deepbutdazzlingdarkness's reviews
403 reviews

Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer

4.0

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

fast-paced

5.0

I was so unbelievably thrilled to get the ARC for this, and yet for some reason I didn't end up reading it until this weekend but I absolutely LOVED it. I had a huge ice skating phase back around Sochi and this was so juicy and unputdownable. The cover is absolutely stunning, and the book itself definitely lived up to my expectations. The oral history/interview parts of it made it such a fast read and god knows a fucked up childhood friends to lovers ride or die relationship is like catnip to me so Kat and Heath were so compelling and I loved seeing their journey. 

The ending made me super emotional and I SCREAMED at Ellis’s line “I’m not saying they were a throuple, but it seemed like they were a throuple” because even if it wasn't the case, that's exactly where I hoped it was leading. This was just fantastic and I wish I hadn't waited 4 months to read it! 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC; all opinions are my own. 

A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner

3.0

This wasn't bad. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I didn't read it so slowly, but the fact that it did also says something. The atmosphere and 80s setting was great, it felt appropriately grimy and I did enjoy (?) the messy relationship between Nina and Stephanie. I found the main character pretty annoying, but I enjoyed it enough to finish in any case.

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC; all opinions are my own.

Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist by Jennifer Wright

4.0

Mismatched by Anne Camlin

4.0

This was cute! A pretty good adaptation, although I felt like Evan's realization of his feelings came pretty out of nowhere and it didn't totally work for me. Still, I liked it and especially the art.

Sunburn by Laura Lippman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

Marking as a DNF for posterity; I only read the first chapter but the male POV was already off-putting and I don't have a desire to continue.

I'll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow

3.0

This was…fine, but I feel like the characters were maybe too young for me to really connect to. I liked that it wasn't instalove, but at the same time, the fact that they had only known each other for like 24 hours made me feel like, why should I be invested? I guess Ellie and Murphy were cute, but I didn't really care about their relationship. The stuff with Murphy and Kat’s friendship was much more interesting, and I really loved the scene where they get stoned in Murphy's bedroom and finally get to talk and clear the air.

Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

dark informative sad

4.0

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler

3.5

Aww I really liked this. The first book was a bit too insta-lovey for my taste, but I like that in this one, the couple had known each other for years, so it didn't feel rushed. “You deserve better than me/I'm doing it for your own good” breakups annoy me every time, but I like that it wasn't too drawn out here and the ending did make me tear up.