bookreviewswithkb's reviews
641 reviews

Stay True by Hua Hsu

2.5

the writing is beautiful but i didn’t feel connected to the author, which left me feeling no emotional impact. it sort of felt like this memoir was written for the people who know Hsu, rather than an average reader

Keya Das's Second Act by Sopan Deb

emotional lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.25

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

love love loved this!! i was immediately transported back into the Garden Heights neighborhood of The Hate U Give when i opened this book. the characters are such endearing and real human beings who i was drawn to, who i was rooting for. Thomas has a way of writing that allows the story to settle into your heart. highly recommend this beautiful book 

The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA by Jesse Katz

emotional informative fast-paced

3.0

thank you so much to @astrahouse for the review copy! 

readability = 100. it’s a very fast-paced, propulsive and interesting read. i was drawn into the story and committed to understanding the storyline in all its aspects. it was definitely hard to put down at times. but it lacked a stance, which i found disappointing. Katz points out many of the flaws within the criminal “justice” system, but didn’t explicitly state “this is wrong.” he didn’t criticize the system for the harm it caused in this particular case, the positions it put people into, the ways men of color are punished for the same actions white men in power take. i think he tried to be too neutral in telling this story

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt

Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani

dark emotional reflective sad tense

5.0

from this very short story collection i can very easily understand why Kanafani is a celebrated writer and i know that i need to prioritize reading his other works. this collection was difficult and emotional to read, with such thoughtful writing and prolific sentences and stories. Kanafani focuses on Pales tine but these stories could take any place where there is war, where colonization has a chokehold on people just trying to exist, where people are left to make decisions that they should never be faced with

stunning and mesmerizing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and War

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

“life was war, a series of battles with the occasional spell of good things.” 

this was such an immersive read, with vivid imagery and characterization that drew me in and held me close. it is as much a family drama as it as an examination of politics, of class, of poverty and wealth. of violence and power, the inflicting of violence to get a desired outcome, to control, to manipulate. an absolutely heart wrenching read 

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“Muslims have always been politicians’ distractions, to cover the lost promises they were unable to keep. They use the war on terror and justified invasions of bled bodies stretching from Yemen to Pakistan because they want to create fear.”

what a beautiful, powerful novel! this is definitely a favorite for the year. i think that even if you don’t typically read young adult novels, you will enjoy this one

this is about the pain and terror that is created when your religion is used against you, to sow hatred and fear, to undermine your existence. this is about the complicated nature of learning to embrace your power, your voice, your generational gifts. the way our communities embrace us, uphold us, show us who we are

and it’s a young adult novel with no love storyline!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

No Place to Bury the Dead by Karina Sainz Borgo

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

thank you to @harpervia for the advanced gifted copy of the English translated publication of this novel! out now 💜

No Place to Bury the Dead is a harrowing novel that explores what it means to protect and create space for the lives lost by corruption, the lives lost while trying to look for something new by migrating to a new land, to help those who do not have the means to access a proper burial, of caring for people even after they are dead. how that desire to protect pits you against those with the desire of greed, of power. this is a novel about grief, about managing loss

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Rape

Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture by Zeba Blay

challenging informative reflective

5.0

cw: suicidal thoughts, sexual assault 

loved this so much! how Blay examines the influence of specific Black women in pop culture to explore nuanced and challenging topics including colorism, fatphobia, the “angry Black woman” stereotype, and about who gets to be a carefree Black girl. i thought Blay’s analyses were insightful, as she grappled with some very thoughtful questions and concepts related to identity, interwoven with her own personal experiences and internal challenges 

When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i loved this novel so much! give me fiction written by a poet everyyy tiiime 👏🏼

the writing is so compelling and beautiful. i was compulsively drawn into the narrative, wavering alongside the characters, feeling their emotions. Asghar explores what it means to try to find mothering when your own mother dies when you are a young child, how to find home in our sisters, the way grief settles into our bones, makes us begin to build a guard around our hearts preventing us from loving ourselves, from understanding how we should be loved. she grapples with gender identity, with the evolution of abuse and control, with belonging, with being left behind, with the seeking of what’s been taken from us