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alertnerd's Reviews (169)
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
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
Grace Porter has her life together; she just got her PhD in Astronomy (against her strict father’s wishes), her mentor is hooking her up with great opportunities in her field and she has amazing friends. But Grace’s life turns upside down when she wakes up in Vegas and finds out she got married the night before. Unable to get her new wife -- who she’s never met -- off her mind and unsure of what direction she wants her career to go, Grace has to face the things she’s been avoiding for the last 11 years.
First off, Honey Girl is romantic and messy and queer AF. All of Grace’s struggles were very relatable and I feel like Grace was at a point in her life that a lot of millennials are at currently. I found it very easy to connect and relate to Grace.
This book was also a lot heavier than I was expecting. I went into it thinking it was going to be a cute little romance, but it was definitely a lot heavier than that. Rogers talks about mental illness, racism in the academic field and complex familial relationships.
After reading this, I’m so excited to see what Morgan Rogers does next, and in general we need more books about Black millennials trying to navigate through life please!!
If you’re a fan of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, I would definitely recommend this one.
CW // self-harm, depression, anxiety, racism (check out a detailed list at the author’s website: https://www.morgwrites.com/content-warnings)
Thanks to BookClubbish and Park Row Books for this ARC!
Release date: February 23, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Racism
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the days leading up to the Tulsa Massacre, Angel Hill and Isaiah Wilson have been tasked with delivering books to the underserved areas of their community. What started as contempt between the two teenagers quickly blossoms into something else as they discover more about each other. When a white mob attacks their city, their dreams of an idyllic summer romance are destroyed.
I want more characters like Isaiah Wilson in YA books. He’s soft, caring, intelligent and passionate. That doesn’t mean that he’s without fault though. His flaws are front and center in this story and he has to do a lot to reckon with the mistakes he’s made in the past.
Randi Pink does such a great job of making the reader feel like they are a member of the Greenwood community. Her descriptions transported me to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921.
I believe that everyone should read as much as they can about what happened in Greenwood, because it is an important part of US history that has been ignored for far too long.
Thanks to netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Terminal illness
Moderate: Bullying, Death
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
17-year-old Marty leaves his unaccepting parents, a toxic best friend and an oppressive Kentucky town behind when he decides to spend his summer (and maybe the rest of his life) in London. There he hopes he’ll be able to be his true true self, find his dream job in music and maybe even fall in love. But with his anxiety worsening, the cute boy he met maybe not being what he seems and his chances to live his dreams shrinking, Marty has to figure out what to do next.
Phil Stamper does such a great job of tackling multiple heavy topics in As Far As You’ll Take Me. The way Marty’s anxiety was depicted was like nothing else that I’ve seen in YA novels. Marty was messy and made some mistakes that made me want to scream, but he was also super endearing and I was rooting for him to figure it all out throughout the entire book.
I also want to talk about Sophie because I love her!! Too often in YA books with a queer male lead, the female best friend is usually my least favorite character. They usually treat the main character terribly, are flat, or are just there to make forced-in pop culture references. Sophie felt fully fleshed out and I really appreciated that. She had her own story arc, her own flaws and her own development. Sadly, that’s pretty rare to see.
Another thing I really liked was the focus on friendships and how those are just as important (and sometimes more important) as romantic relationships. We see Marty grapple with a lot of different new friendships as well as work his way through some of his old friendships and that was really refreshing to see.
I was worried about how this would end and where all of Marty’s relationships would be, but (no spoilers!) I was really happy with how this one ended.
CW // eating disorders, religious trauma, forced outing, anxiety, homophobia
Note: In the ARC there are a few Harry Potter references, but Phil Stamper already said they won’t be included in the finished book
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Homophobia
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
FBI agent Yolanda Vance has been assigned to infiltrate a group of “radical” Black teens who are fighting against the environmental impacts a major corporation has on their city. Her task is to take them down before they can expose the company’s shady tactics. However, the more time she spends with the group, the more she understands why they’re fighting.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but I still enjoyed it. The concept is interesting and I like how the FBI’s COINTELPRO program was used in the plot.
