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haileylouise's reviews
161 reviews
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.0
This was absolutely one of the worst things I’ve read.
I decided to pick this up while I was watching indie horror game play-throughs (Fears to Fathom) on YouTube. And it felt more like an unfiltered crazy gory story one of your friends heard about and told you because they were bored one day. Especially with the scenes of Agnes describing the salamander, the priest and the cat, and the baby christ stories. This book was depicted as a piece of true crime, however these events are not real. It was an interesting concept to go through all of the emails and chat room things (reminded me of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), but lacked so much in what could have been a better plot and understanding of wlw relationships. While the author could have gotten away with using the mental health illnesses both characters had to explain the Dom/Sub contracting, Agnes wanting to bear children, and the whole tapeworm fiasco, those aspects were still poorly executed. Or maybe there’s just so little detail about Zoe, that makes it more horrible.
After Agnes tells Zoe that she wants to meet and Zoe says no, I immediately thought to myself that she said no because they aren’t actually “Zoe” or a woman, but a creepy old man preying on a random person online to live out their Fifty Shades fantasy. It’s also the fact that we never get details about Zoe, Agnes sent a picture of herself to Zoe after the red dress task.
Another point I wanted to bring up was Agnes wanting to bear children while also explicitly stating that she’s gay and that she’s contemplated suicide before. I am so unsure if that’s even a possibility for someone without any negative consequences. It’s one thing to want to have children while in a same sex relationship but also a complete 180 to equate a tapeworm parasite to a pregnancy. There was no mention of like even talking about other options like insemination or anything, just straight into “I love you but we can’t have a baby together, but I will get tapeworm for you.” It was just so frustrating to me.
I also believe that it’s one thing to be so traumatized and to romanticize this person who’s offered you more help than you deserve, but another to blatantly listen and follow every single thing they tell you to do out of love that further harms your work life, physical health, and mental health whilst also knowing you’ve been suicidal/contemplated suicide before.
The only thing this book made me feel was disgusted with the random horror stories Agnes told and how it had so much potential to be good, had it been worked on for longer and with more research done on what wlw are actually like and not some male fantasy/male gaze on wlw relationships.
I decided to pick this up while I was watching indie horror game play-throughs (Fears to Fathom) on YouTube. And it felt more like an unfiltered crazy gory story one of your friends heard about and told you because they were bored one day. Especially with the scenes of Agnes describing the salamander, the priest and the cat, and the baby christ stories. This book was depicted as a piece of true crime, however these events are not real. It was an interesting concept to go through all of the emails and chat room things (reminded me of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), but lacked so much in what could have been a better plot and understanding of wlw relationships. While the author could have gotten away with using the mental health illnesses both characters had to explain the Dom/Sub contracting, Agnes wanting to bear children, and the whole tapeworm fiasco, those aspects were still poorly executed. Or maybe there’s just so little detail about Zoe, that makes it more horrible.
After Agnes tells Zoe that she wants to meet and Zoe says no, I immediately thought to myself that she said no because they aren’t actually “Zoe” or a woman, but a creepy old man preying on a random person online to live out their Fifty Shades fantasy. It’s also the fact that we never get details about Zoe, Agnes sent a picture of herself to Zoe after the red dress task.
Another point I wanted to bring up was Agnes wanting to bear children while also explicitly stating that she’s gay and that she’s contemplated suicide before. I am so unsure if that’s even a possibility for someone without any negative consequences. It’s one thing to want to have children while in a same sex relationship but also a complete 180 to equate a tapeworm parasite to a pregnancy. There was no mention of like even talking about other options like insemination or anything, just straight into “I love you but we can’t have a baby together, but I will get tapeworm for you.” It was just so frustrating to me.
I also believe that it’s one thing to be so traumatized and to romanticize this person who’s offered you more help than you deserve, but another to blatantly listen and follow every single thing they tell you to do out of love that further harms your work life, physical health, and mental health whilst also knowing you’ve been suicidal/contemplated suicide before.
The only thing this book made me feel was disgusted with the random horror stories Agnes told and how it had so much potential to be good, had it been worked on for longer and with more research done on what wlw are actually like and not some male fantasy/male gaze on wlw relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Oh my god!!!! I was screaming, crying, and kicking my feet at how good this book was. The characters were amazing; Kadou's anxiety was so accurately and well written, Evemer slowly letting down his walls and falling in love, Tadek and Tenzin being hilarious, Eozena was the caring mother-like figure, and Siranos and Sylvia had the typical sibling-rivalry. There was quite a cast of queerness throughout the book without any homophobia or bigotry, including nonbinary people, pansexuality (I'm looking at you Tadek), I believe asexuality (Malek), and probably a lot more that I may not have caught. This book had everything I've ever wanted. It was the perfect slow-burn queer fantasy story to start the year off.
