandal" around the Sussexes than has already been created with their other interviews and podcasts and other media. The story is consistent with the story Harry and Megan tell in all their interviews and outlets. It was an interesting read and pretty well written. 

Nicely done. One again, Emezi writes a solid read. I do like their litfic better than romance, but this was a good contemporary romance. It's about a forbidden love and all the messiness that comes with that. It also addresses the themes of grief, family bonds, healing.