katey_'s reviews
996 reviews

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Stephen Graham Jones is a master of his craft. He's essentially the only horror writer I'll read, because, yes, his stories are endlessly creepy and have me keeping the lights on after dark -- but his characters also carry so much depth and dimension. In this book, I was consistently unsure whether I liked Jade, and more importantly, whether I trusted her. But at every turn, I was rooting for her. I'm going straight to the second book in this series -- I can already tell I won't want to put this trilogy down.

Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder by Gabor Maté

informative slow-paced

3.5

This was really educational and I learned a lot, but I think it was about 100 pages longer than it needed to be, at least for a general audience. Some of the science-heavy parts were, for me, difficult to understand as someone who isn't a doctor/doesn't know that much about the body or brain. I think these topics could have either been shortened or reworded to make this an easier read for folks who have a hard time parsing dense language (I found it ironic considering it's a book about people with ADHD that was surprisingly hard for an ADHD person to focus on).

Gloria: A Sinner Short Story by Sierra Simone

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

Flawless by Elsie Silver

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

3.25

Heartless by Elsie Silver

emotional hopeful medium-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

3.5

This series is fun! 🤠 

Sinner by Sierra Simone

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

Idk man these books are shockingly deep

Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw

informative medium-paced

3.0

Part history lesson, part opinion, part educational -- and all compelling. I liked how nicely concise and quick this book was while hitting a variety of different topics relating to bi+ identities. Super informative! 

Come as You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book gave me vague "People We Meet on Vacation" vibes. It addresses some pretty heavy topics -- grief and severe anxiety, specifically health anxiety -- and is at the same time cute and entertaining. I was rooting for Josie and Zac the entire time. This was one of the most true-to-life friends-to-lovers romances I've read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Grief

Moderate: Death

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I'm such a fan of Lily King's -- she's an instant read for me after reading Writers and Lovers. I savored each of these stories. While short, they each felt fully developed and full-circle. King's writing is poetic and I often stopped reading the stories simply to re-read and re-read and re-read the words themselves.