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frutsbasket's reviews
179 reviews
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
2.0
this was just... not good!
The writing was..........very bad.
I did not enjoy Bee as a character, but if you love a good manic pixie dream girl in the absolute literal sense then go ahead and dive in!! I found the relationship Bee had with her twin sister that she misses more endearing and more sweet than our love interest.
Levi was probed and created from the literal rib of our friend Adam Carlson but you could probably figure that out based upon the cover!
Oh the banter and dialogue also was very...eh... like tbh people who consider this a cute read I am convinced are lost.
Had I had fun or respected the writing I would've given this at least 3 stars even if I didn't like it. I do not respect this book nor am I inclined to ever recommend this book after reading that Bee was wearing galaxy leggings and a messy bun in 2022, the year of our Lord.
The writing was..........very bad.
I did not enjoy Bee as a character, but if you love a good manic pixie dream girl in the absolute literal sense then go ahead and dive in!! I found the relationship Bee had with her twin sister that she misses more endearing and more sweet than our love interest.
Levi was probed and created from the literal rib of our friend Adam Carlson but you could probably figure that out based upon the cover!
Oh the banter and dialogue also was very...eh... like tbh people who consider this a cute read I am convinced are lost.
Had I had fun or respected the writing I would've given this at least 3 stars even if I didn't like it. I do not respect this book nor am I inclined to ever recommend this book after reading that Bee was wearing galaxy leggings and a messy bun in 2022, the year of our Lord.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
5.0
a very very hard read but I'm glad I read it. Toni Morrison is eternally, a gem.
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
3.0
this was a superrrrrr heavy read. I didn't always enjoy the free verse that it was written in. At times it was fine and powerful but a lot of the time I found myself bored when I wanted more. I've seen a lot of people shame the main character because "nobody forced her to take drugs" but since this is a story that actualllyyy happened to the author's young daughter I wouldn't feel comfortable agreeing with that take? I think that for a YA book with serious subject material like addiction and all that it influences, this isn't the book to be banned. Let teenagers read books that challenge them! Even if it's scary and even if they never come across it personally.
Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption by Rafia Zakaria
4.0
4 stars!
I see a lot of reviews that harp on the divisiveness of the points that the author is making but I can't help but feel like they just couldn't handle the call out.... As a woman of color, a black women. It's important that feminist conversations include all women. I think that this is a great read for those who haven't taken a thorough class on gender or race studies before.
Zakaria goes into great detail in highlighting the problems within mainstream/white feminism and digs into the "why" with historical context for problems we see today of white feminists and the current feminist movement. I wish there was a bit more on LGBTQ and other forms of intersectionality, but I think that she dove into the basics quite well! It was refreshing to read about things that I've felt and internalized, but hadn't really verbalized or seen put into words. If you're up to speed on these issues then you might be bored, but I think it should be required reading if you haven't a CLUE about intersectionality and the audacity of white women/ white feminists.
I see a lot of reviews that harp on the divisiveness of the points that the author is making but I can't help but feel like they just couldn't handle the call out.... As a woman of color, a black women. It's important that feminist conversations include all women. I think that this is a great read for those who haven't taken a thorough class on gender or race studies before.
Zakaria goes into great detail in highlighting the problems within mainstream/white feminism and digs into the "why" with historical context for problems we see today of white feminists and the current feminist movement. I wish there was a bit more on LGBTQ and other forms of intersectionality, but I think that she dove into the basics quite well! It was refreshing to read about things that I've felt and internalized, but hadn't really verbalized or seen put into words. If you're up to speed on these issues then you might be bored, but I think it should be required reading if you haven't a CLUE about intersectionality and the audacity of white women/ white feminists.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
3.0
This is my second book by Sayaka Murata and what I think attracts me the most about her writing style is the way she's able to poke at the ridiculousness but also overt unfairness of the patriarchal Japanese society (having babies, marrying young, being "normal"), while intertwining it with an interesting story plot you can't help but want to see through to the end. It's pretty obvious that this character in Convenience Store woman is neurodivergent, she finds peace within the store so much because the outside world doesn't offer anything that she needs (structure, punctuality, predictability). That desire to be "normal" melts away when she's there, because those traits that she has are actually valued there. I think that this was the perfect length for a story like this, with enough to hold onto. I think this is something I'd like to read later in a few months to get out of a reading slump!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
5.0
gosh okay so this was an incredibly hard read to stomach, but I at the same time, I can't deny that literarily, this book was incredibly clever. It's a great read if you're looking for something to pick apart and dissect. I wasn't expecting the "dark comedy" aspects at all?! which ultimately had me intrigued and invested. It's very obvious that our narrator who is a nightmare of a person, outside of being a pedophile, he's a huge jerk (that i had to laugh at throughout the book). It's absolutely impossible for the reader to not laugh at someone who breaks narration to tell the reader how handsome he is, or how we, "the jury" should already feel about something that he will reveal in a few pages... (like girl.. cmon now). He hypes himself and his looks up in paragraphs, talking about how much people love him, and then goes into how he wants to choke someone out, like WOAH, HOW DID WE GET HERE.
I can't believe I'm giving it 5 stars but after sitting on it, I would feel so odd for not giving this book it's flowers for having the most unreliable, deranged narrator and Nabakov for tapping into that kind of sick, narcissistic, but also stupid and self absorbed monster. I think most of all, I appreciated and admired Nabakov's rhythm and flow throughout the book. He has this flowery and rhythmic pose that almost sucks you in, or hypnotizes you. He could be describing the most straightforward action or scene, but somehow his words and descriptions sounds almost like a song? Incredible.
I can't believe I'm giving it 5 stars but after sitting on it, I would feel so odd for not giving this book it's flowers for having the most unreliable, deranged narrator and Nabakov for tapping into that kind of sick, narcissistic, but also stupid and self absorbed monster. I think most of all, I appreciated and admired Nabakov's rhythm and flow throughout the book. He has this flowery and rhythmic pose that almost sucks you in, or hypnotizes you. He could be describing the most straightforward action or scene, but somehow his words and descriptions sounds almost like a song? Incredible.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up.
(This ended up unexpectedly being a favorite read of 2022 for me)
I read Lolita beforehand, so that I was prepared for this book in particular and I'm so glad that I did.
This isn't a book you read to escape, but one that you read to understand, be uncomfortable, and examine systems that put young girls, young people, in danger and influence them at such young ages...
I think I appreciate this book most of all, because Vanessa isn't a "perfect victim", nor does anyone who is abused is required to be to be recognized. The complexity of her character really sucked me in and kept me interested. Not every victim even recognizes that they are one until much later, and despite the frustration I felt, I appreciated that perspective and hope to look for more of that in stories about victims.
To write a story like this, about how abuse from a trusted adult interferes with growth and development of a child is not an easy task at all. I will say that wish this book wasn't so graphic in detail around the sexual nature of their relationship. What I appreciated about Lolita was that there lacked explicit context around the sexual nature of the abuse, and the novel still remains dark and conscious of abuse. Tread very carefully if themes of trauma, abuse and SA are triggers for you.
(This ended up unexpectedly being a favorite read of 2022 for me)
I read Lolita beforehand, so that I was prepared for this book in particular and I'm so glad that I did.
This isn't a book you read to escape, but one that you read to understand, be uncomfortable, and examine systems that put young girls, young people, in danger and influence them at such young ages...
I think I appreciate this book most of all, because Vanessa isn't a "perfect victim", nor does anyone who is abused is required to be to be recognized. The complexity of her character really sucked me in and kept me interested. Not every victim even recognizes that they are one until much later, and despite the frustration I felt, I appreciated that perspective and hope to look for more of that in stories about victims.
To write a story like this, about how abuse from a trusted adult interferes with growth and development of a child is not an easy task at all. I will say that wish this book wasn't so graphic in detail around the sexual nature of their relationship. What I appreciated about Lolita was that there lacked explicit context around the sexual nature of the abuse, and the novel still remains dark and conscious of abuse. Tread very carefully if themes of trauma, abuse and SA are triggers for you.
On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library by Glory Edim
4.0
“For Black girls, now and always
All those books—another world—just waiting
At my fingertips.”
Stories that are so incredibly close to a lot of the black girlhood experience. Reading this, I felt warmth and understanding from each and every author.
All those books—another world—just waiting
At my fingertips.”
Stories that are so incredibly close to a lot of the black girlhood experience. Reading this, I felt warmth and understanding from each and every author.