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hobbithopeful's reviews
227 reviews
Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? No
5.0
As beautiful as it is heartbreaking, Ander & Santi Were Here is a masterful romance about belonging, immigration, and fighting against a system not built to actually help people.
Ander is fairly content painting murals, and working at their family's' taquería. New waiter Santi immediately catches their eye, and the two become inexplicably close. But Santi is undocumented, and ICE agents aren't just a looming distant threat, they are a very present and very real one.
This is now one of my favorite books of all time. If you ever want to read any books I rec, please make this one of them.
I spent so much of the book on edge, worried about ICE and what would happen. Every happy moment, every bit of love Ander and Santi experience together just made me more nervous for the inevitable. I do think this is intentionally done by Villa, so the reader gets a small idea of the sense of impending doom that Santi experiences every day. All the racism, how ICE treats people, everything is so on the nose, so much so that it was difficult to read a times. Overall this is a very sweet and loving story, but those moments take you by surprise and hurt. I wish the world could read this, or at least every single Texan because there are so many misunderstandings and stereotypes around the immigration experience. Immigrants are truly held to such a higher and insane standard. Just because someone isn't a doctor or a genius doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to live here and thrive. America has been built on the back of immigrants, and continues to thrive off of exploiting their labor.
There is a lot of español in this book and it is written in so seamlessly and I am so happy to see the inclusion of it. Anyone who wants to complain come meet me in a dark alley...I just want to talk. People who always want to complain about español in books or even calling it spanglish never seem to have a problem with any other language or culture doing it. I spent a lot of time in San Antonio growing up, so reading this felt so nostalgic for me. All the little things I enjoyed about visiting all came flooding back and I felt this homesickness.
If you go into reading this on an empty stomach, beware! All the delicious food descriptions and mouth-watering meals had my stomach grumbling the whole time. I had to make a plan to go get pan dulce because this book made me crave it!
Ander's family is supportive, loving, and such a heart-warming and sweet spot in this. Reading all their interactions and genuine love for eachother is so nice to see. While homophobia is incredibly prevalent in the Hispanic community, it's nice to see a family that isn't like that.
Ander loves painting, and their worries and struggle with worrying about being not Mexican enough or too Mexican with their art is such a reality for so many Mexican American artists. The way their adviser was so racist and all his microaggression to Ander UGH! It made me so mad, and brought me back to my college experience.
I absolutely fell in love with this book. It is one of my new top reads of 2023, and I have found a new favorite author in Jonny Garza Villa. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS, READ IT! Now I'm going to go request Villa's entire collection from the library.
The cover for this is phenomenal. I don't often see that style of font on book covers, but it works so perfectly here. There is so much great depth and lighting in the illustration, it conveys such love and yearning. Often when I see book covers depicting BIPOC characters, especially those of a darker complexion, usually they look like a smudge because the artist doesn't understand how to draw them. I am so glad this isn't the case here. (Also obsessed with Santi's cactus crown!)
Ander is fairly content painting murals, and working at their family's' taquería. New waiter Santi immediately catches their eye, and the two become inexplicably close. But Santi is undocumented, and ICE agents aren't just a looming distant threat, they are a very present and very real one.
This is now one of my favorite books of all time. If you ever want to read any books I rec, please make this one of them.
I spent so much of the book on edge, worried about ICE and what would happen. Every happy moment, every bit of love Ander and Santi experience together just made me more nervous for the inevitable. I do think this is intentionally done by Villa, so the reader gets a small idea of the sense of impending doom that Santi experiences every day. All the racism, how ICE treats people, everything is so on the nose, so much so that it was difficult to read a times. Overall this is a very sweet and loving story, but those moments take you by surprise and hurt. I wish the world could read this, or at least every single Texan because there are so many misunderstandings and stereotypes around the immigration experience. Immigrants are truly held to such a higher and insane standard. Just because someone isn't a doctor or a genius doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to live here and thrive. America has been built on the back of immigrants, and continues to thrive off of exploiting their labor.
There is a lot of español in this book and it is written in so seamlessly and I am so happy to see the inclusion of it. Anyone who wants to complain come meet me in a dark alley...I just want to talk. People who always want to complain about español in books or even calling it spanglish never seem to have a problem with any other language or culture doing it. I spent a lot of time in San Antonio growing up, so reading this felt so nostalgic for me. All the little things I enjoyed about visiting all came flooding back and I felt this homesickness.
If you go into reading this on an empty stomach, beware! All the delicious food descriptions and mouth-watering meals had my stomach grumbling the whole time. I had to make a plan to go get pan dulce because this book made me crave it!
Ander's family is supportive, loving, and such a heart-warming and sweet spot in this. Reading all their interactions and genuine love for eachother is so nice to see. While homophobia is incredibly prevalent in the Hispanic community, it's nice to see a family that isn't like that.
Ander loves painting, and their worries and struggle with worrying about being not Mexican enough or too Mexican with their art is such a reality for so many Mexican American artists. The way their adviser was so racist and all his microaggression to Ander UGH! It made me so mad, and brought me back to my college experience.
I absolutely fell in love with this book. It is one of my new top reads of 2023, and I have found a new favorite author in Jonny Garza Villa. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS, READ IT! Now I'm going to go request Villa's entire collection from the library.
The cover for this is phenomenal. I don't often see that style of font on book covers, but it works so perfectly here. There is so much great depth and lighting in the illustration, it conveys such love and yearning. Often when I see book covers depicting BIPOC characters, especially those of a darker complexion, usually they look like a smudge because the artist doesn't understand how to draw them. I am so glad this isn't the case here. (Also obsessed with Santi's cactus crown!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Deportation
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent
Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 stars
I love fantasy, especially mythology, so I was so excited to read this, but the execution made me regret reading it.
An overall boring read, it lacked the type of writing that made you want to stay up all night. I don't know exactly what it is about this story or the style that makes it so hard to stay engaged with, but I largely attribute my dislike to the writing. The dialogue was very cheesy at times, and there is a lot of telling rather then showing that occurs in this book. The characters were hard to like, and the disability rep is quite frankly terrible. Suzhan was infantilized numerous times, and it feels like the author has no idea what it is actually like to live as a blind person. She is treated more as an invalid then an actual person. It reads more of an after thought then something that was put genuine time and research into.
The characters just feel so...I can't even put into words what is so wrong with them. They are fleshed out, and have different characteristics, they just feel dull. A book about fantasy and magic should never feel dull.
I did enjoy the world-building and all the magic, that was very fun to read.
It becomes very obvious within the first few chapters what is going to happen. While that is not unusual for books, instead of being excited by the journey from point a to point b, it lacked substance.
There is a lot of queer rep, in that the characters that are queer seem to flirt with everything that moves.
It has taken me an inordinate amount of time to slog through this book. I received it as an ARC through Netgalley, and heavily considered dnf-ing it several times.
I personally would not recommend this, nor I will I be reading the next book in the series. At this time I don't think the authors' writing style is for me either.
This is a winning cover, it is absolutely gorgeous, and a lot of people will definitely buy this for how pretty it looks. The composition and design work seamlessly, and I love the font used.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC
I love fantasy, especially mythology, so I was so excited to read this, but the execution made me regret reading it.
An overall boring read, it lacked the type of writing that made you want to stay up all night. I don't know exactly what it is about this story or the style that makes it so hard to stay engaged with, but I largely attribute my dislike to the writing. The dialogue was very cheesy at times, and there is a lot of telling rather then showing that occurs in this book. The characters were hard to like, and the disability rep is quite frankly terrible. Suzhan was infantilized numerous times, and it feels like the author has no idea what it is actually like to live as a blind person. She is treated more as an invalid then an actual person. It reads more of an after thought then something that was put genuine time and research into.
The characters just feel so...I can't even put into words what is so wrong with them. They are fleshed out, and have different characteristics, they just feel dull. A book about fantasy and magic should never feel dull.
I did enjoy the world-building and all the magic, that was very fun to read.
It becomes very obvious within the first few chapters what is going to happen. While that is not unusual for books, instead of being excited by the journey from point a to point b, it lacked substance.
There is a lot of queer rep, in that the characters that are queer seem to flirt with everything that moves.
It has taken me an inordinate amount of time to slog through this book. I received it as an ARC through Netgalley, and heavily considered dnf-ing it several times.
I personally would not recommend this, nor I will I be reading the next book in the series. At this time I don't think the authors' writing style is for me either.
This is a winning cover, it is absolutely gorgeous, and a lot of people will definitely buy this for how pretty it looks. The composition and design work seamlessly, and I love the font used.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars Thank you Penguin for this ARC
Powerful, emotional, and quite frankly traumatizing, The Meadows is a queer dystopian novel I won't soon forget.
Eleanor has dreamed of being chosen for a speciality school her whole life, only the best of the best get accepted. What she finds at the school is the opposite of what she expected, and soon it's clear why every girl was chosen to attend.
The book is comprised mostly of flashbacks to Eleanor's time at the school, with moments from the present interspersed throughout. It's odd to say I found a book symbolizing conversion therapy, and having a lot of parallels with the The Handmaid's Tale so enjoyable, but I did. Oakes has a way of making you feel as suffocated and isolated as the characters, and at times I felt I was losing myself as much as Eleanor was. I think it's clear to see from just how much I wrote on this book, how much it made me think and has stuck in my brain.
I am so thankful the inclusion and discussion of racism was brought up. You really can't have a perfect uniform society, without people who don't match the ideal having to change themselves constantly. Sheila and her battle to retain her sense of self is symbolized by her hair, and her fight and the eventual events just killed me to read. The matrons are masters of quiet and insidious abuse. No raised hands, no torture, just a long and slow process where they slowly break and domesticate everyone's spirits. I'd almost classify this is a horror with how true to life it is, and how utterly terrifying it is to watch a slow torture. Because a the end of the day, that's what it was. Torture and abuse. Not the kind you think of when you read those words, the bruises left aren't noticeable. But the effects never go away, and we see Eleanor struggle with everything she went through years later. (As well as the other students) What's worse is that it is constantly framed as being a "choice". It's so ironic that a book where the society got rid of religion would so heavily still read like religious trauma. I am not nuanced enough to know why I feel that way, but I am sure someone smarter than me could figure out why I made those parallels. (It is basically a cult guys, join and conform, or die and be cast out, though they make it seem like a choice)
This quote gutted me when I read it, and I just can't stop thinking about it.
"Maybe for the ones who get good at pretending, it won't come out for years and years...Or they'll, quite without warning, walk into the ocean until their life disappears. And everyone will be stunned. And everyone will blink in perplexed anger. She was so happy. Always so happy." *
I feel the common response to someone who commits or attempts to commit suicide is always one of "but they seemed so happy, but they were always smiling, we had no idea!" When in reality if anyone had ever taken the time to know the person or look for more then two seconds past the surface, they would see the cracks and the sadness, and the pain. There is so much symbolism to found, particularly centering around homophobia, and how that makes us hate each other and ourselves. At the end of the day, all anyone ever wants is to be accepted, loved, and to be able to be themselves. (Poor Eleanor takes so long to get any of these!)
