papercraftalex's Reviews (368)

I learned a lot from this story and there were great resources in the back. The art had a profound affect on the story and made it amazing.

Creepy as heck! Beautiful and terrifying

Hibbert is a good writer. She is also perpetually British. It was, however, incredibly refreshing to see a protag with chronic illness. I related a lot to Chloe and I would love to see more characters like her.

This was a really great poetry collection. Betts is very good at playing with form.

This was so out of my comfort zone, but I loved it! It was very well written and edited; when I found out the author self-published I was in awe! I’d absolutely recommend this.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 and it did not disappoint. The characters were fully fleshed and so real, the romantic tension made my stomach clench, and the spicy scenes were very hot (don’t let the cutesy cover fool you!). I love seeing a nonbinary character in a more main-stream romance, and London was written with such care and love. I felt seen. Plus, the cooking show aspect added drama I really enjoyed! This book became an instant favorite.

I definitely preferred this one to the previous one. It’s possible that I connected more strongly to this one, but it felt overall more hard-hitting and deeper, plus the lines were more like Amanda Lovelace’s usual impactful poetry.

This book is just inspiration porn and doesn't reflect real disabled lives. Please read own voices books instead.

Dalia Kinsey opens this book by talking about how white, heteronormative, and cisnormative most wellness books are and how the aim of the book was to be there for the people who don't fit in those narrow crevices. This book absolutely accomplished that. It was full of helpful tips and information showing not just how to be well but why we are unwell and how focusing on our wellness is an act of rebellion. 

A quote that encapsulates the message and writing style of this book is "Our goal is not immortality through kale smoothies and carrot juice. We are here to live full, joyful, authentic lives. Any practice that we decide to take into our lives needs to be in alignment with that purpose. Instead of living under the delusion that we can achieve immortality through 'good behavior,' it is far more empowering to focus on treasuring the lives we have."

The only problems I found were that at times the writing seemed inaccessible, a bit too academic if someone wasn't familiar with this language. I also found the beginning to be a bit disorganized and repetitive, but it definitely improved in the second half.

Overall, this is a great read for people who want a wellness book that is culturally informed and understands how society impacts our health. I'm so excited for any future book Dalia Kinsey might release!

Rachel Wiley is an artist with words. Her poetry was so unbelievably vivid; she created pictures with literary devices. Revenge Body explores a lot of different topics like fatness, race, family, abuse, and grief but the poems still flowed together well because Wiley has such a unique and strong voice. This is a wonderful poetry collection for every one who has been called an angry fat feminist and now holds that as a sign of power.

My favorite line from this collection was: