teeclecticreads's reviews
293 reviews

Under The Mistletoe With You by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

adventurous emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Christopher and Nash’s love story is such an important one in queer romance. A bisexual man and a gay man falling in love, with one being trans isn’t a story we often get, and I’m glad this one did it so well. They were so tender with each other in a way that I long for as a chronically ill person, without illness being the main focus of it all. 

All of Chris’ friends and family brought the story so much humour too. Shaz, Kit, Haf, Ambrose and Laurel (I hope I spelled these right because I listened to the audiobook) are so frigging funny. The book would’ve been incomplete without all their input. Such a lovely Christmas read.

My only issue was

Nash's avoidance in telling Chris he was leaving because that could’ve avoided some of the heartache.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Sexual content

Minor: Outing

The Shivering by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

medium-paced

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

4.0

At the Bottom of the River by Jamaica Kincaid
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I have no idea what I’m reading and I’m already in a slump. I’ll try it Shia another time.

The Skeleton's Holiday by Leonora Carrington

3.0

I have no idea what I just read

The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde

informative reflective

5.0

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid

funny informative reflective

5.0

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson

challenging emotional inspiring

5.0

Shatter Girl by Shay Miranda

challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

I fell in love with Jude and Aubrey instantly. Some parts of the plot felt a little confusing but relationship was so fun and beautiful, which is why the ending stung so much (and felt a little sudden)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment

Moderate: Murder

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

slow-paced

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

2.0

Boring. Such a slow ascend to the climax and when it hit I wasn’t intrigued because the plot was easy to figure out. I also hated the ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder

Stealing Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, Norman Birnbach

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.5

I can’t lie when I say I found this book incredibly underwhelming. Too much time was spent on plot development and the climax took 80% of the book to get to. It felt like all the pertinent information was left to the end and the ending itself was pretty confusing. I didn’t enjoy this.