the_broadway_slasher's reviews
49 reviews

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.75

A near perfect book, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is going to stick with me. First of all, I have to admit that I initially got this in August as part of RuPaul’s book club, but the cover art and the premise on the jacket did not appeal to me at all. Fast forward to one of my friends telling me she was going to start it and I caved and decided we should do a buddy read. What’s the old adage… “don’t judge a book by its cover?” Ok yeah well… I know now! 😅 So glad I gave this novel a chance.

At first, the story was giving me Juno vibes and it wasn’t clicking with me, but something magical happens when we fast forward past the awkward romance and to “current day” Margo. The plot begins racing in directions you never imagined and the most lovable, 3-dimensional characters begin to hop on the train while the author sneakily injects her prose with thoughtful analysis about parenting, love and finding your passion in a world that is obsessed with telling us what’s right and wrong. 

I enjoyed this read so much and basically devoured the book in two sittings. It’s funny, quirky, sad, and more than anything surprisingly relatable even though I’ve never been a pregnant 19yr old with an Only Fans. 😂 Margo spoke to my heart and I will be championing the hell out of this book however I can. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

Firestarter by Stephen King

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Damn. I was pretty disinterested in reading Firestarter because I thought it might be too similar to Carrie but I was wrong. Yes, similar elements but completely different take on the material and beautifully layered, especially when it came to Andy and Charlie’s father/daughter relationship. I really enjoyed this King novel and am starting to think the 80s produced his best work. Shame we’ve yet to get a really good big-screen adaptation of this classic story.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

3.75

I really enjoyed Legends & Lattes! Though it sells itself  as “low-stakes” adventure, I was ready to throw it out the window when I realized all I might be in for were overly long descriptions of every day items as novelties but thankfully somewhere along the read we got just enough conflict to keep me interested and I found myself on the other side of a really sweet story about friendships and new beginnings. This book is a great read if you’re looking for something whimsical, relaxing and cute. If you’re looking for an epic adventure, this is probably not the book for you. I’m very intrigued by the added short story we got at the end and it definitely piqued my interest for the prequel. 

The Hike by Drew Magary

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow. What a stunningly beautiful adventure. A friend has been recommending that I read this book for close to a year and I’m so grateful I finally laid my hands on it. It’s a fantastical journey that is hard to explain without spoiling. If you’re looking to dive into a fantastical world full of heart, humors, thrills, action and lovable characters, I urge you to pick this book up asap. It moves quickly and I was able to basically finish it in two reads. So good! I will be thinking about this book and all its lessons for quite some time. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

So glad I decided to give Wicked another chance! I first read it when I was about 14 and it bored me to death but I think I just wasn’t old enough to appreciate all the literary magic at play. Not only did I love this book, but I’m also now fully prepared to take a deep dive into Gregory Maguire’e entire series.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

5.0

Sometimes the right book finds you at the right time, even when you weren’t looking for it. This was a delightful read packed with some really great philosophical insights I’ve been wrestling with the last few months. Can’t wait to dive into the sequel!

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy by Thommy Hutson

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Cute little retrospective and companion to the superior Never Sleep Again documentary. 

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense 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

5.0

My favorite Joe Hill book. Still holding out hope for a big-screen adaptation of this someday... the series was just fine. 

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Hex is one of my favorite contemporary horror novels. It's utterly original, creepy and super funny. 

The Bachman Books by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

3.5

Have only read Rage in this collection so far and the 3.5 is for that! Will eventually circle back to the other 3 stories and re-review!