emma_b_rhodes's reviews
95 reviews

The Hand of Iman by Ryad Assani-Razaki

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I BLEW through this! It's great. Very heavy and the ending was a lot for me. I actually think this book could be longer (and I never say that I always want things to be shorter).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism and Colonisation

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

this was hard as an audiobook but I know it was excellent. Gonna read it again in a physical book. 

The Trinity of Fundamentals by Wisam Rafeedie

challenging emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

I'm happy to have read this book, and I learned a bit from it, but I didn't find it a really good book tbh. Very dense, and I feel like the first 100 pages could have been cut completely... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Sexism

Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir by Danny Ramadan

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Sneaking in another 5star read this year! I really appreciated how Danny Ramadan refused to delve into the details of painful experiences and instead interrogates why he should/why readers would want that. It was my memoir year this year and this one was unlike all the others I read this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Police brutality, and Deportation

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

5.0

mal à l'aise by Jenna Lyn Albert

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

simply incredible no notes ✨

Everything Is Fine Here by Iryn Tushabe

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

my 3 phrase pitch for this book is sisterhood, religious trauma, and queer joy. As someone who does not have a sister I am obsessed with sister stories!! Happy queer relationships!! I want to have the kind of beautiful queer relationship shown in this book & others like it. So happy to be reading more books about queer joy than queer trauma ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Car accident

Coming Home by Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.75

Abolish all prisons!! Opened my eyes to how many people are detained and kept hostage internationally. Scary stuff & also a beautiful story of all the people who played a role in getting Brittney home so quickly (10 months is such a long time but so quick compared to others who are detained in Russia and elsewhere).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Grief

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Medical content

Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts by Sarah Thornton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

I don't like how the author represents things & got through half the book and she still hadnt spoken to anyone who was fat or had big boobs and liked it. feels like this was an author who used research to reaffirm her own beliefs rather than learn or teach anything new idk. 

Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

I BLEW through this. Loved it. Lots of sex and assault which sometimes worked really well and sometimes felt gratuitous. Many disturbing and shocking points where I gasped out loud. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol