For the sake of honesty, I read this book so I could read a new release (Being Lolita by Alisson Wood). That book focuses on a high school aged girl who was groomed by her English teacher. He gave her this title and used it to justify their relationship. I figured that I might as well read this book before tackling that one so that I had some background knowledge on the piece of literature that plays such a big role in this memoir. To keep things short, I did not enjoy reading Lolita. I found the subject matter disturbing and did not see the "great writing" others have raved about. The second half of this book was the most boring writing I have ever read and I do not recommend this one. If I was not looking to establish some background knowledge, I probably would not have finished this title.

Alisson Wood's memoir was an emotionally taxing read, to say the least. Her honesty about the abusive relationship that she had with her teacher and her own mental health struggles left me speechless. I can only imagine how difficult this memoir was for her to write. Sexually groomed by her senior year English teacher, Wood recalls how he introduced her to Nabokov's book Lolita and used the story to justify their relationship. There are many references to the modern classic in this book and I am glad I took the time to read it before tackling this memoir (even if I did not enjoy it). Wood shares her story of abuse in hopes that other teenagers do not experience the same horrors she did.
(AVAILABLE NOW)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

JVN is a gift to this world. He opens up completely in this story by addressing his PTSD, depression, drug and sex addictions, and diagnosis of HIV. There is a lot packed into this memoir, but I took it all in. I cried and laughed my way through the book and fell even more in love with the person he is. Thank you Jonathan for having the courage to write and publish this story.

Yup. I have read and am reviewing yet another fairytale retelling this month. I have decided that this type of literature is officially my guilty pleasure. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a spin on the story of Snow White and her "evil" stepmother. Bashardoust, the author, did a fantastic job taking the best parts of the fairytale and including them in this book while still keeping her story original. I loved that the two main characters, Lynet and Mina, were both strong, independent women who still had to deal with their individual weaknesses. Honestly, I am tired of the "perfect" feminist role model archetype that is appearing in so many new releases. The author's choice to give them both imperfections felt more "real" to me and elevated my admiration for the characters. My only complaint about this novel is that it did not explore the romantic aspect of a certain relationship (no spoilers here!) more. I think if Bashardoust had included more of a build-up to the relationship, it wouldn't have felt like a cheap attempt at trying to be more inclusive (the certain friendship to love storyline I am referring to is between two women).

I don't think I can write a review that would do this book justice. As a plus-sized woman, I could relate to many of the author's experiences showcased in this book. There were times where I actually cried while reading this. For the first time ever, I felt like someone could relate to my experiences of being overweight and having an unhealthy relationship with food. Everyone, of all body types, should read this book. There is blatant discrimination and disgust for people with larger bodies in our society and I think there is some empathy that can be learned by picking up this memoir. In addition, Gay's writing is just beautiful. She is a very talented author and I am glad I read this backlist title.

If you are looking for a light, romance novel that has some comedic moments, you will probably enjoy this book. There is a book club made up of high-profile men from Nashville who get together and read romance novels and discuss the issues of toxic masculinity, gender stereotypes, etc. However, when they find out that one of their friends is having marriage troubles, they invite him to join the club and read a romance novel to begin to understand how to win back his wife and save their marriage. Some of the characters made me laugh (the Russian - that is actually what they call him - is my personal favorite), but there was nothing that really stood out to me in this book. For this reason, I went with a middle of the road three-star rating.

I was surprised by this one! I checked out both this title and its prequel from Libby and I didn't love the first book. However, I think Adams, the author, really stepped her game up with this sequel. My favorite character (The Russian) actually has a name - it's Vlad - and I became better acquainted with all of the members of the book club. Similarly to the first installment of this series, this one is cute, funny, but also addresses relevant issues within modern society. These books don't take a lot of brainpower to read and understand, but why does every book have to be revolutionary? I recommend this series (disclaimer - I have not read the third book yet since it was JUST released) if you're looking for some light, but engaging books to read.

This memoir by the British writer and model, Jamie Windust, was absolutely enthralling. I tore through this title in just one day and I was not ready for it to end when I came to the last page. Windust writes about their experience with being non-binary and opens the door to a lot of different conversations surrounding gender identity (specifically the struggles of those who are transgender or non-binary). Also, because the author and I are so close in age, I particularly enjoyed the pop culture references throughout the book. There is one scene in particular that Jamie recalls writing a goodbye message on a mirror in lipstick like they do on RuPaul's drag race. As a huge fan of that show, I loved this little nod to the program (and the acknowledgment that the queen of drag herself has her own flaws that quickly followed). I highly recommend reading this book if you are questioning your gender identity as Windust provides lots of advice and insight to those trying to figure out who they are. However, I would also recommend this book to readers who are looking to learn more about the trans and non-binary community and find ways to support them in your everyday life.
(PUB DATE: 10/21/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this title. The first half of the book is a selection of poems and the second half is a selection of short stories. However, I kind of felt like the whole book was comprised of short stories and the poetry section was just formatted differently. Adding odd line breaks into a paragraph does not automatically qualify that writing as poetry. I ending up skimming some parts of this title and probably would have not finished it, if it had not been such a short book.
(PUB DATE: 10/06/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

Honestly, this book was extremely boring. The majority of the plot is revealed in the blurb on Goodreads and there were no big twists/surprises in the story. In addition to the abysmal plot, the writing was simply not good. This piece of literature is a perfect example of why it is important to expand upon characters' feelings, thoughts, and actions. Simply telling the reader what a character is feeling is not enough. For this reason, the characters in the story were flat and made this title a tedious read.
(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)