Aya de León did a good job of exploring respectability politics and how deep brainwashing of Black people goes when our history is whitewashed. Yolanda battled with everything she had learned growing up -- that all you have to do is work hard to get ahead and that people use racism as an excuse for their failure -- when she was confronted with different perspectives.
While everything about the FBI storyline was compelling, the romance angle felt forced and unnecessary. I understood why it was necessary for Yolanda’s growth, but I felt like the main couple had no chemistry and their scenes bogged down the story.
This novel starts slow, but really picks up about halfway through, and I think this would make a great movie or TV show.
Thanks to Bookish First and Kensington Publishing for this ARC.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The follow up to X, The Awakening of Malcolm X tells the story of Malcolm’s time in prison. Throughout his time in two very different prisons, Malcolm is introduced to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam movement.
The story of Malcolm’s awakening is told through flashbacks to his childhood and the things he learned from his parents and their friend Marcus Garvey. Its shows how Malcolm was able to combine these teachings with what he saw in prison and what was happening in the US in the late 1940s and early 1950s. All of these things combined is what made Malcolm X who he was.
I really appreciated the heavy focus on Malcolm’s love for reading and how learning about his history empowered him.
The Awakening of Malcolm X is just as powerful as its predecessor and I just feel so fortunate that we’re able to have these books written by Malcolm’s daughter herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization
dark
tense
medium-paced
August Sitwell has worked for the Barclays since he was a child. With their wealth dwindling, they begin selling their cook, Mamie’s rib sauce with a cartoonish depiction of August on the packaging. August becomes “The Rib King” but not before tragedy strikes.
I was immediately engrossed in this story, because it’s very different from anything else I’ve read. Hubbard uses the creation and marketing of this sauce to explore themes of race, class, capitalism and minstrelsy.
The first half of the story flew by and I was intrigued to find out where everything was headed. In the second half, the perspective shifts to Jennie Williams, a former employee of the Barclays. I felt like the story really slowed down there, though I did find Jennie’s story much more interesting.
The ending felt a little rushed with most of the major plot points being wrapped up in one single page.
Overall, this was a very interesting read and I’m looking forward to reading more by Ladee Hubbard.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was as joyful, adorable and sweet as I was hoping it would be.
Tessa has recently started attending Chrysalis Art Academy, but her insecurities have her questioning whether she really belongs there. She’s been a writer her whole life, but once she finds out her words will be critiqued by her classmates, the words stop coming. So, she and her best friend come up with the “perfect” plan to help her live her own love story to motivate her to start writing again.
First of all, Tessa being a mixed girl who is afraid to let anybody read her writing hits a little too close to home for me. Lets just say, I felt very seen. I don’t know if I’ve ever related to a character as much as I have Tessa Johnson. Her parents were just like mine, her anxiety was like mine, and her passion for writing was just like mine.
Of course the main couple is adorable and yes it was predictable (it’s a romcom folks) but I was still rooting so hard for them the whole time I was reading.
I really don’t know what else to say about this delightful book other than that it lived up to all my expectations and that you should definitely preorder it.
CW // there were A LOT of Harry Potter references throughout this book
Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for this ARC!
Tessa has recently started attending Chrysalis Art Academy, but her insecurities have her questioning whether she really belongs there. She’s been a writer her whole life, but once she finds out her words will be critiqued by her classmates, the words stop coming. So, she and her best friend come up with the “perfect” plan to help her live her own love story to motivate her to start writing again.
First of all, Tessa being a mixed girl who is afraid to let anybody read her writing hits a little too close to home for me. Lets just say, I felt very seen. I don’t know if I’ve ever related to a character as much as I have Tessa Johnson. Her parents were just like mine, her anxiety was like mine, and her passion for writing was just like mine.
Of course the main couple is adorable and yes it was predictable (it’s a romcom folks) but I was still rooting so hard for them the whole time I was reading.
I really don’t know what else to say about this delightful book other than that it lived up to all my expectations and that you should definitely preorder it.
CW // there were A LOT of Harry Potter references throughout this book
Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for this ARC!