funkyauntjules's reviews
38 reviews

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

beautifully written
stinky, smelly
there's definitely a lot of pee imagery
weird
Honey: A Novel by Isabel Banta

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

5.0

i mean this as the biggest and highest compliment imaginable: it's giving fanfiction. guys it's so good, so fun, so well researched and so self-insertable. so delicious! 🍯
Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.75

gorgeous prose and imagery. so touching. it's one of those books where i know i'll be thinking about it over and over again, and will likely keep resonating deeper the older i get and the more i keep holding on.
The Devil's Grip by Lina Wolff

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

bummer alert: i loved carnality but this book was almost impossible to finish. she threaded all of the themes and moments in the book together, but at the end of the day i don't want to feel any love or sympathy or anything remotely positive for an abuser.
she ends up in a worse, life threatening, and unrealistic situation- so i'm supposed to make sense of the fact that she wants to go back? that maybe being beaten by her ugly boyfriend wasn't all that bad?
the dialogue and other plot points feel so extreme they're unrealistic. the stakes aren't really that high for most of the time. the characters don't feel like real people. the ending was giving my year of rest and relaxation: more disappointing than cathartic or compelling.
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Couplets: A Love Story by Maggie Millner

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

beautiful, truthful, relevant, loving, big. i watch the last five years to get this feeling. i love love, i fear and hate pain, and maggie got all of that down and more.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nana brought humanity, strength, and vigor to such complicated characters. with such a clear voice for every single one i wasn't confused for a second. historical truths: real names, real cases, real statistics, all live in this world he built. he spoke for so many by writing this and he did it with such grace, love, and depth. it's my first book finished for 2024 and i'm afraid i'm never going to read another book this good again. i'm going to think about this book for the rest of my life.
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The Young Man by Annie Ernaux

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reflective fast-paced

3.0

sexy that she had an affair but i thought it was weird how she was kinda like "yeah when he would engage in broke bitch behavior it reminded me of when i was poor" also maybe the power dynamic was a bit inappropriate? liked the way she wrote it though!
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

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

4.0

super gorgeous prose, lots of ghosts and gore (dope), lots of poop (not as dope)!
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Gentlemen Callers by Corinne Hoex

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adventurous relaxing fast-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

3.75

sexy, fun, very quick! there's nothing more erotic than a metaphor
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WOW ! OH WOW ! this book is gorgeously written. the prose is stunning, captivating, gripping. the plot is RICH as hell. i wanted this book to be another 100 pages. the different POV's were so clear and vivid. NO NOTES!
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