lcr16's reviews
42 reviews

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson

adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

4.0

Enthralling snapshot on 1970’s culture. How does someone get away with forging a diary of a teenage girl dealing with drug addiction and it becomes a highly acclaimed bestseller? Beatrice Sparks became a con artist in her search for wealth and glory. Does she have an advanced degree from UCLA? Is she a child psychologist? No, but the lies of her past creates such a high esteem and reputation. A mother in her tight knit Mormon town gives her the diary of her smart, creative, depressed son whom died by suicide. And Beatrice decides to edit his diary. I could not put this down! Emerson takes care to look into the lives of those most affected by Sparks’ lives. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC

Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

“‘I saw something here that made me realize that beauty - true beauty - exists on a plane apart from life and death or anything else I used to see as important. That kind of beauty is here on Otter’s island. I wish you could have seen her, too.’” A fun, campy slasher fic. This book has such an off-the-wall concept of what if The Bachelor ran into a lady Sasquatch. It does work however, with clever execution and witty writing. The cycling of perspectives works well to flesh out the characters beyond the 1 dimensional characters you would see on tv to the real life concerns of your identity being exploited for television. However, the letters between Kathy and Maggie are so sweet and touching and a beautiful example of sapphic love. Thank you to Zando Projects and NetGalley for the ARC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Gore and Homophobia

Ghost Lover: Stories by Lisa Taddeo

dark medium-paced

0.0

Thank you to Net Galley and Avid Reader Press for the e-ARC. Taddeo’s stories of unrequited love come with a bitter twist. The best were Beautiful People, Air Supply, and Suburban Weekend. Taddeo’s writing is complex and brilliant at it’s peak when describing dynamic of competitiveness and love in platonic female relationships. The twist of Suburban Weekend with the excessive eating of the refilled candy jar left the book with fantastic ending . However, the titular story that started out the book felt muddled and confusing. Taddeo seemed to be possibly going for some  nuanced discussion on sexual assault and drugs in romantic relationships. I’m still unsure what the first story was really trying to say because some parts felt so contradictory. Her writing style is beautifully jarring and raw, but it felt unbalanced when the point Taddeo was trying to make seemed so unclear. The writing style was very fun, but ultimately the collection could’ve been stronger. 

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Surreal, tense, and evocative. The collection of short stories shares a similar tone and themes around women' being at odds with men, second generation immigrant Asian women coming to terms with their own identity, and the absurdity of our own reality. The standout stories for me where Returning, Oranges, and my personal favorite story, Peking Duck. Peking Duck is so beautifully structured, the characterization of her own mother feels so humanizing, and even though you already know the ending, it feels like a stab to the gut in the best way possible. For a collection of short stories, the tone and voice are so clear and connected, and the writing is so beautifully unexpected, that the whole book together makes sense. This book will leave you feeling like you woke up from a fever dream you cannot shake. Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

First off, Sloane Crosley is an amazing narrator and has a great voice. It's very impressive that an author had the talent to narrate her own book so incredibly. As for the book itself, it was witty and imaginative. The cast of characters was gripping and made the story easy to be invested in. I loved the setup of having Lola running into her Ex-boyfriends all at the same restaurant three nights in a row and it being a serendipitous coincidence, but it turns out to be something more. Clive's new age "cult" having using meditation as a guise for algorithmic influence felt cheeky and fun. Doing autopsies on past relationships in order to discover Lola's own flaws with commitment and her own desire for free will in relationships really comes together for a fulfilling ending. 

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

1.5

To start with the positive, I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters and the romance between two of the women. The heist sections were fast paced and fun to read. That being said, I found the continued references to the color of the sky as a metaphor over used. There was a tendency to over-explain the character’s motivation and background to where it felt demeaning to a reader’s intelligence. The book has an odd shift in pace where it felt hard to get through the last third of the book because it felt so slow. The bones of this book has so much potential, I really wish I enjoyed it more. 

How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex by Samantha Cole

informative medium-paced

4.5

This book was obviously very well researched and incredibly in-depth. I enjoyed how it was structured starting with the beginning of internet history, while still delving into specific topics. The history around JenniCam, live-streaming, and the continued technological improvements was fascinating in particular. The inclusion and length on FOSTA SESTA is so timely and necessary when talking about freedom of speech and the safety of sex workers. Cole’s narration throughout was incredibly empathetic to sex workers, people who’ve experienced sexual abuse, and people online in general. I highly recommend this book to anyone who spends time online.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Trafficking

The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara

adventurous informative medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was such a refreshing take on a sci-fi dystopian novel that delved into the lives of the characters in an intimate way. My only criticism is that I wish it focused more on the women characters, especially Athena. Vara did an amazing job of rooting her story in history from 70's America to the Naxalbari Uprising in India. The future that Vara imagined felt so real and like it could truly happen.

The idea of an algorithm deciding your social standing in society and determining what jobs you can have, who will talk to you is horrifying.

The Immortal King Rao felt like an Epic from the start. I loved how intentional the storyline is crafted, to the Greek mythology references, and it all leads to a rewarding ending. This is one of those books you can't stop thinking about!

Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

1.0

This book was hard to get through honestly. The premise is promising and felt like a Dexter meets Promising Young Woman. Some of the ideas funny and promising like

comparing her sexual body count to her homicidal body count

, but the execution was uninspiring and felt stale. Rothschild has some genuinely funny lines, but it’s buried in formulaic plot. This could be a fun lighthearted read, but missed the mark. 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75