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bookedupandbusy's reviews
152 reviews
Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah
4.0
This is a crime thriller novel about nightmare neighbours. One White family and one Asian family go head to head to defend the ones they love after Salma spots her neighbour, Tom, ripping down her son’s Black Lives Matter banner.
I sped through this one, it’s fast paced
I sped through this one, it’s fast paced
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
4.0
The book is split into two parts; Sameer’s life as a Muslim in the present day, we then hear from one of his ancestors in 1970s, writing letters to his deceased wife who he very much still loves, explaining his life with his new wife and the Asian expulsion in Uganda.
I vaguely knew about Idi Amin’s brutal dictatorship of Uganda and the Asian expulsion, but this story is a great perspective for learning more. Through the writing, I honestly felt the fear of living in Uganda at a time like this and being given 90 days to sort citizenship and passports and get out of the country. I loved the writing! The depictions of Uganda felt real and authentic.
I wanted a bit more from the ending. Without giving spoilers, I wanted to know more about Sameer’s life at the end. The very last line of the story is ambiguous, but I have interpreted it to mean that even in this present day, racism is still an issue and even in places where we may feel back at home or part of a community, there are still and will always be racial challenges.
I vaguely knew about Idi Amin’s brutal dictatorship of Uganda and the Asian expulsion, but this story is a great perspective for learning more. Through the writing, I honestly felt the fear of living in Uganda at a time like this and being given 90 days to sort citizenship and passports and get out of the country. I loved the writing! The depictions of Uganda felt real and authentic.
I wanted a bit more from the ending. Without giving spoilers, I wanted to know more about Sameer’s life at the end. The very last line of the story is ambiguous, but I have interpreted it to mean that even in this present day, racism is still an issue and even in places where we may feel back at home or part of a community, there are still and will always be racial challenges.
Unplanned by Natalie K. Martin
3.0
Travelling the world for eleven years, Zoe and Sam have been living the dream—Sam’s dream. But when Zoe discovers she is pregnant, she decides it is time to find a new dream, even if Sam isn’t a part of it.
The book is a slow burn romance, which did not hold my attention in some parts, but what the author did well was to depict what it could be like going through pregnancy without a partner. What would you do if you fell pregnant and the father of your child wanted nothing to do with the situation? This was Zoe’s dilemma.
I liked that the main character decided to focus on herself, find her village elsewhere and find some positives in the complicated situation.
It’s a cute story but I feel that there could have been more weight to the problems and storyline.
The book is a slow burn romance, which did not hold my attention in some parts, but what the author did well was to depict what it could be like going through pregnancy without a partner. What would you do if you fell pregnant and the father of your child wanted nothing to do with the situation? This was Zoe’s dilemma.
I liked that the main character decided to focus on herself, find her village elsewhere and find some positives in the complicated situation.
It’s a cute story but I feel that there could have been more weight to the problems and storyline.
Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks
5.0
‘’You cannot bring good by doing bad’’
Its 2004 Port Harcourt, Nigeria, at the height of the kidnap of oil workers in the Niger Delta, a kidnapping goes awry and four lives are reconnected.
Inspired by true stories and with themes of corruption and injustice, love and death, this is a well constructed plot. This is how you do character development. This is magnificent storytelling!!!!!!! The story is gripping from the first page to the very end.
The storytelling of these men from childhood to adulthood was remarkable. I most enjoyed the coming of age aspects of the novel. Each character has their own chapter and I think this is the first book where I actually loved all the characters, especially Doughboy, the rise and fall of his character was astounding. I empathised with his feelings of others disrespecting him and taking oil from his homeland (even though he went about it in the worst way possible).
There is a sweet and wonderful romance in the book between Kaniye and Deola which was a need! It was refreshing and joyful in comparison to the heavy chapters that dominated the story.
Four things I liked were:
1. How the author wrote female characters - I was impressed!
2. The nuanced language within the dialogue
Its 2004 Port Harcourt, Nigeria, at the height of the kidnap of oil workers in the Niger Delta, a kidnapping goes awry and four lives are reconnected.
