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alexblackreads's reviews
846 reviews
Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen
4.0
Adding the caveat at the beginning of this review that I do not have kids, do not wish to have kids, and do not consume "momfluencer" content. That definitely colors my opinion of this book.
I struggled a lot with the first half, which was definitely a me thing. Petersen spends most of that time discussing generic momfluencers (white, rich, pretty, etc) and her relationship with them, as well as her relationship with motherhood in general. I had no interest in those topics (silly me for picking up a book about those topics) and almost dnfed.
But the second half was different. Petersen got really in depth on a variety of topics, all pertaining to performing parenthood online, but not always with that as the focus. She discussed minimalism, the tradwife to rightwing extremist pipeline, racism, classism, what it's like to perform these topics for an audience. It was so well researched and absolutely fascinating. She offered tons of insight and did great interviews and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I struggled a lot with the first half, which was definitely a me thing. Petersen spends most of that time discussing generic momfluencers (white, rich, pretty, etc) and her relationship with them, as well as her relationship with motherhood in general. I had no interest in those topics (silly me for picking up a book about those topics) and almost dnfed.
But the second half was different. Petersen got really in depth on a variety of topics, all pertaining to performing parenthood online, but not always with that as the focus. She discussed minimalism, the tradwife to rightwing extremist pipeline, racism, classism, what it's like to perform these topics for an audience. It was so well researched and absolutely fascinating. She offered tons of insight and did great interviews and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
4.0
This was an absolutely beautiful story. Great writing and absolutely gorgeous character development. It broke my heart about six different times and I couldn't get enough. I loved the romance, loved the family, loved the development of getting back into a relationship that had ended. It worked so well. I truly believed in these characters and their lives, which is really all I want from a book.
I think romance is never really going to be my thing. Like this was good in so many ways and I really couldn't have asked for it to be anything more, but I really was wanting more focus on the family instead of the romance. Which at that point is just wanting it to be something different than what it is.
The friends were kind of my least favorite part of the story. Like I genuinely enjoyed all their characters and found them well developed, they just didn't really fit for me. They felt like they belonged in a different story. I also found it a little bit too flowery, but I think that's just a romance thing. Just little things because this book was so fantastic overall.
This book deserves all of the hype it gets and I can't wait to read more from Ryan.
I think romance is never really going to be my thing. Like this was good in so many ways and I really couldn't have asked for it to be anything more, but I really was wanting more focus on the family instead of the romance. Which at that point is just wanting it to be something different than what it is.
The friends were kind of my least favorite part of the story. Like I genuinely enjoyed all their characters and found them well developed, they just didn't really fit for me. They felt like they belonged in a different story. I also found it a little bit too flowery, but I think that's just a romance thing. Just little things because this book was so fantastic overall.
This book deserves all of the hype it gets and I can't wait to read more from Ryan.
The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature by Peter Wohlleben
4.0
Peter Wohlleben really likes trees. He shares this interest in a really lovely, down to earth style that's easy for even non science lovers to follow. I found this a very compelling read, even as someone who is absolutely terrible at all things science. Wohlleben does a great job at simplifying the concepts for the average person. Not sure how much I retained long term, but I'm glad I read this and I'll probably try more of his books.
If you like trees or just want to learn a little more about them, give this a go.
If you like trees or just want to learn a little more about them, give this a go.
In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
2.0
I feel like this book couldn't decide if it wanted to be romance or a really plot driven political fantasy, and it straddled the line between the two without giving either enough development.
I couldn't stand the romance in this. For one thing, it was absolutely immediate. The main sees a hot girl and away she goes, head over heels, without knowing anything about her. Within two conversations, they're in love and the main character fully trusts her, despite being in a very precarious political situation. Rovan just knows that the princess is trustworthy, in much the same way Rovan immediately knows the friend they make is trustworthy. It was irritating.
And on top of the instalove, the romance didn't feel like it fit well in the story. They'd be in the middle of a big dramatic fight and have to kill some people, and then Rovan would pause to hook up with the hot princess. Like let's ignore the literal corpse on the floor so we can dramatically fall into bed together. It grated on my every nerve.
And I hated Rovan as a character. She was so annoying and acted like an immature, spoiled brat. Like I get this is YA. I read YA on a regular basis. But characters need to rise to the situation they're in. I do not believe that Rovan could have survived even a single afternoon in the royal palace. She ran her mouth, she couldn't even once look at the big picture, she wasn't capable of seeing anything more than her own problems, and she treated everyone like they were disposable.
