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hustlinfuzz's Reviews (81)
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book provided a truly visceral, deeply uncomfortable, glimpse into entering puberty in a body that comes with labels and expectations you don't necessarily identify with. I think that the main character, Ollie’s, dysphoria and anxiety go so much deeper than the stereotypical, “I was born in the wrong body and I knew it immediately from the day I was born” trans narrative. Ollie does a lot of questioning as to why they feel the way they do, what it means to "be a woman", etc.
With that said, my main issues come from the pacing. If you don’t relate to Ollie’s story, there isn’t much to get out of it. It was a rather slow, character-driven book with a lot of introspection from Ollie. There isn't so much action in it, and it can feel, at times, that Ollie is thinking in circles. Sometimes I felt like we got lost in Ollie’s thoughts and were missing out on character interactions that the author could have used to show the reader better.
I liked it though! Trans middle grade, especially novels with non-white protagonists, are extremely and troublingly rare.
With that said, my main issues come from the pacing. If you don’t relate to Ollie’s story, there isn’t much to get out of it. It was a rather slow, character-driven book with a lot of introspection from Ollie. There isn't so much action in it, and it can feel, at times, that Ollie is thinking in circles. Sometimes I felt like we got lost in Ollie’s thoughts and were missing out on character interactions that the author could have used to show the reader better.
I liked it though! Trans middle grade, especially novels with non-white protagonists, are extremely and troublingly rare.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this while also listening to an audio version of the play, which I think helped tremendously. That being said, I found aspects of this play to be beautifully written, but overall, I thought it was fairly lackluster. A bit of a boring story.
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book weaves back and forth in time, in different perspectives and stories of a few generations in a singular family. From the 1930s to the post-pandemic era.
I thought it was a really dull read. I don't mind the narrative device of flip-flopping back and forth in time, but ultimately, it felt like a bunch of short stories about a family that did not really have an interweaving narrative, and I could not really get into the story or the characters. I did not really feel for their struggles. Which was unfortunate because there is such a rich story that I am not sure gets much attention in the US, unless you are close to or know of the Filipino American community.
I thought it was a really dull read. I don't mind the narrative device of flip-flopping back and forth in time, but ultimately, it felt like a bunch of short stories about a family that did not really have an interweaving narrative, and I could not really get into the story or the characters. I did not really feel for their struggles. Which was unfortunate because there is such a rich story that I am not sure gets much attention in the US, unless you are close to or know of the Filipino American community.
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story itself was just okay. I think it just barely touched the surface of some important topics of self-discovery as a teen. I only wish the plot were more in-depth!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I eagerly anticipated the release of this book.
That doesn't usually happen. I don't usually find out about a book before it's release and then count the days down until I can check it out from the library. But this was one of those books.
I don't want to say I'm necessarily disappointed, but I do have thoughts. To start, I did really like the all-boys boarding school academia vibes of this book. The plot had a lot of fun elements, but perhaps too much fun to the point that the entire plot felt like some kind of preposterous alternate universe.
This story is a romance... I guess? I think I struggled to find the romantic tension between the main characters, Charlie and Jasper, on the page. I needed more of an explanation of what drew Charlie to Jasper in the first place when they first met because, to me, Jasper had very few redeeming qualities as a person, even in their second-chance romance arc. Also, what is happening in YA where your summer camp fling when you were 13 ruins all romantic love for you forever? To see these two seemingly reconnecting to their "long lost love" when they're like, at most 16, was so fucking unserious. Let's be so fucking for real right now. The entirety of Jasper and Charlie's relationship was so unfleshed out that it bordered on incomprehensible.
That doesn't usually happen. I don't usually find out about a book before it's release and then count the days down until I can check it out from the library. But this was one of those books.
I don't want to say I'm necessarily disappointed, but I do have thoughts. To start, I did really like the all-boys boarding school academia vibes of this book. The plot had a lot of fun elements, but perhaps too much fun to the point that the entire plot felt like some kind of preposterous alternate universe.
This story is a romance... I guess? I think I struggled to find the romantic tension between the main characters, Charlie and Jasper, on the page. I needed more of an explanation of what drew Charlie to Jasper in the first place when they first met because, to me, Jasper had very few redeeming qualities as a person, even in their second-chance romance arc. Also, what is happening in YA where your summer camp fling when you were 13 ruins all romantic love for you forever? To see these two seemingly reconnecting to their "long lost love" when they're like, at most 16, was so fucking unserious. Let's be so fucking for real right now. The entirety of Jasper and Charlie's relationship was so unfleshed out that it bordered on incomprehensible.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
I did enjoy this memoir a great deal even though I am rating it a little low. I hope I am not actually a cold, soulless, heart-of-stone bitch. I really felt for Tyler over her loss, the artwork was lovely, and there were many poignant thoughts and funny jokes throughout the book.......... But it is such a personal anecdote that I inevitably felt a bit like an outsider looking in.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book is so important to me.
I realized, reading it, how much I needed it 10, 15 years ago.
Words can not describe how much I love this book. It's a memoir about the author growing up and coming into non-binary and asexual identities. I also identify with asexuality and being non-binary. I can look back on my life now and realize I have always been this way, but it took me into my later 20's to find the words for what I feel.
It's a memoir of someone else's life, but so much of it mirrored my own. Not 100% obviously, but a lot of it. And it made me feel so incredibly seen. I put the book down with a newfound appreciation that people are writing books like this, that these stories and experiences are accessible.
