Take a photo of a barcode or cover
catalinamunoz's reviews
178 reviews
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The characters are incredibly complex and deeply human. I loved them at times, I couldn’t stand them other times, yet I was always rooting for them because their flaws, ambitions, and relationships felt authentic.
While the stakes felt low in some parts of the story, the final chapters are a whirlwind. It gets very interesting and left me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book.
emotional
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
4.75
I’ll admit—I wouldn’t have picked up this book if it weren’t for the glowing reviews. I’m not a gamer, and stories about video game creators aren’t something I’d typically gravitate toward. Yet, Gabrielle Zevin’s incredible craft completely pulled me in.
The book follows two kids who meet at the hospital and bond over their love for video games. Later in life, they create a video game together that becomes a cultural phenomenon. But it’s not just about their success; it’s about the complexities of their friendship, their creative process, and the emotional highs and lows that come with building something meaningful together.
Despite my lack of familiarity with gaming, I was fully immersed in the world she created. Zevin made me understand why the characters cared so deeply about their game and how it represented more than just pixels on a screen—it was their art, their ambition, and their connection to each other. That level of emotional depth is a testament to her writing skills.
The characters are incredibly complex and deeply human. I loved them at times, I couldn’t stand them other times, yet I was always rooting for them because their flaws, ambitions, and relationships felt authentic.
While the stakes felt low in some parts of the story, the final chapters are a whirlwind. It gets very interesting and left me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book.
Why you should read it: Even if gaming isn’t your thing, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow will surprise you with its ability to draw you into a world you didn’t know you could care about so much. It’s about creativity, friendship, and the challenges of building something meaningful together.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.25
My Abby Jimenez ranking is:
1. Yours truly
2. Just for the summer
3. Part of your world
2. Just for the summer
3. Part of your world
Stoner by John Williams
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
One of the best endings I’ve ever read.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Don’t let the cutesy cover trick you. This is a story about friendship, mourning, and overcoming grief. Still, I enjoyed it and ended up loving how the story developed unexpectedly.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
This book excels in terms of writing style and quality. In The Dream House is a memoir written in fragmented form. You never get the story as a whole but a sequence of short chapters with memories narrated in them. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever read before. Some chapters are as short as one sentence, others are pages long, and others are almost like poems.
Machado expresses her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship through lyrical writing, addressing a rarely discussed subject. She also touches on the societal expectations for what a queer relationship should look like.
It's not just the exceptional reading experience; it's the delivery. She writes in the second person, which is a difficult thing to do successfully (the other person I’ve read who triumphantly does it is Shehan Karunatilaka in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida).
It’s an intimate story of her life and her relationship with her former partner made in an authentic, creative, and beautiful way.
emotional
reflective
5.0
“I speak into the silence. I toss the stone of my story into a vast crevice; measure the emptiness by its small sound.”
This book excels in terms of writing style and quality. In The Dream House is a memoir written in fragmented form. You never get the story as a whole but a sequence of short chapters with memories narrated in them. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever read before. Some chapters are as short as one sentence, others are pages long, and others are almost like poems.
Machado expresses her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship through lyrical writing, addressing a rarely discussed subject. She also touches on the societal expectations for what a queer relationship should look like.
It's not just the exceptional reading experience; it's the delivery. She writes in the second person, which is a difficult thing to do successfully (the other person I’ve read who triumphantly does it is Shehan Karunatilaka in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida).
It’s an intimate story of her life and her relationship with her former partner made in an authentic, creative, and beautiful way.