But on the positives, I did really enjoy the general plot. I liked the magic system. I liked the politics. It was so interesting and I wish there'd been more time to develop all of those aspects. I found it genuinely so cool, but after reading this book, I still don't really have any idea how the magic works. Rovan was supposedly learning how to control her magic, but we didn't get to see much of it. The court was absolutely twisted and I wanted to explore all of the intricacies. But there just wasn't time.
390 pages isn't very long for a standalone fantasy, especially when so much of it was focused on the romance. I think there was too much crammed into this little book and there was a much better story inside. I was so tempted to give this three just for the fascinating magic, but the characters ruined it. Unfortunately this was a flop for me.
I couldn't stand the romance in this. For one thing, it was absolutely immediate. The main sees a hot girl and away she goes, head over heels, without knowing anything about her. Within two conversations, they're in love and the main character fully trusts her, despite being in a very precarious political situation. Rovan just knows that the princess is trustworthy, in much the same way Rovan immediately knows the friend they make is trustworthy. It was irritating.
And on top of the instalove, the romance didn't feel like it fit well in the story. They'd be in the middle of a big dramatic fight and have to kill some people, and then Rovan would pause to hook up with the hot princess. Like let's ignore the literal corpse on the floor so we can dramatically fall into bed together. It grated on my every nerve.
And I hated Rovan as a character. She was so annoying and acted like an immature, spoiled brat. Like I get this is YA. I read YA on a regular basis. But characters need to rise to the situation they're in. I do not believe that Rovan could have survived even a single afternoon in the royal palace. She ran her mouth, she couldn't even once look at the big picture, she wasn't capable of seeing anything more than her own problems, and she treated everyone like they were disposable.
But on the positives, I did really enjoy the general plot. I liked the magic system. I liked the politics. It was so interesting and I wish there'd been more time to develop all of those aspects. I found it genuinely so cool, but after reading this book, I still don't really have any idea how the magic works. Rovan was supposedly learning how to control her magic, but we didn't get to see much of it. The court was absolutely twisted and I wanted to explore all of the intricacies. But there just wasn't time.
390 pages isn't very long for a standalone fantasy, especially when so much of it was focused on the romance. I think there was too much crammed into this little book and there was a much better story inside. I was so tempted to give this three just for the fascinating magic, but the characters ruined it. Unfortunately this was a flop for me.
Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods by Amelia Pang
4.0
This was a fantastic book. Like genuinely one that I highly recommend for everyone. It's about forced labor and how we as consumers contribute toward that labor. It follows one specific man in China, but takes a wider look at consumerism in America, forced labor in China and around the world, and how we as a society need to enact change.
Pang did a great deal of research and did a wonderful job tying it all together. She made it personal with the story of Sun Yi, but wove his details into the culture around forced labor in general. She discussed the politics and history and how forced labor supports our lifestyle in America. Pang also discussed how it's hidden from public view, so companies can claim ignorance. I don't think much of what she says is particularly surprising, but the details are important to know.
My only real issue was that it felt like she was trying to cram too much into this relatively short book. It's about forced labor in general, but she also had a long section on Falun Gong, which is a religion that was banned in China. Many practitioners wound up in forced labor camps. It's very important to learn about, especially in the context of this book, it just felt like she didn't quite have the time for it. There were a few tangential topics like that and I wish she'd either cut down on them or lengthened the book by a good bit to include more information. It felt like it was straddling an awkward middle ground and I found myself doing a lot of outside research on topics I wish were expanded upon.
But this was brilliantly done and I would highly recommend this to everyone. I think it's an important book to read and more Americans need to take active roles in the discussion of forced labor. Pang has a whole epilogue at the end the details specifically what we can and should be doing. So please go read this.
Pang did a great deal of research and did a wonderful job tying it all together. She made it personal with the story of Sun Yi, but wove his details into the culture around forced labor in general. She discussed the politics and history and how forced labor supports our lifestyle in America. Pang also discussed how it's hidden from public view, so companies can claim ignorance. I don't think much of what she says is particularly surprising, but the details are important to know.
My only real issue was that it felt like she was trying to cram too much into this relatively short book. It's about forced labor in general, but she also had a long section on Falun Gong, which is a religion that was banned in China. Many practitioners wound up in forced labor camps. It's very important to learn about, especially in the context of this book, it just felt like she didn't quite have the time for it. There were a few tangential topics like that and I wish she'd either cut down on them or lengthened the book by a good bit to include more information. It felt like it was straddling an awkward middle ground and I found myself doing a lot of outside research on topics I wish were expanded upon.
