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thanmayi's reviews
114 reviews
This Winter by Alice Oseman
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
"I cannot stop being in love with you"
For such a short novella this had me on the verge of SOBBING on my commute but I would do it all over again if I had to. I love the balance that this had between the difficult-to-digest topics and the somewhat sweet moments between Nick and Charlie.
Absolutely adored it but as always please check the TWs.
For such a short novella this had me on the verge of SOBBING on my commute but I would do it all over again if I had to. I love the balance that this had between the difficult-to-digest topics and the somewhat sweet moments between Nick and Charlie.
Absolutely adored it but as always please check the TWs.
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really don't know how to feel about this one? I don't think I was in the right place when I read it because this has all the elements I love in a thriller. The writing style that switched between the past and present made it kind of hard for me to really get into the story but apart from that it was an enjoyable read.
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
One of my top reads of the year for sure! Filled with delightfully real characters and fantastic representation I absolutely loved this book! that being said I highly encourage you to check the trigger warnings before you read this book
Birthday by Meredith Russo
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-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? Yes
I briefly considered not reviewing this book considering the author's history with assault. That being said, this is an objectively good story so I have decided not to rate it but put a brief review out there because I believe that this story is helpful and might help trans youth out there.
The story follows Morgan from the ages of 13 to 18 as she goes through the process of figuring out her identity and her relationships with people around her while simultaneously falling in love with Eric, a boy who was born on the same day as her. It looks into things like internalized homophobia, transphobia, mental health, addiction and so much more. It's a solid read and I enjoyed reading it but the author's personal history with violence especially domestic abuse against her wife leaves somewhat of a bitter aftertaste considering some of the themes that this book focuses on.
The story follows Morgan from the ages of 13 to 18 as she goes through the process of figuring out her identity and her relationships with people around her while simultaneously falling in love with Eric, a boy who was born on the same day as her. It looks into things like internalized homophobia, transphobia, mental health, addiction and so much more. It's a solid read and I enjoyed reading it but the author's personal history with violence especially domestic abuse against her wife leaves somewhat of a bitter aftertaste considering some of the themes that this book focuses on.
An Unexpected Kind of Love by Hayden Stone
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5/5
An Unexpected Kind Of Love follows Aubrey a small Soho bookseller and Blake a rising movie star as they meet during the filming of a movie that Blake's in that's showing in Aubrey's bookshop.
CHARACTERS
Aubrey
Aubrey is a small bookshop owner with slightly evident daddy issues and isn't quite over his ex at the start of the book. I felt really connected to him as a character and enjoyed the grump who secretly loves romance novels and character arcs.
Blake
Blake's character while a little better sketched out than Aubrey still falls flat comparatively, I found myself not caring for him after the third act conflict. That being said Stone has done a pretty good job with the portrayal of media and the Hollywood industry's take on sexuality.
Other Side Characters
I loved so many of the other side characters, it felt good to read about people who didn't exist simply to further the plot. Also loved Polyamory shown in a much more positive light.
THE ROMANCE/ PLOT
This is maybe a ME problem but I didn't like how insta lovey this felt...the entire thing at the trailer felt really rushed while some parts felt unnecessary to the plot.
Do I think this couple is going to last past the epilogue? Nah...maybe a year or two.
CONCLUSION
It's an entertaining read and the performance of it is AMAZINGLY DONE. I absolutely loved the audiobook and would definitely recommend that everyone check if out! If you want something fast paced and sexy this is the book for you.
NOTE: I won the audiobook through a giveaway hosted by the author :)
An Unexpected Kind Of Love follows Aubrey a small Soho bookseller and Blake a rising movie star as they meet during the filming of a movie that Blake's in that's showing in Aubrey's bookshop.
CHARACTERS
Aubrey
Aubrey is a small bookshop owner with slightly evident daddy issues and isn't quite over his ex at the start of the book. I felt really connected to him as a character and enjoyed the grump who secretly loves romance novels and character arcs.
Blake
Blake's character while a little better sketched out than Aubrey still falls flat comparatively, I found myself not caring for him after the third act conflict. That being said Stone has done a pretty good job with the portrayal of media and the Hollywood industry's take on sexuality.
Other Side Characters
I loved so many of the other side characters, it felt good to read about people who didn't exist simply to further the plot. Also loved Polyamory shown in a much more positive light.
THE ROMANCE/ PLOT
This is maybe a ME problem but I didn't like how insta lovey this felt...the entire thing at the trailer felt really rushed while some parts felt unnecessary to the plot.
Do I think this couple is going to last past the epilogue? Nah...maybe a year or two.
CONCLUSION
It's an entertaining read and the performance of it is AMAZINGLY DONE. I absolutely loved the audiobook and would definitely recommend that everyone check if out! If you want something fast paced and sexy this is the book for you.
NOTE: I won the audiobook through a giveaway hosted by the author :)
The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
An MLM Romeo Juliet kind of retelling following Jason and Matt as they deal with being involved in the world of crime and falling in love at the same time.
I really liked this book and finished it in a day, the story was easy to get through and was one of the more original takes I've seen on this kind of story. That being said it does fall flat in every other aspect except the romance.
