lilydoyle6's reviews
1396 reviews

Souls and Sorrows by Sav R. Miller

slow-paced

2.0

Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

i enjoyed this book a lot. it really aligns with my belief that we are what we think & we need to change what we tell ourselves in order to feel better & lessen mental illness. it also has a lot of practical exercises which are helpful.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

this book is just as well-written and captivating as everyone says. there were so many lines and excerpts that really struck me, especially as someone in recovery. a lot of that felt poignant and relatable to my life.

apart from that, this story was emotional. it's about identity, family trauma, recovery, finding your purpose, and so much more.

i liked how this was structured and gave us a glimpse into so many different characters and timelines. and by the end you see it come together. i feel like i need to reread this to absorb more of it - especially the last ~25% or so. the ending was mesmerizing and mysterious, yet hopeful. 

so much to be said with this one. i'm glad i picked up a copy to own and definitely glad mine is a signed copy.

and i'm always happy to support a fellow hawkeye.

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner

challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-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

3.75

a deep story about the relationship between two sisters. nothing like a sisters relationship. amy and olivia are fully realized in terms of how they are on the page. a glimpse into the affects of mental illness, unhealthy family dynamics, and what it takes to turn that around. 

i feel like there’s still this unresolved feeling after reading it, like i don’t know quite how to review/rate this either, but it was captivating in a lot of ways. 

Queer by William S. Burroughs

dark emotional slow-paced

3.0

sad, gay, using substances & sex to cope? sounds familiar. 

i get the complexity of how this reflects the time and feelings of the time period but i also get why it took years for him to publish it. 

Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

funny mysterious 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

4.5

i really enjoyed this book. each one examines rejection and vulnerability and identity and their relationships to one another, especially in context of society. some were so funny and satirical i was actually chuckling to myself while reading. others were thought provoking in a different way. 

i especially loved the ending story as i feel like it summed up a lot and made you think. i know the last paragraph or so will leave me thinking. 

highly recommend.

God of Fury by Rina Kent

dark emotional inspiring lighthearted

• 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

4.5

Promise Me Forever by Sadie Kincaid

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? N/A

4.5

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

2.5

when will i learn to stop reading riley sager books? i’ve liked 2 and disliked the rest. this one is a mess. i thought this was going to take a terrible paranormal twist just like the house across the lake & was ready to be PISSED. but thankfully it course corrected, although not sure how much of a difference that made. 

the book introduced so many tropes and red herrings and unreliable narratives that you weren’t sure where this one would end up. the twist was unexpected and sweet but still just plain. 

it’s well written but as far as start to finish goes, lackluster. 

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

i’m obsessed with this book!! queer horror at its finest. 

there’s so much to love about it.

i enjoyed the characters. each one had their role & purpose & felt developed for their purpose. some we knew more than others, but i think we got what we needed out of most of them. selfishly, i wanted more. we had our queeroes (lol) and villains. 

the horror elements were on point & the monsters so creepy & sinister & i was dying to know wtf was going on with them. how they tie into bigger themes of hollywood, capitalism killing creativity, the place of queer stories & how they shake out, & how to overcome challenges. 

the pacing was perfect too. the story kept moving and hurling towards the resolution. i couldn’t stop reading. 

i thoroughly enjoyed this one. i could keep going on and on and i’m sure i didn’t sum up everything i wanted to communicate, but read it and find out why.