liamliayaum's reviews
228 reviews

Rainbow Rainbow by Lydia Conklin

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Based on individual story ratings, my overall star rating is 3.7.

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is a melody. An ode to space and rhythm, of finding those spaces to live and grow in. An anthem of Black life, joy, and sorrow.

It was repetitive, often the same sentences repeated, which is why this was a 4.5 and not a 5 star for me.

Content Warnings

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

There are multiple POVs and the novel is split between the Sand Creek Massacre and present day. A meandering story of violence, of erasure, of trauma (both original and inherited), and addiction.

I don't quite grasp what I have read. Be warned that this book does tackle some heavy topics so check out content warnings! It was also a slow read for me, which I think was do to the long, verbose, and wandering sentences.

If you are a fan of more plot, this book may not be for you, as it's more character driven with a tangential plot.

Content Warnings

Dances by Nicole Cuffy

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

3.5

If you aren't familiar with ballet or dance terms, it will be difficult to see the true beauty of the words. I only know a handful. The writing is lyrical and the book is split into what I'm assuming are the parts of a ballet. Cece is a Black ballerina with a heavy weight on her shoulders, dealing with family and relationship issues.

The writing was however a bit disjointed and it felt like it ended in the middle of a thought. All in all, a slow burn read that focuses on a Black ballerina.

Content Warnings

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

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emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

Content Warnings

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

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emotional inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

Fun romance with a modern day You've Got Mail spin. Books about books/publishing.

Content Warnings

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

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challenging emotional slow-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

2.5

Too many characters with varying levels of page time. The main plot point from the summary (here have a baby!) didn't occur until over halfway through. The book was unnecessarily long. I wanted more from so many characters as most had some interesting tidbits but we get the most from a character (Melinda) who is consumed by an unnerving level of rage. I almost DNF'ed.

Content Warnings