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831bookworm's reviews
209 reviews
Blue Is the Warmest Color by Jul Maroh
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a touching story of Emma and Clementine; Emma is out and proud, Clementine is not. In fact, it was just something small niggling inside her before she met Emma, who then exploded it to the forefront of her existence and thoughts. From there, these high school/college age students fall in love, Clementine is disowned from her parents and friends when she comes out and Emma breaks up with her long time girlfriend before they move in and move on with their lives. It ends with Emma's death and the words "Beyond death, the love that we shared continues living" .
I would have loved to read this as a book with more "time" spent within certain moments of the story. There seemed to be strong messaging within: her pill popping/heart issue, Sabine and Emma's relationship, Valentin and Emma's relationship, the reasons behind their third act break up, Fabienne and Emma's relationship at the end...
Without trivializing or dramatizing the "coming out/love story" of two gay girls, the author was able to bring a lot of teenage angst and vulnerability to the pages. And what her words could not convey, the artwork was exquisite! Very beautiful with a minimal palette of mostly skin tones and pops of the namesake blue.
I would have loved to read this as a book with more "time" spent within certain moments of the story. There seemed to be strong messaging within: her pill popping/heart issue, Sabine and Emma's relationship, Valentin and Emma's relationship, the reasons behind their third act break up, Fabienne and Emma's relationship at the end...
Without trivializing or dramatizing the "coming out/love story" of two gay girls, the author was able to bring a lot of teenage angst and vulnerability to the pages. And what her words could not convey, the artwork was exquisite! Very beautiful with a minimal palette of mostly skin tones and pops of the namesake blue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing
Minor: Religious bigotry
How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a series of short satirical comics with watercolor and BW line artwork. The stories are like commentary-esque takes or allegories of the world today. I think the title of the book was a little misleading, at first, because i thought it was going to be something more direct and focused around "how to be happy" but it was a shallow summer dip of random one-off thoughts about problems in the world with emotive imagery. That is not to say I did not like it, I did like some of the stories, but I also felt like some were a little "miss" for me. Ultimately the title is correct because all of the random thoughts held a "problem with happiness" as the motivator or aggravator in the stories.
Love in a Truck Stop Bathroom by Sebastian O'Connor
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I read the fan fiction just recently so when I found out one of the fanfic authors converted their story into something independent I had to find it. From the original story, I can tell the similarities although there were some added characters and elements to make it from a steamy scene read to a little novella.
The main characters are cute and have a sweet back and forth of “does he like me—is this more than it seems” for the majority of the book. And then when they get together it’s all cuteness and sweet vibes.
A high school guidance counselor loves his coworker PE teacher, and doesn’t realize it’s him when he meets the man of his dreams in a local truck stop glory hole.
The main characters are cute and have a sweet back and forth of “does he like me—is this more than it seems” for the majority of the book. And then when they get together it’s all cuteness and sweet vibes.
A high school guidance counselor loves his coworker PE teacher, and doesn’t realize it’s him when he meets the man of his dreams in a local truck stop glory hole.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying
Don't Fight It: Straight to Gay M/M First Time Age Gap by Edward Raines
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The author does a great job at explaining how Craig fumbled around but never quite striking on the realization that he’s gay until David moves in next door. Who *doesn’t* realize things when staring at their neighbor? The awkwardness of Craig’s naivety in thoughts and action is slightly cringe but it’s also kind of sweet because it really conveys how young and excited-confused everything sexy felt at that age. He's the POV and the main character, even David is more there in a supporting capacity. It almost reads like a virgin twink's fantasy of their first time - sweet but a little "too sweet" to be realistic at times. The plot starts with David moving in and then panicking internally about his reactions to David and what that could mean. Ultimately, they end up alone together in David’s house and one second they’re making small talk and the next they’re going down on each other and having sex.
Dude in Distress by Helena Hunting
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A surfer dude and a car crazy smokeshow get together after she rescues him off the side of the road in bum f*ck nowhere.
