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fossilreads's Reviews (171)
emotional
informative
sad
Even my parents acted embarrassed by me. But nobody seemed to understand that I was simply out of my mind with grief. My children had been taken away from me.
This was quite heartbreaking to read. I've been interested in Britney's story for a long time and wanted to know what was happening that we weren't allowed to see. The trauma she carries for wanting to do what she loves and support her family, just to be taken advantage of for decades is so hard to imagine.
The book is definitely written in Britney's style, you can hear her way of speaking through the text. In the beginning, there was a lot of recounting of how exactly an interview went and those sounded a bit like just video clips were written again instead of these memories being recounted. Given that, the experiences got much more personal soon after.
I've always felt awful about how Britney was treated through the most difficult times, by the paparazzi, the media, and even fans. I'm so glad she has had the strength to fight for her freedom even when it might have felt like the whole world was trying to control her.
Britney acknowledges her mistakes in not healing properly and keeping up with performances when hurt and heartbroken, but how could she have known better? She has been wronged by many people who were supposed to care for her, yet she hasn't given up on love and believing there's good in the world.
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I signaled Miki I would be withdrawing for one minute. I needed to have an emotion in private.
Murderbot has me both absolutely loving and terrified of space and robots.
I thoroughly enjoyed the third part of this series. Murderbot feels familiar and relatable to me, I swear that sounds worse than it is! I love seeing Murderbot's interactions with all the new transports and bots it comes across. Especially seeing it witness a new type of relationship between Miki and its humans was an interesting experience. Somewhat similar to being a human from worse conditions and seeing someone who has never experienced those bad things and has stayed 'pure' in a way.
I enjoy Martha's writing style and worldbuilding. Plotwise this part was quite similar to the previous Murderbot Diaries, but that's definitely what I enjoyed about it: something familiar to expect, yet new dynamics to navigate for some freshness too.
The ending left me slightly heartbroken and I NEED to know what's next!
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to the author for an ARC copy!
This was a beautiful story of coming back to the one you love and figuring out if you can be together after so many years and a whole lot of life in between.
Cassidy deals with infertility and though I can't relate to wanting children, she gave me a good look into how difficult it can be and how much it can mess up your life when having biological children is a big dream of yours. I was a little sad to see how bitter she ended up feeling toward other women and even their kids at times, but also recognize that everyone reacts differently and there are so many ways to grieve a life you've always wanted to have.
There was a bit more back and forth between Cal and Cass than I would've hoped, but their relationship is STEAMY, and Maisie sure threw in a whole different aspect to consider! I adore Cass and Maisie's relationship and how it evolves into something very beautiful.
I loved Cal's devotion and how he would do anything he could to show Cass how he felt. The anxiety and panic attacks were well described and I was happy to see how their support systems helped them through them, as a priority, putting everything else aside when needed.
Some of the side characters felt a little empty for me like they were sometimes there to only react in a certain way or cause an issue, just for the sake of having an issue. That felt minor though, so I did really enjoy the whole story. I kind of hoped there would've been a little more bodily diversity, but was happy there was at least some cultural diversity.
I NEED to know more about Amira and Noah! I want to know everything!
This was a beautiful story of coming back to the one you love and figuring out if you can be together after so many years and a whole lot of life in between.
Cassidy deals with infertility and though I can't relate to wanting children, she gave me a good look into how difficult it can be and how much it can mess up your life when having biological children is a big dream of yours. I was a little sad to see how bitter she ended up feeling toward other women and even their kids at times, but also recognize that everyone reacts differently and there are so many ways to grieve a life you've always wanted to have.
There was a bit more back and forth between Cal and Cass than I would've hoped, but their relationship is STEAMY, and Maisie sure threw in a whole different aspect to consider! I adore Cass and Maisie's relationship and how it evolves into something very beautiful.
I loved Cal's devotion and how he would do anything he could to show Cass how he felt. The anxiety and panic attacks were well described and I was happy to see how their support systems helped them through them, as a priority, putting everything else aside when needed.
Some of the side characters felt a little empty for me like they were sometimes there to only react in a certain way or cause an issue, just for the sake of having an issue. That felt minor though, so I did really enjoy the whole story. I kind of hoped there would've been a little more bodily diversity, but was happy there was at least some cultural diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the ARC.
This is one of the first historical fiction I've read and I definitely enjoyed it!
There is a lot of grief and pain, from losing loved ones to dealing with settlers wiping out and oppressing your indigenous people. It's a complicated situation to be a daughter of both sides AND the one that needs to protect that indigenous people's history.
I loved Catalina and her growth through the story, her struggle to live by both sides of her roots and at the same time reject some parts of them felt familiar to me and I loved seeing her navigate it. I enjoyed the romance subplot and liked some of the important male characters Catalina interacts with (some guys are just downright nasty, but very well written as the nastiness serves a purpose). The characters felt well rounded out and I wouldn't mind reading more about some of them! I want to hear more about Cristobál!
