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sophiesometimesreads's reviews
242 reviews
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
The found family in this is DIVINE. Vera was hilarious and I loved the other characters. I guessed the culprit early on and clocked into the clues the author left regarding who it was, but I think it was done well and I did truly question myself as to whether others were responsible. There was even an extra twist regarding said culprit that I didn't see coming either. I will definitely be reading the next one!
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
The topic matter and the story itself hit me really hard. It's so devastating and infuriating that this happened to people not even a hundred years ago. I liked how it was written in narrative prose but the writing was a little clunky at times and I did wonder how much was real, written from verbal storytelling, and how much was filled in by the author. A very important read that I think is essential for all Australians, particulalry white Australians, despite any opinions one may have on the technical side of the book.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I had some mixed feelings about this book. The start intrigued me and I found some parts funny, but I think it lost a bit of momentum in the second half, and I wanted more from the ending.
I think this would've been better written in first person, because I felt like we got a lot of Elizabeth's opinions and thoughts and, in my opinion, this works better in first person POV as it in third person makes it feel like the author is preaching the ideas that some characters may hold. This meant these thoughts sometimes felt a bit off in the context of this story, particulalry regarding religion (coming from someone who isn't religious at all) and some of the body image/fatshaming.
I also felt we didn't get enough nuance on a lot of topics in here. Sexism and the potential of women outside being housewives was covered a lot as it was the primary focus of the book, but we touched on things like pedophilia and sexual assault and didn't come back around to the true impact on the characters and within society. There was a lot of trauma for the characters in this too that wasn't explored as deeply as I would have liked, and ended up feeling like trauma just for the plot.
Like I said, I enjoyed the first half and I laughed at moments throughout the novel, particulalry in some moments where Elizabeth had no filter and said exactly what I was thinking. I could look past some of the unrealistic features of the story to enjoy it as it was happening, but it did feel a bit contemporary at times and the storyline is not always the most realistic. What this book did well, it really did well, but it fell down in some areas for me.
I think this would've been better written in first person, because I felt like we got a lot of Elizabeth's opinions and thoughts and, in my opinion, this works better in first person POV as it in third person makes it feel like the author is preaching the ideas that some characters may hold. This meant these thoughts sometimes felt a bit off in the context of this story, particulalry regarding religion (coming from someone who isn't religious at all) and some of the body image/fatshaming.
I also felt we didn't get enough nuance on a lot of topics in here. Sexism and the potential of women outside being housewives was covered a lot as it was the primary focus of the book, but we touched on things like pedophilia and sexual assault and didn't come back around to the true impact on the characters and within society. There was a lot of trauma for the characters in this too that wasn't explored as deeply as I would have liked, and ended up feeling like trauma just for the plot.
Like I said, I enjoyed the first half and I laughed at moments throughout the novel, particulalry in some moments where Elizabeth had no filter and said exactly what I was thinking. I could look past some of the unrealistic features of the story to enjoy it as it was happening, but it did feel a bit contemporary at times and the storyline is not always the most realistic. What this book did well, it really did well, but it fell down in some areas for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Jade War by Fonda Lee
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
What did I just read?! This book out me through the ringer and I had SO MANY EMOTIONS. You KNOW a book is good and the stakes are high when I binged the last 170 pages in a day.
Like the first, this book isn't going to be for everyone. There's a lot of planning, a lot of political talk, and, particulalry in this book compared to the first, there's a lot of focus on the characters and the decisions they need to make. But, in saying this, this book was for me.
I loved the intricacy of the world and how Fonda Lee was so detailed in the dynamics and interactions between the characters and the countries, it felt so real and I loved learning all the details. The characters were so complex and I had so many emotions over them, both positive and negative. I loved how Fonda Lee had me angry over what the characters were doing one moment and then sobbing for them the next.
This book was a wild ride and I cannot wait to jump into Jade Legacy as soon as possible!
Like the first, this book isn't going to be for everyone. There's a lot of planning, a lot of political talk, and, particulalry in this book compared to the first, there's a lot of focus on the characters and the decisions they need to make. But, in saying this, this book was for me.
I loved the intricacy of the world and how Fonda Lee was so detailed in the dynamics and interactions between the characters and the countries, it felt so real and I loved learning all the details. The characters were so complex and I had so many emotions over them, both positive and negative. I loved how Fonda Lee had me angry over what the characters were doing one moment and then sobbing for them the next.
This book was a wild ride and I cannot wait to jump into Jade Legacy as soon as possible!
