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storykath's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was one of those books I had high expectations for based on the hype, and overall I was disappointed. The messages and themes were relevant and interesting, but the way they were executed through the characters fell flat. The characters were believably flawed, but their behaviour and the way they talked wasn't believable. Some of the writing is beautiful, but the prose doesn't slot into a believable narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Mental illness, and Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual content, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I went into this thinking it was going to be a light and cute romance (kind of like what happens in Vegas but diverse) because that’s what people kind of pitch this as. This was a lot more serious then I wanted and I wasn’t in the headspace to read about certain topics discussed in this. I did really like Grace and the growth she went through and I liked her friendships. The romance was so instalove and not a main point at all. I do appreciate the diversity(race and sexuality), but this wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. If this does sound like something you would like then I do recommend you pick this up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
anniestevens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book is a perfect 5/5 stars; if i could give it more i totally would.
there are many reasons i literally adore this book, but here are a few 1) representation 2) descriptions 3) relatable & messy characters 4) no definite “happy ending”.
1) okay so the variety & diversity of the characters was probably the most i’ve seen in every out of all the books i’ve read. rogers does such a fantastic job including & talking about different groups of people of color, mental illnesses, lgbtqia+ groups, & biracial couples—things that were all my nice considered taboo. but something truly amazing w/ the way roger’s writes is that none of the topics i talked about feels forced. there was no token people w/ token problems, bc she said “oh, i’ll sprinkle in some asian ppl here & give agnes another disordere bc ~i need diversity~”, no that is absolutely not even close to what she did. every poc & every struggle the characters faced with was purposeful & came so naturally. their struggles gave us, readers, more insight about who the characters were & why sometimes they act the way they do.
2) okay so the descriptions are literally just *chefs kiss* utmost wonderfully beautifully perfect. literally, the first sentence of the first chapter was “grace wakes up slow like molasses.” from the moment i read that sentence, i knew that i would adore this book. rogers does such a beautiful job writing descriptions. she makes them so vivid & colorful, like you can physically see it yourself: the way graces hair is favored by the sun & the intimacy of the room where yuki does her talk show. even the way roger’s writes about the mental health aspects, so beautifully & poetically.
3) there is no cookie cutter perfect character. even the characters who look like they have their shit together like maybe raj or grace, didn’t really have their shit together; they just wanted people to think they did. their messiness & imperfections is what make the characters so lovable & relatable.
i relate to grace on so many levels it was scary. see, she runs away & panics when things get hard & scary & new, & don’t follow her expectations & perfect cutout plan—i do the same. when things do go how i e them to or petiole try to mess with MY plan i get scared & defensive & will run away. it was comforting to see someone who i can relate to.
4) okay, so this might be a controversial opinion but i feel like this book got no definite happy ending. i mean, let’s be honest here, real life doesn’t have rely a happy ending. you don’t fight & make up & get help & then suddenly like poof all you’re problems are forever gone & you live happily ever after.
i feel this book ended in such a real way. grace finally started going to therapy (& trust me everyone should bc god it rlly does help) & in doing so she is trying to become a better friend & understand herself more. and by making up w/ yuki we never get a “we will never fight again & now we will be the perfect couple” kind of ending, the ending was real. and raw. it was just the two of them admitting that, yes, they are both scared & yes they are both monster & mysteries creatures w/ lots of shit & trauma & baggage, but they love each other & will try to be true & not run away when things get scary & hard.
there are many reasons i literally adore this book, but here are a few 1) representation 2) descriptions 3) relatable & messy characters 4) no definite “happy ending”.
1) okay so the variety & diversity of the characters was probably the most i’ve seen in every out of all the books i’ve read. rogers does such a fantastic job including & talking about different groups of people of color, mental illnesses, lgbtqia+ groups, & biracial couples—things that were all my nice considered taboo. but something truly amazing w/ the way roger’s writes is that none of the topics i talked about feels forced. there was no token people w/ token problems, bc she said “oh, i’ll sprinkle in some asian ppl here & give agnes another disordere bc ~i need diversity~”, no that is absolutely not even close to what she did. every poc & every struggle the characters faced with was purposeful & came so naturally. their struggles gave us, readers, more insight about who the characters were & why sometimes they act the way they do.
2) okay so the descriptions are literally just *chefs kiss* utmost wonderfully beautifully perfect. literally, the first sentence of the first chapter was “grace wakes up slow like molasses.” from the moment i read that sentence, i knew that i would adore this book. rogers does such a beautiful job writing descriptions. she makes them so vivid & colorful, like you can physically see it yourself: the way graces hair is favored by the sun & the intimacy of the room where yuki does her talk show. even the way roger’s writes about the mental health aspects, so beautifully & poetically.
