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whatdaniellereadnext's Reviews (640)
It's been a while since I read a YA book but this caught my eye in Waterstones and I liked the sound of it so I picked it up. Not just because of the sprayed edges. Honest.
Felix is a trans 17 year old attending a private art school in New York. Somebody manages to get some old pictures of him pre-transition and puts them up around the school.
What follows is a truly heart-warming story full of wonderfully well-written characters.
I'll be honest and say I didn't really know that I'd get much out of this book, purely because it's for a much younger audience than I am. But I was thinking I could read it and have it for my kids when they're a little bit older. It's important to me that we have books full of different representations of humanity for them to access.
But I loved it. It was a nice easy read, not taxing at all, but full of love and life. The author is trans themselves and their knowledge and experience shines through on every page. It was so eye-opening to see what Felix had had to go through.
I'm so glad I ignored the niggling doubt I had that I'd enjoy a YA book.
Felix is a trans 17 year old attending a private art school in New York. Somebody manages to get some old pictures of him pre-transition and puts them up around the school.
What follows is a truly heart-warming story full of wonderfully well-written characters.
I'll be honest and say I didn't really know that I'd get much out of this book, purely because it's for a much younger audience than I am. But I was thinking I could read it and have it for my kids when they're a little bit older. It's important to me that we have books full of different representations of humanity for them to access.
But I loved it. It was a nice easy read, not taxing at all, but full of love and life. The author is trans themselves and their knowledge and experience shines through on every page. It was so eye-opening to see what Felix had had to go through.
I'm so glad I ignored the niggling doubt I had that I'd enjoy a YA book.
I have never read anything by TJR before. I know, I know. But I saw this in Sainsbury's for a fiver and picked it up because I liked the cover and I'd seen a few people on Instagram say they were looking forward to it.
And I really enjoyed it! There were points where I felt like there were too many characters and I was losing track of them but for the most part the ones I forgot weren't all that important anyway.
The relationship between the Riva siblings is a joy to read. Their childhood had so much sadness, yet they never wallowed in it and just seemed to enjoy the good. June was such a brilliant character to read about.
It's not a book that I'll remember forever, but it isn't that kind of book so that's ok. It hasn't got a big, serious lesson for us to learn or anything really very important to say other than that family is as important as you want it to be. What this book is is just an enjoyable read. Though I have to admit to not enjoying the disaster scenes at the party. My worst nightmare!
And I really enjoyed it! There were points where I felt like there were too many characters and I was losing track of them but for the most part the ones I forgot weren't all that important anyway.
The relationship between the Riva siblings is a joy to read. Their childhood had so much sadness, yet they never wallowed in it and just seemed to enjoy the good. June was such a brilliant character to read about.
It's not a book that I'll remember forever, but it isn't that kind of book so that's ok. It hasn't got a big, serious lesson for us to learn or anything really very important to say other than that family is as important as you want it to be. What this book is is just an enjoyable read. Though I have to admit to not enjoying the disaster scenes at the party. My worst nightmare!
I am so glad I got this book.
in short we follow the life of Jesse as he struggles with a religious home life and feelings that don't gel with the views of his family. He leaves home at 19 and makes his way to London where he begins having sex for money.
Mendez writes so well. So. Well. Jesse is such an amazing fully-fleshed out character and his personality just jumps off the page. He's so easy to picture as he gets excited about a song coming on
in short we follow the life of Jesse as he struggles with a religious home life and feelings that don't gel with the views of his family. He leaves home at 19 and makes his way to London where he begins having sex for money.
Mendez writes so well. So. Well. Jesse is such an amazing fully-fleshed out character and his personality just jumps off the page. He's so easy to picture as he gets excited about a song coming on
I picked a few of these up on Amazon last week thinking I'd get round to them eventually, but with everyone home while we isolate after our track and trace app informed us I'm even more glad I got them. It's so much harder to concentrate on a longer book with everyone home all the time!
I've just finished this one, a nice little thriller coming in at around 90 pages. I loved the sound of it from the blurb and it didn't disappoint!
It's harder to give a short read a star rating but this book didn't feel rushed really. It was succinct and to the point but it served the story well. There were plenty of twists and turns and felt really tense throughout - something I think it might have lost had it been a full length novel. For me this worked perfectly as a short story.
I've just finished this one, a nice little thriller coming in at around 90 pages. I loved the sound of it from the blurb and it didn't disappoint!
It's harder to give a short read a star rating but this book didn't feel rushed really. It was succinct and to the point but it served the story well. There were plenty of twists and turns and felt really tense throughout - something I think it might have lost had it been a full length novel. For me this worked perfectly as a short story.
This is a tough book to review. I started it last night and finished it this afternoon. A quick read at just over 200 pages, Consent follows two sets of sisters - Sara and Mattie and Jenny and Saskia. As seen on the blurb two of these sisters die in seemingly unconnected ways, with the two remaining sisters both struggling to come to terms with what their deaths meant to them.
As much as this book was a quick read I feel like I need a rest. It packs such a lot into it. The cover I find a bit misleading. Consent is more of a domestic drama than I feel the cover implies. I expected it to be racier, I guess, than it wound up being. The discussion of consent in this book comes up in ways I hadn't thought it would.
It's difficult to say that I enjoyed this book. I think it's one I'll revisit, and see if I can glean more from it. It was an interesting read in parts, but in others I struggled. There are a lot of descriptions that I felt weren't necessary to the story really. It felt indulgent to the point of boring me and a couple of times my mind definitely began wandering.
There are also certain characters that I feel could have done more, been more to the story. They felt wasted, left out in favour of over-describing a dress or a shop. I get that Saskia and Sara took comfort in the trappings of their money, but it just felt like a waste.
It was purely middle of the road fodder for me, for now. Maybe I'll feel differently coming back to it at a later date. Maybe I don't fully understand what the author was trying to do. But for now I'm pretty disappointed. Consent was one of the books I was most looking forward to from the @womensprize longlist.
As much as this book was a quick read I feel like I need a rest. It packs such a lot into it. The cover I find a bit misleading. Consent is more of a domestic drama than I feel the cover implies. I expected it to be racier, I guess, than it wound up being. The discussion of consent in this book comes up in ways I hadn't thought it would.
It's difficult to say that I enjoyed this book. I think it's one I'll revisit, and see if I can glean more from it. It was an interesting read in parts, but in others I struggled. There are a lot of descriptions that I felt weren't necessary to the story really. It felt indulgent to the point of boring me and a couple of times my mind definitely began wandering.
There are also certain characters that I feel could have done more, been more to the story. They felt wasted, left out in favour of over-describing a dress or a shop. I get that Saskia and Sara took comfort in the trappings of their money, but it just felt like a waste.
It was purely middle of the road fodder for me, for now. Maybe I'll feel differently coming back to it at a later date. Maybe I don't fully understand what the author was trying to do. But for now I'm pretty disappointed. Consent was one of the books I was most looking forward to from the @womensprize longlist.
I've never read anything by Dawn French before - I tend to stay away from books written by celebs - but I am slowly working my way through the @womensprize longlist and this was on it.
I can't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't hate it either I suppose. It felt very paint-by-numbers. Like the author had a checklist of what should be in a book and ticked it off as she wrote.
I didn't really find any of the characters believable - they were almost caricatures. Especially Julius. I don't know, I feel like I enjoy books better when even the arseholes have some redeeming factor. Julius was just a complete arsehole with absolutely no chance of any redemption. But even the other, nicer less narcissistic characters were caricatures - completely one dimensional. You could be the nicest person in the world but you would still show some anger, Anna!
As I say I didn't hate the book, but it isn't one I'll ever return to or recommend to a friend. It was just, fluffy. I can't think of a better word to describe it. It was easy to read. It covered some not so nice topics and then it was all tied up super neatly at the end.
I can't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't hate it either I suppose. It felt very paint-by-numbers. Like the author had a checklist of what should be in a book and ticked it off as she wrote.
I didn't really find any of the characters believable - they were almost caricatures. Especially Julius. I don't know, I feel like I enjoy books better when even the arseholes have some redeeming factor. Julius was just a complete arsehole with absolutely no chance of any redemption. But even the other, nicer less narcissistic characters were caricatures - completely one dimensional. You could be the nicest person in the world but you would still show some anger, Anna!
As I say I didn't hate the book, but it isn't one I'll ever return to or recommend to a friend. It was just, fluffy. I can't think of a better word to describe it. It was easy to read. It covered some not so nice topics and then it was all tied up super neatly at the end.
'How much strength does it take to hurt a little girl? How much strength does it take for the girl to get over it? Which one of them do you think is stronger?'
My Dark Vanessa tells the story of Vanessa Wye and the relationship she had with her teacher Jacob Strane. She was just 15 when it started and the book explores that relationship from her perspective then and at the age of 32.
It was a difficult read. Completely engaging but so difficult purely because of the subject matter. Readers will see Vanessa being groomed, even when Vanessa herself doesn't see it.
I enjoyed this book as much as you can enjoy a book that deals with child rape. The book is well-written and the story well-told but obviously child molestation is something we as humans don't like to read about.
For a lot of the story Vanessa doesn't see herself as a victim. Instead she marvels at the power she has over her middle-aged teacher. She seems to enjoy it, for a time at least. And that dynamic is what really sets My Dark Vanessa apart from other books dealing with these issues. It takes Vanessa a long time to believe that she may well have been victim to a paedophile.
I feel like My Dark Vanessa is a book everyone should read. It could be read in schools, or at least colleges, as a way to discuss the different ways in which predators can appear, how they can manipulate the views of those around them. There are so many people out there who will have dealt with what Vanessa did and will still struggle to think of themselves as a victim because they truly believed they wanted it at the time. I feel like this book is so important for that conversation.
My Dark Vanessa tells the story of Vanessa Wye and the relationship she had with her teacher Jacob Strane. She was just 15 when it started and the book explores that relationship from her perspective then and at the age of 32.
It was a difficult read. Completely engaging but so difficult purely because of the subject matter. Readers will see Vanessa being groomed, even when Vanessa herself doesn't see it.
I enjoyed this book as much as you can enjoy a book that deals with child rape. The book is well-written and the story well-told but obviously child molestation is something we as humans don't like to read about.
For a lot of the story Vanessa doesn't see herself as a victim. Instead she marvels at the power she has over her middle-aged teacher. She seems to enjoy it, for a time at least. And that dynamic is what really sets My Dark Vanessa apart from other books dealing with these issues. It takes Vanessa a long time to believe that she may well have been victim to a paedophile.
I feel like My Dark Vanessa is a book everyone should read. It could be read in schools, or at least colleges, as a way to discuss the different ways in which predators can appear, how they can manipulate the views of those around them. There are so many people out there who will have dealt with what Vanessa did and will still struggle to think of themselves as a victim because they truly believed they wanted it at the time. I feel like this book is so important for that conversation.
Wow. That was a special book. One that will stay with me for a lifetime.
Beautiful, poetic, tragic and full of pain and sorrow. Betty is such a haunting story full of pain, but also magic and most importantly life.
It tells the life of Betty Carpenter and her family - her Cherokee dad, Landon and her mother Alka and all of her brothers and sisters.
The family travels a lot before returning to the town of Breathed, Ohio and setting up a permanent home there.
I'm not ashamed to admit I cried more than once whilst reading this book. It deals with some awful topics and it's very intense. But it is just so beautiful.
The characters, their relationships, the descriptions of the town are so full of life that you feel like you're there. There are even excerpts from the towns newspaper - The Breathanian - scattered throughout the book.
Reading Betty was an experience. And unlike anything I've read in so long. I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling it for anyone that will read it. Because you should. Everybody should.
I can't express properly how much I loved Betty. A star rating just doesn't feel appropriate.
Beautiful, poetic, tragic and full of pain and sorrow. Betty is such a haunting story full of pain, but also magic and most importantly life.
It tells the life of Betty Carpenter and her family - her Cherokee dad, Landon and her mother Alka and all of her brothers and sisters.
The family travels a lot before returning to the town of Breathed, Ohio and setting up a permanent home there.
I'm not ashamed to admit I cried more than once whilst reading this book. It deals with some awful topics and it's very intense. But it is just so beautiful.
The characters, their relationships, the descriptions of the town are so full of life that you feel like you're there. There are even excerpts from the towns newspaper - The Breathanian - scattered throughout the book.
Reading Betty was an experience. And unlike anything I've read in so long. I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling it for anyone that will read it. Because you should. Everybody should.
I can't express properly how much I loved Betty. A star rating just doesn't feel appropriate.
⭐ REVIEW ⭐
Luster by Raven Leilani
Well I finished this in less than 24 hours, so I guess that tells you something about how this review is going to go?
This book was full of life, each character was so memorable! I often find myself having to go back a few pages to refresh my memory of who has what for example, but the characters in Luster are so unique that it was easy to keep track. And the relationships the characters all have with each other are great to read, especially Edie and Akila's.
There were plenty of references to pop culture, comic cons, computer games and cosplay that I really loved (though it did make me yearn for the return of comic con, last year being the first one we've missed in a long time, thanks covid!)
In all honesty I was sad when this book ended. It didn't feel quite finished, there is definitely more story available for these characters. But at the same time I do appreciate when a character has been fleshed out so well and the reader is given the opportunity to create a life for them going forward.
'Edie is just trying to survive. She's messing up in her dead-end admin job in her all-white office, is sleeping with all the wrong men, and has failed at the only thing that meant anything to her, painting. No one seems to care that she doesn't really know what she's doing with her life beyond looking for the next hook-up.
Luster by Raven Leilani
Well I finished this in less than 24 hours, so I guess that tells you something about how this review is going to go?
This book was full of life, each character was so memorable! I often find myself having to go back a few pages to refresh my memory of who has what for example, but the characters in Luster are so unique that it was easy to keep track. And the relationships the characters all have with each other are great to read, especially Edie and Akila's.
There were plenty of references to pop culture, comic cons, computer games and cosplay that I really loved (though it did make me yearn for the return of comic con, last year being the first one we've missed in a long time, thanks covid!)
In all honesty I was sad when this book ended. It didn't feel quite finished, there is definitely more story available for these characters. But at the same time I do appreciate when a character has been fleshed out so well and the reader is given the opportunity to create a life for them going forward.
'Edie is just trying to survive. She's messing up in her dead-end admin job in her all-white office, is sleeping with all the wrong men, and has failed at the only thing that meant anything to her, painting. No one seems to care that she doesn't really know what she's doing with her life beyond looking for the next hook-up.
