badger's reviews
107 reviews

Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

funny lighthearted 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

5.0

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

reflective medium-paced

3.25

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

really loved this. a clever and sensitive look into korean gender norms, yes, but there’s a reason this book has been a smash hit outside korea too. i don’t think there would be a single girl or woman who does not find the content of the book some of the frankest and most relatable discussion of gender inequality they’ve read. 

the format and brevity of the book was obviously a great literary device, but part of me does wish it was a little longer - mostly because i began to grow very attached to the characters, especially jiyoung and her family, and would have loved an even more fleshed-out insight into the protagonist’s childhood and adolescence. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

4.25

Kala by Colin Walsh

emotional mysterious reflective sad

• 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

Permafrost by Eva Baltasar

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

We Do What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5