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justinlife's reviews
850 reviews
Crankshaft by K.M. Neuhold
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was ok, but I think I'm not in the mood for this type of M/M romance anymore. It was fine. The romance was better toward the end and the sex scenes were spicy and slightly unbelievable. What was annoying is that if you hadn't read some of other series in this world, you'd be wondering what was going on b/c of all the characters she included.
Also, the vet did a declawing and I didn't think that was a thing. It made me not care for the character nor his stress.
Overall it was just ok. I don't plan to read more.
Also, the vet did a declawing and I didn't think that was a thing. It made me not care for the character nor his stress.
Overall it was just ok. I don't plan to read more.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.25
This is a gorgeous novel with some of the best prose one could read. Poets have a great way with words and Vuong makes sentences that are art.
In this novel, a man is writing a letter to his illiterate mother basically confessing his life. He describes how being a child of immigrants, his skin color, his sexuality all made him who he is. He discusses the bullying he received as a kid and the abuse his mom gave him. He discusses how the Vietnam war still lingers in his family and the personal effects of that war.
The format works for what it is. It felt like a memoir. The trauma felt real and not fetishized. It felt lived in instead of placed upon. This is the sad girl summer novel I was wanting. There were moments that it made me think this might have been inspired by Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts b/c of the format of the novel and mixture of life and death. It felt stream of consciousness to me.
My only issue with the novel was that there didn't seem much plot. I didn't pick up on why he was confessing all of this. While beautiful I wondered if this was a memoir instead of fiction. I wanted more of story instead of stories within a letter to a person who won't read it.
I did like the idea though. Here's this person who needs to say what they need to say in a way his mother probably won't ever read. There's something cathartic about letting it all out.
In this novel, a man is writing a letter to his illiterate mother basically confessing his life. He describes how being a child of immigrants, his skin color, his sexuality all made him who he is. He discusses the bullying he received as a kid and the abuse his mom gave him. He discusses how the Vietnam war still lingers in his family and the personal effects of that war.
The format works for what it is. It felt like a memoir. The trauma felt real and not fetishized. It felt lived in instead of placed upon. This is the sad girl summer novel I was wanting. There were moments that it made me think this might have been inspired by Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts b/c of the format of the novel and mixture of life and death. It felt stream of consciousness to me.
My only issue with the novel was that there didn't seem much plot. I didn't pick up on why he was confessing all of this. While beautiful I wondered if this was a memoir instead of fiction. I wanted more of story instead of stories within a letter to a person who won't read it.
I did like the idea though. Here's this person who needs to say what they need to say in a way his mother probably won't ever read. There's something cathartic about letting it all out.
Out of Character by Annabeth Albert
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.25
Out of Character follows Jasper's story from Conventionally Yours as he finds love in an old friend, Milo, who broke up their friendship and joined the bullying crowd in high school. Now they are 21 and Milo needs Jasper's help. The book is told in back to back first person narrative.
Jasper, who has a sister with an immune disorder, loves helping people out. He always makes himself available to those around him and makes sure things get done. Milo, has made some mistakes and doesn't know how to come out of them in order to be a successful human. He's still hanging out with the crowd that he did in highschool and they haven't changed.
The story itself is fine. Both Jasper and Milo have some good conversations about accountability and holding on to past mistakes which I appreciate. We get to see how they deal with their past, the expectations of those around them, and how having someone in your corner rooting for you can make a difference. There's also some good conversations about boundaries and when not to rush in and save someone. Albert's writing style is light and breezy which makes the book fun.
My main issue with this novel were that the three secondary characters that were villainous felt very two dimensional. It felt right out of a 1980s teen movie. Because they were flat and less complicated, when our protagonists conquered over them, it didn't feel as rewarding.
Overall, though, I liked it. It was a fun sequel. I'd be curious if Albert digs more into this world.