But this was brilliantly done and I would highly recommend this to everyone. I think it's an important book to read and more Americans need to take active roles in the discussion of forced labor. Pang has a whole epilogue at the end the details specifically what we can and should be doing. So please go read this.
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character was compelling, I really enjoyed her family and friends, and I loved following her story.
I struggled a lot with the writing. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my style. It's a very chatty first person type of style that I've never enjoyed and I didn't particularly like the way it was done here. I also felt like there was too much going on and I would have liked a little more time to deal with all the different elements, but in some ways I think that was very much the point of the book.
But I cried. The ending was so predictable, but I don't care. It made me feel things and I got to wallow in the sadness and love this book created, and it was well worth it. Just a truly great time.
I'd highly recommend this. I've heard mixed things about the other books in the series and with not loving the writing style, I don't think I'll continue on. But this was a great read and I'm glad I picked it up.
I struggled a lot with the writing. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my style. It's a very chatty first person type of style that I've never enjoyed and I didn't particularly like the way it was done here. I also felt like there was too much going on and I would have liked a little more time to deal with all the different elements, but in some ways I think that was very much the point of the book.
But I cried. The ending was so predictable, but I don't care. It made me feel things and I got to wallow in the sadness and love this book created, and it was well worth it. Just a truly great time.
I'd highly recommend this. I've heard mixed things about the other books in the series and with not loving the writing style, I don't think I'll continue on. But this was a great read and I'm glad I picked it up.
The Devil's Advocates: Greatest Closing Arguments in Criminal Law by H. Mitchell Caldwell, Michael S. Lief
5.0
This is the third book of a trilogy about law cases that have shaped American law, with a specific focus on the closing arguments. It was fascinating. I loved hearing about the cases they picked and the variety was great. I loved reading the closing arguments. I loved learning about how legal arguments have changed and how very common modern day practices came to be.
I think the authors did a fantastic job with both choosing the cases to discuss and actually discussing them. It was brilliant. It was fascinating. I adored every second I was reading it. It's also written in a very easy to read way. You don't need to know anything about the law to be able to enjoy this. I certainly don't, but I loved all three books in the series.
Highly recommend and I'm mostly just sad I've read them all. I'll be doing rereads of these for sure.
I think the authors did a fantastic job with both choosing the cases to discuss and actually discussing them. It was brilliant. It was fascinating. I adored every second I was reading it. It's also written in a very easy to read way. You don't need to know anything about the law to be able to enjoy this. I certainly don't, but I loved all three books in the series.
Highly recommend and I'm mostly just sad I've read them all. I'll be doing rereads of these for sure.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
3.0
This was fine. Well written and interesting characters, so I found it compelling from start to finish.
It's definitely a slow thriller, and I think that would turn a lot of people off who aren't expecting that going in. The first half reads like a contemporary about grief, before you hit a few plot twists and the tension ramps up. And honestly, I enjoyed the first half a lot more. I felt like the story about grief was so much more complex and interesting than what the book turned out to be.
The plot twists weren't bad, but they just weren't what I was enjoying about the book. I cared a lot less after the initial big reveal and the direction at that point wasn't something I was interested in.
I also found myself very annoyed at the ending. Obviously I won't go into details, but there were a few things that irritated me a great deal.
Overall it was a fine thriller. The writing and flow of the story were it's strong points, and I'd definitely be interested in reading Mackintosh again. But it wasn't doing anything particularly amazing for me.
It's definitely a slow thriller, and I think that would turn a lot of people off who aren't expecting that going in. The first half reads like a contemporary about grief, before you hit a few plot twists and the tension ramps up. And honestly, I enjoyed the first half a lot more. I felt like the story about grief was so much more complex and interesting than what the book turned out to be.
The plot twists weren't bad, but they just weren't what I was enjoying about the book. I cared a lot less after the initial big reveal and the direction at that point wasn't something I was interested in.
I also found myself very annoyed at the ending. Obviously I won't go into details, but there were a few things that irritated me a great deal.
Overall it was a fine thriller. The writing and flow of the story were it's strong points, and I'd definitely be interested in reading Mackintosh again. But it wasn't doing anything particularly amazing for me.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
4.0
It was absolutely wild to go into this book having no idea what to expect. I thought this was middle grade, which seems like a reasonable assumption from the beginning (12 year old boy dealing with grief and anxiety), but then it kept getting darker. And darker. At a point I genuinely looked this up because I was so confused. Definitely not middle grade.