I wasn't 100% focused on every detail so that's likely why most of the plot twists came as surprises to me, but when they happened the characters' reasons felt realistic to me. The writing was so enjoyable and the story was well thought out.
I loved learning about the Popol Vuh through Catalina's story and learned some history too!
This is one of the first historical fiction I've read and I definitely enjoyed it!
There is a lot of grief and pain, from losing loved ones to dealing with settlers wiping out and oppressing your indigenous people. It's a complicated situation to be a daughter of both sides AND the one that needs to protect that indigenous people's history.
I loved Catalina and her growth through the story, her struggle to live by both sides of her roots and at the same time reject some parts of them felt familiar to me and I loved seeing her navigate it. I enjoyed the romance subplot and liked some of the important male characters Catalina interacts with (some guys are just downright nasty, but very well written as the nastiness serves a purpose). The characters felt well rounded out and I wouldn't mind reading more about some of them! I want to hear more about Cristobál!
I wasn't 100% focused on every detail so that's likely why most of the plot twists came as surprises to me, but when they happened the characters' reasons felt realistic to me. The writing was so enjoyable and the story was well thought out.
I loved learning about the Popol Vuh through Catalina's story and learned some history too!
adventurous
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.
I was a little bit torn on my opinion of this book, at the same time I loved it but also kind of wanted it to end.
I love the range of representation, from neurodivergence to physical disabilities, POC & queer identities, and poly relationships. At times they were approached somewhat sloppily, so it felt clumsy. The normalization of therapy and needing support were very nice, though sometimes cliche. (Not inherently a bad thing, I just didn't enjoy it this time.) I did enjoy the way grief was approached.
The world-building wasn't to my taste and I didn't enjoy the writing style too much, but these are completely personal tastes so I just didn't happen to be the target audience for those. The pacing felt confusing to me, it felt like "there's imminent danger and we need to act quickly!" But at the same time, we might skip a week and a half. It was difficult for me to figure out how much time there would be to get something done.
I hoped to relate to the MC more, but as there are so many variations of autism, we ended up being extremely different. I mainly felt sad for and pitied the MC but I didn't end up liking her too much. I really wanted to like them, but kind of wanted to read more from another character's POV instead. I did love the growth she went through after actually seeking proper help!
I found the characters somewhat irrational and confusing when they seemed to be changing their minds without explaining their reasons. I kind of felt like Lane could've had at least some resentment etc. towards her mother around the end, instead of completely accepting everything as soon as she gets praise.
The twists felt like a little too much for me, I almost couldn't keep up anymore. The whole thing felt a little too stuffed with SO MANY new things for Lane to navigate. Even though that's realistic since life doesn't care how many things are going on, it might throw another crisis at you, I felt like we wanted to address too many issues in one book and had to add them to the mix.
I was a little bit torn on my opinion of this book, at the same time I loved it but also kind of wanted it to end.
I love the range of representation, from neurodivergence to physical disabilities, POC & queer identities, and poly relationships. At times they were approached somewhat sloppily, so it felt clumsy. The normalization of therapy and needing support were very nice, though sometimes cliche. (Not inherently a bad thing, I just didn't enjoy it this time.) I did enjoy the way grief was approached.
The world-building wasn't to my taste and I didn't enjoy the writing style too much, but these are completely personal tastes so I just didn't happen to be the target audience for those. The pacing felt confusing to me, it felt like "there's imminent danger and we need to act quickly!" But at the same time, we might skip a week and a half. It was difficult for me to figure out how much time there would be to get something done.
I hoped to relate to the MC more, but as there are so many variations of autism, we ended up being extremely different. I mainly felt sad for and pitied the MC but I didn't end up liking her too much. I really wanted to like them, but kind of wanted to read more from another character's POV instead. I did love the growth she went through after actually seeking proper help!
I found the characters somewhat irrational and confusing when they seemed to be changing their minds without explaining their reasons. I kind of felt like Lane could've had at least some resentment etc. towards her mother around the end, instead of completely accepting everything as soon as she gets praise.
The twists felt like a little too much for me, I almost couldn't keep up anymore. The whole thing felt a little too stuffed with SO MANY new things for Lane to navigate. Even though that's realistic since life doesn't care how many things are going on, it might throw another crisis at you, I felt like we wanted to address too many issues in one book and had to add them to the mix.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief
Moderate: Death
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Great, I thought. We just blowtorched a national monument.
This is a great teen series, a ton of fun, and a big adventure! This is quite fast-paced and SO MUCH happens in just one book, but that's really fun especially if you're looking for an event-rich read.