Jasper, who has a sister with an immune disorder, loves helping people out. He always makes himself available to those around him and makes sure things get done. Milo, has made some mistakes and doesn't know how to come out of them in order to be a successful human. He's still hanging out with the crowd that he did in highschool and they haven't changed.
The story itself is fine. Both Jasper and Milo have some good conversations about accountability and holding on to past mistakes which I appreciate. We get to see how they deal with their past, the expectations of those around them, and how having someone in your corner rooting for you can make a difference. There's also some good conversations about boundaries and when not to rush in and save someone. Albert's writing style is light and breezy which makes the book fun.
My main issue with this novel were that the three secondary characters that were villainous felt very two dimensional. It felt right out of a 1980s teen movie. Because they were flat and less complicated, when our protagonists conquered over them, it didn't feel as rewarding.
Overall, though, I liked it. It was a fun sequel. I'd be curious if Albert digs more into this world.
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Conventionally Yours is a really fun read. Conrad and Alden are two youtube gaymers who go on a road trip to the Odyssey convention (think Magic the gathering, at least I did) of their dreams. They are lowkey enemies. Both have reasons for wanting to win the tournament being played at the convention and both don't think the other understands how deep that goes. Along the way, they open up and find common ground and affection.
This is a fun enemies to lovers romance. The characters had depth and the self loathing that one usually finds in the romance drama is kept to a minimum. They both have it, but they also recognize when they are successful and what their strengths are. It's not one of those "I can't believe he would be with me. Why? I'm a troll who barely looks human" stories, so I appreciated that. While there is a little of the "money solves problems" trope that is often in romance, it's kept to a minimum.
I also appreciated that Albert created a card game that I don't understand but had rules and was easy to follow along with. Did I get why certain things did certain things? No, but I fully believed she did. I don't play Magic the Gathering or any of the other card games. Maybe if I had, I would have understanded more, but it didn't hinder my experience. It was still fun.
Overall, this was the light, fun, sun in the summer book I was looking for. If I were to have a complaint, I would think the ending felt a little too heteronormative. Things moved a bit too fast.
This is a fun enemies to lovers romance. The characters had depth and the self loathing that one usually finds in the romance drama is kept to a minimum. They both have it, but they also recognize when they are successful and what their strengths are. It's not one of those "I can't believe he would be with me. Why? I'm a troll who barely looks human" stories, so I appreciated that. While there is a little of the "money solves problems" trope that is often in romance, it's kept to a minimum.
I also appreciated that Albert created a card game that I don't understand but had rules and was easy to follow along with. Did I get why certain things did certain things? No, but I fully believed she did. I don't play Magic the Gathering or any of the other card games. Maybe if I had, I would have understanded more, but it didn't hinder my experience. It was still fun.
Overall, this was the light, fun, sun in the summer book I was looking for. If I were to have a complaint, I would think the ending felt a little too heteronormative. Things moved a bit too fast.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Ok let’s do do this! If I gave it zero stars, I don't think Goodreads would count add that to the total rating and I want this added.
There are so many negative things I want to say about this book but know this: I will never, ever recommend this book to anyone. It is insidious and cruel. It disguises itself as a “sad book about friends” when it’s really just trauma porn.
There is something sadistic about creating a fictional character (one could argue characters, but I’ll get into that later), giving them the most awful life, meticulously detailing their past trauma, and forcing the audience to relive it. It’s even more abhorrent and unforgivable that this creation is of a minority group that the author is not a part of. It felt exploitative and at times fetishistic for her to include the amount of trauma, to detail it so excruciatingly, and to pile it all on one character. This is the thought that stayed with me from about page 250 until the end. There are other reasons that this isn’t the masterpiece the internet thinks it is.
