booksandbesitos's reviews
44 reviews

Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

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funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

3.75

I listened to the audio version of this And right off the bat, I got to say the cast was fantastic. They did a wonderful job narrating, voicing the characters and bringing them to life.
And speaking of, the characters were all great. The amount of representation in here was phenomenal. Our two main characters were fun. Every time there was a point of view change I was excited to see what the other one was getting into. And it was so interesting to see their friendship grow, while their online rivalry was also growing. I also liked the side characters a lot. They really helped the story and the plot be more in engaging. Since the plot involves so much  social media, you really needed that social aspect for the characters out of their online personas too, like they needed an audience. 
The plot did move a little bit faster than I was expecting like there was a few times where I was like “Oh wow, we’re doing this now.” but it was still enjoyable. 
Dear Wendy was a nice read, I laughed, I learned, I related to the characters a little too much at certain points. And I’ll definitely come back to read to read more Ann Zhao.
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The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow, this was so good. I’m usually not big on science-fiction or fantasy or anything with heavy world building, but I really liked cemetery boys so I chose to pick this one up. It was a great choice because this was phenomenal.

I actually really liked the world building. Both my parents are from Mexico and the world in the book included a lot of Mexican culture and folklore so I think that helped a lot. Things like alebrijes, la chupacabra and some Nahuatl words make an appearance. 
The characters are so good, even the ones that are “bad” at first, have you rooting for them by the end. 
I’m so excited to read Celestial Monsters, but I gotta wait two weeks till my hold at the library comes in. Guess I’ll wait it out eating Pan Dulce and Masapan.
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Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

IM SOBBING WHY WOULD YOU WRITE THIS BOOK
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Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I’ve been a big fan of Natalie Naudus since I first got into audiobooks a couple years back. And this time around it was so nice to hear her narrating her own book. The writing is beautiful, a lot of it is Valerie‘s internal monologue, but it works because she’s lonely in a cult. Who else is she gonna talk to? What else is she gonna do except think? (The cult she’s in is very fundie 19 kids and counting, happy smiley people so please look at the accountant warnings before picking it up)
When Val picks up a queer book at the library, she begins to question a lot of things. And when Val meet Riley, her whole world changes. She’s able to realize how wild her situation is and how her church is more than just a church. It’s a cult.

The romance is a little Insta lovey, but when I had my first girlfriend at age as a teen, I also rushed into it. That being said, I do wish there was an epilogue. I feel like their story ended a little too soon and
it was a good ending but I just wanted more.

One last stop was mentioned bonus points for that I loved the “the narrator was okay” line. This Is How You Lose the Time War was also mentioned, big slay for that. Also the way that Val uses the library and gets support from the librarian was so heartwarming, I really liked that.

Overall, it was a definite five star read. I didn’t grow up in a fundamentalist cult, but I did grow up with a Mexican evangelic tias and could relate to several points in the book. It made me touch some scars I didn’t even realize I had. This is another YA book. I wish I could’ve read when I was younger.
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Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

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emotional funny hopeful slow-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? Yes

5.0

Wow, the journey my mind went through well reading this book is wild. I didn’t know I could be hung over from reading a book.

The plot is so fun and I’m not even a fan of soccer (although I might start watching it now)and watching the character development, especially graces, was so touching.

The book does contain quite a bit of  sex scenes, and like yeah, it’s totally fun to read, but they also helped develop the relationship, and I really liked that. i’ve never really been a huge fan of like a sex scenes, but I don’t know, this book made it not only palatable, but enjoyable. I think that the dynamic between the two characters helped with that too. I wouldn’t say it’s like grumpy and sunshine because Grace isn’t grumpy. She’s just grace, but Phoebe is definitely the oppisite of her in way that compliments her.

The dialogue was so nice the characters both main and side were so fun. And the neurodivergent representation was also so good. A couple of graces scenes made me tear up a little bit. Not because they were sad, or meant to be super emotional just because I saw myself in her.
Definitely a five out of five read. Also, I love the representation for all the useless lesbians🫶🏼🫶🏼thanks Grace and thanks Meryl Wilsner



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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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challenging emotional funny inspiring 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

4.0

This book meant so much to 16-year-old me. Reread it now at 22 years old, and it still holds up. The writing isn’t like extraordinary, but the story is so intriguing, you get invested in the mystery of who Blue could be.
The cast of friends is fun, the sisters are sisterly, the dog really felt like his own side character and not just a dog. 
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Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

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emotional informative inspiring 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

4.25

I tried reading this but had trouble getting into it. So I switched to an audiobook. I didn’t know Avi Roque was narrating part of it so it was a nice surprise. (I had just finished listening to Cemetery Boys two days prior and had listened to the Julian books earlier that day!)
The audio definitely helped bring the story to life. The writing is really beautiful and almost musical so I liked having it read to me. 

The way that Bastian and Lore meet at first connects them to the lake, and it almost feels like the lake is the third main character. 
When they meet again it is less of meeting and more finding each other. Their friendship formed very quickly and the dialogue between them feels kinda awkward but in a way that complements one another. And when it starts
bec a relationship it didn’t feel forced at all.
the dynamic between the characters was just so good. 

Like I said, I had trouble understanding it at first but The further I got into the book, the easier it was to understand how the lake  and magic exists in the story. And it made me want to keep going and see what would happen between the characters and the lake. I can’t really explain it but it didn’t feel like there was much of a plot, but not in a negative way, more in a way where the characters lead the story. They don’t have a major goal, or a thing they are trying to accomplish. They are just existing in a world with lake magic and each other. 

The characters are both neurodivergent and I liked the representation but I did feel like a lot of their inner thoughts turned into explaining their brains to the reader. I wish that it would’ve been shown in a different way rather than just “saying” it to the reader. There’s a few times where it’s shown  in conversations between the characters, in things they do, or in experiences they have, and I liked those moments better.  The telling made it hard to pinpoint if this was a YA book or a Middle Grade book. I enjoyed it either way though.
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Wow just wow. Wow wow wow wow! I just finished it and it was a long read, I’m not gonna lie, but it was so worth it. I’m a queer Latina and anytime I see queer Latine characters my heart feels so full. And this book has plenty of them. I also loved amount of culture in this book! Outfits and food and traditions were described so beautifully. I read this book in the summer, and It got me really excited for the fall and for cempasúchil y pan de muerto.

Okay now onto the actual book review. Like I said, it’s a long read, but I really enjoyed it. I liked how even the side characters had personalities and stories. I loved the dialogue and the conversations between characters. Julian was a perfect “class clown” and Maritza reminded me so much of my own prima. The conversations between Yadriel and his dad were also full of emotion.
And his growth in the end was very sweet to see.
While this is a fantasy book, it’s full of so many coming of age elements, that I think even non-witchy people will be able to relate to it. 
The Spice Box by Meera Sriram

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adventurous inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I loved the illustrations In this book. And the message was so strong. The spice box isn’t just a spice box. It’s hope, it’s history and it’s home.  Every member of the family has memories with it. I love picture books like that, where the story is entertaining for kids, but with messages that the adults reading with them can also enjoy.
I’ll definitely be reading more of this author. And need to try the recipe in the back sometime 
Sari-Sari Summers by Lynnor Bontigao

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hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Cute read!! I enjoyed it as an adult! I’ll definitely have to read if again with my nieces and test out the recipe on the back! The pictures were so pretty