Wow, this book was an experience. Breathtakingly beautiful with a whimsical writing style, and an incredibly rich atmosphere that sucks you in and makes you wonder if magic really does exist. I don’t know what I was expecting when I went into this book, but it certainly wasn’t this, and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t really have a whole lot to say to be honest, this is one of those books that is really hard to describe. I loved everything about it, I genuinely can’t think of a single downside. This was super confusing at time, I had a hard time following the timeline (the chapters flip flop between different years, so you really have to pay attention), but I didn’t actually mind that. I knew that eventually it would all come together and it would make sense, so even though I was confused I was just enjoying the ride.

Erin Morgenstern’s brain is a beautiful, wonderful thing. This must have been a difficult book to write, I have no idea how she did it. But wow she really did that! I can’t wait to get to The Starless Sea now!

Review to come!

Some really beautiful pieces in here, a lot of it resonated with me right now. The first and last chapters were my favourites. The rest were nice, but I did find it to be pretty repetitive. There were several poems that were very similar to one that I had just read a few pages before, and the same metaphors used over and over again. I think this would be better if I’d read maybe one or two poems a day instead of mostly in one sitting, that way the repetitiveness wouldn’t have been so obvious and I could have just enjoyed the beauty of each poem individually without comparing them to the ones I’d just read

4.5⭐️

Read for O.W.L.s Magical Readathon - Herbology: a book that starts with "M" (see my O.W.L.s TBR video here)

This was good
Holy shit this was GOOD

I am so incredibly in love with the way Sarah Gailey writes stories, they just suck me in so completely. Ugh, truly perfection. I don't have much to say in terms of an actual review, because in short I liked everything and disliked nothing. It's almost a 5 star read, but even though I absolutely adored every second of this novel, it didn't quite make the favourites shelf, so it's just a hair below a 5. But it's so so close

Review to come!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cheer UP: Love and Pompoms is exactly the kind of my book my queer heart hopes for every time I pick up a book with a LGBTQ+ characters. This was quite possibly the sweetest thing I've ever read; it literally had me squealing with the utmost joy every couple of pages.

Cheer Up follows two childhood friends, Bebe and Annie, who drifted apart. Now teenagers, Bebe has come out as transgender and joined cheerleading as the first trans girl ever on the team, while Annie has become a social loner with a fiery temper and a tendency to make people dislike her. Annie is forced by her mother to join the cheer squad, and the two rekindle their friendship after Bebe stands up for her. What follows is a heart warming story of two girls who are polar opposites, helping each other to unlearn the worst parts of themselves while uplifting each other through the trials of being a queer teenager.

I truly adored this graphic novel. Everything from the characters, the writing, the art style, to the story were all done with so much love and care poured into it. I love the stark contrast between Bebe and Annie, and how they were able to play off of each other's strengths and learn so much in such a short amount of time. I deeply appreciate seeing the experiences that Bebe goes through as an out trans girl, and how the author showed that even those who are well-meaning can do and say hurtful things. The fears that Bebe has of making a scene, or being too loud in a place where she is already the centre of attention just for existing, is so relatable to me as a visibly queer person. I loved the conversations that were had surrounding boundaries, and seeing the reactions of others. The characters and their relationships were complex and so very real, and I loved every second of it. I think this is going to be a book that will be celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community, and I can't wait to see everyone fall in love with it as much as I have!