Characters
While the main plot of the book and even the book jacket describes it as a book about friendship, Yanagihara doesn’t keep to that. Yes, there are four friends (JB, Malcolm, Willem, and Jude) who we follow through their lives but around page 250 it becomes less about how those friendships are maintained and more about the extreme abuse of one of them. She takes focus from two of them and zeroes in solely on Jude and Willem’s perspectives. It’s rage inducing because Malcolm and JB’s stories could have been more interesting and fleshed out if explored. Making JB an addict was a choice but one that didn’t get explored beyond the beginning. Malcolm finding success and struggling with familial approval and sexuality also could have been an interesting sub plot, but nope, let’s blow past 20 years of friendship and have these characters show up here and there.
Trauma Porn
There was truly no need for the level of descriptions given to the various abuses. Any of the following would have made for enough but to have all of them… girl! If you read this novel, know going in there are heavy descriptions of self harm, suicide, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child prostitution, kidnapping, domestic abuse, rape, eating disorders. Typing all that out only made me angrier. There was no need for all of that. If you’re wanting to give the reader a reason that a character might be self loathing and hate themselves, YOU DON’T NEED MUCH. Romance novels do that better.
No cultural context
It is a choice to write a book about characters living in NYC and Boston and not mention any cultural milestones that might have affected those communities. Like COME ON! The audience gets to read these characters' lives for up to 40 years and you refuse to give them any cultural contexts? You don’t include anything about the NYC gay scene? None of the bombings? Nothing that shaped the cities and could have shaped the characters? Girl bye.
Queer representation
I don’t know if Yanagihara knows what the words bisexual and pansexual are or if she knows the history of bi-erasure. It’s ok for a character to sleep with both men and women; so why does no one in the book acknowledge that, potentially, some of them are bisexual? It’s so annoying. The characters who engage in primarily gay relationships and sexual experiences are either predators, abusers, and pedophiles. At one point, one of the characters doesn’t even know if he’s gay, it’s just that he’s been used by men so much that he thinks being attracted to women is something he can’t pursuer. WHAT THE HELL? WHY?? I can’t say that the main characters’ relationships are healthy either, which is fine. Bad relationships happen.
Mental Health
From my understanding from reading this book, Yanagihara is not ok with therapy as a tool for mental health, but is ok with suicide. There is a paragraph toward the end where one of the characters mentions how therapy is basically a joke. This is infuriating because the community she’s writing about, queer men and the LGBTQ experience need the option of therapy to help process the experience, particularly in today’s time. It’s adds to the cruelness that one writes about the community and then mocks the tools the community can access in order to process their existence. The amount of expletives I said at this point… girl.
Here’s the kindest thing I can say about this book- she writes well. I will never ever read another of her books. I think had she removed the trauma porn and shaved off about 250 pages of it, this book would be the book people say it is. Instead we have cruelty and sadism designed as literature. I do not wish this person well.
There are so many negative things I want to say about this book but know this: I will never, ever recommend this book to anyone. It is insidious and cruel. It disguises itself as a “sad book about friends” when it’s really just trauma porn.
There is something sadistic about creating a fictional character (one could argue characters, but I’ll get into that later), giving them the most awful life, meticulously detailing their past trauma, and forcing the audience to relive it. It’s even more abhorrent and unforgivable that this creation is of a minority group that the author is not a part of. It felt exploitative and at times fetishistic for her to include the amount of trauma, to detail it so excruciatingly, and to pile it all on one character. This is the thought that stayed with me from about page 250 until the end. There are other reasons that this isn’t the masterpiece the internet thinks it is.
Characters
While the main plot of the book and even the book jacket describes it as a book about friendship, Yanagihara doesn’t keep to that. Yes, there are four friends (JB, Malcolm, Willem, and Jude) who we follow through their lives but around page 250 it becomes less about how those friendships are maintained and more about the extreme abuse of one of them. She takes focus from two of them and zeroes in solely on Jude and Willem’s perspectives. It’s rage inducing because Malcolm and JB’s stories could have been more interesting and fleshed out if explored. Making JB an addict was a choice but one that didn’t get explored beyond the beginning. Malcolm finding success and struggling with familial approval and sexuality also could have been an interesting sub plot, but nope, let’s blow past 20 years of friendship and have these characters show up here and there.
