axmed's reviews
820 reviews

The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

challenging emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

i can't with this talk of romantic partners as someone that is your entire life and since the author mainly writes romance novels, i should have expected this. also, since the author is a palmiteira i expect there won't be any critical look at both of the main characters romantic partners being yt. no thank you.

Liar Liar by L.G. Davis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

i mainly read novels by Black authors because i love reading about Black life and sometimes also novels by authors of colour. so imagine my disappointed when i realised that the main characters in this novel written by a black woman are all pale. no thank you.

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

3.0

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

"I had a love-hate relationship with cops. I knew they weren’t all bad, believed there were only a few bad apples in the bunch."

reading this sentence and knowing that the detective in question is Black, i just know there is (heavy) copaganda included in the story, so no thank you.

Hollywood Ending by Kellye Garrett

2.75

Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

3.0

The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis

2.5

the way the story concluded when it comes to Ava, Cas and all the other people they were doing important work with was absolutely horrible. wtf??? this is one of the worst anti Black liberatory novel I've read and the worst part is that I don't even think the author meant it that way???

Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku

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? N/A

3.5

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins

4.0

loved the family love from Poppa's family to Jucee's family at Sanity and Samir & Jucee relationship. loved how BLACK it all was. and the reason why i am not giving it 5* is the focus on the toxic all consuming obsessive behaviour that is pushed as 'real love'. which of course is very on brand for romance books, but since it is queer, i was hoping it wouldn't be the same shit in all the terrible ways that matter.