suzreadsalot's reviews
457 reviews

Bad Dogs by Riley Nash

5.0

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

5.0

Wow. One of my favorite horrors I’ve read

Easy Tiger by Ali K. Mulford

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Thanks to Ali and their team for the review copy! All opinions are my own <3


I love this zoo and this family! 
Ali has given us another fun, chaotic zoo-mance but this time they decided to slap me in the face with emotions. I was literally crying at 1am finishing this book. 

Hawk and Hannah are adorable and I was laughing, cringing in second hand embarrassment, and crying over their story. 
100000/10 highly recommended 

Pairings:
MF
Tropes and tags:
Animal puns, forced proximity, coworkers, secret identities, I’m supposed to find secrets to ruin you but instead I fell in love, oops, the hottest grump on the island, clumsy girl does clumsy things, 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Excrement, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Death of parent

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-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

5.0

A love letter to deconstructing, to breaking down walls, to change, to rebuilding, to finding yourself and what that means in a fun, queer romcom package. 

Every character (main, side, random one time appearance) was crafted so wholly and  each personality shined. I love character driven stories especially when the characters feel so real. They were messy and nervous and chaotic and so full of excitement and energy and so easy to relate to. 

While the main relationship focus was the romantic one I love that the platonic love of the friendship didn’t fall by the wayside and Mel found a way to make sure all of her relationships were being tended to.
I do wish we had a bit more time with Kade and had more on page of  getting to know them but it didn’t take away from the experience for me. 

I love how communication had such a big focus and it wasn’t just something that came naturally. It was hard sometimes (because it is) and they all had to find the ways they communicate best. 

Anywho, all this random brain dump means is that I LOVED this book. I love the characters and their story. I love the emotion and care they took with each other. I love the little jokes, the insecurities, the growth, the friendships, the lovers, all of it. I love Mel, Bebe, Kade, and Daniel. They hold a special place in my heart now and as far into the future as they can

Parings: 
FX, FF, FFX
Tags and tropes:
Non-monogamy/polycule, “my girlfriend’s wife”, service workers and service tops, idiots to lovers, queer af, forced proximity, insta lust,  sarcasm is a love language, Bebe is the Drunk People Whisperer, get in we’re gonna go overthink this, scary but in a hot, artistic way, no 3rd act break up, communication is key, this is just sex I’m definitely not gonna fall in love, oh shit I think I’m in love

*big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own*

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

3.75

I love Jessie. I love how chaotic and real this book was. The teenagers acted like real teenagers And the ending was very cute. I think teenage Suz would have LOVED this book. 

Adult Suz had some issues 😅
I didn’t love that Cat was basically a stereotype of the “slutty, mean friend” from every movie and show we grew up with in the 90s and early 2000s. It’s 2024(well 2023 when this was published) but we can and should be doing better than that. 
The middle was a bit of a slog. I found myself getting frustrated with the back and forth of the love triangle because it felt a bit repetitive. But I’m also not the biggest fan of love triangles (they’re not even triangles??? They’re more of a caret ^) 
I also don’t understand why she wasn’t continuing with her therapist or psychologist? She sees her once after her diagnosis and then that’s it and it’s never addressed?????

Knowing You by E.M. Lindsey

5.0

Really Cute People by Markus Harwood-Jones

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

adored this book. 

The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

absolutely loved this book. The narration was amazing (Vico Ortiz strikes again)
Dami is one of my favorite characters of the year. 

Venom & Vow by Elliott McLemore, Anna-Marie McLemore

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

this is possibly the most true 3 star book i've read. i kinda loved it but was also equally disappointed. so far Anna-Marie McLemore's books have been Hit or Miss for me and Venom & Vow was both a Hit and a Miss, so let's get into it!

What I loved:

• The main characters 
  •  Cade and Val were great characters in my opinion. they were fun and i love them individually and think that they both had good individual growth.
• The trans storyline
  • absolutely phenomenal. I loved that we got Cade who was confident in himself and his identity and had known he was trans from a young age. Then we had Val who was still figuring out their identity and come to terms with what that would mean for them moving forward. 
• The disability rep
  • The dopamine hit of having not one but TWO disabled MCs was magical. 

What I didn't love:

• The writing was very much tell and no show. for me this really hindered the emotional moments that i wanted to connect to. 
• The fantasy plotline was..... not there? It was felt like it wanted to be a political fantasy plot but it was riddled with plot holes and consostency issues and overall i'm still confused about what it actually was lol
• The romance. HEAR ME OUT okay! so did i like the romance? yes. but i also feel like it was rushed. The tension was trying but it just didn't hit and then they all of a sudden just start being friends? the transition from enemies to friends to lovers was not smooth in my opinion. I do think that i can see Cade and Val falling in love but the big I Love You moment just didn't feel genuine to me. 

overall it was a fun book and the narration was amazing but it let me confused and wanting and not in the fun way. 

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

emotional funny hopeful reflective

5.0

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, queer YA hits different when you’re a grown adult just figuring sh*t out. 

Imogen was so relatable. From being the best capital A Ally to being a people pleaser who wants to fit in the boxes and then overthinking everything including her questioning. I love her and she deserves all the nice things

Gretchen needs to touch grass and call her therapist instead of condescending to the people she calls friends.