mamareadstuff's reviews
314 reviews

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

challenging emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

As a 30 something, I was obviously not the target audience, but it was a great YA, coming of age story. Add in being Black and Jewish, trying to come out, a blended family, mental illness, sibling bonds, first relationships, and more. It's a LOT for one book, but the author did a great job at not making it an afterschool special, not shying away from nuance, and telling a compelling story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Biphobia, Violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Stalking

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Bullying, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and Abortion

Lucky to be Yours by Shannon O'Connor

hopeful fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

I started reading a physical copy, and couldn't was quite get into the writing style, but I think it was more because I couldn't hear the pronunciation as written. Once I switched to the audio and could hear the pronunciation/dialect as it was written it was hard not to fall in love with the characters, to feel where they are in life, the lack of choices they felt they had, how tourism can often have negative effects on the local people, and how individual choices have impacted not only their own lives, but rheir loved ones and their community as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Violence

They Called Us Enemy - Expanded Edition by Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

This one started off slow for me and took a couple of times of picking it up for me to really dive into, and it had been on my tbr for at least a year before that. Once I got into it though, the character study in such a would-be tense situation was incredibly well done. The ending is shocking but somewhat expected, just as the characters probably knew deep down it would be. The epilogue was hard to stomach in some ways, but also beautiful. Difficult but beautiful is perhaps the best way to summarize this book, and I am grateful that I finally read it. 

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

adventurous dark lighthearted 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

4.25

Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw by Eddie Ndopu

3.5

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

Actually Invisible by Elisa Greb

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A beautiful debut novel. For a brief moment, Living in California, I found some of the pieces of blatant homophobia in today's world harder to believe. Only in that it felt like life was for us "elder millennials" 15-20 years ago. But then I came back to reality and remembered I live in a mostly liberal bubble and life isn't the same across the country.

The main character feels extremely relatable and real. The stress and love of teaching, and parenting, and coming out, and staying in the closet, and family, and all of the messy in betweens.  Looking forward to more books from this author!