I really love this book (but Avery, why didn't you give it 5 stars?!), but for me I did have a few issues with the ending, and how the tone changed. I'm always happy to see a book end on hope, and not retain that overwhelming sense of hopelessness sadness that comes with topics like these. For this one, I do find it almost too abrupt of a departure from the rest of the story. Everyone gets a happy ending (except Betty) and all end up saved, or finding their way through one of the doors. It almost felt like it was lacking the emotional impact, or the characters had too heavy of plot armor. I do think June should have been killed, or died from her wounds. At the very least I wish we had seen more characters face the brutal consequences that everyone is constantly afraid of. We even get told about prisons that torture subservients, yet never glimpse that. Every single character mentioned basically gets a happy ending. (Except Betty) It feels like once the end happened it was just a domino effect of "everything is going to be okay now!" In keeping with the tone of the book, I do think it would have had a greater emotional impact had it been more sad, yet still retained the note of hope for the majority of characters. It's odd that all of the book is stuck in my mind because I love it, but the ending I don't even dwell on because it isn't of consequence.
With the technology, there are a few pieces that I am a bit confused on still, or didn't quite understand. Everyone is being watched and lives in fear, yet Eleanor has ample time to escape. She is literally able to walk around her hometown and just hang out for a few days. I know they mention the peacekeeper have left the area, but it doesn't make sense for how she was able to be so subservient when she was in the city still. If the algorithm is able to detect and know when the people are queer or not, wouldn't it be able to pick up on her erratic behavior? She literally asks the matches to see pseudo Rose, which considering her backstory and file should have been a red flag immediately, and had security on her. There are men who constantly watched everything the students did at The Meadows, they would have known about her and Rose. If anything with the heart racing and eye contact, they would have realized Eleanor still had feelings for her. Technology in this book seemed to be used to explain a lot when convenient, then left us with plot holes for how much it was used to gloss everything over. I will say the argument can be made that society itself was responsible for much of the imposed rules and punishment, and the big bad guys in charge really were just symbolism for how we view each other and that internalized homophobia.
Touching on that, I do wish we got to see more of who was actually in charge, and responsible for all of the ongoing cruelty. (Again I understand how it could have just been less people then thought, and just a few loud voices which the public picked up, and the reality became society was punishing itself and there was no "big bad") Other then the obvious context clues of them being white men, I kinda wanted to know more. ALSO JUSTICE FOR THE POOR FROG! The symbolism there was excellent, though I sobbed like a baby.
I HIGHLY recommend this book, just please be kind to yourself and look at the content warnings first. (Always available on storygraph guys, don't forget!) This is my first book to read of Stephanie Oakes, and I must say I am hooked. I can't wait to read her others!
The cover is incredibly powerful, symbolic, and suits the book perfectly. On so many levels Eleanor didn't want to see her face, because she couldn't face herself and accept who she is. To see the painting that Rose did, albeit smeared, shows so much symbolism and conveys so much. I am always happy to see a book that does not try to sugar coat its contents, or pretend that the inside contains a happy rainbow sparkle world, when really it is covering depressing and traumatizing material. I would buy this book for the cover, and the content!
*Quote comes from an ARC of the book, and not the finished publication
Powerful, emotional, and quite frankly traumatizing, The Meadows is a queer dystopian novel I won't soon forget.
Eleanor has dreamed of being chosen for a speciality school her whole life, only the best of the best get accepted. What she finds at the school is the opposite of what she expected, and soon it's clear why every girl was chosen to attend.
The book is comprised mostly of flashbacks to Eleanor's time at the school, with moments from the present interspersed throughout. It's odd to say I found a book symbolizing conversion therapy, and having a lot of parallels with the The Handmaid's Tale so enjoyable, but I did. Oakes has a way of making you feel as suffocated and isolated as the characters, and at times I felt I was losing myself as much as Eleanor was. I think it's clear to see from just how much I wrote on this book, how much it made me think and has stuck in my brain.
I am so thankful the inclusion and discussion of racism was brought up. You really can't have a perfect uniform society, without people who don't match the ideal having to change themselves constantly. Sheila and her battle to retain her sense of self is symbolized by her hair, and her fight and the eventual events just killed me to read. The matrons are masters of quiet and insidious abuse. No raised hands, no torture, just a long and slow process where they slowly break and domesticate everyone's spirits. I'd almost classify this is a horror with how true to life it is, and how utterly terrifying it is to watch a slow torture. Because a the end of the day, that's what it was. Torture and abuse. Not the kind you think of when you read those words, the bruises left aren't noticeable. But the effects never go away, and we see Eleanor struggle with everything she went through years later. (As well as the other students) What's worse is that it is constantly framed as being a "choice". It's so ironic that a book where the society got rid of religion would so heavily still read like religious trauma. I am not nuanced enough to know why I feel that way, but I am sure someone smarter than me could figure out why I made those parallels. (It is basically a cult guys, join and conform, or die and be cast out, though they make it seem like a choice)
This quote gutted me when I read it, and I just can't stop thinking about it.
"Maybe for the ones who get good at pretending, it won't come out for years and years...Or they'll, quite without warning, walk into the ocean until their life disappears. And everyone will be stunned. And everyone will blink in perplexed anger. She was so happy. Always so happy." *
I feel the common response to someone who commits or attempts to commit suicide is always one of "but they seemed so happy, but they were always smiling, we had no idea!" When in reality if anyone had ever taken the time to know the person or look for more then two seconds past the surface, they would see the cracks and the sadness, and the pain. There is so much symbolism to found, particularly centering around homophobia, and how that makes us hate each other and ourselves. At the end of the day, all anyone ever wants is to be accepted, loved, and to be able to be themselves. (Poor Eleanor takes so long to get any of these!)
I really love this book (but Avery, why didn't you give it 5 stars?!), but for me I did have a few issues with the ending, and how the tone changed.
With the technology, there are a few pieces that I am a bit confused on still, or didn't quite understand.
Touching on that, I do wish we got to see more of who was actually in charge, and responsible for all of the ongoing cruelty. (Again I understand how it could have just been less people then thought, and just a few loud voices which the public picked up, and the reality became society was punishing itself and there was no "big bad") Other then the obvious context clues of them being white men, I kinda wanted to know more. ALSO JUSTICE FOR THE POOR FROG! The symbolism there was excellent, though I sobbed like a baby.
I HIGHLY recommend this book, just please be kind to yourself and look at the content warnings first. (Always available on storygraph guys, don't forget!) This is my first book to read of Stephanie Oakes, and I must say I am hooked. I can't wait to read her others!
The cover is incredibly powerful, symbolic, and suits the book perfectly. On so many levels Eleanor didn't want to see her face, because she couldn't face herself and accept who she is. To see the painting that Rose did, albeit smeared, shows so much symbolism and conveys so much. I am always happy to see a book that does not try to sugar coat its contents, or pretend that the inside contains a happy rainbow sparkle world, when really it is covering depressing and traumatizing material. I would buy this book for the cover, and the content!
*Quote comes from an ARC of the book, and not the finished publication
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Dysphoria
Minor: Death, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Incredibly disappointing, the only reason I pushed myself to finish this is because I kept hoping the writing of the beginning would come back. I was wrong.
The beginning sucked me in and I was absolutely in love with the story. Sadly it went downhill immediately. The plot was completely lost after the timeskip. The story changed numerous times, and at no point made any coherent sense or followed any sort of structure. I had absolutely no idea what any of the point was.
By the end Dèmi has become so ridiculously overpowered, and so many twists and reveals happen firmly establishing her a mary sue type character. So many plot events happen to the end that just make no sense and felt more and more outlandish as they occurred. Dèmi gets everything a main character could possibly want: adopted by forest spirits, fights the King, somehow avoids instant death because she's special, can use all the magic LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! Of course the reveal about her Father was just another moment in the long line of ridiculousness. The plot armor was plot armoring.
Seperate but a huge ick of mine, this happens towards the end by the time I had given up on liking the book.We need to discuss why BIPOC authors love writing love triangles that have the BIPOC fmc ending up with the white guy. Why does this always happen! Especially because they always have to be the son or nephew of some super racist guy. It's just, UGH. The chemistry Dèmi has with Collin and Jonas was fine? I rarely see a book do love triangles well, and this is no different. It's difficult to keep a serious tone when the fmc is waffling between two guys who really aren't that different or special.
All in all it felt like the book had no idea what it was supposed to be about. I liked the setting, the magic, and the different creatures, but everything in terms of plot made little to no sense. I did also enjoy the parallels with colonialism, and all of the food depictions. I did get quite hungry reading this.
I am not going to read the next book, and I don't know if I would read anything by Ehigbor Okosun anytime soon. Maybe further down the line with her next series.
I would personally NOT recommend this book.
Love the cover, the cover is so amazing. The book will likely do pretty well because it is a gorgeous piece of art, the perfect blend between composition and design. People will definitely pick this book up because of it, and truly it is likely the books saving grace.
The beginning sucked me in and I was absolutely in love with the story. Sadly it went downhill immediately. The plot was completely lost after the timeskip. The story changed numerous times, and at no point made any coherent sense or followed any sort of structure. I had absolutely no idea what any of the point was.
By the end Dèmi has become so ridiculously overpowered, and so many twists and reveals happen firmly establishing her a mary sue type character. So many plot events happen to the end that just make no sense and felt more and more outlandish as they occurred. Dèmi gets everything a main character could possibly want:
Seperate but a huge ick of mine, this happens towards the end by the time I had given up on liking the book.We need to discuss why BIPOC authors love writing love triangles that have the BIPOC fmc ending up with the
All in all it felt like the book had no idea what it was supposed to be about. I liked the setting, the magic, and the different creatures, but everything in terms of plot made little to no sense. I did also enjoy the parallels with colonialism, and all of the food depictions. I did get quite hungry reading this.
I am not going to read the next book, and I don't know if I would read anything by Ehigbor Okosun anytime soon. Maybe further down the line with her next series.
I would personally NOT recommend this book.
Love the cover, the cover is so amazing. The book will likely do pretty well because it is a gorgeous piece of art, the perfect blend between composition and design. People will definitely pick this book up because of it, and truly it is likely the books saving grace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, War
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
funny
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? Yes
5.0
A sweet and spicy read, Dating Dr. Dil is perfect for fans of romcom, diverse stories, and just fantastic writing!
I absolutely adore this book, I am so happy my long journey on the library waitlist finally came to an end. Loveable characters, and great banter had me sucked into the story and I was so sad when I reached the end. BECAUSE IT'S FANTASTIC AND I WANT MORE!
Y'all the spice in this! The spice in this!? Prem knows how to dirty talk and he does it very well.
“Good little Indian girls don’t get finger fucked in the shed,” Someone fetch me a fan because it is getting hot in here! The chemistry between Prem and Kareena is off the charts! From the moment they lay eyes on each other, they truly are both smitten. I love how much they each learned and grew throughout the book. Plus again the spice? 10/10!
I think the concept of cultural identities being so closely intertwined with families is lost on so many people who aren't apart of such communities. I've seen a lot of readers miss the nuances of why Kareena isn't just cutting off her family, as toxic as they can be sometime.
“It’s hard to communicate the immigrant experience with those who don’t understand. We want to support and be with our families, and sometimes we sacrifice our mental health and our emotional well-being to do it.” People need to understand the especially with immigrant families, everything really revolves around and centers family. It is absolutely impossible to "cut" someone off or ghost them without having to do it to EVERYONE in the family. It's an all or nothing approach. If you do try to cut off just one person your phone is going to be ringing off the hook from every single relative and friend in that community. The only way Kareena could have cut them off was by losing her entire cultural identity, and everyone in that community as well. And for one that has tons of gossiping aunties, well you can see how impossible that would be for her to ever live or just exist. She instead does what so many of us do, we grin and bare it and quietly suffer. Maybe one day we have an explosive blow up and are forever regarded as a black sheep of the family, but typically it's more like a "love them because they are my family" situation.
I will say this book made me so hungry, and I am so grateful I live in a city where I can get my pani puri fix satisfied!
This is my first book by Nisha Sharma, and I am completely head over heels obsessed! I can't wait to read the next book, and y'all all need to read this too!
I absolutely adore this book, I am so happy my long journey on the library waitlist finally came to an end. Loveable characters, and great banter had me sucked into the story and I was so sad when I reached the end. BECAUSE IT'S FANTASTIC AND I WANT MORE!
Y'all the spice in this! The spice in this!? Prem knows how to dirty talk and he does it very well.
“Good little Indian girls don’t get finger fucked in the shed,” Someone fetch me a fan because it is getting hot in here! The chemistry between Prem and Kareena is off the charts! From the moment they lay eyes on each other, they truly are both smitten. I love how much they each learned and grew throughout the book. Plus again the spice? 10/10!
I think the concept of cultural identities being so closely intertwined with families is lost on so many people who aren't apart of such communities. I've seen a lot of readers miss the nuances of why Kareena isn't just cutting off her family, as toxic as they can be sometime.
“It’s hard to communicate the immigrant experience with those who don’t understand. We want to support and be with our families, and sometimes we sacrifice our mental health and our emotional well-being to do it.” People need to understand the especially with immigrant families, everything really revolves around and centers family. It is absolutely impossible to "cut" someone off or ghost them without having to do it to EVERYONE in the family. It's an all or nothing approach. If you do try to cut off just one person your phone is going to be ringing off the hook from every single relative and friend in that community. The only way Kareena could have cut them off was by losing her entire cultural identity, and everyone in that community as well. And for one that has tons of gossiping aunties, well you can see how impossible that would be for her to ever live or just exist. She instead does what so many of us do, we grin and bare it and quietly suffer. Maybe one day we have an explosive blow up and are forever regarded as a black sheep of the family, but typically it's more like a "love them because they are my family" situation.
I will say this book made me so hungry, and I am so grateful I live in a city where I can get my pani puri fix satisfied!
This is my first book by Nisha Sharma, and I am completely head over heels obsessed! I can't wait to read the next book, and y'all all need to read this too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent
Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass
dark
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
4.5 stars Thank you Penguin for this ARC
A fun and witty queer slasher, dead bodies run as high as the cutting jokes in Your Lonely Nights Are Over.
We follow besties Dearie and Cole, friends who are unabashedly themselves, and not afraid to call out anyone and everyone that annoys them. When members of the Queer Club start dropping like flies, fingers are quick to point to the two of them. But is it the retired never-been-caught serial killer Mr. Sandman? A copycat? Either way Dearie and Cole have to discover the killer, before they are killed, or arrested!
This is such a hilarious book, I don't think I've had such fun reading a horror book before. Their friendship is so nice to see, as well as reading them "read" others when they try to come for them gave me life. I alternated between laughing and then being scared at was about to happen. This really feels like an old school slasher movie in the best possible way.
Adam Sass shows it is not impossible to write books with great POC characters, even if you are a white author. I really love how Cole's characters is written, and how different the students treat him as a murder suspect vs Dearie. There is so much great racial microaggressions in this book, so innocuous to many, I love it so much. (See guys it's not impossible!)
Without spoiling anything, I also love how relationships are depicted. Be they healthy or not, sometimes you don't realize what's going on until much later, when your brain finally feels ready to process it. There is a lot of symbolism in YLNAO and it is very well done.
This book is also very sex positive, and the discussions and situations surrounding "acting gay" reminds me of Camp. There is no reason to police how you act, or change how you talk just to be more palatable to straights. Sass hit the nail on the head with every issue he tackled.