But I still really enjoyed this. The writing was fantastic. It was so compelling, and Connolly's depictions of grief and anxiety were wonderful. He captured it so perfectly for a younger audience, without having to explicitly spell it out. I thought it was truly wonderful. I also really enjoyed the development of the main character throughout the book, how he was changed both by his person grief and by the external factors of the fairytale world that had trapped him.
I struggled with the quest-type nature of this book. The main character goes through many villains as he goes on his way and each villain has their own horrific little side story going on. Individually I did enjoy them all, but as a whole, it felt like they were too easily disregarded. There'd be a chapter of them most awful gruesome thing you can imagine (think dismembering animals and children for fun and surgically combining them), only as soon as it was over, it was never mentioned again. That was kind of it. I wish there'd been fewer side quests in favor of actually spending time with them and the main character's growth.
I definitely wasn't the intended audience for this book, but there's certainly a type of teen who would devour this and fall in love. I certainly had trouble putting this book down and I think it's a testament to how well this was written that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Twisted fairytales aren't something that intrigue me usually, but the characters and story of the book more than made up for it. I would highly recommend.
But I still really enjoyed this. The writing was fantastic. It was so compelling, and Connolly's depictions of grief and anxiety were wonderful. He captured it so perfectly for a younger audience, without having to explicitly spell it out. I thought it was truly wonderful. I also really enjoyed the development of the main character throughout the book, how he was changed both by his person grief and by the external factors of the fairytale world that had trapped him.
I struggled with the quest-type nature of this book. The main character goes through many villains as he goes on his way and each villain has their own horrific little side story going on. Individually I did enjoy them all, but as a whole, it felt like they were too easily disregarded. There'd be a chapter of them most awful gruesome thing you can imagine (think dismembering animals and children for fun and surgically combining them), only as soon as it was over, it was never mentioned again. That was kind of it. I wish there'd been fewer side quests in favor of actually spending time with them and the main character's growth.
I definitely wasn't the intended audience for this book, but there's certainly a type of teen who would devour this and fall in love. I certainly had trouble putting this book down and I think it's a testament to how well this was written that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Twisted fairytales aren't something that intrigue me usually, but the characters and story of the book more than made up for it. I would highly recommend.
The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr
5.0
I adored this. The characters felt so real. This whole book felt real. There's drama and excitement, but mostly it's about an immature kid who doesn't know how to cope with her own feelings struggling through growing up. I loved the family dynamic and how that grew throughout the book. I loved all the side characters that were fully fleshed out, despite the fact that there were so many of them. This book contained such a developed world.
I loved Nancy and her growth, or at times lack there of. She was such a compelling lead with so much depth, but also such a kid and so full of immaturity. She's wildly flawed in ways that are frustrating, but so so real. And her feelings and behavior are so relatable to the teenage years.
I was all set to give this four stars until the ending hit and I just couldn't anymore. The ending blew me away. It really changed the perspective of the book from a lovely story about a kid in love to something so much more meaningful.
I think as a debut, it is honestly a little bit rough around the edges. Nancy does a lot of eavesdropping, which is kind of a lazy way to insert information the POV character doesn't have legitimate access to. There were too many characters, not enough sense of place. There were a number of little things. But I don't care about any of them. This book took my breath away.
I really thought going in that I'd love Nina Revoyr, but this book was beyond anything I expected. I'm so excited to read more from her. I would highly recommend this book.
I loved Nancy and her growth, or at times lack there of. She was such a compelling lead with so much depth, but also such a kid and so full of immaturity. She's wildly flawed in ways that are frustrating, but so so real. And her feelings and behavior are so relatable to the teenage years.
I was all set to give this four stars until the ending hit and I just couldn't anymore. The ending blew me away. It really changed the perspective of the book from a lovely story about a kid in love to something so much more meaningful.
I think as a debut, it is honestly a little bit rough around the edges. Nancy does a lot of eavesdropping, which is kind of a lazy way to insert information the POV character doesn't have legitimate access to. There were too many characters, not enough sense of place. There were a number of little things. But I don't care about any of them. This book took my breath away.
I really thought going in that I'd love Nina Revoyr, but this book was beyond anything I expected. I'm so excited to read more from her. I would highly recommend this book.