I realized, reading it, how much I needed it 10, 15 years ago.
Words can not describe how much I love this book. It's a memoir about the author growing up and coming into non-binary and asexual identities. I also identify with asexuality and being non-binary. I can look back on my life now and realize I have always been this way, but it took me into my later 20's to find the words for what I feel.
It's a memoir of someone else's life, but so much of it mirrored my own. Not 100% obviously, but a lot of it. And it made me feel so incredibly seen. I put the book down with a newfound appreciation that people are writing books like this, that these stories and experiences are accessible.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book follows the main characters, Davis and Everett, in the early months of their marriage following a tragedy in Davis' life. There are heavy topics of grief, trauma, gender, and complex family dynamics that go hand in hand with topics of unconditional love, self-acceptance, and personal growth. It is a love story and a tragedy doing a bit of a dance around and within one another.
Unfortunately, Davis and Everett, as main characters, are a bit superficial. The author was able to create such complex characters, although their complexities became... convoluted, their dialogue cliché and frustrating. There were several plotlines I hoped would have more depth. I think my primary issue with this book is that it was attempting to tackle too much: Davis' musical career, the exploration of gender dynamics, Everett's familial issues, interracial relationships, Davis' relationships with his mother, sister, and their father, and even some brief discussion of miscarriage and abortion.
Narrowing the focus on a few of these issues or making the book slightly longer would have been beneficial. The time jumps leave some odd gaps in the pacing; the reveal toward the end of the novel felt abrupt, too. I guess there were hints sprinkled throughout the earlier parts of the story, but the writing often felt as though it was telling me things instead of showing them to me.
Unfortunately, Davis and Everett, as main characters, are a bit superficial. The author was able to create such complex characters, although their complexities became... convoluted, their dialogue cliché and frustrating. There were several plotlines I hoped would have more depth. I think my primary issue with this book is that it was attempting to tackle too much: Davis' musical career, the exploration of gender dynamics, Everett's familial issues, interracial relationships, Davis' relationships with his mother, sister, and their father, and even some brief discussion of miscarriage and abortion.
Narrowing the focus on a few of these issues or making the book slightly longer would have been beneficial. The time jumps leave some odd gaps in the pacing; the reveal toward the end of the novel felt abrupt, too. I guess there were hints sprinkled throughout the earlier parts of the story, but the writing often felt as though it was telling me things instead of showing them to me.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Bro wasn't lying. Everything is tuberculosis.
I have a longstanding love-hate relationship with John Green's books. Some of them are... better than others. Consider this book to be one in that category.
When I first learned about this book, I kind of wrote it off, I'll be so honest. Why is the Fault In Our Stars guy writing about tuberculosis? It was kind of hard NOT to think that when, post-COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like everyone and their mother suddenly became really opinionated about medical stuff and decided that their opinion needed to be voiced. Y'know what I mean?
Anyways, leave it to The Fault In Our Stars guy to write an entire book on a topic I've never been interested in, yet had me riveted cover-to-cover. Everything is Tuberculosis is a fascinating and comprehensive exploration of the disease.
I have a longstanding love-hate relationship with John Green's books. Some of them are... better than others. Consider this book to be one in that category.
When I first learned about this book, I kind of wrote it off, I'll be so honest. Why is the Fault In Our Stars guy writing about tuberculosis? It was kind of hard NOT to think that when, post-COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like everyone and their mother suddenly became really opinionated about medical stuff and decided that their opinion needed to be voiced. Y'know what I mean?
Anyways, leave it to The Fault In Our Stars guy to write an entire book on a topic I've never been interested in, yet had me riveted cover-to-cover. Everything is Tuberculosis is a fascinating and comprehensive exploration of the disease.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Zombie apocalypse queer love story.
There is actually not a lot that I liked about this short novella. It felt so unedited and choppy, rife with spelling and grammatical mistakes. The timeline was hard to follow. It jumped around and a lot of the chapters started with something like "four hours prior" or "six months later." It was just hard to remember when exactly the ground zero of the main event was in this book.
Jude and Lyle, the main characters of the book, didn’t necessarily have very unique character voices either. I often forgot who was speaking in the alternating perspectives. BUT I do love queer relationship representation, and it’s nice to see gay men portrayed as having deep feelings and a tender connection.
My main complaint, though, is that this book, aside from being a zombie apocalypse book, dealt with heavy topics surrounding love, lust, adultery, grief, and moving on. But the author was so damn outright and technical about it, almost like they didn't trust the audience to "get" the theme of their book.
There is actually not a lot that I liked about this short novella. It felt so unedited and choppy, rife with spelling and grammatical mistakes. The timeline was hard to follow. It jumped around and a lot of the chapters started with something like "four hours prior" or "six months later." It was just hard to remember when exactly the ground zero of the main event was in this book.
Jude and Lyle, the main characters of the book, didn’t necessarily have very unique character voices either. I often forgot who was speaking in the alternating perspectives. BUT I do love queer relationship representation, and it’s nice to see gay men portrayed as having deep feelings and a tender connection.
My main complaint, though, is that this book, aside from being a zombie apocalypse book, dealt with heavy topics surrounding love, lust, adultery, grief, and moving on. But the author was so damn outright and technical about it, almost like they didn't trust the audience to "get" the theme of their book.