Watching Evemer fall in love with Kadou and him admitting that he'd be loyal, stay by his side, and lay down his life for him no matter what while kneeling in front of him. I screamed and kicked my feet from that moment on. That was the scene that made this book a 5-star read for me. (And it's totally not because I want someone as loyal as Evemer). My early predictions for this story were also correct in the sense that Siranos obviously had something to do with all of the counterfeit coins going around, but I'm not even mad about that because his interactions with Sylvia were so funny. And although there were stereotypical tropes throughout the book (i.e. forced proximity, sharing a bed, "forced" marriage, kissing to avoid the enemy, the stoic, guarded character falling hard for the soft, anxious character, the list goes on), it's so well done to the point where I'm happy that they were all included. Although this is a standalone book, I wish we could get more of Kadou and Evemer because the way Rowland describes their romance and tension is just so beautiful.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
I wish I read this sooner! I did think the plot twist at the end was a bit rushed but overall, I loved this book and Pippa and Ravi. This book was so fun to annotate and solve the mystery of Andie Bell and Sal Singh with Pippa while adding my own theories and suspicions.
Peter Darling by Austin Chant
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fairytales retold but make it queer? Yes please!
I loved this book so much and I love the modern twist Chant put on. It’s the perfect queer, enemies to lovers, fairytale story that I wish I had read sooner and I wish there was more!
I loved this book so much and I love the modern twist Chant put on. It’s the perfect queer, enemies to lovers, fairytale story that I wish I had read sooner and I wish there was more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Transphobia
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Sexual content, Blood
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
3.0
The art style is so beautiful!!! Plus anyone who's ever been in a toxic relationship whether it be with a partner or a friend can relate to this story and it hits home a lot. I wish this book had more of a plot. It was definitely all character-driven but if I were to tell someone the plot of this book, I would definitely hesitate to say it was simply about a toxic relationship when it could've been so much more than sulking and being a bad friend.
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
I've had this book on my TBR pile for a while now and I honestly did not plan on reading it this year, until the movie's announcement was in preproduction, especially with well-known actors. So I knew this book had to be good, and it was. I loved seeing Ben grow over the course of six months, especially during a time when change happens a lot in their last year of high school. Having experienced coming out, getting comfortable with my labels, and the struggles of finishing school in separate parts of my life, I can't truly imagine experiencing both without the incredible support system Ben has. I can't wait to see this book be made into a movie and experience it in different media!
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.0
This book... was definitely something. Maybe it's me coming out of reading a wholesome romance work or the expectation I had after reading Heartstopper and This Winter, but this book was not for me. I understand the perspective of mental health, especially at the age Tori is. I definitely saw the manic, the pessimism, the hatred, the overall everything sucks and nothing matters perspective. I once went through all of that myself. I think what this novel lacked in was overall pacing, and having a somewhat ridiculous plot line of teenagers pulling pranks to make their boring town interesting. The first part of the book was slow to build up the idea of what solitaire was. The second part had the same pacing up until the last fifty or so pages where it was go go go and nothing was stopping or slowing down.
I also do appreciate the deranged connections Tori and Michael made throughout the novel. I guess because its a debut novel from years ago, this was the work that started it all right? I can appreciate that from this, we got something as great as Heartstopper. I do think that This Winter was much more better in terms of depicting Tori's perspective compared to Solitaire. I think if this was made into a different form of media like a film or even graphic novel, that would speak to a more relatable voice. I may also add that while reading, I did feel so drained or tired of Tori's pessimism. Maybe if I read this when I was her age, and was overly optimistic about life, I would even feel bad that she went through all of this. Now that I'm older and understand that yeah, life sucks sometimes, but keeping good people in your life will make it better, especially with a strong support system that doesn't contain other people who want to tear you down or understand you.
I wish her parents played a bigger role, or at least another adult that Tori could confide in to help her. Her parents just seem like they don't understand teenagers as people and would rather leave them be when they are pretty much crying for help.
I don't know, I'm sure if this were to be rewritten today or even made into a different media, it has potential to be better than the book. I appreciate that this book basically started the whole Heartstopper graphic novels and the success that's being made from it. I hope that future works of Alice I read will be more enjoyable for me.
I also do appreciate the deranged connections Tori and Michael made throughout the novel. I guess because its a debut novel from years ago, this was the work that started it all right? I can appreciate that from this, we got something as great as Heartstopper. I do think that This Winter was much more better in terms of depicting Tori's perspective compared to Solitaire. I think if this was made into a different form of media like a film or even graphic novel, that would speak to a more relatable voice. I may also add that while reading, I did feel so drained or tired of Tori's pessimism. Maybe if I read this when I was her age, and was overly optimistic about life, I would even feel bad that she went through all of this. Now that I'm older and understand that yeah, life sucks sometimes, but keeping good people in your life will make it better, especially with a strong support system that doesn't contain other people who want to tear you down or understand you.
I wish her parents played a bigger role, or at least another adult that Tori could confide in to help her. Her parents just seem like they don't understand teenagers as people and would rather leave them be when they are pretty much crying for help.
I don't know, I'm sure if this were to be rewritten today or even made into a different media, it has potential to be better than the book. I appreciate that this book basically started the whole Heartstopper graphic novels and the success that's being made from it. I hope that future works of Alice I read will be more enjoyable for me.
Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 by Fujita
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0