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lynseyreads_'s reviews
412 reviews
Black Girls Must Be Magic by Jayne Allen
3.0
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first, but I’m still invested.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
3.0
3.5 but closer to a 3 than a 4. This is a fun book, especially for fans of bachelorette/reality TV. I think it gets some things wrong (rep of Black male MC and Asian male MC, tons of external and internal fatphobia), but also, since this is a portrayal of reality TV and the belief systems that can’t just be erased because a fat person is the MC and star of the show, I still enjoyed the book overall.
There’s a lot of criticism about how Bea doesn’t end up being the confident, fat, body-positive heroine this book promises, but that just doesn’t feel completely realistic when she’s been thrown into the (metaphorically) deepest of fatphobic hot tubs in a (literal) bikini. However, I wonder what this book could have accomplished if Bea had been more romantically experienced and confident before being cast for the show.
There’s a lot of criticism about how Bea doesn’t end up being the confident, fat, body-positive heroine this book promises, but that just doesn’t feel completely realistic when she’s been thrown into the (metaphorically) deepest of fatphobic hot tubs in a (literal) bikini. However, I wonder what this book could have accomplished if Bea had been more romantically experienced and confident before being cast for the show.
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
3.0
The first half of the book with chapter titles starting with “Origins,” “Sarah,” and “Norma” are the bright spots, offering history that feels lesser-known but yet has fueled body/butt image for centuries.
The rest of the book is mostly pop culture butt history, and feels more obvious and less interesting to me. If you’re 30 or older, you can probably guess most of the pop culture benchmarks she covers. Alternate titles for the second half of the book:
- “A history of butt appropriation”
-“How white women appropriate Black femininity when desirable and shed it when it’s not”
-“That time Miley ‘invented’ twerking.”
The rest of the book is mostly pop culture butt history, and feels more obvious and less interesting to me. If you’re 30 or older, you can probably guess most of the pop culture benchmarks she covers. Alternate titles for the second half of the book:
- “A history of butt appropriation”
-“How white women appropriate Black femininity when desirable and shed it when it’s not”
-“That time Miley ‘invented’ twerking.”
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
4.0
This book is like when you go to eat hot pizza and it burns the roof of your mouth, but you just keep eating it anyways. That is to say, the storytelling is amazing, yet the content WILL hurt.
This book is about relationships and how we can’t really, truly know someone else and what they are going through. It’s also about speaking up loudly even if you’re the only person speaking at all, and alternately, the necessity of adults listening to kids*. It’s about the flaws of society and policing when it comes to protecting and believing Black girls. It showcases the question, “whose responsibility is it to keep us safe?” It’s about perspective.
There are some beautiful, lyrical lines in this book. And while I think this book is mostly classified as a YA mystery, it definitely feels more realistic horror to me. Check the trigger warnings before diving in.
While overall I loved it, I *was* expecting a little more from the ending, like the giant, sucks-all-the-air-out-of-you type twist that Jackson’s book, Allegedly, gives. Also, the dialogue felt a little forced and cringey sometimes, and the timelines were a little difficult to follow at points (although by the end I get ~why~ she uses this structure), so that’s why it’s not *quite* a 5 star for me.
———spoilers ahead———
*Claudia has, on the surface, an amazing support system. A mom, dad, grandma, librarian, church folks, a teacher she really counts on, a dance teacher…but yet in so many ways, the adults in her life fail her, from not diagnosing her dyslexia to not taking her seriously enough about her suspicions about Monday’s safety. I don’t have a big takeaway here, but just another part of the book that is so hurtful.
This book is about relationships and how we can’t really, truly know someone else and what they are going through. It’s also about speaking up loudly even if you’re the only person speaking at all, and alternately, the necessity of adults listening to kids*. It’s about the flaws of society and policing when it comes to protecting and believing Black girls. It showcases the question, “whose responsibility is it to keep us safe?” It’s about perspective.
There are some beautiful, lyrical lines in this book. And while I think this book is mostly classified as a YA mystery, it definitely feels more realistic horror to me. Check the trigger warnings before diving in.
While overall I loved it, I *was* expecting a little more from the ending, like the giant, sucks-all-the-air-out-of-you type twist that Jackson’s book, Allegedly, gives. Also, the dialogue felt a little forced and cringey sometimes, and the timelines were a little difficult to follow at points (although by the end I get ~why~ she uses this structure), so that’s why it’s not *quite* a 5 star for me.
———spoilers ahead———
*Claudia has, on the surface, an amazing support system. A mom, dad, grandma, librarian, church folks, a teacher she really counts on, a dance teacher…but yet in so many ways, the adults in her life fail her, from not diagnosing her dyslexia to not taking her seriously enough about her suspicions about Monday’s safety. I don’t have a big takeaway here, but just another part of the book that is so hurtful.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
4.0
3.75
I love this book overall and will definitely be recommending it to my middle schoolers more. Kacen is quickly becoming a favorite YA author!
This book is a powerful exploration of identity, rejection, and love. For me, sometimes the book felt a little “PBS after school special,” but the topics are important, and the dialogue sounded like my students. In fact, I heard some lines that I know my students have said before!
I *didn’t* love the big reveal to the central conflict (I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll leave it at that), but I do see why it mostly works for the plot.
I love this book overall and will definitely be recommending it to my middle schoolers more. Kacen is quickly becoming a favorite YA author!
This book is a powerful exploration of identity, rejection, and love. For me, sometimes the book felt a little “PBS after school special,” but the topics are important, and the dialogue sounded like my students. In fact, I heard some lines that I know my students have said before!
I *didn’t* love the big reveal to the central conflict (I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll leave it at that), but I do see why it mostly works for the plot.
Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam
4.0
Before We Were Trans is a beautiful example of what a historical text looks like if we don’t force cis/het assumptions upon everyone ever. Additionally, even with a marginalized identity as the focus, the author incorporates how trans communities have co-opted and harmed other marginalized communities whether out of necessity or just plain appropriation. If only all history books took this more nuanced approach, history would be more human and more accurate!
I recommend buddy reading, book clubbing, or planning to journal/annotate to get the most out of this text, at least, I think that’s what my brain needed because this *is* pretty academic even though most have labeled it as an “accessible academic” text.
I recommend buddy reading, book clubbing, or planning to journal/annotate to get the most out of this text, at least, I think that’s what my brain needed because this *is* pretty academic even though most have labeled it as an “accessible academic” text.
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
1.0
Woman runs into all of her exes—sounds more like a horror to me, but grabbed it from the library anyways.
Turns out I deeply disliked the MC, and worse, the book is first person narration. Asked myself multiple times if I should DNF, but increased to 2x speed via audio instead because I was intrigued by the mystery aspect. However, it reeks with misogyny. Even though I think it’s ~supposed~ to be villainous/ironic, it feels quite unironic by the end. I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Is this the most romantic or most psychotic thing anyone has ever done for me? Was there a difference?”
Yes, there is definitely a difference.
Turns out I deeply disliked the MC, and worse, the book is first person narration. Asked myself multiple times if I should DNF, but increased to 2x speed via audio instead because I was intrigued by the mystery aspect. However, it reeks with misogyny. Even though I think it’s ~supposed~ to be villainous/ironic, it feels quite unironic by the end. I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Is this the most romantic or most psychotic thing anyone has ever done for me? Was there a difference?”
Yes, there is definitely a difference.