littleredmacks's Reviews (528)

A lot of these books happens 'off screen' as it were. The premise is very interesting but the execution leaves something to be desired. I feel like you don't even get to truly feel the romance between any of the characters because all the connection and interesting plot points happen where you don't get to see them and you have to hear about them. 
Very gossip girl feel to it with very few things that keep the plot interesting. The characters are also very flat making it hard to engage with them. 

This book tackles how feminism today is not feminism for all women. The author backs it up with anecdotes and historical examples. If you are palm colored and consider yourself a feminist this book is a must read so we can truly begin the work to stand in solidarity with WOC rather than use feminism as another form of oppression without even realizing it. 

This book focuses on growth, forgiveness and connection. So often in second chance romances (which I typically don’t like), there are two people who did all the work off screen and are coming back together OR who never really fixed the issues that tore them apart, they’re just better at ignoring them. I don’t feel either of those was the case here. 

I love that they actually worked through their issues and put in the hard work to come back together. They recognize how coming back together isn’t just as easy as forgive and forget because of the scars they caused each other. 

This book also explores the children and how the divorce affected them and how they have to be part of that healing process too. 

Minor spoiler
A lot of books will use a pregnancy to push the couple back together so I predicted that’s where it was going when there was a pregnancy scare but that wasn’t at all what happened. I appreciated that they did the work. 

Nonfiction 

Memoir 

Palestinian Author 

Reaction to events NOT an explanation  OF events 

This book is a reaction to the events so if you know NOTHING about Israel and Palestine this isn’t the one to read. Read this after a more historical one. 

This book had a lot of sexual content and objectification of women that really appeared to have no bearing on the story.

4 stars 

Collection of short stories 

Each are of a Palestinian immigrant in canada 

Debut work 

Quick easy read 

 

Every story here made me want more. Like I probably could have read a novella or novel on almost all of them. 

 

3 stars 

Palestinian American Poet 

Historical Fiction 

Follows 3 generations 

Lack of plot 

Lyrically written 

 

The author, Hala Alyan, award-winning Palestinian American poet, novelist and clinical psychologist whose work has appeared in numerous journals including The Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner and Colorado Review. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband. 

 

This book follows 3 generations of a family that was displaced and explores the effects that displacement and war can have on even the privileged. In many ways, then, this is a novel about privilege. Alyan takes groups we often see as disadvantaged, demonstrates their advantages, but shows us that privilege is still relative, and that trauma can still be experienced within such constructs. 

 

They skip between one character to the next which can be jarring as they also skip froward a bit in the timeline. 

 

There is a theme of ‘what do you do when you can never return home’ which I feel is a great theme to explore however this is a book lacking a true plot. So if that’s important to you I would consider other books. That being said, even with a lack of plat, this book was still lyrically written. It was well done. 

 

2.5 stars 

Peter Pan retelling 

Plot is wonky 

Easy read 

 

Wendy is a hospital volunteer trying to become a nurse when kids start going missing again. 

 

The friendship between Jordan and Wendy isn’t really something that seems fortified or well done. It feels like there’s this wall between them even though they’re supposed to be the closest to each other. That could be because we dive deep into the conflict between them without truly getting to see their friendship. 

 

Felt very fan fiction like in the sense that there were scenes that def didn’t go with the plot but you could tell the author wanted those vibes. 

The art is stunning 

Story is so relevant 

Girls with swords 

 

I almost talked myself out of giving this book five stars. But I’m going to give it five stars and it’s my first five star read of 2024. 

 

When I was going through the reviews because I’m curious and nosy I saw a lot of complaints that they didn’t actually change the system they were caught in and that the theme of : war is evil is so basic. 

 

I think that even though there isn’t a ton of character development and they don’t completely uproot the systems they are parts of it is so realistic. We do the right thing when we can but uprooting systems of oppression take time. Especially when those systems of oppression have the ability write history. 

 

I would also argue that the themes of this run much deeper than many of the critics give it credit for. We have a child hiding her identity so she can fit in and make friends. If that doesn’t speak to immigrating to America I don’t know what does. 

 

We have one of the recruits who has indoctrination so ingrained to him that even when things fall in front of him and he is presented with proof of what is happening he denies it and leave to go rejoin the army. I really could see interesting arcs from that character should we get a sequel. 

 

We have two characters that we’re friends with this character who have to realize their prejudice and the way they othered her when they found out. Which just further reinforces the idea that she should have hid her identity to begin with. 

 

And yeah. Sure. War is bad. But that wasn’t the main theme here. It’s that the conquerors and victors get to tell the story. And their story isn’t always the truth. Even now, as an educator, I can confirm that there is whitewashing of history that is presented to children. The lesson here is when you are learning history you have to question who is telling it and who does it serve so you can attempt to find the truths buried beneath the smoke and mirrors. 

Rereading for nostalgia. 
This series has so many problematic things with it, I honestly don't know where to start. I don't rate books 1 star unless I DNF otherwise this would be lower.