katiey's reviews
32 reviews

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

wow i loved this book. i read it in one sitting, it was so captivating. the plot twist absolutely got me and was shocking to me. i loved the ending and the overall messaging of the book. 

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i really enjoyed this! got me out of a reading slump. i predicted some of the twists but not all. i like bryce, i like hunt, it was fun. i really liked bryce and danika’s relationship and her portrayal of grief

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

challenging emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

I think I read this book too quickly, because it's a graphic novel. If anything, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had slowed down and really took time to understand the overlapping stories. It's definitely a narrative you have to think about and understand to get the most out of it. It told a really beautiful and important story.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this book! It was relatively straightforward but still approached important topics of queerness and friendship and growing up.

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

3.75

This book went by slowly for me, but I think it's an important and well written story that's perfect for young adult audiences. It portrays the two characters' identities really authentically, promotes political activism and standing up for your community while also portraying it in an approachable way, and also tackles really relatable aspects of growing up and friendship/family issues.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I love this book, it's perfect for a young adult audience and introducing important queer stories and issues. Everything about it is loveable.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

emotional lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

I really really enjoyed this book. I read it quickly and I loved Imogen's character and her thought processes. Albertalli portrays the process of questioning your sexuality beautifully, and a lot of the discussion around queerness, especially queer media, was really interesting and important. This definitely derived from Albertalli's own experiences with questioning her sexuality and involvement in the queer media online space, and it was really interesting to read.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

I like Odell's take and thesis overall - I like that she approaches the topic of social media and the attention economy from a very nuanced perspective and reading many of the anecdotes and connections she made was very interesting. However, I think oftentimes I struggled to understand her point. She disclaims in the beginning that the book is somewhat all over the place, a collection of anecdotes, but I think I could have used more connections back to her main thesis. Overall it was interesting and I just read it for a class anyhow.

Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School by Carla Shalaby

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

Very well written and definitely gives you something to think about moving forward. I loved reading about and getting to know the four children. 

Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’m definitely older than the intended audience for this book, but reading it for a young adult literature class. The beginning of this book is pretty emotionally heavy. Her sister is awful to her, and her parents aren’t fair to her- you definitely get enraged on her behalf and are just rooting for her 10 times over. But I loved to read the gradual character development and how her relationship with her family grew and developed through the story. Quick read, overall I enjoyed it !