Scan barcode
booklore_forevemore's reviews
304 reviews
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
“Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart.”
I have some mixed feelings about this one, but overall I mostly enjoyed! The beginning started off strong and I immediately loved Arthie, the main character. She’s witty, strong-willed, and she runs a tea house that caters to vampires by night with her brother, Jin. When a mysterious figure arrives one night with an offer Arthie can’t refuse, she gathers a group together and heist shenanigans ensue.
Strangely, once the story picks up I became less invested. Everything was a bit too fast-paced and I wasn’t able to connect with any of the side characters. There is a ton of romantic tension, but again it felt too fast and I didn’t know anyone well enough to strongly root for their relationships. I enjoy some good romantic tension, but it can’t be used as a replacement for character development. Around the 75-80% mark I was pulled back in and the last 10% was great, but the impact would have been stronger if the rest of the book wasn’t so surface level.
I haven’t read the Sands of Arawiya duology yet, which is set in the same world, but I had no difficulties understanding the worldbuilding. I thought the setting was really fun (at least Arthie made it fun) and I appreciated the anti-colonial themes and the mysterious villain. And of course there are plenty vampires!! Despite some of my issues with this one, I’m still excited for the second installment and can’t wait to see how this story continues.
PSA: There IS a cliffhanger. You have been warned.
How You Get The Girl by Anita Kelly
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
How You Get the Girl was my first book by Anita Kelly and I really loved it! It’s technically the third book in a series/collection, but I didn’t have any issues understanding it.
A quick summary: Julie coaches a girls high school basketball team and the foster parent of one of the players happens to be Elle Cochran - a (very lesbian) college basketball and WNBA player that Julie used to be obsessed with. Julie has always been unsure of her sexuality and thinks she’s somewhere on the asexual spectrum, but she is also pretty certain she has non-platonic feelings for Elle.
Firstly, I absolutely loved Julie and personally really connected with her queer-questioning journey. She’s also hilarious and owns a cat named Snoozles who likes listening to Rihanna.
Elle, who is single and lives alone, recently became the foster parent/guardian for a relative’s daughter and I loved how much she cared about trying to make everything perfect. She also suffers from chronic migraines, which frustrates her because she’s unable to be mentally and physically present 100% of the time.
Overall, this was such a sweet romance. It felt like this book was really written from the heart and the tropes weren’t overdone. It touched on some darker themes, but it never felt too heavy and still leaned towards rom-com territory. As someone who does not understand basketball, I definitely recommend!
A quick summary: Julie coaches a girls high school basketball team and the foster parent of one of the players happens to be Elle Cochran - a (very lesbian) college basketball and WNBA player that Julie used to be obsessed with. Julie has always been unsure of her sexuality and thinks she’s somewhere on the asexual spectrum, but she is also pretty certain she has non-platonic feelings for Elle.
Firstly, I absolutely loved Julie and personally really connected with her queer-questioning journey. She’s also hilarious and owns a cat named Snoozles who likes listening to Rihanna.
Elle, who is single and lives alone, recently became the foster parent/guardian for a relative’s daughter and I loved how much she cared about trying to make everything perfect. She also suffers from chronic migraines, which frustrates her because she’s unable to be mentally and physically present 100% of the time.
Overall, this was such a sweet romance. It felt like this book was really written from the heart and the tropes weren’t overdone. It touched on some darker themes, but it never felt too heavy and still leaned towards rom-com territory. As someone who does not understand basketball, I definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse
Heartstopper 1: Dos chicos juntos by Alice Oseman
The first whole “book” I’ve read in Spanish! Graphic novels are great because there are more context clues than reading a regular book. So glad my library has this whole series in Spanish so I can reread them all!
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
I’m trying to find a good audiobook to listen to, but this one just has too many POVs for me to keep track of! Not the fault of the book - hopefully I will return to it again, just in a physical format.
The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
Maybe one day I’ll return, but it’s so slow and not drawing me in at all. The writing is just ~okay~ too, so not much motivation to continue.
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was so cute! TJ Alexander is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series because Luna is my fave!! This book has a nonbinary MC and the next book (Chef’s Choice) features a T4T romance!
White Supremacy Is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World by Akilah Cadet
4.0
Part memoir, part call to action, this book of short stories is titled after Love Actually to attract what is probably the most targeted audience: white women. As someone who doesn’t read much nonfiction, I thought this book was very readable and accessible to everyone. Each chapter/story also has individual content warnings at the top.
Typically, the chapters start at a more personal level and end on a call to action/lesson to be learned. This is definitely a very high-level discussion of anti-racism and disability justice, so it’s not the book to read if you’re looking for a detailed education surrounding these topics (not a critique, just a fact). However, I think reading Dr. Akilah’s stories and hearing about her perspective as a Black, disabled woman was very valuable and I still made a lot of highlights/notes.
If you’re constantly on a quest to become a better ally (as one should be), I think this is a great quick read to pick up!
Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was such a cute graphic novel! The pink and purple color pallete was so beautiful. I loved Nayra as an MC - she’s very awkward and relatable lol.