This book had a lot of potential but was ultimately hurt by its length. There is a really solid story here as the reader follows Xishi through being dThis book had a lot of potential but was ultimately hurt by its length. There is a really solid story here as the reader follows Xishi through being discovered, trained, and set out on her task, but, in order to fit it into a 330 page book the story was so condensed that I found it quite hard to connect to the characters and really care about what was happening. Additionally, there was sooo much wasted potential (which I am chalking up to the shortness of the story). The story itself was fine, in theory, reminiscent of mythology, comforting in its familiarity, yet unique enough to set itself apart. It is also pretty well written and the audio narration, done by Natalie Naudus is well done. However, I cannot personally look past what was lacking. I really loved following Xishi in the first 60% of the book, and found the training to be my favorite parts (albeit, it was still really short), but at around the 60% mark Xishi starts making some extremely stupid decision and having no situational awareness for no reason other than to further the plot, and, after watching her be a pretty smart main character for the majority of the book, I started hating her really quick. I really do think that this is due to how short the book is though, because the readers just have no time to see her start to fall apart until that falling apart has drastic consequences. A lot of stuff that was supposed to be romantic or sweet made me roll my eyes because of this and I found that Liang was heavily relying on tropes in order to evoke emotions instead of fleshing out her characters and their relationships. I also found there to be a lot of pacing issues and so many things were either mentioned once before they became relevant or were mentioned once and never touched on again even though they would have enhanced the story a lot and fleshed out the characters (who really, really needed to have any type of growth or development). Even the discussions about war fell flat for me because, while these issues should have carried a lot of weight, they felt like they were just thrown in without allowing anything to actually sink in. Overall, this is still an easy, not super fleshed out romantasy (even though the romance is so small and it’s more mythological adjacent instead of fantasy especially because there isn’t any magic, but it fits the vibe) that was “fun” to read and would’ve probably been three stars if Xishi didn’t start being incredibly stupid for the sake of the plot. I'll still continue reading Ann Liang because I have had a lot of fun with her contemporary stuff, I just think there was way too much crammed in here for anything to be properly fleshed out.
Every night, while the rest of the world is sleeping, five people working the late night shift meet in the cemetery for a smoke and a break from the mEvery night, while the rest of the world is sleeping, five people working the late night shift meet in the cemetery for a smoke and a break from the menial labor they do. One night, they find a shallow grave has been dug, and a sleep-deprived investigation begins. This novella, spanning only 24 hours, expertly creates an atmospheric, spooky story that is only enhanced by the masterfully done full-cast narration of the audiobook. While there isn’t a ton of substance here, this novella reminded me just why I love Rio so much. She achieves a general unease through unnerving facts and questionable ethics of mad scientists and leaps made from sleep deprivation and it feels almost like an adult episode of Scooby Doo. This is the perfect novella to read when you want to immerse yourself into the spooky atmosphere of fall and makes me excited for whatever Rio does next. I really hope inspiration strikes for some more spooky novellas like this one.
Thank you for the arc. Book out: 09/24/2024...more
Chain-Gang All-Stars is a blatant critique of the prison industrial complex and the media industry as we lead up to the weeks where Loretta Thurwar haChain-Gang All-Stars is a blatant critique of the prison industrial complex and the media industry as we lead up to the weeks where Loretta Thurwar has her final gladiatorial style death match to become free after 3 years as a LINK in this profit-raising, deadly prison fight ring. There are a lot of points of view in this book which give a great visual and more room for talking points on prison abolition, police treatment of protestors, and more. The story is hit over the reader’s head a bit, but I think that that can be necessary in order for the message to not get muddled. The message is clear, as we see other horrific points of view and the way that civilians interact with the media/entertainment of the death matches and the more reality-esque tv-show of the lives of the LINKs. I personally found this to be done in a way where I was never entertained, because I felt a bit horrified, which shows to me that a good balance was struck of showing the “entertainment” that is being critiqued and other aspects to the story. While a gladiatorial combat death ring may seem a bit far-fetched, Adjei-Brenyah ties in how prisoners are used for-profit now and how this isn’t necessarily a big jump in the dystopian sense. Among other things, the facts that prison labor in the United States is the only legal form of slave labor in the USA and that the Angola Prison already has a biannual rodeo that has a very high injury rate and they incentivize the prisoners to participate in makes this dystopian reality seem not too far off. Like Angola prison's rodeo (but to a much higher degree), there are questions raised about whether or not a prisoner can consent to joining the death matches when the only other option are prisons with absolutely horrifying conditions. If the chain-gang is the only way out, are they really volunteering? I also really appreciate how abolitionists are questioned about what solutions exist outside of prison, and some of the abolitionists have to come to terms with their own prejudices of people in the prison system. While it stands incredibly well on its own, this is the only book that I feel even slightly comfortable giving a Hunger Games comp to.
