samarakroeger's reviews
520 reviews

The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

2.5

yikes. this was so confusing?  Maggie O’Farrell keeps switching between two main threads, a ton of different timelines, and WAY too many inconsequential side characters. It felt unfocused and like she was trying to discuss too many themes at the same time without giving any of them sufficient depth. I ended up just not really caring about any of the characters because of the kaleidoscopic nature of the novel. 

I don’t have a great track record with books where the two threads eventually become one at the end somehow, and the sappiness that came out of the blue in The Distance Between Us was no exception. (And what a boring, generic title — I should have known!)

Anyways, the writing was beautiful on a sentence-level but that can never fully save a book for me. 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.25

love the general existentialism of Kafka.  the metaphor in the metamorphosis can apply to so many things. kinda wish I’d read this in high school English — it’s short, readable, pertinent, and has lots to discuss. oh well. I got annoyed by existentialism back then. 

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

felt a little bit like a filler book before Oseman can properly end the series.  not that mad about it but I think it’s the weakest installment so far (maybe because I’ve read Nick and Charlie where all of these topics have been resolved). 

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

the entire time I was reading this I was thinking of the iconic Kris Lindahl billboards, pretty confident that the poop guy ones in the book were a stand-in. I felt vindicated by the acknowledgments, lol.  this is why we love local authors!

anyways, this had everything I love about Abby Jimenez’s books and included heavier topics (which is typical for her). And the plot twist!  I was wondering if there was going to be more of a connection to the rest of the series and I think it was weaved in effectively. 

Justin was maybe the most ideal man I’ve ever encountered in a rom com.  maybe I’ll have to hop on reddit. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Mental illness

Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin

adventurous informative reflective slow-paced

2.0

this book attempts to be too many things — it’s pretending to address queer history and make social commentary on the importance of gay bars while also providing personal context.  Atherton Lin does not succeed in pulling this off, and I don’t think he actually wanted to. The whole memoir is mostly disjointed vignettes where he brags about all the men he’s fucked in a handful of gay bars in SF and London. It’s allllll anecdotes, baby! He comes off as the very self-important guy who just HAS to tell you an irrelevant anecdote from when he was younger.  It’s incredibly pretentious and littered with random Proust references and fake-deep pronouncements that lead to nothing. 

Mostly, though, this was boring because it was devoid of emotion. I felt no connection to the author or “Famous” or any of the other random people mentioned. There was very little in the way of connection, belonging, or friendship discussed — just emotionless hookups with no reflection. There was no sociological analysis. The bars included were all very monolithic — all very white/cis/male, mostly located in major queer cities. He only very briefly touches on his Asian-American identity while mostly ignoring race. He bemoans the younger generation’s desire for safe spaces.  He wants to feel violated!

Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

charming, funny, and supremely approachable.  it reminded me of a math version of you’re dead to me (a fave history podcast). 

A Woman's Story by Annie Ernaux

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

wanted to reread this bc I honestly didn’t remember which Annie Ernaux book this was.  I think it hits harder after reading I Remain in Darkness for context, although I think that book is more effective. 

I do leave this wanting more — it’s such a slim book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Death of parent

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

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

4.5

this did not disappoint. loved it just as much as done and dusted. yeehaw!

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

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

3.5

this was fun, delightful, and a bit ridiculous. all I ask of historical romance is a touch of camp and tessa dare keeps things charmingly unserious. 

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

brb just crying in the club rn

I don’t even have an explanation for it there were parts of this I definitely didn’t love but here we are