I read this a few years back and loved it, this time I think I loved it even more! Somehow I was a little more in tune with the whole story and understood much more. The characters feel very relatable to me even as a 23-year-old and I find comfort in their support and understanding of each other. I especially love Percy and his mom's relationship, they're such a sweet family.
I love the dynamics of the Half-Blood Camp and the way Olympus works. The gods felt realistic in that I could see them behaving the way they did and everything had pretty solid reasoning in my opinion.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I had a good time with this one!
The truth is I want him and I'm scared of wanting him and ashamed of being scared. The truth is I'm a coward and a liar and a cold bastard, just like my mother, and in the end I will let him drown to save myself. I should cut and run right now, before it's too late, before he finds out what kind of person I really am.
I enjoyed how the story flowed and how tense and gloomy the mood was. I loved how complex the characters were and I enjoyed learning different sides of them along the story.
Personally, I was not too fond of citation-type writing, but I am glad that it phased out a lot the further we got into the book. The POV changes somewhat confused me in the beginning, but I quickly got used to them and enjoyed the glimpses into Arthur's side of things. The balance felt very natural and nice to me.
This was somewhat of a heavy read, but it worked out for me this time! I love how the house works and the whole Underland situation was so interesting.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A refreshing twist on a classic fairytale! The LGBTQ+ representation was so lovely to read and the diversity (and how normal it is) in characters was just refreshing for me. (I've only recently gotten back to reading and started paying attention to how used to I was to everything being so white and straight.) These made the whole book much more relatable to me.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and meeting all the characters of this story, the pacing was really to my taste in the beginning. With that said, I did feel like the end was rushed. Some of the dialogue felt a bit like forced explaining/feeding the reader an idea to ponder. It might be good for readers that are only getting into analysing what they read to wake that curiosity to look into the characters or story deeper, but just didn't hit the spot for me personally.
The book makes it very clear how easily people in power can erase and change history by silencing the ones that know and writing a new version. The oppression of women is a huge theme in this story and I hate how much we can relate to it in the real world too.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and meeting all the characters of this story, the pacing was really to my taste in the beginning. With that said, I did feel like the end was rushed. Some of the dialogue felt a bit like forced explaining/feeding the reader an idea to ponder. It might be good for readers that are only getting into analysing what they read to wake that curiosity to look into the characters or story deeper, but just didn't hit the spot for me personally.
The book makes it very clear how easily people in power can erase and change history by silencing the ones that know and writing a new version. The oppression of women is a huge theme in this story and I hate how much we can relate to it in the real world too.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Had the chance to read an ARC copy, provided by NetGalley.
This was such an interesting dive into the world of a prisoner and the reasons he ended up in this situation. The difficult childhood, repeating patterns of trauma and drug use play such a huge part in how Oliver ends up here. Breaking a cycle is never easy and first you’d need to notice that there is a harmful cycle that’s repeating and decide to fix it.
This was such an interesting dive into the world of a prisoner and the reasons he ended up in this situation. The difficult childhood, repeating patterns of trauma and drug use play such a huge part in how Oliver ends up here. Breaking a cycle is never easy and first you’d need to notice that there is a harmful cycle that’s repeating and decide to fix it.
I like how the narration goes back and forth with describing the current time in prison and looking back on his life. I also really liked how we built up to finding out why exactly he was imprisoned. Oliver’s inability to pinpoint the exact ages and time in his life things happen feels relatable from a trauma standpoint. Everything kind of mushes together into just scenes that happen, but you’re not sure what order they happened in or how old you were.
I loved coming to the part that opened up the meaning of the book’s name. It plays a big part in Oliver’s life.
Oliver describes the women in his life beautifully and nicely, even when they’re not necessarily being very nice and lovely. I like how his mother has multiple nicknames she’s always used, it feels like a way to disconnect yourself from your past self and life. It also seems that Oliver is at least somewhat repeating this behavior for himself too.
The book brings up the realities of being imprisoned for decades and the issues you might face if you get released. The world is changing so quickly and technology is sometimes hard to keep up with even if you’re using it every day. Who’s going to help when you’re thrust into a world of smart phones, social media and streaming services?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Stalking
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
hopeful
inspiring
Beautiful rhymes and heartwarming sentiment!
This is such a beautiful book for a supportive mother, will most likely be even more impactful for a single mother.
The parental relationship is depicted beautifully and I hope every child can have such a loving parent that will and wants to support their child through everything.
As usual, it's not for every family, but this can be a good story to teach your child that you, as a mother, want to always be there for them.
This is such a beautiful book for a supportive mother, will most likely be even more impactful for a single mother.
The parental relationship is depicted beautifully and I hope every child can have such a loving parent that will and wants to support their child through everything.
As usual, it's not for every family, but this can be a good story to teach your child that you, as a mother, want to always be there for them.