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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
Beautiful book about Jewish queer identity, immigration and community. Featuring an angel and a demon who are each other's best studypartners, and a lesbian teenager.
This is a wonderful little book, as long as you don't expect things from it that it doesn't want to give. It's not a slowburn, and maybe not "realistic" for three trans people to find each other like this, but that's not the point. It's about three trans people finding each other away from the city and falling in love and lust, and easing each other's loneliness.
It also had that idyllic countryside vibe that I like, with long walks in the forest, collecting nature's bounty, etc. It always managed to describe the meals in a way that made me jealous, even if they were simple foods on their own.
It also had that idyllic countryside vibe that I like, with long walks in the forest, collecting nature's bounty, etc. It always managed to describe the meals in a way that made me jealous, even if they were simple foods on their own.
Very good story that absolutely made me scared as an adult. Also good characters and sweet dynamics.
I received an eARC through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This should have been right up my alley based on the concept, but I still struggled with it. It took me a month to get through half of it, then I had to rush to finish it before it expires, which wasn't a good way to read it. I think it's the kind of book where you have to savor the language more.
Anyway. Coup de Coeur is a gay polyamorous romance in a historical fantasy setting, focusing on three (or four) men whose life is connected by a strange and dangerous magical object, which an infamous secret society also wants. Calix, Ethaniel and Aubrey are quite busy between trying to find out more about the book and running for their lives, but thankfully they still find the time to visit gay bathhouses, which I think are glorious.
The book itself starts with several author's notes, including a description of the four protagonists, which felt very info dump-y to me. I admit I don't really remember any of what was described there, including the modern identity labels, because it was just too much too fast without any context or reason to care. I would have preferred to get to know the characters organically and maybe include the descriptions and the historical context at the end instead.
It's clear that a lot of research went into this book, and there is a very interesting reading list at the end for those who are more interested in the themes of the book. But at the end of the day, I suppose I was bored for most of it. Also, this book did not earn my trust to pull off a cliffhanger like that. But I'll keep an eye on the sequel and decide whether to read it once it has a blurb.
This should have been right up my alley based on the concept, but I still struggled with it. It took me a month to get through half of it, then I had to rush to finish it before it expires, which wasn't a good way to read it. I think it's the kind of book where you have to savor the language more.
Anyway. Coup de Coeur is a gay polyamorous romance in a historical fantasy setting, focusing on three (or four) men whose life is connected by a strange and dangerous magical object, which an infamous secret society also wants. Calix, Ethaniel and Aubrey are quite busy between trying to find out more about the book and running for their lives, but thankfully they still find the time to visit gay bathhouses, which I think are glorious.
The book itself starts with several author's notes, including a description of the four protagonists, which felt very info dump-y to me. I admit I don't really remember any of what was described there, including the modern identity labels, because it was just too much too fast without any context or reason to care. I would have preferred to get to know the characters organically and maybe include the descriptions and the historical context at the end instead.
It's clear that a lot of research went into this book, and there is a very interesting reading list at the end for those who are more interested in the themes of the book. But at the end of the day, I suppose I was bored for most of it. Also, this book did not earn my trust to pull off a cliffhanger like that. But I'll keep an eye on the sequel and decide whether to read it once it has a blurb.
Sadly a disappointment. The painted edges are beautiful, but the writing style is kind of obnoxious, the story and the romantic relationship is mid at best, and the ending is... not really fit for a romance as a genre. Iskra is a good character though, that's the only really good thing I can say about this.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
A funny and cute grumpy/sunshine romcom on a farm. It's pretty short and an easy read, so I read it in one day, and I found it a nice summer read. Molly and Alex are a cute couple, but more than that, there is a sense of family and community on the farm who help each other.
I know that farming is hard and often disgusting work (which this book also shows to some degree - yikes), but it still made me long for baby cows and fresh produce and farmer's markets.
I rolled my eyes a bit at the obligatory drama around 80%, but I can say that it got wrapped up quickly and the resolution was so sweet that I'm willing to forgive it.
A funny and cute grumpy/sunshine romcom on a farm. It's pretty short and an easy read, so I read it in one day, and I found it a nice summer read. Molly and Alex are a cute couple, but more than that, there is a sense of family and community on the farm who help each other.