3) there is no cookie cutter perfect character. even the characters who look like they have their shit together like maybe raj or grace, didn’t really have their shit together; they just wanted people to think they did. their messiness & imperfections is what make the characters so lovable & relatable.
i relate to grace on so many levels it was scary. see, she runs away & panics when things get hard & scary & new, & don’t follow her expectations & perfect cutout plan—i do the same. when things do go how i e them to or petiole try to mess with MY plan i get scared & defensive & will run away. it was comforting to see someone who i can relate to.
4) okay, so this might be a controversial opinion but i feel like this book got no definite happy ending. i mean, let’s be honest here, real life doesn’t have rely a happy ending. you don’t fight & make up & get help & then suddenly like poof all you’re problems are forever gone & you live happily ever after.
i feel this book ended in such a real way. grace finally started going to therapy (& trust me everyone should bc god it rlly does help) & in doing so she is trying to become a better friend & understand herself more. and by making up w/ yuki we never get a “we will never fight again & now we will be the perfect couple” kind of ending, the ending was real. and raw. it was just the two of them admitting that, yes, they are both scared & yes they are both monster & mysteries creatures w/ lots of shit & trauma & baggage, but they love each other & will try to be true & not run away when things get scary & hard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
ergaich's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
beautifully written. explores the struggles of identity through race, class, education in such a touching way. however, i found the ending a bit rushed and unsatisfying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexual content, and Self harm
Minor: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
ahopper7's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book so much. This is one of the only books I’ve read where I truly see myself represented fully. I’m a black mixed raced lesbian woman who was an overachiever for so long. Damn if this book didn’t hit every emotional journey I’ve experienced in life with those identities.
Grace’s character resonates so much with me. Her love story with Yuki is downright adorable. And her chosen family circle brings this story so much warmth and comfort. I would 10/10 recommend!
Grace’s character resonates so much with me. Her love story with Yuki is downright adorable. And her chosen family circle brings this story so much warmth and comfort. I would 10/10 recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol and Homophobia
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Self harm, Racism, and Medical content
Minor: Grief, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
queerolderdaughter13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(I don’t think this have spoilers but read at your own risk I guess)
FIRST OF ALL,WOW.
HOLY SHIT.
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.
This is a wlw book but it focus more in mental health than in the romance but the romance is like super cute and real and the mental health is so fucking accurate and I really related to that as someone with a shitty mental health.
Just wow.
The main character is a black lesbian,who have a PhD in astronomy.The love interest is a Japanese lesbian,who have owns a podcast.
The main character is named Grace and she went to Las Vegas and accidentally married this girl she doesn’t know.Now she’s trying to find the girl while dealing with her own mental health as all her plans for future crash down because being an adult is fucking complicated.
The mental health representation,the racism representation,the lgbt representation,etc etc is just wow.
I love this.So much.
I see this book (in my personal opinion) as a love letter to blackness,to space,to the confusing universe.To those who never give up,and to those who do give up.A love letter to people with bad mental health,to sapphic love,to the lgbt community,to those with childhood trauma,and who were forced to grow up too quickly.To the stars,and to Orange trees,and to nature,to astronomy,to different cultures,to those who struggle with living in a racist homophobic and sexist society,who feel like the world is crushing down in top of them.To those who don’t know what to do with their lives.A love letter to found family,to friends,to mythology,to radio podcasts,to those who have high hopes and expectations for themselves,and to those who were seated those expectations in themselves at a young age and now than they don’t full fill them,and they feel worthless.
A reminder to breathe,let your body and mind rest.Seek help if you need it.
Check tw’s before reading.
(TW’s:
-discussion and depictions of mental illness
-self-harm (scratching skin, nails digging into skin as anxiety coping mechanism)
-past suicide attempt by side character
-depictions of anti-Blackness and homophobia in the academic and corporate settings
-casual alcohol consumption
-minor drug use (marijuana)
-discussions of racism experienced by all characters of color
-past limb amputation due to war injury (side character)
-past parent death (side character) )
(+ some of my fav quotes than maybe convince you to read it?)
“She is okay because she must be, to muster the strength to set up more job interviews. She must be as formidable as the black, swirling universe. It keeps going, and so shall she. She has to.”
“I think lonely creatures ache for each other because who else can understand but someone who feels the same dark, black abyss?”
“No one told her astronomers, the ones that publish research every few months and get tenured at universities and navigate programs at NASA, that those astronomers don’t have sun-gold hair. They don’t have sun-browned skin. Those astronomers don’t have ancestors that looked at the stars as a means of escape and not in awe.”
“It is all in us, Professor MacMillan said of the bits and pieces collected in her office. These things, essentially small rocks and stones now, were once a part of the universe. I know many astronomers think I take a romantic approach to the science, but how can we not when presented with such grand facts? That something so small was once a part of something bigger than what our human brains can grasp?”