Trauma Porn
There was truly no need for the level of descriptions given to the various abuses. Any of the following would have made for enough but to have all of them… girl! If you read this novel, know going in there are heavy descriptions of self harm, suicide, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child prostitution, kidnapping, domestic abuse, rape, eating disorders. Typing all that out only made me angrier. There was no need for all of that. If you’re wanting to give the reader a reason that a character might be self loathing and hate themselves, YOU DON’T NEED MUCH. Romance novels do that better.
No cultural context
It is a choice to write a book about characters living in NYC and Boston and not mention any cultural milestones that might have affected those communities. Like COME ON! The audience gets to read these characters' lives for up to 40 years and you refuse to give them any cultural contexts? You don’t include anything about the NYC gay scene? None of the bombings? Nothing that shaped the cities and could have shaped the characters? Girl bye.
Queer representation
I don’t know if Yanagihara knows what the words bisexual and pansexual are or if she knows the history of bi-erasure. It’s ok for a character to sleep with both men and women; so why does no one in the book acknowledge that, potentially, some of them are bisexual? It’s so annoying. The characters who engage in primarily gay relationships and sexual experiences are either predators, abusers, and pedophiles. At one point, one of the characters doesn’t even know if he’s gay, it’s just that he’s been used by men so much that he thinks being attracted to women is something he can’t pursuer. WHAT THE HELL? WHY?? I can’t say that the main characters’ relationships are healthy either, which is fine. Bad relationships happen.
Mental Health
From my understanding from reading this book, Yanagihara is not ok with therapy as a tool for mental health, but is ok with suicide. There is a paragraph toward the end where one of the characters mentions how therapy is basically a joke. This is infuriating because the community she’s writing about, queer men and the LGBTQ experience need the option of therapy to help process the experience, particularly in today’s time. It’s adds to the cruelness that one writes about the community and then mocks the tools the community can access in order to process their existence. The amount of expletives I said at this point… girl.
Here’s the kindest thing I can say about this book- she writes well. I will never ever read another of her books. I think had she removed the trauma porn and shaved off about 250 pages of it, this book would be the book people say it is. Instead we have cruelty and sadism designed as literature. I do not wish this person well.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
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? N/A
3.75
I'm so glad books like this exist. Aiden Thomas does a great job creating a world of intrigue and mystery, folklore and religion, tradition and change set in east LA. They focus on Yadriel, a trans masc teen trying to be a part of his traditions and family but facing resistance. Thomas' point of view is refreshing and adds nuance that other writers would miss. There are little things that cis authors could miss, particularly around the conversations around binders and how to process when one is misgendered. There are a lot of topics and themes that are discussed but doesn't feel like a burden to read.
The books lags in the middle some, and teens make decisions the way teens do, but overall it's a good and fun read.
The books lags in the middle some, and teens make decisions the way teens do, but overall it's a good and fun read.
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
If you're removed from queer theory or philosophy in an academic setting, this book will be harder to get a handle on. There's a lot to like about it. I appreciated her use of second person narrative. It felt like the reader was getting to witness an intimate conversation with her and her partner. I enjoyed her ending of the book with the comparison of birthing and death. Felt very "Lightning Crashes" of her.
The references and concepts were harder to get. Intermingled with her very intimate experiences were some reflections on queer and feminist theory. There were some moments where I just couldn't understand or maybe I thought people were over thinking things. It's hard to say. I remember it being difficult to maintain focus after reading about 40 pages at a time.
The references and concepts were harder to get. Intermingled with her very intimate experiences were some reflections on queer and feminist theory. There were some moments where I just couldn't understand or maybe I thought people were over thinking things. It's hard to say. I remember it being difficult to maintain focus after reading about 40 pages at a time.
The Long Run by James Acker
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I could see myself picking this up again, which I don’t say often.