I know that farming is hard and often disgusting work (which this book also shows to some degree - yikes), but it still made me long for baby cows and fresh produce and farmer's markets.
I rolled my eyes a bit at the obligatory drama around 80%, but I can say that it got wrapped up quickly and the resolution was so sweet that I'm willing to forgive it.
Funny book about protecting animals that just happen to be the size of a large building.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
That Night in the Library is a fast-paced, locked room thriller taking place during one night... yes, in a library. Seven people gather in an old library basement under several levels of concrete to get high on drugs and recreate an ancient Greek ritual. Because that can never go wrong. And suddenly, those few hours until morning seem impossibly long.
It wasn't clear to me from the blurb that pretty much the entire cast is on drugs for the entirety of the book. This definitely makes the whole thing feel like a fever dream, complete with hallucinations and erratic behavior. It also gets pretty bloody and gore-y. There are even some fun trivia moments about old libraries and old books.
The ending has a good callback to the beginning and wraps up the story nicely - I certainly didn't expect those last few sentences.
I suppose my only complaint is that the drugging kind of provides a "good excuse" for the murders, so it felt less "real" to me. It was still an exciting read, but probably not something I'd re-read.
That Night in the Library is a fast-paced, locked room thriller taking place during one night... yes, in a library. Seven people gather in an old library basement under several levels of concrete to get high on drugs and recreate an ancient Greek ritual. Because that can never go wrong. And suddenly, those few hours until morning seem impossibly long.
It wasn't clear to me from the blurb that pretty much the entire cast is on drugs for the entirety of the book. This definitely makes the whole thing feel like a fever dream, complete with hallucinations and erratic behavior. It also gets pretty bloody and gore-y. There are even some fun trivia moments about old libraries and old books.
The ending has a good callback to the beginning and wraps up the story nicely - I certainly didn't expect those last few sentences.
I suppose my only complaint is that the drugging kind of provides a "good excuse" for the murders, so it felt less "real" to me. It was still an exciting read, but probably not something I'd re-read.
I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher.
This book is tough to rate. I enjoyed most of it, then part of the ending kind of ruined it for me and dragged it down at least a full star. But let's go chronologically and talk about the things I enjoyed first.
And Then There Was One is both a murder mystery and an LGBT romantic mystery (not clear whether bisexual or lesbian). Lyla is the poor cousin of one of the richest families around, who is working as a nanny on their private little island when the family matriarch is murdered. I especially liked Lyla's perspective because she is part of the family and an outsider at the same time. And this family has enough secrets to fill an island.
I enjoyed the characters, who all felt like their own real people, and I especially liked the little ocean-obsessed great-grandson, Rock. I liked that the matriarch dying actually came with relief for the adult grandchildren, because they could finally figure out how to live their own lives without the toxic pressure.
And then there was that twist at the end. It was a secondary twist that didn't really affect the main plot, so I feel like it didn't add anything to the story except being the biggest cliché that happens in every book with this topic. So it kind of soured the book for me, especially because I actually found the main plot interesting, so this just felt unnecessary.
This book is tough to rate. I enjoyed most of it, then part of the ending kind of ruined it for me and dragged it down at least a full star. But let's go chronologically and talk about the things I enjoyed first.
And Then There Was One is both a murder mystery and an LGBT romantic mystery (not clear whether bisexual or lesbian). Lyla is the poor cousin of one of the richest families around, who is working as a nanny on their private little island when the family matriarch is murdered. I especially liked Lyla's perspective because she is part of the family and an outsider at the same time. And this family has enough secrets to fill an island.
I enjoyed the characters, who all felt like their own real people, and I especially liked the little ocean-obsessed great-grandson, Rock. I liked that the matriarch dying actually came with relief for the adult grandchildren, because they could finally figure out how to live their own lives without the toxic pressure.
And then there was that twist at the end. It was a secondary twist that didn't really affect the main plot, so I feel like it didn't add anything to the story except being the biggest cliché that happens in every book with this topic. So it kind of soured the book for me, especially because I actually found the main plot interesting, so this just felt unnecessary.