I listened to the audiobook of this and have to add that the main narrator, Shayna Small, as well as the narrators with smaller roles, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio, all did an incredible job. Would highly recommend the audio version.
It is hard to write a review for something as personal as a memoir, especially for a person who I have loved for years before reading this. I first heIt is hard to write a review for something as personal as a memoir, especially for a person who I have loved for years before reading this. I first heard of Anna Marie Tendler through her ex-husband’s comedy, as many people did, but fell in love with her art. Her photographs that came out around the time her divorce became public are some of my favorite photographs ever and I still really want to buy one when I am able to. That being said, a lot of this book really rubbed me the wrong way. I am going to be cognizant of the fact that this is someone’s life I am reviewing and try to keep this as much to the book, not her. That being said, I think the most accurate one-star review I’ve come across for this called it a “self indulgent diary entry of an unhealthy enneagram 4,” and, as an enneagram 4 (I know, it’s hell for me too) I really have to agree. While I didn’t agree with a lot of the conclusions Tendler jumped to, I was carrying this knowledge that when I was an unhealthier person I would’ve also jumped to those conclusions. Maybe that’s why I had such a visceral reaction to this one.
The biggest problem this book suffered from was that there didn’t seem to be enough time for Tendler to have actually accepted and come to terms with why she had to admit herself into a psychiatric hospital. And maybe, further, with the fact that someone shouldn’t be given a book deal just because they have a famous ex-husband and went to a psychiatric hospital. A lot of this book almost felt like a defense for her mother. While the reader is shown these pretty shitty things that happen to her, the main offender is her mother, with her father and her (female) psychiatrist also doing some pretty shitty things. Instead of drawing the conclusion that she may have very bad mommy issues, ((view spoiler)[something the male psychiatrist that she had when she was in the hospital brought up in the report she read during the last chapter but of course she said it was just like a man to make this thing that was very much caused by men actual be the cause of a woman instead of actually having critical thought about how her mother’s treatment of her as a child/young adult affected her (hide spoiler)]) she gives examples of men being… kind of shitty but usually just in a way that everyone who has ever dated an emotional immature man (everyone who has dated a man) has dealt with and turned out… mostly fine because of? And she points at these as the reasons as to why she is messed up even though (view spoiler)[she started self-harming way before any men came into her life (hide spoiler)]. My own mother was suicidal and carried a visceral hatred of me for a very long time, starting when I was two years old. I am telling y’all this solely because, every time Tendler shared an anecdote of her mother, I was triggered because I know that tone, I know what it’s like to be scared when you know without a shadow of a doubt that the person who is abusive towards you will kill herself if you call her out or if your dad takes your side (as if you aren’t a literal child), so it’s better to just absorb the screaming and the yelling and the throwing, I know how it feels to never have your hobbies and interests be a priority when you’re in a period where you are reliant on the adults in your life to make them a hobby. I know what it’s like because that is the root issue of so many issues I have and, it seems like, a lot of the ones Tendler has. And maybe I’m just reading into this, but I think there just has to be some acknowledgement of how that affected her, and it instead felt like a denial of it which kind of broke my heart.
There is something about the way men and the patriarchy are portrayed in this memoir that doesn’t make me want to defend them perse, but just doesn’t really translate well for me. A lot of the issues she had with men, especially while she was still in school (NOTE: I am not including the ones where it was literal adult men dating a minor, there is and never will be any type of excuse for that ever and I will never defend any of that or say that that “wasn’t that bad.” In fact, I almost wish Tendler went harder against those relationships) were such normal experiences that it felt weird to have them be highlighted as much as they were. Like, yeah the majority of teenage boys are kind of shitty, especially when dating, that’s kind of just… life. And maybe it shouldn’t be life, but even though I had been through similar experiences, I wasn’t relating to her as much as wondering why it was important enough to be included. While men were shitty in the examples, (most of the time, I still don’t know why we’re supposed to be upset at that one guy who (view spoiler)[gave her $2,000 then when they immediately broke up she offered to repay him and he gave her a very kind option where she just had to cut his hair instead of financially pay him back (hide spoiler)]) there was a huge disconnect in what they did versus her despising all men. I am not saying that she has no right to feel that way towards men, I am just saying it didn’t translate well in this book. That could be because there is a pretty large gap of time with a specific man that is not mentioned at all in this book, but I’m not going to speculate about that. Additionally, Tendler seems to be of the view that the way that she is entrenched in the patriarchy and centers men is the norm for all women and is inescapable, which is a bold assumption especially for someone who is in her late 30s and has always sought out men that she can rely on financially so she doesn’t have to work to be able to survive. Obviously, the patriarchy is real, but there are circumstances that have made her overly reliant on men and therefore have to center them significantly more than the average woman and there are steps that she can take to decenter and no longer rely on men, starting with getting a job and being self-sufficient.
There seems to be a lack of self-reflection as Tendler recounts her life, blaming all of her situations on external things and not looking inwards. That isn’t to say that she is fully to blame for where she is in life, but it is to say that it made the book feel slanted and is another reason why I think the main issue is that the author needed to be further removed from the subject before she wrote about it. Some people may find comfort in this, and I probably would’ve when I was nineteen, but it’s not the type of memoir I’m interested in reading now. The last chapter, where she goes through psychiatrist's notes from when she was in the psychiatric hospital, make this extremely evident that she isn't willing to look at a point of view that doesn't align with her own and was of the more off-putting chapters as a whole.
On a much lighter note, I also just didn’t like how this book was written. There was so much extraneous detail added. Like, there were so many sections that were just in-depth step-by-step explanations of parts of the day that didn’t really warrant that much detail and took away from the meat of the book. A lot of times, I just felt like the things that I would’ve preferred to be the focus were right out of frame. Much of the book was just self-indulgent, riddled with instances of her mentioning how tiny and young she looks (if you’ve ever had any type of ed, you know exactly what she’s doing), and really just never having any type of self-realization or forward movement that would warrant a book, in my opinion.
Ending on a more positive note, the standout chapter was the second to last one about Petunia. It was quite heartbreaking, but well done. Additionally, Tendler does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. I think the best thing I learned from this book was to be very careful about judging celebrity personal issues (such as divorce), because we don’t know these people and we only have a glimpse of what’s going on and really should not be making assumptions especially so we can paint someone who is also going through a very bad time in a poor light....more
Have you ever wanted to read a book version of a Disney Channel Original Movie? If so, boy do I have the book for you! This book exudes nostalgia for Have you ever wanted to read a book version of a Disney Channel Original Movie? If so, boy do I have the book for you! This book exudes nostalgia for the semi-unpolished, kind of formulaic, but very fun DCOMs of the early 00’s/10’s and it really is such a fun, nostalgic ride that really just portrays a cute relationship that is so high school. Shoutout to adira and s.’s great reviews for getting me to read this sweet book (and remember 3 stars is still a good rating, please let me join the cult thank you <3).
“It seems to me that because of things like car accidents and lost loves, life and death, and broken hearts we should grab every moment and absolutely devour the good parts. Wouldn’t she want that? For me to adlib my life instead of living by some typed in 12-point courier new script?”
