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squids_can_read's reviews
689 reviews
Boy by Nicole Galland
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Typically I start my reviews with a quick summary of the book, like a rewording of the back of the book. However, I don’t think that this book needs a summary. I think it just needs three words. Historical Soap Opera.
I was excited for this book about a piece of history that I didn’t know much about. The boy actors that were used to act as women and what happens after they grow up. However, this is honestly rarely mentioned. It is used as an explanation for Sander(the boy actor)’s actions but the actual consequences of it are hardly mentioned or explored. Instead, the plot is about people in court and their petty squabbles, not even really touching on the people that get caught between.
I honestly hated both characters too. Sander makes bad decisions at every turn and each time says that he will learn but he doesn’t, not really. His explanations always seem shallow but he always gets away with it. Joan is annoying for a different reason and it is because she’s a flat character. Oh she learns a lot about science, in her apprenticeship with Francis Bacon, but she doesn’t change through the whole novel. I also hated the romance between the two of them because they are stated at the beginning of the book as being long-time friends but
SLIGHT SPOILER
the only thing they do after getting together is argue and have sex. They even “resolve” their issues with sex. It was unnecessary and I felt like it diminished any development that either character might have had.
END OF SPOILER
Honestly, I just don’t think that this was my cup of tea. If the words Historical Soap Opera sounds good to you, give it a read. But I just didn’t like it.
I was excited for this book about a piece of history that I didn’t know much about. The boy actors that were used to act as women and what happens after they grow up. However, this is honestly rarely mentioned. It is used as an explanation for Sander(the boy actor)’s actions but the actual consequences of it are hardly mentioned or explored. Instead, the plot is about people in court and their petty squabbles, not even really touching on the people that get caught between.
I honestly hated both characters too. Sander makes bad decisions at every turn and each time says that he will learn but he doesn’t, not really. His explanations always seem shallow but he always gets away with it. Joan is annoying for a different reason and it is because she’s a flat character. Oh she learns a lot about science, in her apprenticeship with Francis Bacon, but she doesn’t change through the whole novel. I also hated the romance between the two of them because they are stated at the beginning of the book as being long-time friends but
SLIGHT SPOILER
the only thing they do after getting together is argue and have sex. They even “resolve” their issues with sex. It was unnecessary and I felt like it diminished any development that either character might have had.
END OF SPOILER
Honestly, I just don’t think that this was my cup of tea. If the words Historical Soap Opera sounds good to you, give it a read. But I just didn’t like it.
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.25
Percy has a lot of opinions about music but can’t make it. Joey can make the music but can’t always articulate the way he wants to. When these two get together, the music is magic, and the tension is palpable. But will the music they both love drive them apart?
The overall story for this was interesting. It takes place between 2000 and around 2008, from when Percy and Joe are in college to when they are in a more professional line of work. The book dives deep into the music that was both popular and unpopular during this time. However, this book honestly didn’t have much plot and was much more focused on the characters.
Speaking of characters, I absolutely loved Percy and Zoe. They were both such strong female characters who really knew what they liked, even if Percy took a long time to accept that she actually wanted to do something with music. This whole book is filled with takes on music by Percy that take on such a personal. They just felt so real and personal but also broad and easy to relate to. Zoe, I loved because she didn’t care what people thought about her, and I loved that for her. However, I really hated Joey and I really couldn’t understand why either Zoe or Percy cared at all about him. He was really kind of a loser who could sing. I was just really disappointed with the fact that both Zoe and Percy kept him in their lives when he really was bad for both of them and was generally just a jerk after deciding to follow the music.
The writing was overall really beautiful and lyrical. I literally devoured this book and the only downfall really was Joey.
Definitely recommend this book to any one who even slightly loves music.
The overall story for this was interesting. It takes place between 2000 and around 2008, from when Percy and Joe are in college to when they are in a more professional line of work. The book dives deep into the music that was both popular and unpopular during this time. However, this book honestly didn’t have much plot and was much more focused on the characters.
Speaking of characters, I absolutely loved Percy and Zoe. They were both such strong female characters who really knew what they liked, even if Percy took a long time to accept that she actually wanted to do something with music. This whole book is filled with takes on music by Percy that take on such a personal. They just felt so real and personal but also broad and easy to relate to. Zoe, I loved because she didn’t care what people thought about her, and I loved that for her. However, I really hated Joey and I really couldn’t understand why either Zoe or Percy cared at all about him. He was really kind of a loser who could sing. I was just really disappointed with the fact that both Zoe and Percy kept him in their lives when he really was bad for both of them and was generally just a jerk after deciding to follow the music.
The writing was overall really beautiful and lyrical. I literally devoured this book and the only downfall really was Joey.
Definitely recommend this book to any one who even slightly loves music.
Pride by Samantha Ryan
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is a loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the modern day, with a gay main couple, and main characters in their late thirties and early forties.
Objectively, this book is bad. It’s badly written and the characters aren’t great. There are some amazing lines such as “Show me your kitty” and “Don’t play with my balls” said within pages of each other by a very drunk forty-year-old. All of the characters drink multiple cocktails within a short amount of time while eating no food and still do not get hungover. The main love interest also acts like a child sometimes despite being a forty-year-old heir to an oil company, which we won’t touch on. There are also a lot of gay stereotypes within this book that I felt were thrown in because they were gay. Finally, there were past relationships that were brought up but really never discussed and I wanted to know more about them.
Despite all of that, I enjoyed this book. Not in that I thought this book was beautifully written, life-changing, or an interesting retelling. I liked it in the way that people like trashy television. Truly, I ate up every word and some of the dialogue had me giggling like a little kid.