For me the only issues I really have are at the beginning with the pacing, and some of the structuring. We are introduced to the characters, then there is a time jump of two months. A lot of what happens in that time jump is referenced later, or we get a few flashbacks. I almost wish we got to see more of Dearie's relationship and really how isolated he became from Cole. It would have had a larger impact on later events in the book if we got see more from Dearie's relationship. After the two months, the characters quickly reunite again, but we haven't seen enough of them to really understand the importance and feel that emotional weight for this event.
All in all, I had an enjoyable time reading this, and it got my mind of life. (Which is always a plus!)
This is a must read book for horror fans, lovers of queer books, or anyone looking for a fun read! This is my first book of Adam Sass, and I am going to go look at what other books he's written, because I am now a fan!
This cover!?! Obsessed. Perfection. Wouldn't change a thing. From the colors to the composition, to even the illustration, this is a perfectly done cover. 10/10 wouldn't change a thing.
A fun and witty queer slasher, dead bodies run as high as the cutting jokes in Your Lonely Nights Are Over.
We follow besties Dearie and Cole, friends who are unabashedly themselves, and not afraid to call out anyone and everyone that annoys them. When members of the Queer Club start dropping like flies, fingers are quick to point to the two of them. But is it the retired never-been-caught serial killer Mr. Sandman? A copycat? Either way Dearie and Cole have to discover the killer, before they are killed, or arrested!
This is such a hilarious book, I don't think I've had such fun reading a horror book before. Their friendship is so nice to see, as well as reading them "read" others when they try to come for them gave me life. I alternated between laughing and then being scared at was about to happen. This really feels like an old school slasher movie in the best possible way.
Adam Sass shows it is not impossible to write books with great POC characters, even if you are a white author. I really love how Cole's characters is written, and how different the students treat him as a murder suspect vs Dearie. There is so much great racial microaggressions in this book, so innocuous to many, I love it so much. (See guys it's not impossible!)
Without spoiling anything, I also love how relationships are depicted. Be they healthy or not, sometimes you don't realize what's going on until much later, when your brain finally feels ready to process it. There is a lot of symbolism in YLNAO and it is very well done.
This book is also very sex positive, and the discussions and situations surrounding "acting gay" reminds me of Camp. There is no reason to police how you act, or change how you talk just to be more palatable to straights. Sass hit the nail on the head with every issue he tackled.
For me the only issues I really have are at the beginning with the pacing, and some of the structuring. We are introduced to the characters, then there is a time jump of two months. A lot of what happens in that time jump is referenced later, or we get a few flashbacks. I almost wish we got to see more of Dearie's relationship and really how isolated he became from Cole. It would have had a larger impact on later events in the book if we got see more from Dearie's relationship. After the two months, the characters quickly reunite again, but we haven't seen enough of them to really understand the importance and feel that emotional weight for this event.
All in all, I had an enjoyable time reading this, and it got my mind of life. (Which is always a plus!)
This is a must read book for horror fans, lovers of queer books, or anyone looking for a fun read! This is my first book of Adam Sass, and I am going to go look at what other books he's written, because I am now a fan!
This cover!?! Obsessed. Perfection. Wouldn't change a thing. From the colors to the composition, to even the illustration, this is a perfectly done cover. 10/10 wouldn't change a thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Blood, Murder
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Books that are very popular like this fall into one of two categories, overhyped and undeserving, or absolutely not hyped enough. Divine Rivals is absolutely deserving of its popularity, and I am still reeling with just how fantastic it is.
I absolutely adored every second of reading, Ross does an excellent job at conveying war, characters, and yearning. This is everything I want from a rivals to lovers book, and the mystery of the gods still has me open jawed from the ending twist.
Some books can definitely feel "more YA" then others. While some can be enjoyed by all ages, some employ writing and vocabulary that make it difficult to get through for older readers. Divine Rivals does not read like one would expect from a traditional YA book, it dealt with heavy topics, complex characters, and an engaging writing style that I was sucked into from page one.
I can't wait to read the sequel!
A must read!
I absolutely adored every second of reading, Ross does an excellent job at conveying war, characters, and yearning. This is everything I want from a rivals to lovers book, and the mystery of the gods still has me open jawed from the ending twist.
Some books can definitely feel "more YA" then others. While some can be enjoyed by all ages, some employ writing and vocabulary that make it difficult to get through for older readers. Divine Rivals does not read like one would expect from a traditional YA book, it dealt with heavy topics, complex characters, and an engaging writing style that I was sucked into from page one.
I can't wait to read the sequel!
A must read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail
The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Thank you Penguin for this ARC
This book tore my heart out and then served it back to me on a silver platter. What's worse is that I loved every second of it!
Dawson perfectly captures what's like to experience life as a woman, it feels like she reaches into my brain and puts my darkest experiences to page. Part of the reason this trilogy is so difficult to read is because how close to real life it is. All the hate, fear, and bitterness isn't fictional. The only thing fictional about this book is the magic and witchery. Everything else sadly, you can easily find anywhere in the world.
This is in no way shape or form a light and happy read. There is sisterhood, family, and love, but what they all go through and experience is difficult at best, depressing at worst. Definitely check your tws before reading because there is a lot of death, murder, homophobia, sexism and more fun stuff.
I was so ready to hate Ciara, everything we learned in the last book really had her painted as "evil" plain and simple. If there's anything I should have learned from Dawson's writing, is that people are messy, complex, floundering creatures. There is no good or evil, only the choices we make, and we can always come back from it. ‘No. There’s always a way back,’ he said, trying to convince them both. ‘You just . . . turn around and go the way you came.’
My favorite pov is from Leonie, she is such a badass and I loved her adventure. On the flip side I always have such a hard time enjoying reading Elle's chapters. She just really annoys me and the way she behaves would drive me to therapy if I were her child. I didn't expect Luke's plotline to take him where it did, I enjoyed it, but it almost feels like too much out of left field.
Another MUST READ from Juno Dawson, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite series! Please I need the final book! DAWSON LOVES CLIFFHANGERS TOO MUCH!!
This book tore my heart out and then served it back to me on a silver platter. What's worse is that I loved every second of it!
Dawson perfectly captures what's like to experience life as a woman, it feels like she reaches into my brain and puts my darkest experiences to page. Part of the reason this trilogy is so difficult to read is because how close to real life it is. All the hate, fear, and bitterness isn't fictional. The only thing fictional about this book is the magic and witchery. Everything else sadly, you can easily find anywhere in the world.
This is in no way shape or form a light and happy read. There is sisterhood, family, and love, but what they all go through and experience is difficult at best, depressing at worst. Definitely check your tws before reading because there is a lot of death, murder, homophobia, sexism and more fun stuff.
I was so ready to hate Ciara, everything we learned in the last book really had her painted as "evil" plain and simple. If there's anything I should have learned from Dawson's writing, is that people are messy, complex, floundering creatures. There is no good or evil, only the choices we make, and we can always come back from it. ‘No. There’s always a way back,’ he said, trying to convince them both. ‘You just . . . turn around and go the way you came.’
My favorite pov is from Leonie, she is such a badass and I loved her adventure. On the flip side I always have such a hard time enjoying reading Elle's chapters. She just really annoys me and the way she behaves would drive me to therapy if I were her child. I didn't expect Luke's plotline to take him where it did, I enjoyed it, but it almost feels like too much out of left field.
Another MUST READ from Juno Dawson, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite series! Please I need the final book! DAWSON LOVES CLIFFHANGERS TOO MUCH!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
A truly outstanding and stand out biopunk queer read, The Dawnhounds has some of the best worldbuilding I've ever seen, diverse characters, and a story that will make you cry one page and feel hopeful the next.
It's a toss-up between what I love more, the eclectic characters, or the world they live in. Wajet is my favorite character in this, I don't care that Yat didn't like him he's so damn charming. The whole premise of using plant life to live and build instead of steel or other materials is so fascinating. The mushroom houses are alive and feed off the sweat and dead skin cells of their inhabitants. My mind is just blown thinking about it.
The whole concept of immortality and losing yourself bit by bit is a trope I want to read more of. It is so well done in The Dawnhounds. The different Gods and myths meddling, there is so much symbolism and foreshadowing I want to reread it again to see what I missed.
Stronach's writing feels almost dreamlike and ethereal in certain moments. It's not so much you feel like you are transported into the world, but more so as different characters lose their minds you feel just as lost and trapped too. It is truly a book with so much heart and hope, no matter how tough it gets and how dire the situation seems, Yat never gives up.
There's also a cat in this book, so that's such a bonus.
This is a rare moment where I feel like the blurb didn't do the book justice at all. It is quite a dark and heavy book, I wish it mentioned that. (Also it's just freaking fantastic!) Yat is a drug addict, and has lost faith in literally everything, she is just basically on autopilot.
The inclusion of so many powerful queer characters is one of my favorite parts of this, called a "degeneracy" by so many, it is just so emotional. It's not often I see bisexuality depicted as well as Stronach does here.
I almost wish I had read the audiobook instead, only because I felt like I was butchering so many words in my head because I didn't know how to pronounce anything.
This is definitely not a shut-your-brain-off-and-read book. If anything with science fiction books like this you really have to pay attention to what's going on otherwise you'll get lost in descriptions, names, and people. I also put off reading this because Yat is a cop, and I was nervous it was going to be copaganda. I wish I had read it sooner.
Check your tws! There is a LOT of body horror, gore, blood, death, drugs, corruption, and homophobia!
I have so many theories for the next book! I need to discuss this for hours just to share all my theories, questions, and love for it.
I absolutely 10000% recommend this book, perfect for people who loves books you can sink your teeth into! I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year! MOSTLY BECAUSE I WANT TO MEET WAJET'SHUSBAND!
I actually like this cover better than some of the other editions. It is really cool to see what the houses look like, and it gives it such a great otherworldly scifi vibe.
It's a toss-up between what I love more, the eclectic characters, or the world they live in. Wajet is my favorite character in this, I don't care that Yat didn't like him he's so damn charming. The whole premise of using plant life to live and build instead of steel or other materials is so fascinating. The mushroom houses are alive and feed off the sweat and dead skin cells of their inhabitants. My mind is just blown thinking about it.
The whole concept of immortality and losing yourself bit by bit is a trope I want to read more of. It is so well done in The Dawnhounds. The different Gods and myths meddling, there is so much symbolism and foreshadowing I want to reread it again to see what I missed.
Stronach's writing feels almost dreamlike and ethereal in certain moments. It's not so much you feel like you are transported into the world, but more so as different characters lose their minds you feel just as lost and trapped too. It is truly a book with so much heart and hope, no matter how tough it gets and how dire the situation seems, Yat never gives up.
There's also a cat in this book, so that's such a bonus.
This is a rare moment where I feel like the blurb didn't do the book justice at all. It is quite a dark and heavy book, I wish it mentioned that. (Also it's just freaking fantastic!) Yat is a drug addict, and has lost faith in literally everything, she is just basically on autopilot.
The inclusion of so many powerful queer characters is one of my favorite parts of this, called a "degeneracy" by so many, it is just so emotional. It's not often I see bisexuality depicted as well as Stronach does here.
I almost wish I had read the audiobook instead, only because I felt like I was butchering so many words in my head because I didn't know how to pronounce anything.
This is definitely not a shut-your-brain-off-and-read book. If anything with science fiction books like this you really have to pay attention to what's going on otherwise you'll get lost in descriptions, names, and people. I also put off reading this because Yat is a cop, and I was nervous it was going to be copaganda. I wish I had read it sooner.
Check your tws! There is a LOT of body horror, gore, blood, death, drugs, corruption, and homophobia!
I have so many theories for the next book! I need to discuss this for hours just to share all my theories, questions, and love for it.
I absolutely 10000% recommend this book, perfect for people who loves books you can sink your teeth into! I can't wait for the sequel to come out next year! MOSTLY BECAUSE I WANT TO MEET WAJET'S
I actually like this cover better than some of the other editions. It is really cool to see what the houses look like, and it gives it such a great otherworldly scifi vibe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Death of parent
Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Thank you Penguin for this arc
You put enough rich kids in a room with a scholarship kid, there's going to be a murder. It's a basic bookish fact at this point.
Suddenly a Murder follows the tried and true premise of a group of rich friends (and one not so rich) going on a getaway to celebrate graduation. Lies, betrayal, and infidelity threaten the group dynamic, but when one of them is murdered everything comes to light.
Diversity in books is always a treat to read, one of the reasons I was excited to read Suddenly a Murder is that BIPOC authors typically can be counted on to have a great cast of characters with BIPOC voices. Izzy's experience with race, her Father's deportation, and how she views herself is one aspect that I loved the most during reading.
The beginning is a bit clunky to get through, the writing at times just felt awkward. I did consider DNF-ing the book with how much I was struggling with it, but I am glad I stuck with it because it improved. The more I kept reading the more I enjoyed it, with the final chunk of the book having the strongest writing and most immersive reading experience.
There are a lot of different characters and at times they blend together with how similar they are in terms of "rich, privileged, spoiled". I do believe the plot would have been stronger with less voices.
I would have liked to have seen the whole book, or at least a pov or two from Pilar. She is easily the most interesting and engaging character, to the point where she was outshining the "main characters". I would sooner read and enjoy a book following her adventures, her character is just so much more fleshed out then others.
The flashbacks account for about half of the book, and felt jarring with the shifting of going from first person in the present to third in the past. I wish there were less flashbacks or less people.I don't think a book should rely so heavily on flashbacks to set the tension and reveals as much as it does in this one.
I have mixed feelings about the romance. I don't think there is enough chemistry between the characters for it to have felt real.
The reveal wasn't a surprise, though other secrets that are uncovered are a huge shock. The question I want to pose is as follows: Were there enough bread crumbs leading to the big secret, or was it so out of left field with no evidence to support it that it feels cheap and out of nowhere?
While I don't love this book, I did have a mostly enjoyable experience. I say if the premise intrigues you, give it a try and see what you think! This is Lauren Muñoz's debut novel, and I would read further books from her.
The cover is very poor, it feels very dated in terms of design and composition. I do not like it, nor would I pick it up if I saw it in a bookstore.
You put enough rich kids in a room with a scholarship kid, there's going to be a murder. It's a basic bookish fact at this point.
Suddenly a Murder follows the tried and true premise of a group of rich friends (and one not so rich) going on a getaway to celebrate graduation. Lies, betrayal, and infidelity threaten the group dynamic, but when one of them is murdered everything comes to light.
Diversity in books is always a treat to read, one of the reasons I was excited to read Suddenly a Murder is that BIPOC authors typically can be counted on to have a great cast of characters with BIPOC voices. Izzy's experience with race, her Father's deportation, and how she views herself is one aspect that I loved the most during reading.
The beginning is a bit clunky to get through, the writing at times just felt awkward. I did consider DNF-ing the book with how much I was struggling with it, but I am glad I stuck with it because it improved. The more I kept reading the more I enjoyed it, with the final chunk of the book having the strongest writing and most immersive reading experience.
There are a lot of different characters and at times they blend together with how similar they are in terms of "rich, privileged, spoiled". I do believe the plot would have been stronger with less voices.
I would have liked to have seen the whole book, or at least a pov or two from Pilar. She is easily the most interesting and engaging character, to the point where she was outshining the "main characters". I would sooner read and enjoy a book following her adventures, her character is just so much more fleshed out then others.
The flashbacks account for about half of the book, and felt jarring with the shifting of going from first person in the present to third in the past. I wish there were less flashbacks or less people.I don't think a book should rely so heavily on flashbacks to set the tension and reveals as much as it does in this one.
I have mixed feelings about the romance. I don't think there is enough chemistry between the characters for it to have felt real.
The reveal wasn't a surprise, though other secrets that are uncovered are a huge shock. The question I want to pose is as follows: Were there enough bread crumbs leading to the big secret, or was it so out of left field with no evidence to support it that it feels cheap and out of nowhere?
While I don't love this book, I did have a mostly enjoyable experience. I say if the premise intrigues you, give it a try and see what you think! This is Lauren Muñoz's debut novel, and I would read further books from her.
The cover is very poor, it feels very dated in terms of design and composition. I do not like it, nor would I pick it up if I saw it in a bookstore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Abandonment, Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Murder