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themword's reviews
260 reviews
Sadie by Courtney Summers
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Rating: ★★★★★
Non-Spoiler Review:
‘Sadie’ by Courtney Summers is an incredibly gripping story told in two perspectives: Sadie, a young girl looking to avenge her sister’s murder and West McCray, a radio personality who’s searching for Sadie months after her disappearance.
I loved this book. The plot was super interesting and relevant. And even though this book wasn’t as unpredictable as mysteries are often expected to be, I was kept on the edge of my seat thorough all of it. Summers made Sadie’s and McCray’s journeys incredibly riveting by slowly revealing pieces of the circumstances that led to Mattie’s death and Sadie’s disappearance. And it was all wrapped up in a nice little bow with an ending that may not answer all of the reader’s questions but will satisfy them by how realistic it is.
All the characters, especially Sadie and McCray, were extremely well written. Sadie is unique, relatable, and engaging. She’s easy to like and thus, has no trouble gaining the reader’s support even before the full details of her quest are revealed. Moreover, I appreciated how she could be described as an unreliable narrator. Even though the reader wants to believe she’s justified in her actions, her promptness to violence and mixed feelings for her sister pricks at the back of your mind making you question whether she’s as innocent as she would have us believe.
On the other hand, McCray’s character is a breath of fresh air. In a world where almost every book’s main detective has pure intentions, McCray differs by being a more truthful representation of our actual society. In our world, like McCray insists on the story, “Girls go missing all the time” and most people don’t care about it unless they are related to the missing girl or the girl in question comes from a wealthy and/or powerful family. And by having a detective with this “carelessness”, Summers does an excellent job portraying the flaws in our society when it comes to these tragedies. The social commentary throughout all of the book was brilliant and nobody displayed it more perfectly than the radio host. It’s true that in the search for the most interesting, unique, and dramatic story, humanity has desensitized from the horribleness of the “mundane”.
Moreover, I also loved that the writing style in McCray’s portion of the story simulates a crime podcast. It made his segments extremely interesting and unique, especially since I read this book via audiobook. It was a fantastic experience. The even had a theme song for his podcast!
I would recommend this book to every fan of mysteries and crime dramas/podcasts. And I 100% recommend listening to the audiobook, it has an amazing cast and format. All of the Voice Actors did an incredible job portraying their character’s emotions, especially the VA for Sadie. She was amazing.
However, before reading this book, make sure to check out the Trigger Warnings since it does deal with sensible subjects that not all readers may be comfortable with.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books
Non-Spoiler Review:
‘Sadie’ by Courtney Summers is an incredibly gripping story told in two perspectives: Sadie, a young girl looking to avenge her sister’s murder and West McCray, a radio personality who’s searching for Sadie months after her disappearance.
I loved this book. The plot was super interesting and relevant. And even though this book wasn’t as unpredictable as mysteries are often expected to be, I was kept on the edge of my seat thorough all of it. Summers made Sadie’s and McCray’s journeys incredibly riveting by slowly revealing pieces of the circumstances that led to Mattie’s death and Sadie’s disappearance. And it was all wrapped up in a nice little bow with an ending that may not answer all of the reader’s questions but will satisfy them by how realistic it is.
All the characters, especially Sadie and McCray, were extremely well written. Sadie is unique, relatable, and engaging. She’s easy to like and thus, has no trouble gaining the reader’s support even before the full details of her quest are revealed. Moreover, I appreciated how she could be described as an unreliable narrator. Even though the reader wants to believe she’s justified in her actions, her promptness to violence and mixed feelings for her sister pricks at the back of your mind making you question whether she’s as innocent as she would have us believe.
On the other hand, McCray’s character is a breath of fresh air. In a world where almost every book’s main detective has pure intentions, McCray differs by being a more truthful representation of our actual society. In our world, like McCray insists on the story, “Girls go missing all the time” and most people don’t care about it unless they are related to the missing girl or the girl in question comes from a wealthy and/or powerful family. And by having a detective with this “carelessness”, Summers does an excellent job portraying the flaws in our society when it comes to these tragedies. The social commentary throughout all of the book was brilliant and nobody displayed it more perfectly than the radio host. It’s true that in the search for the most interesting, unique, and dramatic story, humanity has desensitized from the horribleness of the “mundane”.
Moreover, I also loved that the writing style in McCray’s portion of the story simulates a crime podcast. It made his segments extremely interesting and unique, especially since I read this book via audiobook. It was a fantastic experience. The even had a theme song for his podcast!
I would recommend this book to every fan of mysteries and crime dramas/podcasts. And I 100% recommend listening to the audiobook, it has an amazing cast and format. All of the Voice Actors did an incredible job portraying their character’s emotions, especially the VA for Sadie. She was amazing.
