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236 reviews
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
5.0
I’m just sitting here trying to write this through the tears after finishing this because wow. This books didn’t necessarily make me sad, it just made me feel a lot of things and I’m grateful for that. I really wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did after reading Looking For Alaska, but I found this story to be such a different experience. It handles themes of loss, grief, abandonment, friendship, and mental illness in such a refreshing way and all of that is wrapped up in beautiful writing.
Aza might be the most relatable character I’ve come across in a book for me personally. I could completely relate to the way she was constantly worrying about “silly” things and how her mind would spiral out of control despite her knowing how irrational she was being. The way this book describes the thoughts of an anxious person was incredibly poetic without romanticizing mental illness. It really made me feel less alone and I don’t think I’ve ever used more sticky notes in a book to tab quotes that I could relate to. This one just really hit home.
Overall, I really loved this book and especially Aza. I ended up not even caring that the mystery aspect was kept on the sidelines, as I was more invested in the characters and relationships of this story. I couldn’t recommend this one more to people looking for a great character driven story with a hint of mystery, even if you haven’t enjoyed John Green’s work in the past. I’ll end this with the two last sentences of the acknowledgments that really embody what I took away from this story.
“It can be a long and difficult road, but mental illness is treatable. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”
Favourite characters: Aza and Davis
Favourite Quote (it’s so hard to pick, I tabbed SO many pages): “All I want in this world is to keep you. Keep you from hurt, keep you from stress, all that.”
Aza might be the most relatable character I’ve come across in a book for me personally. I could completely relate to the way she was constantly worrying about “silly” things and how her mind would spiral out of control despite her knowing how irrational she was being. The way this book describes the thoughts of an anxious person was incredibly poetic without romanticizing mental illness. It really made me feel less alone and I don’t think I’ve ever used more sticky notes in a book to tab quotes that I could relate to. This one just really hit home.
Overall, I really loved this book and especially Aza. I ended up not even caring that the mystery aspect was kept on the sidelines, as I was more invested in the characters and relationships of this story. I couldn’t recommend this one more to people looking for a great character driven story with a hint of mystery, even if you haven’t enjoyed John Green’s work in the past. I’ll end this with the two last sentences of the acknowledgments that really embody what I took away from this story.
“It can be a long and difficult road, but mental illness is treatable. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”
Favourite characters: Aza and Davis
Favourite Quote (it’s so hard to pick, I tabbed SO many pages): “All I want in this world is to keep you. Keep you from hurt, keep you from stress, all that.”
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
THIS. BOOK. AHHHH... just *chefs kiss*! I had to gather my thoughts before posting this review because this book blew me away. I take notes while I’m reading just to keep track of my thoughts, and every single thing I wrote down for this book was praise. This story is like a complicated puzzle that slowly comes together as you find the pieces and let me tell you, those pieces fit perfectly.
First of all, having 6 characters all be written well and be interesting is amazing to me. I fell in love with each character for a different reason, and loved reading through each of their perspectives. Kaz and Inej specifically became some of my favourite characters of all time through this book. I could read about these characters forever and never get bored.
On top of that, the way the ton of information is delivered to the reader is so smooth. When I first started reading, I was confused by all the terminology and languages and thought I missed something. But as the story went on, everything cleared up and I started to understand everything without the information being shoved in my face right off the bat.
Basically, this has become my new favourite book of all time and I can’t wait to read Crooked Kingdom! I just never wanted this book to end. I can’t recommend this book enough.
First of all, having 6 characters all be written well and be interesting is amazing to me. I fell in love with each character for a different reason, and loved reading through each of their perspectives. Kaz and Inej specifically became some of my favourite characters of all time through this book. I could read about these characters forever and never get bored.
On top of that, the way the ton of information is delivered to the reader is so smooth. When I first started reading, I was confused by all the terminology and languages and thought I missed something. But as the story went on, everything cleared up and I started to understand everything without the information being shoved in my face right off the bat.
Basically, this has become my new favourite book of all time and I can’t wait to read Crooked Kingdom! I just never wanted this book to end. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
5.0
Gosh, this was hard to put down! I stayed up two nights in a row finishing this book, it was just so enjoyable to read. This one definitely lived up to the hype for me and is one of the best enemies to lovers stories that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. First of all, the banter in this book is top notch. I was laughing out loud every few pages from what was being said between the wonderful cast of characters. I also loved that the characters in the story seem to be my age because a lot of the things they talk about from their childhood brought back nostalgic feelings for me (ex: J14 magazine, watching people dance to Get Low at school dances). In addition, I also really enjoyed references to popular books as well as the quoting of famous letters from history.
Overall, I really thought this was going to be another fluff read, but it was so much more than that! I’m normally not into really spicy reads, but this one was done so well in my opinion. I can see myself reading this book again and again.
Overall, I really thought this was going to be another fluff read, but it was so much more than that! I’m normally not into really spicy reads, but this one was done so well in my opinion. I can see myself reading this book again and again.
Goldilocks by L.R. Lam
3.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
This book follows a crew of women as they steal a spaceship to embark on a voyage to another galaxy in order to save mankind after the earth has been ravaged by humanity. The concept of this book intrigued me and I could definitely see some parallels to The Martian as I was reading it at the same time as this. Unfortunately though, the first 75% of this book almost put me in a reading slump. I normally read books pretty fast, but it took me almost a month to get through this one. I’m not sure exactly why I didn’t want to keep reading it, but it just wasn’t the exciting read I was hoping for. The pacing seemed off and the twists that were thrown in didn’t improve the story for me. I also didn’t really like any of the characters all that much, especially our protagonist. The last quarter of the book got a bit more interesting, however, so I bumped my rating up to 3 stars. Overall, I don’t really recommend this book as there are so many other great science fiction books out there with a similar premise.
This book follows a crew of women as they steal a spaceship to embark on a voyage to another galaxy in order to save mankind after the earth has been ravaged by humanity. The concept of this book intrigued me and I could definitely see some parallels to The Martian as I was reading it at the same time as this. Unfortunately though, the first 75% of this book almost put me in a reading slump. I normally read books pretty fast, but it took me almost a month to get through this one. I’m not sure exactly why I didn’t want to keep reading it, but it just wasn’t the exciting read I was hoping for. The pacing seemed off and the twists that were thrown in didn’t improve the story for me. I also didn’t really like any of the characters all that much, especially our protagonist. The last quarter of the book got a bit more interesting, however, so I bumped my rating up to 3 stars. Overall, I don’t really recommend this book as there are so many other great science fiction books out there with a similar premise.
Cirque des Freaks and Other Tales of Horror by Julián López
2.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short horror stories. I loved that each story contained queer representation, and the premise of certain stories really drew me in. Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed by this collection. I didn’t really find any of them scary even though I was reading them in the dark every night. Also, I found some of the dialog to be unnatural which really took away from the story telling. My biggest issue, however, was the use of a slur for little people in the title story Cirque Des Freaks. It’s used multiple times casually and it made me super uncomfortable. The story also makes it seem like little people are ‘freaks’ equal with a two headed man and a lizard person, and I don’t understand why you’d write about that. This story also has mistakes in the French grammar used which took away from what I was reading.
Overall, I didn’t really enjoy this collection of horror stories, however I did enjoy the one called Loving Death. I just wish the rest of the collection was like that one tale.
I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short horror stories. I loved that each story contained queer representation, and the premise of certain stories really drew me in. Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed by this collection. I didn’t really find any of them scary even though I was reading them in the dark every night. Also, I found some of the dialog to be unnatural which really took away from the story telling. My biggest issue, however, was the use of a slur for little people in the title story Cirque Des Freaks. It’s used multiple times casually and it made me super uncomfortable. The story also makes it seem like little people are ‘freaks’ equal with a two headed man and a lizard person, and I don’t understand why you’d write about that. This story also has mistakes in the French grammar used which took away from what I was reading.
Overall, I didn’t really enjoy this collection of horror stories, however I did enjoy the one called Loving Death. I just wish the rest of the collection was like that one tale.
Tokyo Love by Diana Jean
4.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Wow, what a cute read! Some reviews said this book is addicting, and they’re not wrong. The first night I started reading this I stayed up until 1am reading half of the book; it just had me hooked. The writing style is pretty simple so I breezed through the whole book in 2 sittings. This book follows and American woman named Kathleen living in Tokyo in the near future who works on synthetic love companions that are perfectly designed to be everything an individual could want in a partner. But when Kathleen gets a beta version of the robot for testing, she’s shocked to find it’s identical to her neighbour Yuriko. Now Kathleen finds herself questioning her sexuality and trying to figure out who she truly is is this foreign city.
This is a beautiful tale of friendship, personal growth, and self discovery rich in Japanese culture. From city life in Tokyo to temples on the countryside, I loved reading about all of the places the characters visit in the story. I also really felt for all of the characters and their struggles, including the robot named Ai. I just wanted the best for everything at the end of the story. I also enjoyed reading from both Kathleen and Yuriko’s perspective in order to get more insight into how each person was feeling.
I didn’t give this book 5 stars because I felt like some scenes were breezed over and explained after the fact instead of being fully fleshed out. There was one scene in particular involving Ai that I would have loved to read, but it was just glossed over briefly in the book. Overall, I loved this book and will actually be purchasing a copy once it’s published on March 10, 2020. It’s a book I can see myself rereading time and time again, and I’d recommend it to any LGBTQ+ romance readers out there.
Wow, what a cute read! Some reviews said this book is addicting, and they’re not wrong. The first night I started reading this I stayed up until 1am reading half of the book; it just had me hooked. The writing style is pretty simple so I breezed through the whole book in 2 sittings. This book follows and American woman named Kathleen living in Tokyo in the near future who works on synthetic love companions that are perfectly designed to be everything an individual could want in a partner. But when Kathleen gets a beta version of the robot for testing, she’s shocked to find it’s identical to her neighbour Yuriko. Now Kathleen finds herself questioning her sexuality and trying to figure out who she truly is is this foreign city.