Inspired by true stories and with themes of corruption and injustice, love and death, this is a well constructed plot. This is how you do character development. This is magnificent storytelling!!!!!!! The story is gripping from the first page to the very end.
The storytelling of these men from childhood to adulthood was remarkable. I most enjoyed the coming of age aspects of the novel. Each character has their own chapter and I think this is the first book where I actually loved all the characters, especially Doughboy, the rise and fall of his character was astounding. I empathised with his feelings of others disrespecting him and taking oil from his homeland (even though he went about it in the worst way possible).
There is a sweet and wonderful romance in the book between Kaniye and Deola which was a need! It was refreshing and joyful in comparison to the heavy chapters that dominated the story.
Four things I liked were:
1. How the author wrote female characters - I was impressed!
2. The nuanced language within the dialogue
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
1.0
I DNF’d this one 60% through I just couldn’t do it anymore. Characters not likeable or relatable.
The author’s debut ‘The Push’ was one of my favourite books of 2021. However this book fell short of my expectations. This is a drama NOT a thriller, like ‘The Push’. if you go in with this expectation you may not be as let down as I was and you may have a different reading experience to me.
I felt most scenes were overly descriptive for no reason. It’s a story of motherhood and marriage, all the women seemed miserable and unlikeable, which is fine, but there was no clear goal outlined for these characters or a reason for me to be rooting for them. Of the four main characters, I only cared for one woman’s story, Whitney. She had some serious issues going on and provided for the only compelling parts of the story.
I didn’t feel drawn to any of the characters. I think the author should have given these women voices, by writing their chapters in first person and not third person. The characters would have been a lot stronger in this instance.
The author’s debut ‘The Push’ was one of my favourite books of 2021. However this book fell short of my expectations. This is a drama NOT a thriller, like ‘The Push’. if you go in with this expectation you may not be as let down as I was and you may have a different reading experience to me.
I felt most scenes were overly descriptive for no reason. It’s a story of motherhood and marriage, all the women seemed miserable and unlikeable, which is fine, but there was no clear goal outlined for these characters or a reason for me to be rooting for them. Of the four main characters, I only cared for one woman’s story, Whitney. She had some serious issues going on and provided for the only compelling parts of the story.
I didn’t feel drawn to any of the characters. I think the author should have given these women voices, by writing their chapters in first person and not third person. The characters would have been a lot stronger in this instance.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
3.0
3.5
A Puerto Rican family in Staten Island, New York discovers their long‑missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a ‘Bad Girls Club’ type reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is fresh and I loved the suspense throughout. It’s punchy and to the point. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that was both hilarious and heartbreaking! It’s a very touching story so have tissues ready for that last chapter.
The story is told in alternating chapters from Ruthy’s mother, Dolores, and two sisters, Nina and Jessica. Ruthy is a secondary character (she only has about two chapters) as her mother and siblings detail their lives pre, during and after Ruthy’s disappearance.
The main theme of the story is hope. Seeing Ruthy on the reality TV show was a distraction from their trauma filled lives and there was a great display of their fighting spirits to find Ruthy.
Be aware that every page (I am not exaggerating) contains foul language, cussing and insulting someone, especially the extracts describing the reality TV show called ‘Catfight’, but it was written in an elegant way, I call it classy ratchetness. I was turning the pages fast, it was binge worthy just like a reality show and I loved it!
My biggest takeaway from this book is the strength of the Afro-Latina women. They are quite aggressive characters who constantly have to stand up for themselves, however they are independent and never lost hope in finding their sister/daughter.
A Puerto Rican family in Staten Island, New York discovers their long‑missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a ‘Bad Girls Club’ type reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is fresh and I loved the suspense throughout. It’s punchy and to the point. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that was both hilarious and heartbreaking! It’s a very touching story so have tissues ready for that last chapter.
The story is told in alternating chapters from Ruthy’s mother, Dolores, and two sisters, Nina and Jessica. Ruthy is a secondary character (she only has about two chapters) as her mother and siblings detail their lives pre, during and after Ruthy’s disappearance.
The main theme of the story is hope. Seeing Ruthy on the reality TV show was a distraction from their trauma filled lives and there was a great display of their fighting spirits to find Ruthy.