However, before reading this book, make sure to check out the Trigger Warnings since it does deal with sensible subjects that not all readers may be comfortable with.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Ableism
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Heartstopper 3. Un paso adelante by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Rating: ★★★★★
Non-Spoiler Review:
The third volume of Heartstopper is as delightful as the previous two. Like always, I loved Nick and Charlie’s development as a both, a couple and individuals. They are so cute! However, surprisingly, my favorite part of this volume was not Charlie and Nick nor their relationship. Instead I found myself enjoying the development of the supporting characters in the story the most. As always, Miss Singh was a queen, Tara and Elle were still super cute and Mr. Farouk was such a mood! I pity and love that man, thankfully, he had Mr. Ajayi to keep him company😉. But the best of all were Tao and Elle. They are ADORABLE! Somehow, in the course of one volume, I went from disliking Tao to relating with him SO HARD. I too am the loud, insecure, protective friend that puts their foot in their mouth a lot! 🤭💞
I also enjoyed how this volume introduced new conflicts in our main characters lives. Don’t get me wrong, I loved reading this (mostly) drama free fluffy volume, but by introducing these new conflicts in our characters’ lives the author makes the world feel more real and thus, in my opinion, makes the story more relatable and intriguing. I can’t wait to see how the characters face these conflicts in the next installments.
✨If you enjoyed the previous two heartstopper volumes, then you’ll definitively love this one too! I recommend this series to anyone looking for a short, cute and fluffy romance. It’s a super cute fast read that I think anyone can enjoy. Plus, it explores important themes related with the LGBT+ community.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books
Non-Spoiler Review:
The third volume of Heartstopper is as delightful as the previous two. Like always, I loved Nick and Charlie’s development as a both, a couple and individuals. They are so cute! However, surprisingly, my favorite part of this volume was not Charlie and Nick nor their relationship. Instead I found myself enjoying the development of the supporting characters in the story the most. As always, Miss Singh was a queen, Tara and Elle were still super cute and Mr. Farouk was such a mood! I pity and love that man, thankfully, he had Mr. Ajayi to keep him company😉. But the best of all were Tao and Elle. They are ADORABLE! Somehow, in the course of one volume, I went from disliking Tao to relating with him SO HARD. I too am the loud, insecure, protective friend that puts their foot in their mouth a lot! 🤭💞
I also enjoyed how this volume introduced new conflicts in our main characters lives. Don’t get me wrong, I loved reading this (mostly) drama free fluffy volume, but by introducing these new conflicts in our characters’ lives the author makes the world feel more real and thus, in my opinion, makes the story more relatable and intriguing. I can’t wait to see how the characters face these conflicts in the next installments.
✨If you enjoyed the previous two heartstopper volumes, then you’ll definitively love this one too! I recommend this series to anyone looking for a short, cute and fluffy romance. It’s a super cute fast read that I think anyone can enjoy. Plus, it explores important themes related with the LGBT+ community.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Lacey Lamar, Amber Ruffin
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Rating: ★★★★☆
Non-Spoiler Review:
When I saw the Late Night interview of Amber and Lacey promoting their book, it took me thirty seconds to buy the audiobook and it was so worth it. If anything, my only regret is that it took me six months to sit down and read/hear it.
Non-Spoiler Review:
When I saw the Late Night interview of Amber and Lacey promoting their book, it took me thirty seconds to buy the audiobook and it was so worth it. If anything, my only regret is that it took me six months to sit down and read/hear it.
Amber and Lacey do an incredible job narrating the sometimes funny but always deplorable and heartbreaking experiences they’ve lived through for simply being black in the United States. From idiotic to blatant hateful, Lacey has encountered every type of racism her country has to offer and somehow, she has managed to maintain her grace and sense of humor through it all. How has she done it without becoming a being full of hate and rage, I’ll never know.
I also have no idea how Amber and Lacey manage to make this book a non-horrible experience, but they do. Most of the stories discussed are downright disgusting, and yet their charismatic, funny and witty narration makes this book about the worst humanity has to offer enjoyable. That’s not to say that every second of this book will be a riot. Afterall, the subject matter is still racism. While the writing is extremely witty and funny, the horrible racist actions committed against the sisters and their friends are never downplayed. Yes, you’ll laugh a lot while reading this book, but you’ll also feel disappointment, sadness and rage.
Overall, I believe this is an amazing book to learn more about the effects of racism and the horrible challenges that many have faced and continue to in the United States. It was an incredible eye opening and funny book. And the audiobook by Amber and Lacey was also amazing. I definitively recommend it.
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books
🔗: https://linktr.ee/themword.books