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renkeeling's reviews
144 reviews
Bachelor Party Gangbang by Cindy Sutton
1.0
my favorite hobby is reading bad erotica on scribd and I won’t apologize for it
The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I bought this poetry collection in June for pride month from Room of One’s Own, and decided to pick it up tonight after a rough day. Overall, I enjoyed the collection a lot. Yanyi’s poems were very relatable and well-crafted. I would have preferred better organization in the collection, however, instead of topic hopping, because it’s jarring to read in my opinion. I also would have liked for the collection to end with a bit more of a bang, when I finished it I was kinda just like “that’s it?”
All in all, this was a good collection, and I would recommend it, those two criticisms just kept me from enjoying it as much as I could have.
All in all, this was a good collection, and I would recommend it, those two criticisms just kept me from enjoying it as much as I could have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Racism
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-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
5.0
I am so in love with this book words literally cannot express how much I absolutely adored this book. Aristotle and Dante’s relationship was beautiful and heartbreaking and so relatable and I am immediately going to devour the sequel because I need more from these boys I love them so much and honestly I don’t even care that I had some critiques of this book because they are just the perfect couple & I just loved how their relationship was based on their emotional connection and showed how their relationship evolved throughout the years. Such a beautiful read. 😭❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Hate crime
Moderate: Violence, War, and Drug use
Minor: Cursing, Murder, and Death
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I am actually obsessed with this book, ngl the first 50 pages were painful & honesty I have a quite a few things that I didn’t like about this book, but this book got five stars purely because of the absolute mind fuckery reading this on an airplane was an EXPERIENCE this book had me questioning if I was real, what is even life, what is the human experience, I have no idea. The twists in this book were INSANE I was HOOKED after around the 100 page mark this book really had me on my toes the entire time. Also while the “gays in space” definitely wasn’t the most prominent aspect of the book, I think there was a bit of an underrated theme of love, and finding your soulmate (trying to avoid what I really want to say because of spoilers, but if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I’m referring to) which I REALLY loved.
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rtc
Peaches and Honey by Imogen Markwell-Tweed
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
2.5
Here’s the thing: I REALLY loved this book, but I’m giving it a low rating for two reasons: one, this book needed to be longer. While Matt and Heath were super cute, I think more attention needed to be given to them, especially towards the end. I think the build up for their relationship was done well, but then it kinda started to fall apart imo. I also would’ve liked to hear about arrangements with Ben, if things work out, etc.
The second, and more important reason, is honestly the fact that Heaths race was not thought out. On the cover, Heath is depicted as black, but his race is not once mentioned, not even in a physical description. It feels like the author wanted brownie points for having a black love interest but didn’t want to do the work to respectfully portray a black gay man. There’s even a passage where Heath mentions his reluctance to live in the south because he’s gay but doesn’t mention his race?? And Heath, to my knowledge, was the only person of color in the book. And yet his race was never mentioned. Fuck his first reaction with Matt is when Matt CALLS THE COPS ON HEATH? Can we talk about the implications of that?
Overall, it was a good read, but I can’t give this book a high rating because it really just doesn’t feel right. I hope this author can do better in the future to actually represent POC.
The second, and more important reason, is honestly the fact that Heaths race was not thought out. On the cover, Heath is depicted as black, but his race is not once mentioned, not even in a physical description. It feels like the author wanted brownie points for having a black love interest but didn’t want to do the work to respectfully portray a black gay man. There’s even a passage where Heath mentions his reluctance to live in the south because he’s gay but doesn’t mention his race?? And Heath, to my knowledge, was the only person of color in the book. And yet his race was never mentioned. Fuck his first reaction with Matt is when Matt CALLS THE COPS ON HEATH? Can we talk about the implications of that?
Overall, it was a good read, but I can’t give this book a high rating because it really just doesn’t feel right. I hope this author can do better in the future to actually represent POC.
The Lost Book of the White by Wesley Chu, Cassandra Clare
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Robin Wasserman, Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson
adventurous
lighthearted
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? No
2.0
I only read two of the stories LOL the rest were too boring (I read the one w James & the Malec one)
The Bane Chronicles by Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
There are some books that are objectively 5 stars. There are other books that are not. This book, objectively, is not 5 stars honestly but I love Magnus so I don’t care.