This is a really cute romcom following super romance obsessed, kind of delusional Liz as she tries to have a Prom (and senior year in general) that her late mother would be proud of while dealing with her incredibly annoying yet cute neighbor, Wes. Through a (arguably) mutually beneficial scheme, Wes and Liz end up spending a lot of time together as they try to get Michael, a childhood friend who moved away and recently came back, to ask Liz to prom. What ensues is a pretty cute plot about Liz realizing maybe, just maybe she doesn’t have to have the perfect movie-like romance and maybe she should let life ride it’s course and allow herself to feel how she actually feels instead of push herself to feel a way that would help her have her dream happily ever after. I would say there is about the same amount of growth as the DCOMs I’m reminded of, but we do have some really heart wrenching moments as we watch how the incredibly avoidant Liz is trying to process her grief in the only way she knows how. This is a love story, but it’s also about Liz learning how to be her own person and process her grief in a more healthy way (albeit, I’m not sure if she fully got there, but she’s making some steps). I was a big fan of Wes, Joss, and Helena the whole time and this probably would’ve been four stars if I had been given any break from Liz’s pov.
I’ve decided that I prefer these types of romcoms in movie format rather than book format because I really don’t like being in the head of a girl making really stupid decisions because she is so obsessed with boys and a fantasy that she constantly hurts every around her and I had to LISTEN to her think through those decisions and rationalize them in her head. I know it was the center of the plot, but it was torture to have to be in the head of someone who just was so avoidant and was a big fan of ditching her friends for boys. Where I would’ve had a bunch of fun in a romcom, I was screaming about how her friends/family were wayyyy too lenient with her and that someone should have had Liz put in grief counseling/therapy YEARS ago so that she could be some semblance of a human being. I feel weird talking about how much I didn’t like Liz, because I know she was going through some major unprocessed grief, but I don’t know. I ship Liz and therapy and honestly do not see how her and Wes would have any possibility of working out long term if she doesn’t go through some major self-reflective changes. I’m still interested in book 2 and really hope that Liz’s growth as a person is more of a focal point as we watched a lot of her being static in a really bad place which made it really hard for me to read from her pov, no matter how much I understood her.
Once I got to Chapter 15, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the book. At lot of stuff was really well done, especially her friends, “enemy”, and family and the ending was incredibly satisfying and cute. The last three chapters really were the classic movie ending feel and were sweet. I can see why people eat this up. While I do wish we got a little bit more closure and discussion with how she treated her friends and Wes, I recognized that this book wasn't going to delve into that as deeply as I wanted it to before I finished it. I did really adore how her relationship with her stepmom Helena progressed and found that aspect of the ending to be my favorite part.
Extra points for a great book playlist being included, special extra points for Death With Dignity aka one of my current favorite songs being on it, we love Sufjan in this house. Points deducted for the “oh my god you’re not like other girls because you eat burgers not salads” scene in a book released in 2021, Wes being HUGE, and random things that she was doing during the entire book not being brought up until they were relevant, lessening their value to me.
Audiobook I listened to this on audible and Jesse Vilinsky was the PERFECT narrator. She really nails the semi-delusional, boy-obsessed Liz – like she sounds exactly as I would have pictured her. I highly recommend the audiobook version....more
I am a simple person - I see Dungeons and Dragons as a major part of a book & I want to read it immediately.
This is a cute little book where theatre I am a simple person - I see Dungeons and Dragons as a major part of a book & I want to read it immediately.
This is a cute little book where theatre kid Riley, our protagonist, is forced to work at her dad's game shop for two months after she steals her mom's car so she and her best friend can go see a musical a few hours away (Waitress, great choice). There she has to work with nerdy guy Nathan, who she does end up in a mutually beneficial fake dating/flirting sort of relationship with. She's also invited into Nathan's Dungeons and Dragons campaign, which she agrees to to get out of working. Obviously, none of this works out according to plan.
This book is a quintessential high school nerd romance. The fake dating and insane amount of miscommunication that comes from it is perfect for a high school situation where you don't really understand your own feelings and are a bit self-conscious and super unsure of everything, especially people's opinions of you.
When Riley is begrudgingly introduced to Dungeons and Dragons, her tune soon changes when she realizes "it's like improve meets choose your own adventure." She creates her human bard that is very obviously a self-insert (we've all been there) and starts on her tragic backstory like any respectable first time D&D player. The boys help her along the way and are super enthusiastic to have another player. There is a moment when the literal Dungeon Master (DM) mentions that he can't do all his accents BECAUSE he's the DM as if the best thing about being a DM isn't all of the incredibly silly accents you get to do. But that's fine and it's definitely not the biggest thing I've been thinking about after finishing this book last night...
I thought the Dungeons and Dragons and musical parts were done really well. This is only a 300 page book and fitting both of those interests, growing friendships, family issues AND fake dating drama was a lot so it did all feel a little rushed and underdeveloped at times (especially the family aspects). The side characters were all really wonderfully done, but I do wish we got to see a bit more of them. The big thing I feel like we missed out on was her bonding with her dad since 90% of it was done off page.
Highly recommend the audiobook, Eva Kaminsky does a great job....more
Leap years are magical and unexplainable times. Ricki Wilde, youngest child of Atlanta funeral home owner, has had her path set out for her since she Leap years are magical and unexplainable times. Ricki Wilde, youngest child of Atlanta funeral home owner, has had her path set out for her since she was a child. She has always been one to forgo this plan, so, when she decides to leave Atlanta and head to Harlem to open her own flower shop her family is disappointed, but not surprised. She settles in with her loving benefactor and proclaimed new grandmother, Miss Della, and her new best friend, former child star Tuesday. In the midst of navigating a new city and starting a new business on her own, February 2024 rolls around and weird things start to happen, centering around a strange yet handsome man.
My favorite part of this one was the exploration between the contrast of Harlem in the 1920’s and the gentrified Harlem that exists today. There were a lot of really interesting historical tidbits and commentary on how an overwhelmingly high amount of black people have been pushed out of Harlem. There were also a lot of really fun references to some old black musical icons. I wish we got to see more of it, but it was done really well.
Ezra and Ricki, while seemingly drawn to each other, felt very bland to me. I liked both of them on their own but felt no spark when they were together, which was unfortunate. Take this with a grain of salt as I am a lesbian who hates 99% of the M/F sex scenes that I read about, but the sex scenes were very meh to me. I made it through one of them, then skipped over the second one as I just didn’t want to deal with it. That being said, that could be (probably is) a personal thing.
Here is the thing, this book had a lot of stuff packed into it. So much stuff that it felt like I was reading a long prologue for about 40% of it – which is not something I’m really interested in when I pick up contemporary romance books, or really any books besides high fantasy. This book somehow dragged out yet had some many points that felt incredibly underdeveloped and moved too fast. I firmly believe that this could’ve really shone as a trilogy or at least two separate books. There were so many things I wish could’ve gotten more developed, but there genuinely was no time. A lot of plot points suffered (namely Ezra’s entire past), but so did the romance. The concept of this book really is the textbook definition of insta-love, so I didn’t mind it that much, but man I felt like there was no development or chemistry between Ezra and Ricki. I liked them separately, but it really felt like the only reason they were interested in each other at all was the mysterious pull they felt. The most fleshed out part of this book was Miss Della, Ricki’s elderly landlady, and I adored her and her story (even though I do think she could’ve been more fleshed out). The epilogue was also very sweet and warmed my heart.
While I didn’t particularly enjoy this one, I can see how others will and would still recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting. I think I probably would’ve enjoyed this a lot more if it was a movie.
Audiobook
The narrators, Mela Lee and Preston Butler, did an incredible job with this audiobook. While it wasn’t my favorite audiobook, these are some of my favorite narrators I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. If you’re interested in reading this one, I’d definitely recommend checking out the audiobook.
2.5/5
Thank you Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for the audio arc. ...more
“Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must c “Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”
If you’re looking for a whimsy filled adventure, you’ve come to the right book. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is the tale of twelve-year-old September, a young girl who is Ravished from her home and taken to Fairyland by The Green Wind. We follow her as she realizes that something is not quite right in Fairyland and tries to help people in the small ways she can, meeting some very exciting companions along the way (the Wyverary in particular is an absolute favorite).
As we follow September, we see the strength of a child, who has no fear and whose heart is still growing. She questions a lot of the status quo in Fairyland and, by doing so, makes the inhabitants start questioning things themselves. She helps people when she can, but she also sees how, especially under these terrible living conditions, people can be bought out to do pretty bad things. By questioning the things she sees as wrong in Fairyland she starts to see the negative similarities between the real world, which took her father away and makes her mother work all day, and Fairyland, which she was so eager to go to. When questioning the rules of Fairyland, she is told “We all live inside the terrible engines of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say lines on a map are silly.” - a very real critique of the real world.
“By the time you’re half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it’s so grunged up with living. So every once in a while, you have to scrub it up and get the works going or else you’ll never be brave again.”
This book is about being brave in a few ways. September has to be brave in Fairyland as she is given some dangerous tasks, but she also has to be brave when she comes home in the real world. Outside of Fairyland her father has been drafted in the war and her mother works long hours in the boiling room and she is alone most of the day. In one heartbreaking line she reflects on her time with her mom, saying “I keep everything as clean as I can so that when she comes home she’ll be happy, and tell me stories before bed, and teach me about boilers and things that she knows.” In another it’s revealed that she doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to her mom (who she loves dearly) when she’s going to Fairyland because her mom is always gone before she wakes up and never says goodbye to her, so she didn’t think she had to. We only see small moments of this absolute loneliness she feels because the world took the time of both of her parents away from her, but we can really feel it. This unfairness at the world sits with her and is thrown back in her face when she calls out Fairyland for being cruel and unfair, when it is just as cruel and unfair as where she came from.
“You would never feel cheated by the colors of a Fairyland forest or the morbidity of the Fairyland moon.”
While there is some sadness to this book, it is so full of this quick wit and silliness that can really only be found in middle-grade books. When she accidentally interrupts a wedding, September remarks: “But it’s their wedding night!” protested September. “Surely, they would like to retire with milk and a nice book!” (a very valid point if I ever heard one). The witches who tell the future are all dressed up because “We have to dress well,” whispered Goodbye, “or the future will not take us seriously.” Children have an easier time making decisions because they are heartless, as their hearts are still growing inside of them (but don’t worry, reading quickens the growth of hearts). Stuff like this really just brings together the book and makes it such a joy to read.
“Is she very terrible?” The Green Wind frowned into his brambly beard. “All little girls are terrible,” he admitted finally, “but the Marquess, at least, has a very fine hat.”
I’m a bit sad this book didn’t exist when I was a kid because I know my 10–12-year-old self would’ve been obsessed with it. Nonetheless, this was a lovely read and made me very happy when I was feeling very unwell and that’s something....more
Imogen, Obviously follows super straight very cool ally Imogen as she spends her senior year spring break at her friend Lili's college with her and heImogen, Obviously follows super straight very cool ally Imogen as she spends her senior year spring break at her friend Lili's college with her and her friends. Right before Lili left for college she came out to Imogen as pansexual, now she has a great group of queer friends, and Imogen feels incredibly inadequate and has been avoiding talking to her for pretty much the whole year. Once we get to college we see that all of these fears were pretty unfounded and silly because Lili is the best, but get dropped a bombshell. Lili, who was feeling insecure as a baby gay, told her new friends that she dated super straight Imogen, so now Imogen has to pretend to be bi to keep the gag going. The problem? Lili has a super hot and cool next door neighbor, Tessa, who makes Imogen start questioning whether she actually is straight. But Imogen has always been surrounded by queer people - her sister, her two best friends, ... - and she'd obviously already 100% know if she liked girls, right?
This story really is so sweet. It's about our anxiety-ridden people-pleasing protagonist stumbling through discovering herself and finding an accepting community. Imogen is an incredibly relatable character, trying to ensure she gets everything right and doesn't upset anyone ever and losing a bit of herself in the process. Her blossoming romance with Tessa is a bit clumsy, but beautiful and realistic. I imagined Tessa as Ruby Cruz in bottoms (as seen below) so I really had no choice but to love her. I really really loved this relationship and the dynamic they had, so much so that it is probably my favorite relationship I’ve read about in a modern romance story?? I have to bring astrology into this because Becky brought it up first by telling us Imogen and Tessa's star signs, but I definitely related to the mcs because Imogen is a Scorpio (my moon) and Tessa is a Cancer (my sun) which was such a fun little surprise. [image]
"Its like there's this idea that you have to earn your label through suffering and then you have to prove it with who you date, how you dress, how other people perceive you." / "It feels bigger than I want it to be. Do I really have to announce this? Can't I just feel something and live inside it while it's happening and not analyze it to death? While this book is a cute queer love story, it's primary purpose is pretty obviously to discuss and condemn the growing trend of chronically online (usually young) queer people forcing people to come out before they are ready and the harmful effects of putting people into boxes and stereotyping the queer community. This book is a direct response to Albertalli's own coming out situation, where she was forced out of the closet due to criticisms of her writing a book centering a gay relationship (Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda). There is also a situation discussed that is incredibly similar to Heartstopper actor, Kit Connor's forced coming out story in 2022 due to the backlash of an actor who was perceived as being straight playing a bisexual character. The main antagonist, who is also bisexual, weaponizes their sexuality and trauma to pretty consistently invalidate not only our protagonist (who is actively coming to terms with her sexuality) but also literally anyone she deems not queer enough. These people are all queer, they just don't fit in her little box of what it means to be queer. This is an issue that has become much more relevant in the past few years and Albertalli does an incredible job of exploring the nuances of why a person may act in this way while still showing how unacceptable the behavior is. Seriously, I've met or seen so many people like this and she absolutely nails it with this character, it gave me flashbacks. Her family and Lili and her college friends show a different side. They represent wonderful acceptable people who understand that sexuality can be fluid and sometimes it takes a little longer to discover who you are. They directly contrast this idea of queerness that forces queer people into a box by accepting Imogen and making space for the way she is queer instead of trying to push her into that box.
"I've always had such a pliable center, I like being who people expect me to be. It's not that I'm trying to change who I am, I just want who I am to make sense." Was the main character... me? Imogen is so in her head that she cannot figure out her emotions. Everything she tries to process has to go through the feelings of everyone else who could be affected before she even tries to confront it, and by then the thought is so watered down that it's barely anything. Once she realizes she has a crush on a girl, she takes endless quizzes to try and get other people to tell her what her sexuality is and is constantly so in fear of being wrong about her own feelings that she invalidates herself. I realized I liked girls when I was 15, I realized I didn't like boys when I was 25. The number of quizzes I took in an attempt to be told a definite answer of what my sexuality was both this year and 10 years ago was... staggering. The fears of telling people because what if they don't believe me? What if I'm wrong like I was before? Insurmountable. I loved these moments that Albertalli added in that really show what it's like for someone realizes they are queer later in life, it made me feel a lot more connected to the story. It was so incredibly nice to be in the brain of someone who has the exact type of anxiety as me. Every time she was in her little overthinking spiral, I was just sitting there like girl you're so right!! Imogen realizes her sexuality relatively late in life and a lot of it is attributed to her existing in a way that caters to the existence of other people, by slightly changing herself with everyone she's with and not really having an opportunity to be her true self with anyone (same girl). When she is with Lili and Lili's college friends, you can see how she visibly relaxes and, while she still does it, it's significantly toned down and she is allowed a chance to discover who she is without the influence of more aggressive voices telling her who she should be.
Anyways I finished this audiobook in one night and, while I could've done with a lot less pop culture references, I'm starting to realize that maybe I do love cute romances - I've just been reading ones that I'm not exactly the target audience for. This was an absolute joy to read....more
This is the messiest, most chaotic, most brutally honest and raw memoir I've ever read and I was SAT for it the whole time. Julia Fox is an icon and IThis is the messiest, most chaotic, most brutally honest and raw memoir I've ever read and I was SAT for it the whole time. Julia Fox is an icon and I love her for it. We follow her as she battles addiction her whole life, deals with neglectful parents, becomes a dominatrix, gets a few big breaks, overdoses multiple times, loses friends, survives horrendous relationships, and just keeps moving forward. It feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion, but she ends up fine in the end. Highly recommend the audiobook, read by Julia herself....more
This is one of those books that made me question if i was cringing 24/7 bc i’m me or bc the couple had no chemistry or communication skills and all ofThis is one of those books that made me question if i was cringing 24/7 bc i’m me or bc the couple had no chemistry or communication skills and all of their sex scenes were very cringey ...more
"We are not raised to recognize wintering or to acknowledge it's inevitability, instead we tend to see it as a humiliation, something that should be "We are not raised to recognize wintering or to acknowledge it's inevitability, instead we tend to see it as a humiliation, something that should be hidden from view lest we shock the world too greatly."
This is a really comforting book about going through hardtimes and how going through rough patches is just a phase of life. It shows how we should be showing up for others and how we aren't alone in those feelings. A very nice and comforting listen. ...more
"Mortals can hope for death, or redemption. You can hope for nothing. All you can hope for is the mercy of Hell."
3.75/5
An angel and a demon band to "Mortals can hope for death, or redemption. You can hope for nothing. All you can hope for is the mercy of Hell."
3.75/5
An angel and a demon band together to try to prevent the apocalypse because of how much they love earth, everything goes wrong (for all sides), and it’s… a really fun read. ...more
How is it possible to fit such a beautiful story in only 30 pages?
In this short story we follow a young orphan as she is called by the Saint of War tHow is it possible to fit such a beautiful story in only 30 pages?
In this short story we follow a young orphan as she is called by the Saint of War to fight for a prince. We watch as her story evolves time after time and we feel pain and longing and sorrow and, finally, hope. This is a beautiful story that only takes an hour or so to read/listen to and has made me feel more than most full length books I’ve read....more
An incredibly important book about how climate displacement is already affecting America and what the future looks like. There is a lot of really goodAn incredibly important book about how climate displacement is already affecting America and what the future looks like. There is a lot of really good information in this one that shows how people have been routinely screwed over by big corporations in the interest of development and money. Bittle paints a harrowing picture of the stress that climate change is already putting on a broken social, class, and governmental system while giving actionable steps to make a change. From floods in North Carolina to wildfires in California to erosion of the bayous in Louisiana, this book is filled with information, both personal and structural, about the people most affected by climate change in the United States. Sometimes, it does read like a textbook, but I found the audiobook to be an excellent companion on my walks.
pre-review: genuinely tweaking over the fact that realtors/current owners are not legally required to disclose if a house has previously been flooded (and usually don’t, especially in FLOOD AREAS) and you aren’t allowed to request flood history unless you are the house owner (aka when it’s too late). moral of the story: the system sucks and is predatory as hell because it only cares about development and profit as per usual....more
This is the bro-y-est book I’ve ever read which is honestly kind of impressive (but not in a fun way).
A bunch of horny 100+ year old frat boys try anThis is the bro-y-est book I’ve ever read which is honestly kind of impressive (but not in a fun way).
A bunch of horny 100+ year old frat boys try and solve a mystery and sexually harass their mid twenties girl boss female friend because apparently male/female friendships can only exist if everyone is sexually attracted to each other.
This book was wayyyy too long, wayyyy too weirdly gendered, poorly plotted, and had the most unlikeable, selfish characters who are incapable of thinking about anything other than themselves for 1 second (like every sjm main character i guess).
+ 1 star for the last chapter, Lidia, Ruhn, and Baxian.
I was planning on reading book 3 because I did enjoy book 1, but I think I’m done with this series. ...more
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