Track team superstar Bash the Flash and Field captain Sandro fall for each other their senior year. Battling family, loss, identity issues, this book adds to the canon of YA gay romance. The book has tense moments, but not too tense. It has angst, but not too angsty.
Told in dual first person narrative, we get to see both characters process their growing friendship, understand their past and present, and figure out how to keep up with it all. Both characters are likable with flaws. By the end of the book you’re rooting for them and can see how people will make 1,000 different fan fictions after it.
I would say this is in the vein of Ari and Dante series, but with more honest conversations about sex.
Track team superstar Bash the Flash and Field captain Sandro fall for each other their senior year. Battling family, loss, identity issues, this book adds to the canon of YA gay romance. The book has tense moments, but not too tense. It has angst, but not too angsty.
Told in dual first person narrative, we get to see both characters process their growing friendship, understand their past and present, and figure out how to keep up with it all. Both characters are likable with flaws. By the end of the book you’re rooting for them and can see how people will make 1,000 different fan fictions after it.
I would say this is in the vein of Ari and Dante series, but with more honest conversations about sex.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
This is a fun sequel to Boyfriend Material. You can tell pretty quickly that Halls uses the plot of Four Weddings and Funeral and makes it gay. While I don't care for the narrator as much, Hall writes characters that are fun to read and you want to experience their life. He also writes with a great wit and a sense of camp that boosts the plot and takes a familiar plot and makes it queer.
Amidst the weddings and funerals are thoughtful conversations about what it means to be queer, how we define our relationships and what it feels like when you're not represented by the community that seems to get the most attention.
If you're a fan of 90s rom coms, pick this up and enjoy it. If you've read the first one, you'll enjoy this one more.
Finally, I love love love love love that there are so many queer romance novels that are getting more mainstream attention. Younger me would be thrilled by this.
Amidst the weddings and funerals are thoughtful conversations about what it means to be queer, how we define our relationships and what it feels like when you're not represented by the community that seems to get the most attention.
If you're a fan of 90s rom coms, pick this up and enjoy it. If you've read the first one, you'll enjoy this one more.
Finally, I love love love love love that there are so many queer romance novels that are getting more mainstream attention. Younger me would be thrilled by this.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
What I didn't work for me
That's about it. Overall it's a good read and I think people will enjoy it.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I liked it. It was inventive and interesting. It had pros and cons and it was well written.
What worked for me:
- The setting: I appreciated that Barnhill created this world set in post ww2/McCarthy era America. It gave the book an oppressive feel through most of it. Having this set during that time gave me an understanding of what's spoken and what's not spoken.
- It had dragons. I think Barnhill mostly succeeds with the magical realism elements to this book. when breaking up sections with news reports, scientific studies, and historical documents, she creates a world with history that is both real and fantastical.
- Recognizing that memory isn't always accurate or complete. Told in first person narrative, almost as an autobiography, the main character recounts her history and her experiences with dragons. Some memories are fresh and clear while others get muddled and combined. It was refreshing to see a narrator show this.
- Queerness- It's always nice to read stories with well developed queer characters. Barnhill also treats trans characters with such respect and dignity in the simplest of language one has to ask why it's so hard.
- I don't know if this is a spoiler, but her approach to handling the information of dragons and dragoning felt on brand for cultural standards. What don't we talk about? What can we get away with? Using these questions to brush everything under the rug was a solid technique.
What I didn't work for me
- Sadly, the dragons themselves. I couldn't figure out the proportion and size of the dragons. I couldn't place it in my mind and it made it hard to tell. Were they giant like Smaug or tiny like MooShu? It felt like the size varied depending on the need.
- While I appreciated the setting and how that made the characters feel suffocated, that feeling carried on too long in the book. It's stuffy for about 75% of it.
- There were a couple of plot points and I guess red herrings that felt, at the start of the book, to be rather important. By the end of the book, they weren't talked about or defined.
That's about it. Overall it's a good read and I think people will enjoy it.