CHARACTERS
I would do a more in-depth breakdown of the characters but I basically had the same problem with all of them so here's what I thought;
1. The characters were very one-dimensional and at some points, their story just fell flat.
2. The MC and LI were so similar to each other that at one point their voices just blended with each other.
PLOT
I actually quite liked the plot and how original it was, the story was mostly well fleshed out and I enjoyed the flow of events, that being said a few parts did feel repetitive but it wasn't to the extent that it annoyed me.
ROMANCE
QUEER ROMEO AND JULIET with a happy ending? I couldn't help but fall in love with the romance. It's very soft and fluffy and is kind of Nick and Charlie but in a world with drugs and crime and the stakes were slightly higher.
Do I think they stay together forever tho? Eh it could go either way but I think maybe 10 yrs before everything catches up and they break up....so a really long relationship but no HEA.
CONCLUSION
This is a very enjoyable book that is a breeze to get through but it does have a few plot holes and the conclusion to the entire conflict is a little bit unrealistic. I loved the plot twist towards the end and it made the entire thing that much fun.
PSA FROM FUTURE ME
Okay, so this book is very forgettable? Nothing in the plot RLLY stands out as much and while it was a terrific one-time read it is unlikely that I will pick this up again.
I really liked this book and finished it in a day, the story was easy to get through and was one of the more original takes I've seen on this kind of story. That being said it does fall flat in every other aspect except the romance.
CHARACTERS
I would do a more in-depth breakdown of the characters but I basically had the same problem with all of them so here's what I thought;
1. The characters were very one-dimensional and at some points, their story just fell flat.
2. The MC and LI were so similar to each other that at one point their voices just blended with each other.
PLOT
I actually quite liked the plot and how original it was, the story was mostly well fleshed out and I enjoyed the flow of events, that being said a few parts did feel repetitive but it wasn't to the extent that it annoyed me.
ROMANCE
QUEER ROMEO AND JULIET with a happy ending? I couldn't help but fall in love with the romance. It's very soft and fluffy and is kind of Nick and Charlie but in a world with drugs and crime and the stakes were slightly higher.
Do I think they stay together forever tho? Eh it could go either way but I think maybe 10 yrs before everything catches up and they break up....so a really long relationship but no HEA.
CONCLUSION
This is a very enjoyable book that is a breeze to get through but it does have a few plot holes and the conclusion to the entire conflict is a little bit unrealistic. I loved the plot twist towards the end and it made the entire thing that much fun.
PSA FROM FUTURE ME
Okay, so this book is very forgettable? Nothing in the plot RLLY stands out as much and while it was a terrific one-time read it is unlikely that I will pick this up again.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
For such a promising cover and premise…this book was just not it for me.
The story follows Frankie a disabled accessibility podcaster as she falls for Jay, a man who she seeks out to help her learn accessible rope play.
I was so excited to get into this book, and to be fair it did a great job in covering topics such as casual ableism and boundaries in relationships. That was however all that it accomplished.
The continuous-time skips along with a bunch of info dump on a few pages created a huge disconnect in the storyline and made it hard to follow through the story and made it hard for us to get to know the characters.
There's also this whole thing about how the male leads consent and sexual boundaries were constantly being breached which made the entire encounter a very uncomfortable one to read.
I want to read more books about a more positive take on disability and accessibility that this book had but with a better-developed plotline and characters that Knot my type lacked.
Knot my type did not give what it was supposed to give and was honestly a quite disappointing read that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
The story follows Frankie a disabled accessibility podcaster as she falls for Jay, a man who she seeks out to help her learn accessible rope play.
I was so excited to get into this book, and to be fair it did a great job in covering topics such as casual ableism and boundaries in relationships. That was however all that it accomplished.
The continuous-time skips along with a bunch of info dump on a few pages created a huge disconnect in the storyline and made it hard to follow through the story and made it hard for us to get to know the characters.
There's also this whole thing about how the male leads consent and sexual boundaries were constantly being breached which made the entire encounter a very uncomfortable one to read.
I want to read more books about a more positive take on disability and accessibility that this book had but with a better-developed plotline and characters that Knot my type lacked.
Knot my type did not give what it was supposed to give and was honestly a quite disappointing read that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.5/5
What do you do after finishing heartstopper for the 4th time? You read all the books in the universe of course...and I had an absolute blast reading this.
This follows Nick and Charlie in the near future where Nick is about to go off to college and Charlie is learning to deal with it. It's a pretty quick read and was very satisfying.
What do you do after finishing heartstopper for the 4th time? You read all the books in the universe of course...and I had an absolute blast reading this.
This follows Nick and Charlie in the near future where Nick is about to go off to college and Charlie is learning to deal with it. It's a pretty quick read and was very satisfying.
Heartstopper: Become Human by Alice Oseman
4.75
THIS IS SO ADORABLE AND PERFECT!?
I absolutely loved this mini-comic SO MUCH and seeing them in this different universe makes me to happy! Anyways yall go and read this right now!!!
I absolutely loved this mini-comic SO MUCH and seeing them in this different universe makes me to happy! Anyways yall go and read this right now!!!