sarahrahrah's reviews
98 reviews

Exes and O's by Amy Lea

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this story, but hated the 3rd act breakup so much that I put it down and stopped reading for about 2 weeks. But then I decided to finish it, forgot what had happened/was happening, and got totally swept up in the grand romantic gesture(s!) at the end.

Also, I WANNA MOVE TO NEW YORK!

From the acknowledgements: "And to the entire living, breathing, pulsating city of New York: I would be nothing without you. You are impossible to live in and impossible to live without. I will love you forever."

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

I thought I wasn't gonna like this one very much at first, because I found the rom com comparisons and complaints and how thick the MC was about her love life/romantic encounters to be insufferable. But I ended up really liking it and I'm glad I stuck with jt. I'm more excited to read the next one about Nick and Chloe's story. From the sneak peak first two chapters I can already tell that the way the author writes about the father with Alzheimer's is going to be very spot on and relatable to my own experiences.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac

hopeful informative lighthearted reflective fast-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? No

4.5

This was an excellent and quick middle-grades read! I connected so much to the stories and feelings of teaching/doing school over zoom at the onset of the pandemic, and empathized deeply with the astute voice and perspective of experiencing the stay-at-home orders on a Reservation. 
Not only did we see the impact and inequalities of how indigenous communities were hit by COVID  - "she knew, as did everyone else on the Rez, that Indians were pretty much the last people anyone cared about during this crisis" - but we also touched on the topics of the Irish potato famine, the Indian boarding schools, the abhorrent relationship/distrust with social services, the horrific practices of Indian Health Services, the BLM protests, the Holocaust, and more. The topics were handled with care, and while not gone into especially deeply, felt appropriate for a middle grade audience.

"Renowned author Joseph Bruchac tells a powerful story of a girl who learns more about her Penacook heritage while sheltering in place with her grandparents during the coronavirus pandemic. Told in verse inspired by oral storytelling, this novel about the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the ways in which Indigenous nations and communities cared for one another through plagues of the past, and how they keep caring for one another today."

Solito by Javier Zamora

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Faak. This book was a masterpiece. I was so impressed by the prose and lyricism from the get-go, and how Zamora was able to write from the 9yo perspective so well. The entire tale was gripping, and I was amazed by how my own emotional and physical state matched what was happening as I read each part -- the slow slogs of the bus and boat rides, all the waiting and resting at each various room/house/apartment, but then heart racing during each crossing or interaction with la Migra. I felt hopeful and naively confident as Javiercita, until the moments when I felt as worried and nervous and tired as he was. The entire story was precious, and ending the seven week tale from his 1999 "trip" with the words "at last" was perfect. 

But then, the even more gut-wrenching bit was everything after that -- the reflection at the end from 2021 (he would have been maybe 21-22yo?), the Dedication "to Patricia, Carla, Chino, & all the immigrants I met on my way to the U.S. & never saw again. I wouldn't be here without you.", then the Acknowledgements and the second call out to "Chino, Patricia, and Carla, wherever you are, I owe you my life, I carry you with me siempre.", and finally the About the Author, including the infuriating bit about how "both [his] parents' migrations were caused by the United States-funded Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992)". While the entire story was heart-wrenching, I didn't full out cry until the end, where I sobbed my way through reading those final 11 pages. 

One of the best books I have ever read, my heart bleeds for all immigrants - past, present, future. Chinga la Migra.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

A very powerful and informative graphic memoir about living/working in the male-dominated isolating culture of the oil sand work camps in Alberta

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

I did read the whole thing, but found so much of the plot and characters' reasoning to be preposterous. Even the idea that they were so wrong for each other and couldn't possibly date for real was laughable. I do like that the author wrote the neurodivergent characters in a compassionate way, but it was hard to believe because of how ridiculous they acted at times. As a caveat, I don't really remember the storyline of Much Ado About Nothing, so I did not catch AT ALL that this was a modern retelling. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had realized and knew to look for those connections. This is the first book I read by Chloe Liese, and while I won't completely write her off, I'm also not rushing to read any of her other stuff any time soon

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Good treatment of serious mental health topics and likeable characters and story line. The relationship meddling plot was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. I felt the pacing was a bit slow, so I had a tough time staying motivated to finish reading. I didn't love the "weather forecast" style blurbs at the start of each chapter, but it did fit the character/was easy enough to ignore

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

This is one of the few times where I saw the film adaptation before reading the book, and both were equally heart-wrenching and powerful in their own ways. Starr's voice and character really heighten the emotions of police brutality and the continued BS