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
challenging
informative
medium-paced
This is my first foray into feminist non-fiction so I don't feel like I have the ability to rate this book on accuracy but I think it was a really educational read, being confrontational but important. It focused heavily on the US, which I did expect going into it, and I found that while some things didn't have much relevance to outside the US, there were some very good concepts and points made that are universally relevant. I think this is an important read for everyone, but particulalry white people, to ensure we are considering intersectionality in our feminism and constantly improving in our allyship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
mysterious
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
3.0
I quite enjoyed the first two parts of this and was curious as to where it was going, but the third part and ending let me down. Some of the descriptions of scents were poetic and beautiful, but towards the end it got a little much at times. I felt like we didn't get enough character development, and I was confused about what to think about Fisher as a person by the end. The ending was so rushed, it felt like the book just ended in the middle of the conclusion. This book ended up just being okay for me, with some parts I enjoyed and some parts that I really didn't. I would consider giving this author another go, though, so a three star rating it is.
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli
lighthearted
fast-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
3.25
This book had some good moments and I loved seeing South Asian rep in a romance novel but it also felt a little surface level, and the relationship was insta-love.
I liked the development in Niki and how she (mostly) grew out of her people pleasing ways and stopped comparing herself to her sister. The sister dynamics in this book were interesting and one of the best parts.
The characters themselves weren't overly fleshed out and deep, with the exception of Niki in the ways mentioned above. I feel like if we had gotten more about the characters and why they worked together, this would've hit harder for me. Instead, I didn't really see why the characters had fallen so hard for each other after only a week, so the insta-love didn't really work for me (though, to be honest, insta-love rarely does work for me). The way they were written, particularly Niki, as the book was written in first person POV, felt a little juvenile, and I wouldn't have picked that she was 29 years old if the book hadn't told us.
The resolution was also so quick, we didn't see them resolve any of the problems that caused the third act conflict/break-up. I wish we had had more than a 9-page chapter dedicated to this.
I would've loved more about Diwali, as we only spend about a quarter of the book on the holiday, and about Niki's time in Punjab with her family, instead of one paragraph about it. In saying this, I really liked what we did get of Diwali and the atmosphere it painted, as well as the description of the settings throughout India.
I think it was good of the author to bring up the not-so-good parts of India and it's culture, particularly caste and sexism, but I think to balance this out, it would've been good if we had had more focus on the positives and the things she enjoyed about being in India (apart from Sam). This could've come through by expanding on her time in Punjab with her family and actually showing us how she felt like she fit in there, instead of just mentioning it as a passing line.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read and I generally had a decent time with it, but I would've liked a little more depth to the characters, storyline and cultural setting. I would love to see more South Asian representation in romance like this, though!
I liked the development in Niki and how she (mostly) grew out of her people pleasing ways and stopped comparing herself to her sister. The sister dynamics in this book were interesting and one of the best parts.
The characters themselves weren't overly fleshed out and deep, with the exception of Niki in the ways mentioned above. I feel like if we had gotten more about the characters and why they worked together, this would've hit harder for me. Instead, I didn't really see why the characters had fallen so hard for each other after only a week, so the insta-love didn't really work for me (though, to be honest, insta-love rarely does work for me). The way they were written, particularly Niki, as the book was written in first person POV, felt a little juvenile, and I wouldn't have picked that she was 29 years old if the book hadn't told us.
The resolution was also so quick, we didn't see them resolve any of the problems that caused the third act conflict/break-up. I wish we had had more than a 9-page chapter dedicated to this.
I would've loved more about Diwali, as we only spend about a quarter of the book on the holiday, and about Niki's time in Punjab with her family, instead of one paragraph about it. In saying this, I really liked what we did get of Diwali and the atmosphere it painted, as well as the description of the settings throughout India.
I think it was good of the author to bring up the not-so-good parts of India and it's culture, particularly caste and sexism, but I think to balance this out, it would've been good if we had had more focus on the positives and the things she enjoyed about being in India (apart from Sam). This could've come through by expanding on her time in Punjab with her family and actually showing us how she felt like she fit in there, instead of just mentioning it as a passing line.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read and I generally had a decent time with it, but I would've liked a little more depth to the characters, storyline and cultural setting. I would love to see more South Asian representation in romance like this, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Classism
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this!! I honestly just wanted it to be longer to flesh out the story and characters even more, though they didn't necessarily feel lacking in this context either. I just wanted more! This started slower and didn't seem too much like horror for the first half, but then it really ramped up in the second half. I liked the writing style and T Kingfisher really painted a gruesome and horrific picture with some of her descriptions through that second half, but even through the first I really enjoyed the creepy gothic vibes. I would definitely read more from this author and the second book in this duology.
Escape from St Hell by Lewis Hancox
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
I don't rate memoirs but, like the first one, I really enjoyed this! Lewis brought humour, emotion and vulnerability to this engaging retelling of his late teens to early 20s as he continued his trans journey. I liked the video game theme and how his older self still makes appearances and comments throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
Moderate: Transphobia