brookegabor's reviews
217 reviews

Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith

reflective slow-paced

4.5

patti smith always has such a way of bringing you into her world, and this book brings you in and out of her dreamlike reality during the year of the monkey in 2016 where she was dealing with personal grief as well as external stressors, especially the political landscape in the u.s. 

the only reason i knocked off a half star is that there were about 45 minutes or so at the end of the book where she talked about life during the pandemic, but i feel like it didn’t need that. it was still great, but would serve better as a separate piece of writing where she could go more in depth rather than an epilogue at the end of a book about her life in 2016.

Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Stanley Blair

informative fast-paced

3.75

i think this book does a good job reframing the conversations around abortion/pregnancy to put the responsibility on people with penis’. however, i really feel that this book is just a starting place that should be expanded upon with more scientific research (and in-text citations instead of just a link lol), and to include people of color, queer and trans people, non monogamous people, and anyone else beyond the white cis-het pov this book is written from. still an interesting and informative read ! 

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

cute, funny, definitely weirded out by him dating a high schooler so i’m excited for that arc to be over 🤞 and i think i love wallace 

Taproot by Keezy Young

adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

cute, quick + spooky read 👻

kind of shallow in terms of plot but i’m glad i picked it up

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this read more like a YA book than adult fiction to me, most likely because it’s from the pov of a 14 year old, and felt like reading a judy blume book with more “grown up” topics covered 

also for some reason i thought this book was gay??? and it just wasn’t lol

with those disclaimers out of the way, i still loved this book. getting to see mary jane get exposed to a different way of life than her conservative family structure was really well handled and honestly relatable. i LOVED izzy’s character, and the feeling of escaping to a magical sort of place where you can truly find yourself reminds me of the summer camps i worked at as a high schooler. really great read!!

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

it took me a bit to get into this book but once i was in it, there was no looking back. this book is so atmospheric you really feel like you’re there on tour with the band, which is impressive given that it’s told via interview, and it was so easy to care so deeply about the characters. the whole last 50 pages or so was just a cry fest idk if i’ll ever recover

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

funny mysterious 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

i wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as i did at ALLL but i am literally obsessed. the whole book gave like surreal horror / mystery vibes and then suddenly it was gay!!! it was perfect. no notes.

Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

fun light & cute read! certain parts made me cringe and the ending wrapped up way to quickly for my liking but still really enjoyed it :) 

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

adventurous slow-paced

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

1.5

this book was a slog to get thru and i’m not sure it was worth the 10+ hours listening lol. edward is even more insufferable now than he was before, and the only interesting parts of this book were the bits of backstory we get for carlisle and alice, and the small gaps where edward was gone in twilight got filled in. everything else was the same except now we can hear everyone’s inner monologue. not my fav book haha

Tegan and Sara: Junior High by Tegan Quin, Sara Quin

funny lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

this book is such a real representation of  coming of age as a lesbian ! i wish all the chapters were a little more fleshed out, but also i as a 21 year old am certainly not the target demographic haha. overall a great read! will always love tegan and sara, and will always love tillie walden :)