I read this on a short road trip and it got the job done. And outside of a few moments of WTF LOL it was a nice quick listen. It was a dual narration so there was the high note male and low note female voices so that wasnt the best but thats just a personal preference. Low spice but cute development of their connection and he was very respectful asking before going ahead (they were also skipping steps). :P
I read this on a short road trip and it got the job done. And outside of a few moments of WTF LOL it was a nice quick listen. It was a dual narration so there was the high note male and low note female voices so that wasnt the best but thats just a personal preference. Low spice but cute development of their connection and he was very respectful asking before going ahead (they were also skipping steps). :P
I Turned into a Girl: Book 3 by Sylvia wetwood, Sylvia Wetwood, Sylvia Wetwood
2.5
This is a sweet but shallow read. Joe and Steve like the weather-influenced gender shift so much they become storm chasers when the storm passes. It really is a friends to lovers, whichever gender Joe is in. There is no depth outside of the plot moves to bring the two men together.
I Turned into a Girl: Book 2 by Sylvia wetwood, Sylvia Wetwood, Sylvia Wetwood
2.5
It’s a middle act read, its mostly steam and confirmation that yes, the weird weather is the thing igniting the gender change in Joe. But the weird one off little sentences throughout make me think that the weather is meant to act as a fairy godmother, giving Joe the submissive body he needs to realize himself/his attraction towards Steve.
One Last Wish by B.L. Wilde
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 70%.
I just lost interest and could not pick it back up. The shadow daddy was an interesting element so I might read another shadow daddy in the future to get a feel for that, but otherwise the writing was weak and outside of the bookstore itself I wasn't picking up enough from the rest of the story.
I Turned Into A Girl by Sylvia Wetwood
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There is nothing inherently wrong with the story, it has ok writing and nothing really stuck out to jar me during the reading process, but I just could not rate this much higher. It could be because its so short and basically ended on a cliffhanger (no resolution as to why Joe changed gender). But there are other installments. in the series (3 total) so I think the final resolution, hopefully, will be in the third book. The steam was good but it was a but abrupt in description and also "in play" as it seems like as soon as Joe was turned into a woman the major emotion he felt was lust.
Im bookmarking this thought for later, but IDK why the author would have the major emotion of a woman be lust... stereotypically men are the ones that are horn dogs, so perhaps this is the "male" coming through in the gender swap... or it might be the signs of weak character motivation and poor female character writing. Again, no judgement on this yet but it was one of the only things that stayed with me after reading this and moving onto the next book.
Im bookmarking this thought for later, but IDK why the author would have the major emotion of a woman be lust... stereotypically men are the ones that are horn dogs, so perhaps this is the "male" coming through in the gender swap... or it might be the signs of weak character motivation and poor female character writing. Again, no judgement on this yet but it was one of the only things that stayed with me after reading this and moving onto the next book.
Love Hate by Dakota Rebel
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Love Hate
Andy + Trevor
What happens when a boy who wants to be a priest and a boy who wants to be a footballer finally break through their bully facade and know each other and themselves for who they really are? Jesus f*ck.
Andy is trying to figure himself out, oscillating between his masochistic tendencies and devotion to the church. He intended to choose the church if it weren’t for the influence of Trevor, his high school bully, whom he ends up falling in love with. The misunderstanding trope is in full flame in the first act, then the second focuses on Andy and Trevor’s obstacles to understanding how they feel about each other, with the final act basically tying off all the plot threads. This wasn’t the most “complicated” romance read, in fact there is a lot that is not “answered” when Trevor’s wondering about the origin of Andy’s preferences. That and the pacing makes the book seem either half filled (seems very fast paced) or more of a personal story sharing without too many details.
One of the biggest things I liked about this story was Monsignor O’Shea and the strength and lack of judgement he offered to Andy as he was figuring himself out. Knowing the church’s stance on homosexuality (~ now updated to not be politically cancelled), and the protagonist desire to become a priest, I expected to get some shame/etc from this figure. But in fact, Monsignor was a bastion for both boys, especially when the group is dealing with a kind-of hate crime. This particular plot point was not delved into much, mostly acting like a friction plot point for the Andy and Trevor, which could be frustrating for those that might have any history with hate related crimes. But overall I thought it was nice to see “God” portrayed in a positive light and with such a benevolent church representative. I usually avoid religious touching romance reads specifically because I dont want to deal with all the heavy beef that comes with high religion x high sexuality, however this was not heavy at all when dealing with the religious thought-correlations or Andy’s unwavering loyalty to a religious following.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content