somuchformedia's reviews
335 reviews

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes

emotional 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? It's complicated

2.5

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

dark medium-paced

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

4.0

The Trees by Percival Everett

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

mysterious 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? No

5.0

 Sariyah was born with the ability to hear the needs of the people around her. The only exceptionS are those she is closest with. She has never been able to hear the needs of her parents or her little brother, and she can no longer hear the needs of her best friend, Malcolm. After an unfortunate incident at work and a little trauma bonding, her cute new coworker, Jude, is exempt as well. When Sariaya and Malcolm's friend, Deja, goes missing it brings up unpleasant memories from their past, and the two work together with help from family and friends to get the word out. Because they both know when black girls go missing, they never get the attention they deserve. Between Deja's disappearance, and Sariayah's ability, the teens find themselves entrenched in a dangerous mystery.

Author Channelle Desamours has crafted a delightfully mysterious thriller that makes it hard to put down. Her characters are diverse and well rounded, and her world building is vivid enough to get lost in.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, even people who aren't usually fans of YA. 

Lakewood by Megan Giddings

dark sad medium-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

4.0

 After Lena's grandma dies, she receives a letter from a research facility asking her to be a part of their program. If she accepts, the facility pays well, but only as long as she keeps what she's doing there a secret. With her mother often ailing, and the family in financial trouble, Lena decides to take the job. Lena and other participants are told that what they're doing could be world changing, but it doesn't take long for them to realize that something is amiss. Throughout Lena's time at Lakewood, she must weigh the horrors of what she's being put through with her desire to provide for her family.

Lakewood is a fictional exploration of real world failings in regards to race, class, and social standing.

Giddings is an excellent voice in the thriller genre, and Lakewood is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thriller that toes the line of horror. 

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe

lighthearted 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? It's complicated

2.0

 I want to start off by saying that I loved the fat representation in this book. We need more fat main characters in romance, and beyond and for that I appreciate the author, and the fact that it was published.

Everly is a receptionist at a marketing firm, and although she's happy with her life, she's been doing her best to blend in. Before her grandma died, she loved art, fashion, and standing out. But now she keeps to herself. Unbeknownst to her, someone in her life nominates her for her favorite reality, On the Plus Side, and she finds out she's been chosen when they show's loveable hosts and their surly cameraman show up to surprise her at work. Through filming the show, Everly rediscovers her love of art, rethinks her job, and reclaims her ability to stand out. All while quickly following for the grumpy cameraman follows her around all day.

The concept of this book is cute, and fun, but it unfortunately suffered from a lack of editing. There were too many plot holes to ignore, information that was brought up only to never be explored again, information that didn't make sense randomly brought up to further the plot, and a lot of line editing errors. It feels like a rushed early draft rather than a fully recognized book. I wanted so badly to like it, but found it difficult to get through.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute romance with good fat reputation who's willing to overlook it's faults. 

Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State by Paul M Renfro

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

informative medium-paced

5.0

 Set in Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine, Coates takes readers along with him as he travels to learn about the lives and hardships of people often not reported on accurately, with a pit stop to address censorship.

I really enjoy Coates writing, but what I enjoyed maybe even more than his writing, was his willingness to share things he's gotten wrong and explore on page how he worked through changing his perspective and how it made him feel.

The Message is a timely book, and one everyone should read. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

 Reading a classic for the first time is always interesting, especially when you've already experienced other media derived from the text. It's difficult not to have expectations going in. That being said, I enjoyed Dracula a lot more than I expected to. It's so beautifully atmospheric that I looked forward to disappearing into the world every time I picked it up. I also really enjoyed the little found family that band together to protect each other, and get rid of the Count. Van Helsing and Mina were my favorite characters, and my favorite chapters were Johnathan in the castle, Renfield's devolvement, and the ship.

The story as a whole wasn't as creepy as I expected it to be, and I felt that it wrapped up a little too quickly and cleanly, but it was rich and full of heart and I'd definitely read it again. 

Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

mysterious 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? No

4.0

 I really enjoyed this book overall.

Breanna is on a weekend getaway with her long distance boyfriend, Ty. The two have not been dating for very long, and she's only met him in person a hand full of times. When a missing white woman turns up dead in their airbnb, and Ty goes missing, Breanna and her ex-best friend who is now a lawyer take it upon themselves to do some digging and figure out what's really going on.

The mystery aspect of this book is well done, and kept me reading. I enjoyed the idea of the characters, and the rocky relationship between Breanna and her ex-best friend. However, my biggest issue with the book is that readers are often told what Breanna is feeling, but it felt like her actions never quite met up to the way she felt. The biggest example of this to me was how strongly the character claimed to feel for her boyfriend, I never felt like it reflected in her actions or how she talked about him otherwise.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good modern mystery, and I would be interested to read more from this author in the future