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whatsmadsreading's reviews
248 reviews
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Whether all the reviews are inflated, I’m sure this is the book for someone. And that someone will resonate and love chapters that open with “Jigger was kneading Leah’s right boob…”
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
The publisher must have been pushing this book out because I truly cannot understand why else there is as much praise and booktok hype around it as there is.
To give you a sense of what you’re looking at:
To give you a sense of what you’re looking at:
- The cat’s name is Jigger and is often referenced with “meow meow” as audio commentary.
- Picking their nose, scratching sebum off their scalp, and smelling each others armpits all happen without reason or context (and that’s just three quick examples)
- There are physical descriptions of the same characters on almost every page. I fully believe in representation, but at some point, Leah being described as “big,” “bulbous,” “pushing on her belly like a balloon,” or “cheeks like huge apples” reads poorly.
Whether all the reviews are inflated, I’m sure this is the book for someone. And that someone will resonate and love chapters that open with “Jigger was kneading Leah’s right boob…”
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
It’s painful to read this 2015 book in 2025. But doesn’t that make it even that much more relevant…
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
emotional
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
4.0
I liked it a little less than My Brilliant Friend because it dragged on a little longer (and I do understand that I’m in the minority on this).
Moving excitedly and immediately along to the third one.
Moving excitedly and immediately along to the third one.
Of Color: Essays by Jaswinder Bolina
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
There isn’t a lot of talk about it online and that’s a shame because it’s beautiful. I love it when poets write essays.
If you like Ta-Nehisi Coates, you’ll probably like this.
Why?
1. It’s hard for a book to have vocabulary that I don’t know and there were at least 2 words per essay that I had to look up. The prose is gorgeous.
2. They’re short essays, so it’s an easy read, timing wise. But there is so much content!!
3. It put words to things that I think and feel around race, American culture, whiteness, etc but struggle to articulate. “…if we ask too much of the future it’s because we’ve asked too little of ourselves.” See!?
4. Everyone needs to read the American, Indian essay during election season.
If you like Ta-Nehisi Coates, you’ll probably like this.
Why?
1. It’s hard for a book to have vocabulary that I don’t know and there were at least 2 words per essay that I had to look up. The prose is gorgeous.
2. They’re short essays, so it’s an easy read, timing wise. But there is so much content!!
3. It put words to things that I think and feel around race, American culture, whiteness, etc but struggle to articulate. “…if we ask too much of the future it’s because we’ve asked too little of ourselves.” See!?
4. Everyone needs to read the American, Indian essay during election season.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
Oh my god, it’s so beautiful and layered.
I’m only taking off half a point because there are brief moments where the pacing drags (to be fair, we’re being introduced to a million characters and a whole neighborhood culture) and because I’ve heard the rest of the series is even better and I want there to be room to rate.
That being said, I probably would, should, be rating this a 5, based on how engrossed I was in the story and how I, halfway through, immediately ordered the next 3.
It’s character-based, so if you’re a plot girlie, skip on by.
I’m only taking off half a point because there are brief moments where the pacing drags (to be fair, we’re being introduced to a million characters and a whole neighborhood culture) and because I’ve heard the rest of the series is even better and I want there to be room to rate.
That being said, I probably would, should, be rating this a 5, based on how engrossed I was in the story and how I, halfway through, immediately ordered the next 3.
It’s character-based, so if you’re a plot girlie, skip on by.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
Holy shit, this book!!!
It’s only February and this very likely might be my favorite book of 2025. One of my favorite books of all-time??
It’s truly so beautiful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt. I didn’t cry but I feel like I’ve been hugged.
It had the same reading feel for me (not necessarily in plot but in style and depth) as The Goldfinch, A Little Life, and Giovanni’s Room, which are unsurprisingly also my favorite books.
READ THIS BOOK.
It’s only February and this very likely might be my favorite book of 2025. One of my favorite books of all-time??
It’s truly so beautiful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt. I didn’t cry but I feel like I’ve been hugged.
It had the same reading feel for me (not necessarily in plot but in style and depth) as The Goldfinch, A Little Life, and Giovanni’s Room, which are unsurprisingly also my favorite books.
READ THIS BOOK.
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Imagine if Nosferatu, Our Wives Under the Sea, and Frankenstein were in a really chaotic car crash.
It wins points for me because I did like the writing. But overall, I felt like the point of the story was lost on me. Is it a trans allegory? A commentary on human depravity?
I don’t mind weird fiction or body horror when I understand the point it’s making, but once again, I think I lost the plot on this one. And it’s HEAVY on the body horror.
It wins points for me because I did like the writing. But overall, I felt like the point of the story was lost on me. Is it a trans allegory? A commentary on human depravity?
I don’t mind weird fiction or body horror when I understand the point it’s making, but once again, I think I lost the plot on this one. And it’s HEAVY on the body horror.
Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity in This Crisis (And the Next) by Dean Spade
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Everyone who cares needs to read this book in 2025.
It’s an extremely practical guide to mutual aid, so it’s worth purchasing this one (as opposed to the library or an audiobook) if possible.
It’s an extremely practical guide to mutual aid, so it’s worth purchasing this one (as opposed to the library or an audiobook) if possible.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
emotional
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
4.0
The rating comes purely from how beautiful this book is. The writing and scene-setting are gorgeous. The characters are heartwarming and real.
Maybe it’s because the book sets the plot up somewhat as a mystery, but that fell really flat for me. There’s no twist, so don’t go into it expecting one. It’s blatantly obvious what’s going on, but since it reads like we’re supposed to be in the dark like everyone else, the narrative felt patronizing.
I stand by the fact, despite disagreements from friends, that it reads like God of the Woods.
Maybe it’s because the book sets the plot up somewhat as a mystery, but that fell really flat for me. There’s no twist, so don’t go into it expecting one. It’s blatantly obvious what’s going on, but since it reads like we’re supposed to be in the dark like everyone else, the narrative felt patronizing.
I stand by the fact, despite disagreements from friends, that it reads like God of the Woods.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As a philosophical treatise and exploration of what makes us human, it’s interesting. Plus, every single person I know has absolutely loved this book. I’ve heard some people say it changed their lives. That’s why my rating is more generous than I feel.
Me? I found it so incredibly boring and slow moving. The narrator is emotionally detached, which I understand is intentional, but made for really dull listening. Maybe the audiobook format was the issue or maybe this just isn’t the book for me.
Me? I found it so incredibly boring and slow moving. The narrator is emotionally detached, which I understand is intentional, but made for really dull listening. Maybe the audiobook format was the issue or maybe this just isn’t the book for me.