whatsrossreading's reviews
21 reviews

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

reflective medium-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

4.5

Bittersweet 

The Men by Sandra Newman

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Interesting take on the slaying of the Minotaur, and the subsequent events as centered around Ariadne. 

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I almost didn’t finish the book. It didn’t feel like a good representation of mental illness, and it crawled at a snails pace. But those last 100 pages hit me like a ton of bricks. 
I’m 24, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to identify with Martha. I was so very wrong: Mason tells her story from 17 on, sometimes capturing exactly how it feels to live with mental illness. How it affects relationships and how working hard at being normal-adjacent is. If you read this, know that the ending, however open ended it is, is worth it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Miscarriage

Moderate: Suicide

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Violence

Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler

reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75