Be aware that every page (I am not exaggerating) contains foul language, cussing and insulting someone, especially the extracts describing the reality TV show called ‘Catfight’, but it was written in an elegant way, I call it classy ratchetness. I was turning the pages fast, it was binge worthy just like a reality show and I loved it!
My biggest takeaway from this book is the strength of the Afro-Latina women. They are quite aggressive characters who constantly have to stand up for themselves, however they are independent and never lost hope in finding their sister/daughter.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
3.0
3.5
This is one of the most thought provoking books I have read this year. There is a sci fi mystery element to it, but don’t let this put you off, it is not at all heavy and there is more focus on the contrast of religion vs science and about control, fear and confusion within society.
The story follows 8 ordinary people with completely different backgrounds as we follow their journey on deciding whether or not to open their boxes. We start to see relationships break down, politicians lying and those with short lives being discriminated within society.
It felt like short stories on how each person valued life and how they would decide to live life according to their destiny. It is an excellent premise but i did not find any of the characters relatable. The character development was not enough for me to engage with anyone on a deeper level and I couldn’t empathise with anyone. I feel the story focused more on the string lengths rather than the building of characters. There was also a strong political agenda about the book.
Something that was not discussed but I would have liked to have known was if people in prison got boxes and where the boxes actually came from.
The story is definitely worth the read.
This is one of the most thought provoking books I have read this year. There is a sci fi mystery element to it, but don’t let this put you off, it is not at all heavy and there is more focus on the contrast of religion vs science and about control, fear and confusion within society.
The story follows 8 ordinary people with completely different backgrounds as we follow their journey on deciding whether or not to open their boxes. We start to see relationships break down, politicians lying and those with short lives being discriminated within society.
It felt like short stories on how each person valued life and how they would decide to live life according to their destiny. It is an excellent premise but i did not find any of the characters relatable. The character development was not enough for me to engage with anyone on a deeper level and I couldn’t empathise with anyone. I feel the story focused more on the string lengths rather than the building of characters. There was also a strong political agenda about the book.
Something that was not discussed but I would have liked to have known was if people in prison got boxes and where the boxes actually came from.
The story is definitely worth the read.
A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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? No
4.0
Short stories inspired by musical tracks. It is a beautiful yet sad book and unapologetically Nigerian. Mostly set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, there are themes of grief, trauma, forbidden love, heartbreak and fertility, and I thoroughly enjoyed most of the stories. I didn’t expect the first story to hit me as hard as it did. It was heartbreaking but I loved how Garricks was able to show the different ways love can present itself.
The stories are unique and the characters are diverse and relatable. Once again, I must highlight how exceptionally well this author writes female characters 👌🏾
My favourite stories were:
⭐️Lost Stars
⭐️I’d die without you
⭐️I put a spell on you
This book reminds me of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah-Nelson; the musical tracks and awkward romantic connections between characters is heartwarming.👌🏾
I did struggle with one or two stories due to them being told in second person (a narrative I tend not to favour) but overall it is definitely worth the read. This is my second read by this author within a month!
Let me know your favourite short story book ❤️
Edge of Here by Kelechi Okafor
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Synopsis: Enter a world very close to our own... One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger. A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
Kelechi is a genius for thinking of these amazing futuristic and innovative concepts.
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book! I think I enjoyed it because it was fresh premise for black female characters and for someone who is not a sci-fi fan, this book defied all the stereotypes I hold about the genre and has changed my heart, and I will continue to read books that follow this new sci-fi era.
I felt empowered reading these stories as a black woman. The stories give power and love to the black woman and in most of the stories, it was so refreshing to not see black women being stereotyped.
One story I am still constantly thinking about is the ability to experience the emotions of another person through an implanted chip. This was VERY interesting especially when experiencing the emotions of someone of a different race and class.
I felt transported to a futuristic world. Even though the stories felt out of this world, they didn’t feel too far from what is going on now in our current technology, biotech and AI world. The stories make you think about the world we are living in and leave you wanting more.
A mix of sci-fi, futuristic, technology, mixed with Yoruba mythology 😀 READ THIS BOOK. I would love for these stories to be adapted for TV.