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deepbutdazzlingdarkness's reviews
307 reviews
You're the Problem, It's You by Emma R. Alban
4.0
This was delightful! I didn’t love it as much as the first book, partly because the storyline with the parents in the first book really added something to it for me, but it was an absolutely satisfying follow up. I picked it up the day I finished season three of Bridgerton and it was exactly what I wanted.
I will say, when we got to the third act conflict, Bobby kind of annoyed me, like he should understand why James is so worried about his stepfather/other people finding out about them. And yes after his knee jerk reaction he does acknowledge that of course James has reasons for not wanting to be open about the relationship, but the fact that he takes it as being there something wrong with himself, like..I get it, but this is a character trait that I always find very frustrating. And the way he just assumes that this means James doesn’t care about him, like how about you at least ASK him first. (Obviously this is a romance novel, and even if it wasn't, talking about those kinds of things is always agonizing, but still.)
I like that the main conflict is external at the end though; that they face it together rather than letting it tear them apart and that the conflict is actually pretty mild and easily resolved. And the confession scene had me 😭🥹.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the digital ARC, I’m SO glad I didn’t have to wait until August to read it!!!
I will say, when we got to the third act conflict, Bobby kind of annoyed me, like he should understand why James is so worried about his stepfather/other people finding out about them. And yes after his knee jerk reaction he does acknowledge that of course James has reasons for not wanting to be open about the relationship, but the fact that he takes it as being there something wrong with himself, like..I get it, but this is a character trait that I always find very frustrating. And the way he just assumes that this means James doesn’t care about him, like how about you at least ASK him first. (Obviously this is a romance novel, and even if it wasn't, talking about those kinds of things is always agonizing, but still.)
I like that the main conflict is external at the end though; that they face it together rather than letting it tear them apart and that the conflict is actually pretty mild and easily resolved. And the confession scene had me 😭🥹.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the digital ARC, I’m SO glad I didn’t have to wait until August to read it!!!
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
4.0
This was pretty good, although I’d already seen the HBO Max docuseries based on it, so I feel like I didn’t get as much out of it as I would’ve otherwise. Still, it’s well worth your time, and I really liked that there was a ~20 minute interview with both the author and audiobook narrator at the end.
Girls Who Burn by M.K. Pagano
3.5
This was a great YA mystery! I liked the complicated sibling relationships, Addie’s regret about Fiona and how overprotective she was of Davy. It definitely got tense at points, and tbh I liked how Addie kept getting turned around and had no idea who to trust. I didn’t guess who the killer was but it was totally fitting. Addie and Seth’s relationship was sweet, and I liked Addie being able to repair her old friendships as well.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the digital ARC; these are my own unbiased opinions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the digital ARC; these are my own unbiased opinions.