This is a beautiful tale of friendship, personal growth, and self discovery rich in Japanese culture. From city life in Tokyo to temples on the countryside, I loved reading about all of the places the characters visit in the story. I also really felt for all of the characters and their struggles, including the robot named Ai. I just wanted the best for everything at the end of the story. I also enjoyed reading from both Kathleen and Yuriko’s perspective in order to get more insight into how each person was feeling.
I didn’t give this book 5 stars because I felt like some scenes were breezed over and explained after the fact instead of being fully fleshed out. There was one scene in particular involving Ai that I would have loved to read, but it was just glossed over briefly in the book. Overall, I loved this book and will actually be purchasing a copy once it’s published on March 10, 2020. It’s a book I can see myself rereading time and time again, and I’d recommend it to any LGBTQ+ romance readers out there.
The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke
2.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for giving me a digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review*
I had high hopes for this one after reading the premise; a witchy tale involving queer girls in modern times? I’m so here for it. I was excited to see what was going to happen to this group of girls. In the end though, I just felt like the story fell flat. It felt like nothing really happened in the story, and by the time I got to the end it felt like everything exciting was being saved for a sequel. The whole book seems to revolve around the girls wanting to perform magic at parties for no other reason than getting attention from their peers, and that part really didn’t work for me.
I was also constantly frustrated with the main character’s decisions, which were illogical and went against common sense. I also felt like we got barely any information on the main character other than what happened to her mother and her anger issues (anger issues that were never really discussed or used for character development). I remember being half way into the story and still not knowing what the main character, Sideways, looked like other than that she wasn’t overly thin. I ended up feeling no connection to Sideways because of this.
The ending also really disappointed me. I saw the twist coming from the first chapter, and when it was finally revealed it all felt anti-climactic. Instead of a big exciting finale, I found that the story just kind of fizzled out and left everything for the sequel. In the end, I just wasn’t a fan of this book and it didn’t feel memorable to me.
I had high hopes for this one after reading the premise; a witchy tale involving queer girls in modern times? I’m so here for it. I was excited to see what was going to happen to this group of girls. In the end though, I just felt like the story fell flat. It felt like nothing really happened in the story, and by the time I got to the end it felt like everything exciting was being saved for a sequel. The whole book seems to revolve around the girls wanting to perform magic at parties for no other reason than getting attention from their peers, and that part really didn’t work for me.
I was also constantly frustrated with the main character’s decisions, which were illogical and went against common sense. I also felt like we got barely any information on the main character other than what happened to her mother and her anger issues (anger issues that were never really discussed or used for character development). I remember being half way into the story and still not knowing what the main character, Sideways, looked like other than that she wasn’t overly thin. I ended up feeling no connection to Sideways because of this.
The ending also really disappointed me. I saw the twist coming from the first chapter, and when it was finally revealed it all felt anti-climactic. Instead of a big exciting finale, I found that the story just kind of fizzled out and left everything for the sequel. In the end, I just wasn’t a fan of this book and it didn’t feel memorable to me.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5.0
After finishing this on audiobook, this book will forever have my heart. It does a great job at portraying character development, and I went from hating certain characters to LOVING them. I wasn’t expecting much from a children’s novel, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I cared about the story. Overall, a wonderful book!
Ash by Malinda Lo
3.0
*Full rating - 3.5 stars*
This was a fun quick read for me. It was interesting to see how Malinda Lo re-imagined the Cinderella story in such a creative way. I found myself really rooting for the romance of the two main characters and liked the slow burn aspect of it all.
Unfortunately though, for me I was left wanting a bit more from the plot and character development. I especially wanted to know more about the huntress. I was also left kind of disappointed by the fairy plot line.
Overall I liked the book and would recommend to anyone that enjoys fairy tails and reading lgbtq+ romance stories.
This was a fun quick read for me. It was interesting to see how Malinda Lo re-imagined the Cinderella story in such a creative way. I found myself really rooting for the romance of the two main characters and liked the slow burn aspect of it all.
Unfortunately though, for me I was left wanting a bit more from the plot and character development. I especially wanted to know more about the huntress. I was also left kind of disappointed by the fairy plot line.
Overall I liked the book and would recommend to anyone that enjoys fairy tails and reading lgbtq+ romance stories.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
5.0
I went in to this book knowing nothing about it except for the synopsis on the back, so I was expecting a light hearted story about a grumpy old man. What I got was a book that moved me to tears for hours after finishing it. I don’t think any other novel has made me feel that deeply before, despite many other making me cry (I’m a big baby, okay?). By the end, I just felt so much love for all of the main characters and didn’t want to stop hearing about the lives of everyone in the neighbourhood, including the cat.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a deeply emotional read.
*WARNING* I don’t want to spoil the plot, but there are some dark themes that might be triggering to some people. I would recommend looking into this further if it concerns you.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a deeply emotional read.
*WARNING* I don’t want to spoil the plot, but there are some dark themes that might be triggering to some people. I would recommend looking into this further if it concerns you.