haileyrt's reviews
332 reviews

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this story although I thought it'd be more of a black Carrie based off the cover of the book (I usually don't really synopses, just go into it blindly lol), but I still did enjoy the story. I lowkey know who it was since the beginning, but I feel like so much was revealed at the end that really made the twist seem deeper. The only thing I didn't quite like was the dialogue of each of the characters, but I'm always usually not impressed when authors write dialogue for teenagers, no matter their race it always seems cringey to me lol. I felt like even though a lot of the middle was filler, it did lead up to the events and the ending decently well. I wish we got to hear more about Nova's mom at the end, since we only heard from her twice in the story but that was it. I enjoyed seeing Tinsley and Duchess uncover the mystery, and they each had their own flaws and biases. I did hope that Tinsley would own up to her mistakes and the things she's said about Nova, but her whole family is a mess lol. I also liked the discussions of racial bias in the police force, which brought light not only on racial bias from police officers themself but also systemic racism in different forms like schooling and education, politics and social issues, and the criminal justice system. This book had more things going on than I initially expected, but it was a good read. 
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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

4.0

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-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

4.0

I absolutely loved the queer representation and the characters of this book, Elle and Mari are so cute! Even though I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight and instant-love, I did enjoy their chemistry and the ending crusheddddd meeeee. 
The Watchers by A.M. Shine

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

2.75

Really slow book and takes a while to get the point and the climax of the story. Some parts were uninteresting and some were leaving me on the edge of my seat, especially the ending. I liked the origin story and the professor confessing to knowing what was out there, but the ending was a bit unexpected but a tiny but underwhelming. I was really for jaw dropping twists but I wasn't incredibly drawn to this book like I thought I'd be. I hope to see the movie to be able to visualize the story since certain parts were hard to mentally visualize, including the watchers. I didn't really care for the incredibly detailed and descriptive dialogue, but if that's your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this suspense novel. 
All These Sunken Souls by Circe Moskowitz

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-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

5.0

Faridah has done it again! I've been waiting for her sophomore novel since Ace of Spades released, and I was surely not disappointed. I was attracted to this book purely since it was marketed as a Mean Girls whodunnit, but after reading it, it never really gave Mean Girls to me. I understood the "Unholy Trinity" being three very popular girls who were pretty powerful in their school's social hierarchy, but they definitely didn't give Regina George backstabbing energy to me, but they were still interesting to read about and how they played a role in Sade's character. I understand that to some the beginning can be a bit confusing or slow, but Faridah is a master at setting the stage and building the relationships and groundwork between the characters, so stay for the world building because it gets so good. I loved the twists and turns this book took me through, and I loved Sade's development throughout the story and how she, Baz, and Persephone teamed up. I also think Bas was the PERFECT side character I loved him so much. I also think going through and reading this book, I definitely understand Chapters -1 and 0 a lot more now, and I understand the Morse code that was printed on the front of the hardcover book once you took the dust cover off (Faridah you freaking genius I love the attention to detail). This definitely gave dark academia, and in certain parts I love the point of the story as well, which highlights misogyny, class dynamics and politics, sexism, the patriarchy and how it affects even students, and so much more. If you are sensitive about sexual assault and rape, please be advised that if is MENTIONED! I loved this book so much and I can't wait to read Faridah's next novel. 
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Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

Loved the LGBTQ rep, and the YA romance between Iyanu and Quincy, Navin and Jordan, and Oliver and Kitan. I lowkey had a tiny bit of trouble remembering how certain characters were tied to each other/related but I liked the subtle reminders here and there. You really have to be into this book to remember the story and the dynamics between the characters, but I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and the plot. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how long it took to get to the climax and figure out the whodunit, but I liked how even though it takes you through and you kind of mentally go through who you think did everything, but there's so much more to the purpose and why the people who did it did what they did. I wish we dug more into Kitan and Iyanu's stories and character, even though they were developed pretty well even though there was so much going on with the other characters that we only got so much into Kitan and Iyanu's stories. If you love a YA whodunit that features queer and diverse teen characters set in a boarding school in London, you'll love this book!
Push by Sapphire

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

Heartbreaking to read about Precious' and the other girls at the alternative school stories. I enjoyed that Precious wasn't perfect and did have flaws as a human does, and that eventually she came to terms with what happened in her past and how to not let it define who she is, her potential, and who she can become in the future. I'm glad her dad died too 🙏🏽
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

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

4.0

A great story of a young black artist Jade finding her voice and fighting against racial prejudice that goes on around her. As someone who's held my tongue and wanted to speak up for myself in the face of racism or adversity, this story is a great, quick read to get a glimpse of a young, talented, black girls life and what she goes through living in Oregon. Her situation vs. the students around her is interesting to read about, especially comparing each situation to one another. Maxine's story also intrigued me, and I do see the two sides of the same coin argument. I'm really glad Jade was able to find her voice and speak up for herself, and I also loved the art and poetry elements of the story. 
Ironheart, Vol. 1: Those with Courage by Eve Ewing

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

4.0