georgiasbookescapes's reviews
421 reviews

Pageboy by Elliot Page

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Elliot Pages raw beautiful memoir Pageboy is more than ever I anticipated that he would offer up. He shares so much from his childhood, his work as an actor as a child and until later in his life, and his journey in the LGBTQIA+ community in different parts, and shares raw honest insights into his relationship with his family and friends. 

Many will know Page from many of his roles, most recent being Umbrella Academy and from producing and directing. Suffice to say if I thought I loved Elliot before, I love him even more now. 

Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety: My Journey Through Depression, Bulimia, and Addiction by Yvonne Castañeda

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

Yvonne is a proud woman born to a Mexican mother and a Cuban father. Yvonne growing up found a lot of anxiety from seeing her mothers nervios and has high expectations on herself from her fathers hard work ethic. Combined to cope as a teenager this eventually turned into an eating disorder for Yvonne who shares candidly her life experiences and shares openly about her experiences and methods of her eating disorder. 

This was an incredible memoir to read. I loved how raw Yvonne shared her experiences and the touches of española as someone who is slowly learning it. 

Thank you NetGalley and Santa Monica Press for this ARC! 

Celebrities Don't Date Bookworms by Clara Nielsen

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Megan is an ordinary Canadian bookworm teen. But soon the popular boyband Take Five are due to join her school. Things start to change quickly though after the lead singer of Take Five Hudson Shaw accidentally bumps into Megan spilling her coffee on her at Starbucks and she ends up being his school guide. Oh… and accidentally ending up in a group chat with a group of boys. 

OMG THIS BOOK IS GREAT! 🤣🤣 I finished it in one day! It’s inspired by One Direction and it’s so cute and hilarious. If you want a YA novel to take you back to your teenage day dreams of dating your heart throb boyband be it *NYSNC, The Backstreet Boys, One Direction or one of many other beautiful boy bands over the years - this one is for you!

Thank you to Book Sirens for this ARC! 

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Kristen and Josh’s best friends Sloan and Brayden are getting married. Within their first meeting Kristen and Josh have some serious chemistry. Too bad she has a boyfriend whose due to move in soon. And even if things could hit off with Josh, it would never work seeing as he wants a baseball team of kids and her reproductive organs aren’t on her side at the best of times… Josh however, doesn’t mind biding his time if he has to in the friend zone. 

This story was a bit slow to start for me but I adored it by the end completely! Snarky and honest FMC? Beautiful! Hot and sensitive fireman MMC? Obsessed! Loss, infertility and strong hands on supportive friendships? Hello! We have a winner! Another big TW is for motor vehicle accidents! So tread carefully as required! Overall this is a wonderful and thoughtful rom com with just enough spice balanced with real life issues! And I’m dying to get my hands on the rest of the books now! 😍😍

Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You by Sofie Hagen

challenging dark informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

Sofie Hagen is one of my favourite comedians and even more so now gay activists. Their book is part memoir, part social activism sharing parts of their own life as well as lots of detailed research and statistics on fatness. 

I was surprised by how much this book hit me in personal ways I never expected. This book was a slow read for me personally which I did not expect at all. I love memoirs and social justice learning - both things this book did amazingly, but there were personal aspects that hit closer to home than I expected. 

Thank you Sofie for your raw honesty and humour once again that you so beautifully share across all things that you chose to publicly share. 💕 

Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

Bethany is 16 and has now been turned down by TWO guys for homecoming. The first stating he was worried she’s still “cry baby Bethany” who would struggle to do more than hold hands with him, and the second sighting similar reasons. So Bethany’s best friend Saylor gets her boyfriend Jacob to go to homecoming with Bethany as Saylor had a date already before becoming Jacob’s girlfriend. Too bad for Jacob before homecoming Jacob gets dumped by Saylor, the second girl within a month. To build confidence in dating for each of them, Jacob and Bethany come up with a fake dating scheme… until fake feelings become… real? 

This is such a cute YA novel! Full of cute, supportive friends and cute guests in a relationship, this book gave me all the feels and squealing joy! With some fab fat rep and other diversity sprinkled through this book shows how a straight romance can still have plenty of diversity thrown around. If you’re looking for your next fave YA here it is! 😍😍

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC. 

The Performance by Claire Thomas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.

During a performance in a Melbourne theatre there is a bushfire raging through the Australian bush. Margot is a professor with an interest in theatre, Ivy is a philanthropist and new born child, the theatre provides a freedom, Summer is a young usher, thinking of her girlfriends safety throughout the play. 

Although lyrically written, this story unfortunately did not grasp me in a way that I needed to find myself enjoying the book and enthralled with it. I think I expected maybe more about the bushfires itself in the parts that I read? Who knows. But overall I could not keep pushing forward past around the 50% mark. 

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop

dark emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

Alfa and Mademba are two Senegalese soldiers fighting in World War One. When Mademba is wounded and dies in the arms of his more-than-brother Alfa, Alfa does all that he can to make amends. Slowly things get darker and harder for Alfa.

This is a beautiful and lyrically written story about a Senegalese solider who gives his all in war. A slow read this book can enrapture you within its writing. 

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

Verity by Colleen Hoover

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Lowen Ashleigh is an author who gets the chance to co-write for the famous Verity Crawford who was recently unable to write due to an accident. Verity’s husband Jeremy is the one to make the offer for Lowen. Whilst staying at the Crawford house Lowen comes across a manuscript by Verity confessing horrible truths about her relationship with Jeremy, leading to many fears to occur on Lowen’s behalf in regards to Verity, but further obsession with Jeremy.

This book was… not for me at all. It’s super traumatic so please be careful with trigger warnings. And just felt like it was making these traumatic incidents such as death of children and murder… sexy? I’m glad I’ve read it to know the hype. But I think it’s safe to say I won’t be returning to this CoHo book…