deepbutdazzlingdarkness's reviews
382 reviews

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

4.5

Probably 4.5 stars. This took me SO long to read - possibly the longest I’ve ever taken to read a book that wasn’t an audiobook, and it was hard to get into at first so I was just reading little bits here and there, but I finally finished it in 2 big chunks, and I ended up really enjoying it. The setting was so immersive and I liked all the different POVs. There were a lot of moving parts that were hard to keep track of (I’m never good at paying attention to timestamps, and I really had to make myself do that when reading), but it came together really well. The reveal about Delphine had me literally SO outraged and then when we finally found out what happened to Bear…god, so heartbreaking. And the ending was very satisfying! 

Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition by Gail Simone, Tee Franklin, Marguerite Bennett

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The story itself was pretty simplistic, but it still had me like 🥹 and the art is absolutely STUNNING

When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan

informative inspiring reflective

4.5

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-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

5.0

Absolutely fantastic and possibly one of the best YA books I’ve ever read ngl.

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

Might finish eventually but got 10% in and didn’t pick it up again for a week so I returned the library loan so the person waiting could get it.

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

Oh man, this was SO FUN, I loved it. I admit it’s probably not a 5 star book on its own, maybe 4-4.5, but for nostalgia purposes I had to bump it up on GR. (For here on StoryGraph I will keep it as a solid 4.5). I loved the whole Dawson’s Creek-esque setting obviously, but also the Buffy references delighted me, as well as all the littler ones to different shows that I caught and didn’t catch. (I liked that the author included a little section about them at the end!) 

 

I really enjoyed how the sweet happy veneer of Carson’s Cove started to wear off and how Sheldon started to get more and more creepy and menacing as Brynn started to not follow his plan. Brynn and Josh’s chemistry was so good and I really liked their relationship. The third act conflict/climax made me super emotional and the way things resolved was soooo satisfying. One of the things that never worked for me about Dawson’s Creek is how Jen and Joey were so often at odds during the series and they never really became friends, and while that wasn’t quite the same in this universe (with Sloan having Poppy as a best friend), I liked that part of Sloan’s happy ending was becoming real true friends with Luce. 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given. 

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

3.0

I have really mixed feelings about this, and it was hard to rate. Personally, I didn’t agree with a lot of Allen’s conclusions. I totally support the premise that there are queer people even in red states and that they deserve support and to not be dismissed. I lived in Nashville and loved it there, I have so many queer friends who still live there, and the lesbian bar The Lipstick Lounge is one of my absolute favorite places. I loved that aspect of this book, and parts of it made me really emotional, but I didn’t like the sort of pitting against each other of cities vs. small towns. 

I'm a city person and always will be, and the idea that many people in big cities are miserable…sure, but not automatically BECAUSE they’re living in a city. I accept that Allen would never want to live in New York City, but the denigration of public transportation is um. Something. And she specifically has a discussion of intersectionality and yet doesn’t really mention that as a reason why people would want to move to/stay in big cities??? Overall I did really enjoy this, but that aspect of it bothered me. The audiobook was a quick listen, and I always like when they’re read by the author! 

Love from the Pink Palace: Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret through the AIDS Crisis by Jill Nalder

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

5.0

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

3.0

Wherever Is Your Heart by Anita Kelly

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was sooooooo sweet I loved it so much 🥹🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