“You are made up of stars and the black glittering universe,” she says quietly. “It may be too romantic for most of the people in this field, but it’s true. But you are still just a human. Just a small thing that has to find its way like everyone else in this enormous world. It will not be simple, Grace Porter, and it will not be easy. You may have to make a lot of noise, and the universe’s silence can be oppressive and thick. But you want them to hear you, and they will. So do not, not even for one second, stop making noise.”
“Grace
7:39 p.m.
having an existential crisis. lol text it.
Yuki
7:45 p.m.
[fuckboi voice] wow...without me?”
“Yuki
8:04 p.m.
um excuse me this is what wives are for. in my gay fantasies growing up i always wanted my wife to text me late at night then we’d run away together and join like a circus”
“But it’ll be hard whether you’re in Portland or Florida or the North damn Pole. I don’t want you to stop because it’s hard. I know that’s real easy for me to say, but it’s true. Stop if you need a break, honey, but don’t stop because they want you to. You got too much potential.”
“Grace sighs and stares at her phone. It’s hard to explain that you are tired, bone-deep, rib-deep, belly-deep tired. It’s hard to explain that someone held their hand out to the stars and said all of these can be yours, and you believed it. You believed the climb and the barrier and the gate would not break you. You spent eleven years ignoring that your mind and body said, Stop, breathe, be kind to yourself, and you punished yourself for even thinking it.”
“Even as a child, I wondered why so many of the bad things, the scary things, were women. I asked my grandmother once, and she told me it was the way of the world. Sometimes monsters became women, because women who deviated were monsters. I didn’t understand that until later.”
“This is a story about how deviation from the norm can create scary, monstrous things. What my grandmother didn’t know was that years later, society would still create Yamauba. We would still be seen as dark, terrible things simply for refusing to fit a particular narrative. Perhaps the truly terrifying thing is to step away from what you’re supposed to do and what you have planned. Perhaps you, the monster that you are, find yourself feeding on what you could not bear yourself.
“Perhaps Yamauba were created because we did not want to name something we brought forth with our own hands,” Yuki says. “Perhaps flesh- eating monsters are simply people who break their molds and their boxes, and find themselves demanding all they have been denied.”
“Sometimes people feel ownership over the things that make us us,” Yuki says into the mic. “Sometimes the things that are familiar to us and feel safe to us, remnants of our childhood and old lives, are locked away by someone who wants us to be different and look different and follow their rules. Sometimes lonely creatures are not of their own making.”
“My ‘capitalism is a plague’ radar was going off,” she says. “Figured I’d come join the fun.”
“Everything that is buried will be unburied. Everything that is pushed down will find its way out. It is the way of the universe.”
FIRST OF ALL,WOW.
HOLY SHIT.
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.
This is a wlw book but it focus more in mental health than in the romance but the romance is like super cute and real and the mental health is so fucking accurate and I really related to that as someone with a shitty mental health.
Just wow.
The main character is a black lesbian,who have a PhD in astronomy.The love interest is a Japanese lesbian,who have owns a podcast.
The main character is named Grace and she went to Las Vegas and accidentally married this girl she doesn’t know.Now she’s trying to find the girl while dealing with her own mental health as all her plans for future crash down because being an adult is fucking complicated.
The mental health representation,the racism representation,the lgbt representation,etc etc is just wow.
I love this.So much.
I see this book (in my personal opinion) as a love letter to blackness,to space,to the confusing universe.To those who never give up,and to those who do give up.A love letter to people with bad mental health,to sapphic love,to the lgbt community,to those with childhood trauma,and who were forced to grow up too quickly.To the stars,and to Orange trees,and to nature,to astronomy,to different cultures,to those who struggle with living in a racist homophobic and sexist society,who feel like the world is crushing down in top of them.To those who don’t know what to do with their lives.A love letter to found family,to friends,to mythology,to radio podcasts,to those who have high hopes and expectations for themselves,and to those who were seated those expectations in themselves at a young age and now than they don’t full fill them,and they feel worthless.
A reminder to breathe,let your body and mind rest.Seek help if you need it.
Check tw’s before reading.
(TW’s:
-discussion and depictions of mental illness
-self-harm (scratching skin, nails digging into skin as anxiety coping mechanism)
-past suicide attempt by side character
-depictions of anti-Blackness and homophobia in the academic and corporate settings
-casual alcohol consumption
-minor drug use (marijuana)
-discussions of racism experienced by all characters of color
-past limb amputation due to war injury (side character)
-past parent death (side character) )
(+ some of my fav quotes than maybe convince you to read it?)
“She is okay because she must be, to muster the strength to set up more job interviews. She must be as formidable as the black, swirling universe. It keeps going, and so shall she. She has to.”
