bookobsessedmommy's reviews
1120 reviews

Cupid Calling by Viano Oniomoh

emotional funny lighthearted sad 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? No

5.0

Omg this was so sweet! The banter is witty and fun, the chemistry is off the charts, and the pining is top tier. The devopment of the relationship between Ejiro and Obiora was so natural, and I am a sucker for secret dating! Love the queer Awakening journey, and how Obiora walked Ejiro through it, but didn't push while also not really hiding his attraction. The beginning was a little slow, but once the competition starts, things pick up quite nicely. I was chomping at the bit while all the sexual tension built up (multiple times) which made the resolution that much sweeter. I love the way they bonded over their culture and the fear of disappointing their parents. And the food! 🤤 I can't wait to read more of Viano's work!

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

adventurous dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

You jump right into the story with this one, so I was a bit confused. So much so, that I actually re-listened to the entire book and watched a video discussing the themes. That said, once we got into the action, I did enjoy it. The story is told in mostly flashbacks, and I liked how each object the cleric catalogued prompted a new nugget of information. We've got romance, grief, royalty, espionage, and one bad ass Empress pulling the strings. The storytelling style is very sparse. There are more holes than explanations. More things you have to infer instead of being told. At times it was a bit frustrating, and I was screaming at Rabbit, 'Of course I don't understand. Tell the rest of the story!', but that's the point. History is a combination of memory and art, but it's hard to know for sure which parts are which. Nghi Vo is allowing us to write with them, making each reading of the book unique. I don't know what the rest of this series is about, but my interest is piqued.

Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves. 

I wonder how many angry mothers this current timeline will produce.

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

This story is dark, but in a matter of fact way. Terrible things happen, and you just move on. It reads like a memoir being in 1st person, and the entire experience has a haze over it. Like you're watching a film that went through a dust storm, and no body bothered to wipe it off. The writing in this is very lyrical, nearly poetry in a lot of places. It's hard to explain how I felt while reading this, but I was simultaneously shocked by the gruesome aspects, but also felt like I knew what was coming at times. I feel like this is the kind of story that you have to let wash over you as whole instead of picking it apart.

Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

We've got a second chance forced proximity romance, with a natural disaster twist. Mira is an ambitious lawyer looking to run for political office with her boyfriend, but first she needs to divorce the man she married one drunk night in Vegas. She goes home to Houston to do just that, but ends up getting stuck due to a looming hurricane. I love reading books set in my hometown, and seeing how these neighbors are there for one another really warmed my heart. This wasn't a bad book, but I think i read too much heartfelt emotional stuff back to back. It felt a little flat and repetitive, so I had a hard time getting swept up. I liked how they both finally opened up were honest with each other, and the discussions about feel inadequate and trying to earn love. I think I would try another by this author. 

Huda F Wants to Know?: A Graphic Novel by Huda Fahmy

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a funny and emotional story following Huda when her parent's decide to get a divorce. We get to explore the grief associated with losing the life you once new, the difficulty navigating emotions as teenager, especially in a culture that is more dismissive of discussing mental health, and see how we can find our way through it with faith and community. Beautifully written and illustrated. Thanks to penguin teen for this early copy!

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao

emotional lighthearted sad medium-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

4.0

So much pining! This story has a strong character development, discourse on grief and vulnerability, discussions on employee abuse and unionized, and examinations of grief. I loved watching Isabel open up and Mira come into her own. The emphasis on community and mutual aid was great. The overall tone is on the melancholy side, but it feels hopeful in a realistic way. I would try another book from this author.

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Love the T4T Polyam representation. This was a little light on plot, but I liked the conversations on being uncomfortable being seen. 

Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

WHAT?! I was not at all prepared for the journey this book took me on. The suspense, the themes, the character development, THE TWISTS! The end of this had me staring into the middle distance. I WAS NOT READY! Now I desperately want to read the next one but I also don't think I could bear another cliff hanger. There is all this allusion to scripture, and I'm pretty sure to the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe even though I haven't read it. There are these deep conversation about resisting evil and how pervasive it is. The characters are so deeply and richly complicated. There are layers upon layers of symbolism and foreshadowing. I can see this becoming one of those series that permeates the culture, and I'm honestly surprised it hasn't yet.

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This was cute. The setup was silly, but fun, and I loved the banter. I wish I has the audiobook for this, cause I think Lochlan's accent would have made the banter even better. There were some repetitive bits that I found my eyes skipping over, and the foreshadowing was a bit aggressive. The pinky touching had me swooning! Some of the sexy scenes were a little off to me, but over all I liked their chemistry. There were a couple quotes about being a people pleaser that really punched me in the chest, and that really helped this rating. I was hoping to see more from Iris and find out what all is going on in Easter. I'm hoping we at least get a novella for her, if not a full book. Fun times!

I altered my whole being into shapes that fit voids in everyone else’s lives so they’d stay, so my life would look perfect, so I wouldn’t be alone again. But I never asked myself what shape I wanted to take.

So what pieces have I missed, what path am I already going down that I haven’t noticed because I’ve been too busy trying to make other paths work?

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

challenging emotional inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. What a story. This was like a historica  soap opera. Everything seemed so real because I recognized so many of the names of Harlem Renaissance writers, and according to the author's note, a lot of it was real! Jessie was a force and so incredibly talented. The descriptions of her being torn and putting up with Will's bullshit were engrossing. It can be easy to forget that people are just people, but WEB is a mortal like the rest of us. I loved the bits where we get to here Jessie encourage the young writers, and getting to see just how many lives she touched. Now I want to read more about the Harlem Renaissance and all the great art that came out during the time.