rainbowofcrazy's reviews
346 reviews

Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Am I biased because this book starts off with a Reddit post and I love me a good Reddit post? Probably. But it was a delightful, hilarious start, and set up the fun vibes of the entire book.

I loved this book. It embraces its silliness with a “curse” and fricking runs with it. I loved the romance and I loved how layered the characters were. I loved Emma and her very complicated relationship with her mother. I loved Justin, and his family, and his ugly ass dog. I loved the terrible decision to rent a house on an island. I loved their friends! I loved Maddy and how everyone constantly made me laugh and want to cry and gave me all the feels. All the feels.

I felt like the trauma worked a lot better here than it did in Yours Truly. We have communication! And understanding! And honesty! Lovely resolutions! My heart swelled with joy.

My only real nitpick: If this is supposed to be a dual narration.. why did the narrators voice their own text messages? Why make the effort to have them voice their own text messages and not when they’re talking?? I was so confused by this! We were so close to what could have been an awesome duet narration.. so close!!! I cry.

..Still a 5 star book for me!

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

2.0

I liked elements of this book. I liked the set-up. I was pretty invested to start. Saeris was an interesting character and I liked the worldbuilding at the beginning. I liked the touches of humour. I actually liked the entire lead up until her world basically changed. I should have bailed at that point. But I kept going.

I didn’t like a lot of the dialogue. The often bratty banter she’d have with the different men just wasn’t working for me and none of it ever felt natural. I don’t know if it was the writing, or the narration, or both. (It was the writing.)

I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between her and Kingfisher at all. It felt like they were hating each other to having sex in a blink of an eye. It felt like it was trying extremely hard to be the next ACOTAR but with a couple of vampires, no relationship building, forced dialogue and bits and pieces taken from other stories.

At the same time, this book felt so long. A good 80% of this book did not hold my interest. I really did want to DNF earlier on, but since I was listening to the audiobook, I thought I would keep trying. I saw reviews that said the story picked up near the end; so I just kept pushing through to see if I would get more invested. I did not. I just straight struggled through the rest of the audiobook until the lackluster end – this 21 hour long audiobook.

My bad, y’all.

Trust your gut. DNF more books. Maybe you’ll love this book. I did not, and I can’t recommend it.

Cat + Gamer, Volume 7 by Wataru Nadatani

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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? Yes

5.0

This series is always an instant 5 star from me because I just love this manga so much. It is that perfect hit of serotonin in this dark timeline of life. Life and cat hijinks continue on for Riko as she navigates through life while balancing work, gaming, and her two beautiful and rambunctious kitties. Times change for Riko as well as she suddenly needs to make adjustments and learn how to work from home - with her two cats. The love she has for them just warms my heart. Everyone should read this manga. 

Skyward Vol. 1: My Low-G Life by Joe Henderson

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh I was so invested in this. I love the concept of the world suddenly having zero gravity and how society had to quickly learn to adapt in order to survive. I wanted to learn even more about the world and the characters. And the art was beautiful. The rainstorm was jaw dropping! Very excited to read the rest of this series. 

Your Black Friend by Ben Passmore

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

There’s only like 16 pages in this comic and I almost wanted more, but who knew just 16 comic pages could be so powerful? The author reveals his thoughts and emotions on race and how white people see black culture, and wrote about it in such an honest and eloquent way. No space is wasted. Beautiful, bold colours go perfectly with the writing. Everyone should give this a read. I’m looking forward to reading Your Black Friend and Other Strangers.

Fairy Tail, Volume 8 by Hiro Mashima

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

GREY. VS. JUVIA. Heckin yeah!! Volume 8 is pure delightful action as the battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord continues. Ice versus water. Dragon slayer versus dragon slayer. It’s loads of fun!

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-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

3.0

I am incredibly conflicted with this one, because it seriously started as a five star read for me. I was loving the story. I loved the characters. Jacob and his family were a goddamn treasure. It was nice to see a male lead with social anxiety and general anxiety. This was so refreshing.

I loved Brianna’s personality and how they understood each other so well.. for.. the most part. The miscommunication trope was still at an all time high with this one, and not going to lie, it drove me batty. I was so invested in the story, and the interesting characters, and their chemistry.. and then suddenly there was this huge shift to miscommunication after miscommunication, and a huge dose of false assumption after false assumption. It was really, really frustrating to get through.

…And then it spiralled into a purely depressive read for the rest of the book and my brain was swarmed with all of this conflict and sadness. The whole tone of the book shifted and I was not enjoying a lot of it.

I kind of wanted to rate this lower, but the initial joy I had with it bumps it up a bit.

Unlovable: A memoir from the voice of Savage Garden by Darren Hayes

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is something special. I can’t quite fully describe what it means to me. Darren is such a beautiful storyteller. It was so easily to visualize his story and to be there right with him, every step of the way.

This book is very hopeful, but it’s also incredibly dark. Darren did not have an easy life. He grew up in a home filled with domestic violence, and he suffered from depression and anxiety and so much trauma, all while trying to discover his sexuality as a gay man. Even from the start, this story is dark and heartbreaking, and it’s not an easy read. There’s also mention of suicidal thoughts, and I am just so incredibly thankful that he is still with us in this world today.

It’s not all sadness and darkness though! There are lots of wonderful stories and funny stories. I knew very little about Darren; so I learned so much with this book (like Darren, you’re funny!) I loved learning about his life: how he got into music, how Savage Garden got started, how the band really ended (and the ugly fallout!). I got wonderful insights on how their biggest hits were crafted (I learned what really inspired the song “I Want You” and 🤭). I learned about what it was like for him to become a rockstar and finding himself while being one of the most successful bands in the world – to suddenly disappearing off the music map. I learned how he was able to ultimately overcome so many personal struggles, conflicts with his family, with the band, with his sexuality, and how he became stronger through it all.

The format of the book is a little unusual. It didn’t feel like it went in any particular order and I found it rather chaotic. I’m not sure it flowed that well for me, and it took some getting used to the jumping around, but the content is what really shined through.

I also really need to gush about the audiobook. I highly recommend getting a hold of the audiobook if you can, because for one, his voice!! I mean, we’ve all heard his singing voice. It’s frickin magic. And his speaking voice is just as beautiful! He has such a lovely voice for narration. Can we get him to just narrate every single book ever made, please? I’d like that very much.

There is just so much in this book, and it’s completely worth a read, especially if you like Darren Hayes, Savage Garden, are interested in the music business, if you’re part of the LGBTQIA community, or have ever struggled with your identity or your mental health. There’s something in this book for everyone.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 7 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

Okay okay, I saw the anime already, BUT STILL, those mage exam results!! GASP!! Volume 7 is a bit of a breather after everything that happened with the exam story arc. Characters carry on with their lives, we get some more glimpses into Frieren’s past, and our group gets just a lil bit closer. Much wholesomeness.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 6 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

The second part of the mage exams! Fun dungeon raid goodness here, and it was refreshing to see mages come together for a very unique challenge to solve. After that, the final exam surprises everyone, and concludes in the next volume.