Overall, I think that if you are looking for a life changing book about the gay experience overlayed with hints of pride and prejudice, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book that is trashy almost to the point of cringe with a cute gay couple, this is the book for you.
P.S. The rating is due to the actual content of the book. My enjoyment of the book was around 4 stars but with how the book was actually written and some of the contents of the book I can’t in good conscience rate it higher than 2 stars.
Objectively, this book is bad. It’s badly written and the characters aren’t great. There are some amazing lines such as “Show me your kitty” and “Don’t play with my balls” said within pages of each other by a very drunk forty-year-old. All of the characters drink multiple cocktails within a short amount of time while eating no food and still do not get hungover. The main love interest also acts like a child sometimes despite being a forty-year-old heir to an oil company, which we won’t touch on. There are also a lot of gay stereotypes within this book that I felt were thrown in because they were gay. Finally, there were past relationships that were brought up but really never discussed and I wanted to know more about them.
Despite all of that, I enjoyed this book. Not in that I thought this book was beautifully written, life-changing, or an interesting retelling. I liked it in the way that people like trashy television. Truly, I ate up every word and some of the dialogue had me giggling like a little kid.
Overall, I think that if you are looking for a life changing book about the gay experience overlayed with hints of pride and prejudice, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book that is trashy almost to the point of cringe with a cute gay couple, this is the book for you.
P.S. The rating is due to the actual content of the book. My enjoyment of the book was around 4 stars but with how the book was actually written and some of the contents of the book I can’t in good conscience rate it higher than 2 stars.
The Map of Lost Places: Stories from Strange & Haunted Realms: A Guide to Finding Evil! by Lesley Conner, Sheree Renée Thomas
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
3.25
I received an advanced copy through NetGalley.
I felt very mixed about these stories as a whole. Most of them I liked a lot, the environment was really interesting as was the way that the characters interacted with it. However, there were some where I felt that the environment was a little loser or not developed as well as others. There were also some where the story just ended not in a satisfying way. This story collection isn’t focused on happy ending which is fine but some of the stories just seemed to stop instead of ending.
Overall, I thought that the stories were overall interesting though some were a little long and lack-luster.
I felt very mixed about these stories as a whole. Most of them I liked a lot, the environment was really interesting as was the way that the characters interacted with it. However, there were some where I felt that the environment was a little loser or not developed as well as others. There were also some where the story just ended not in a satisfying way. This story collection isn’t focused on happy ending which is fine but some of the stories just seemed to stop instead of ending.
Overall, I thought that the stories were overall interesting though some were a little long and lack-luster.
Trust Issues: A Novel by Greg Wands, Elizabeth McCullough Keenan
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
3.25/5 stars.
Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC.
Hazel and Kagan have just lost their mother to a tragic accident, except maybe it wasn’t an accident. Their mother, Janice, was pushed to her death at a church that she regularly visited. Now Perry, their step-father, has run off with the money that they believe is owed to them and they are determined to take it back.
The plot of this book was really interesting, focusing on a lifetime con man and the one con that may ruin his life. I also really enjoyed how the authors played with providing information to the reader. However, there were subplots that I thought subtracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. One of these subplots is a romance that almost completely overshadows the actual plot. It really annoyed me, especially because it pitted the siblings against each other, distracting them from their plot for revenge. The ending of the book was really satisfying however and it definitely increased my enjoyment of the book overall.
The characters in this book are the reason that I rated this book the way that I did. I only really like one of the five main characters within this book. This was a character that wasn’t even introduced until the second part of the book. The reason that the characters make it so difficult to enjoy the book is because it is told in the third person limited where we follow a specific character in each chapter, hearing their inner thoughts. Being in the heads of characters that were just overall unlikeable was really hard. For some context(These aren’t spoilers): Perry hates technology and any person didn’t come by money honestly, which is really annoying because he’s literally a con man. Hazel is obsessed with her online personality and money going so far as to cut off her mother when she stops giving Hazel money. Kagan is just obsessed with doing drugs and drinking and stealing women from his sister.
Overall, the plot really shined in this novel but I didn’t really care about any of the characters.
Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC.
Hazel and Kagan have just lost their mother to a tragic accident, except maybe it wasn’t an accident. Their mother, Janice, was pushed to her death at a church that she regularly visited. Now Perry, their step-father, has run off with the money that they believe is owed to them and they are determined to take it back.
The plot of this book was really interesting, focusing on a lifetime con man and the one con that may ruin his life. I also really enjoyed how the authors played with providing information to the reader. However, there were subplots that I thought subtracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. One of these subplots is a romance that almost completely overshadows the actual plot. It really annoyed me, especially because it pitted the siblings against each other, distracting them from their plot for revenge. The ending of the book was really satisfying however and it definitely increased my enjoyment of the book overall.
The characters in this book are the reason that I rated this book the way that I did. I only really like one of the five main characters within this book. This was a character that wasn’t even introduced until the second part of the book. The reason that the characters make it so difficult to enjoy the book is because it is told in the third person limited where we follow a specific character in each chapter, hearing their inner thoughts. Being in the heads of characters that were just overall unlikeable was really hard. For some context(These aren’t spoilers): Perry hates technology and any person didn’t come by money honestly, which is really annoying because he’s literally a con man. Hazel is obsessed with her online personality and money going so far as to cut off her mother when she stops giving Hazel money. Kagan is just obsessed with doing drugs and drinking and stealing women from his sister.
Overall, the plot really shined in this novel but I didn’t really care about any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia