imstephtacular's reviews
1219 reviews

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I will read this series forever. Every entry continues to be wild and unique and riveting and I am glad this particular installment was a return to a group of already lover characters 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Death, and Violence

Minor: Racism, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Transphobia, Body horror, Bullying, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Oh I loved this! You’ve got mail vibes, but make it YA and modern. Wren is kind of a pain in the ass, but I also love him so much. This is just full of smooshy feelings, tropes, and real life stuff and I thought the combination was excellent. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cancer, Death of parent, Cursing, and Alcohol

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, Drug use, Classism, Bullying, and Grief

The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Classism, Death, and Mental illness

No Place Like Home by James Bird

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

This was a tough, but excellent read. Opin’s perspective was both full of childlike wonder and shadowed by the horrors of growing up quickly and knowing your history and the reality of your situation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Classism, and Racism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Police brutality, Genocide, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Addiction, Ableism, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, War, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Animal death, Abandonment, Drug use, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Hate crime

The (Fake) Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and Cursing

Minor: Terminal illness, Racism, Death, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Biphobia, Classism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Homophobia

Clouds over California by Karyn Parsons

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Police brutality, Classism, Sexism, Bullying, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity, Murder, Ableism, Cursing, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan by Katie Porter

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

Really enjoyed this! Porter is smart, honest, and no nonsense and I appreciated her approach to exposing the truth of politics and her style of educating the public in a way that’s approachable and entertaining 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Alcohol, Gun violence, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, and Body shaming

My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

I got PLL vibes from this, but with more nuance and more commentary on race and class

Overall an enjoyable read with twists and turns about secrets and the lengths we go to to protect others 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Car accident

Minor: Grief, Drug use, Bullying, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, Cursing, and Medical content

We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Mental illness, Classism, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.

I realized the “forbidden love” trope here wasn’t going to work for me