“I think lonely creatures ache for each other because who else can understand but someone who feels the same dark, black abyss?”
“No one told her astronomers, the ones that publish research every few months and get tenured at universities and navigate programs at NASA, that those astronomers don’t have sun-gold hair. They don’t have sun-browned skin. Those astronomers don’t have ancestors that looked at the stars as a means of escape and not in awe.”
“It is all in us, Professor MacMillan said of the bits and pieces collected in her office. These things, essentially small rocks and stones now, were once a part of the universe. I know many astronomers think I take a romantic approach to the science, but how can we not when presented with such grand facts? That something so small was once a part of something bigger than what our human brains can grasp?”
“You are made up of stars and the black glittering universe,” she says quietly. “It may be too romantic for most of the people in this field, but it’s true. But you are still just a human. Just a small thing that has to find its way like everyone else in this enormous world. It will not be simple, Grace Porter, and it will not be easy. You may have to make a lot of noise, and the universe’s silence can be oppressive and thick. But you want them to hear you, and they will. So do not, not even for one second, stop making noise.”
“Grace
7:39 p.m.
having an existential crisis. lol text it.
Yuki
7:45 p.m.
[fuckboi voice] wow...without me?”
“Yuki
8:04 p.m.
um excuse me this is what wives are for. in my gay fantasies growing up i always wanted my wife to text me late at night then we’d run away together and join like a circus”
“But it’ll be hard whether you’re in Portland or Florida or the North damn Pole. I don’t want you to stop because it’s hard. I know that’s real easy for me to say, but it’s true. Stop if you need a break, honey, but don’t stop because they want you to. You got too much potential.”
“Grace sighs and stares at her phone. It’s hard to explain that you are tired, bone-deep, rib-deep, belly-deep tired. It’s hard to explain that someone held their hand out to the stars and said all of these can be yours, and you believed it. You believed the climb and the barrier and the gate would not break you. You spent eleven years ignoring that your mind and body said, Stop, breathe, be kind to yourself, and you punished yourself for even thinking it.”
“Even as a child, I wondered why so many of the bad things, the scary things, were women. I asked my grandmother once, and she told me it was the way of the world. Sometimes monsters became women, because women who deviated were monsters. I didn’t understand that until later.”
“This is a story about how deviation from the norm can create scary, monstrous things. What my grandmother didn’t know was that years later, society would still create Yamauba. We would still be seen as dark, terrible things simply for refusing to fit a particular narrative. Perhaps the truly terrifying thing is to step away from what you’re supposed to do and what you have planned. Perhaps you, the monster that you are, find yourself feeding on what you could not bear yourself.
“Perhaps Yamauba were created because we did not want to name something we brought forth with our own hands,” Yuki says. “Perhaps flesh- eating monsters are simply people who break their molds and their boxes, and find themselves demanding all they have been denied.”
“Sometimes people feel ownership over the things that make us us,” Yuki says into the mic. “Sometimes the things that are familiar to us and feel safe to us, remnants of our childhood and old lives, are locked away by someone who wants us to be different and look different and follow their rules. Sometimes lonely creatures are not of their own making.”
“My ‘capitalism is a plague’ radar was going off,” she says. “Figured I’d come join the fun.”
“Everything that is buried will be unburied. Everything that is pushed down will find its way out. It is the way of the universe.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
kinga1204's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Self harm, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content
garibae's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This book was a huge disappointment. I expected a cheesy romance with an accidental wedding trope and instead got a mess of a book that made me angrier with every turning page.
I disliked every single character in this book. The author diversity-dropped at every possible turn, piling up oppression after oppression and turning what could have been a fun trope-y book into an exhausting read.
Every friendship in the book is toxic, Grace's relationship with her parents is abusive, and the "romantic" storyline is painful to follow between two caricatures of a character. The mentions of mental health were beyond problematic (calling people "feral" and "things" when they are in the hospital for mental health issues) and the fetishisation of minority groups was nauseating.
Perhaps what irked me most, however, was the word "monster" (a word triggering for many people in the lgbtq+ community) and how the author attempted to romanticize it.
I disliked every single character in this book. The author diversity-dropped at every possible turn, piling up oppression after oppression and turning what could have been a fun trope-y book into an exhausting read.
Every friendship in the book is toxic, Grace's relationship with her parents is abusive, and the "romantic" storyline is painful to follow between two caricatures of a character. The mentions of mental health were beyond problematic (calling people "feral" and "things" when they are in the hospital for mental health issues) and the fetishisation of minority groups was nauseating.
Perhaps what irked me most, however, was the word "monster" (a word triggering for many people in the lgbtq+ community) and how the author attempted to romanticize it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
vie's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail