This was very cute! I didn't know what to expect and I think a lot of folks will enjoy (me included) that this is the beginning of a romance and thereThis was very cute! I didn't know what to expect and I think a lot of folks will enjoy (me included) that this is the beginning of a romance and there isn't much romance or pining on page at all. There's no explicit content, closed door or otherwise, and that's nice to have.
This is a good novella but for me I was missing what these two actually liked about each other. We get both POVs and I almost wished this had been a QPR situation. I love seeing fat rep and I almost always enjoy food/baking rep, but I just wanted a bit more out of everything. The strongest plot point is the FMCs relationship with her estranged father and I loved seeing that. I also loved how queer it all was but I don't know if it's one I'll reread....more
Crystal Maldonado has done it again and delivered a queer fat brown rom-com of my dreams. I love it so much. I feel like there aren't very many fall /Crystal Maldonado has done it again and delivered a queer fat brown rom-com of my dreams. I love it so much. I feel like there aren't very many fall / autumn books but this is the epitome of autumnal. I love that our main character, Whit, is allowed to be so enthusiastically girly and that there's not a single ounce of pumpkin spice latte hate. I loved the PCOS representation and the romance element all of it was fantastic.
Whit's younger sister is autistic and she's introduced as autistic after a long list of all of her wonderful qualities and that made my heart very happy. I ended up doing a word search into the actual ebook because I listened to the audiobook and was trying to figure out whether or not the author ever used identity first language again. And I realized this is a secondary character and maybe she just doesn't know, but the sister's referred to as autistic and then afterward two or three times referred to as a person with autism. This is very much me nitpicking because the actual autism rep was fantastic and I loved her but I do think our main character was a little bit out of touch with what that actually meant.
That being said, I do love Whit's growth throughout the story and realizing that things are not all about her. I would have loved to see another conversation between Whit and her sister about how her sister's autism actually presented because she continuously thinks there are things that her sister would enjoy or like to do yet those are things that would directly cause overstimulation or something. Anyway I think I'm just rambling at this point so let's just ignore all that I really love this one and I'm really happy that I bought the audiobook because I definitely will be rereading this next fall.
I liked this one just a little bit more than the first one. So often enemies to lovers isn't real enemies to lovers. Like the people maybe don't like I liked this one just a little bit more than the first one. So often enemies to lovers isn't real enemies to lovers. Like the people maybe don't like each other or they don't get along right away but they very quickly get over that. That isn't the case here. Maria has a genuine reason to dislike Jay and he has to work really hard to earn her trust and respect and love and he has to put his own ego aside and develop some serious patience because there was a reason that there were some enemy ties here.
I will always love the idea of online relationships turning into real relationships. I think it really highlights the importance of online friendships and how influential and emotional they can be. Online relationships get written off so quickly as fake or less than but they're not. It is possible to develop deep and emotional connections without ever having a met or even talked to the other person on the phone or in person.
Anyway, this was really good and I'm always looking for more books with trans women main characters and this is definitely going on all my lists.
This was so so good. I cannot express to you how difficult it is to find books with fat queer neurodivergent main characters that are done well and I This was so so good. I cannot express to you how difficult it is to find books with fat queer neurodivergent main characters that are done well and I am thrilled to be able to add this to those that are well done.
The story follows these two best friends who skip a field trip and end up in the shifting corn maze in Indiana where they keep finding dead versions of themselves. We have Sadie who is fat bisexual with ADHD and potentially also autistic and then we have Logan who is queer BIPOC with ADHD. They're best friends and there's no romance and that is such a breath of fresh air.
Anyway so they're stuck in this corn maze and they're trying to figure out how it all works what's going on how to get out how long they've been there etc. They find things from other people and other dead bodies and then there is this underlying theme of exploring how toxic and abusive relationships can impact our lives and futures.
The whole thing is both intensely creepy and super heartwarming and I can't explain it. You just have to trust me and go for it.
The first half of this book is much creepier than the second half. The first half really spends time setting the scene and explaining the elements of the corn maze and the second half focuses a lot on The characters and their own development within this maze and their relationships.
Note to my fellow scaredy cats out there don't listen to this audiobook at 3:00 in the morning in the dark when you're driving to work in Indiana. It is a bad choice okay. I regretted my decision.
I also want to make a note about the fat representation. It is phenomenal. It is both a huge part of this book and just another character trait of Sadie. Sadie is confident in her body but also deals with what all fat people deal with which is this constant need to be smaller and the internalized fat phobia we all have to work through. She also has some other baggage to get through but she has a supportive best friend who acknowledges her fatness without shaming her for it or denying it. She and Logan are both unapologetically queer and unapologetically neurodiverse. This is all told through Sadie's perspective and we get a lot of her thoughts and the way her brain works which is so relatable. She isn't technically written as autistic but I read her as autistic. Something about all of her sensory and thought processes really hit home for me.
I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough It is the perfect spooky season book and I realize that we're past spooky season now but you should still read it....more
Perfect. It's perfect. I legitimately loved every single thing about this one.Perfect. It's perfect. I legitimately loved every single thing about this one....more
I kind of love this. I love a story where the friends are still friends at the end and don't fall in love. I really appreciate that highlight on platoI kind of love this. I love a story where the friends are still friends at the end and don't fall in love. I really appreciate that highlight on platonic queer relationships even amongst the craziness that is a book about a serial killer.
That being said, I said it once and I'll say it again, it is 2023 and if you are going to have a book with a large group of queer kids, you have to have an aspec character. I don't know how to explain it to people. The A exists in the acronym for a reason and it would not have been hard to plop an ace or aro character in there. I actually think that it could have been a wonderful commentary about what loneliness is and how aromantic people are constantly told that they're lonely. This whole book is based on a serial killer who knows when people have been broken up with or are inherently lonely and I would have loved to see an aromantic person outwardly survive this and pretty much stick it to the man.
Beyond the continued absence of aspec people, this book was really good and one that I would definitely recommend for your spooky season reads....more
I'm so behind on reviews and it has been weeks since I've read this but I loved it so much. Absolutely exceptional read that I cannot recommend enoughI'm so behind on reviews and it has been weeks since I've read this but I loved it so much. Absolutely exceptional read that I cannot recommend enough...more
I liked this one. It was cute well also tackling some more serious themes and giving a nice level of angst. I especially liked the sibling dynamic witI liked this one. It was cute well also tackling some more serious themes and giving a nice level of angst. I especially liked the sibling dynamic with Ishu and her sister. Hani and her mom's relationship was also super cute and healthy and lovely. Hani's friends though can go jump in a ditch.
I think this is my second favorite of Adiba Jaigirdar's books with the do's and donuts of Love holding out that top spot. You're just never going to beat fat sapphic baking for me ...more
I really enjoyed this one. I loved the storyline and all of the wonderful representation. I feel like I would have liked a little bit more context on I really enjoyed this one. I loved the storyline and all of the wonderful representation. I feel like I would have liked a little bit more context on the magic system but as a whole this is a great fantasy read and I definitely recommend it.
Disabled latine bigender MC, disabled trans gay MC. Both use mobility aids and have chronic pain. Secondary queer and trans characters...more
THIS BOOK. HOLY FREAKING WOW. IT LIVES IN MY BRAIN RENT FREE NOW.
Murderous sirens and a super diverse cast of characters was exactly the type of enerTHIS BOOK. HOLY FREAKING WOW. IT LIVES IN MY BRAIN RENT FREE NOW.
Murderous sirens and a super diverse cast of characters was exactly the type of energy I needed today.
So, here's the rundown. You've got this story of this big ship that went out to the Mariana Trench to do research and everyone died. The footage that was discovered (because it was funded by an entertainment media company that makes horror movies) showed horrendous creatures brutally murdering the people and everyone wrote it off as a hoax or special effects. Mermaids couldn't be real, right?
Fast forward a few years and Imagine Media wants to send another crew out. They reach out to the best and brightest in marine biology and oceanography and set forth to find the mermaids.
This book is wild. From start to finish, it's nonstop tension. While some say the plot is slow I strongly disagree because you are just waiting for something tragic to happen, and happen it does.
So if you're looking for a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat book with killer sirens and a diverse and incredibly developed cast of characters, this is the one for you. Please tell me if you've read this or if you do because I want to talk about it.
Olivia: autistic lesbian geek beauty, the face of Imagine entertainment
Tori: bisexual badass scientist who wants to avenge the death of her sister (who died on the first voyage) and learn to understand the mermaids
Hallie and Holly and Heather: the sisters. Deaf identical twins and their older sister. All different types of scientists.
Jacque and Michi: killers. Literally. Like big game killers hired to kill the mermaids if necessary. Honestly bad people but absolute romance goals. Iconic.
Jillian Toth: the original sirentologist, super badass icon, and problem child.
Theo Blackwell: Imagine PR and head of voyage, physically disabled and the estranged husband of Dr. Toth.
Did I copy and paste my caption from my Instagram post about this book that I wrote immediately after finishing it? Yeah pretty much.
I do want to expand upon some of my thoughts because Instagram captions are only so long but holy freaking nuts this book is wild. It was so good and so unique and interesting that I felt like a rubber band ready to snap the whole time because of how much tension I had. I was worried for them! Those fuckers were going to die. And some of them do. This is definitely one of those books where you're going through it and you're like are any of the characters going to survive this? Spoiler yes some of them do but definitely not all of them.
I still can't quite explain why the big game hunter couple were some of my favorite characters. There was something about them being so unlikable yet so in love with each other that just did it for me I guess. There really is someone for everyone if they want them I suppose.
Reread thoughts: I can't figure out if this was more stressful the second time around because you knew what was coming. The scene with Ray and Olivia caused heart palpitations in the bad way and the pool scene. If you know you know. This book is still absolutely amazing and definitely one of my favorites of the year....more
Eh. It's been a good long while since I have been truly blown away by an NR Walker book and that breaks my heart because some of her books are my absoEh. It's been a good long while since I have been truly blown away by an NR Walker book and that breaks my heart because some of her books are my absolute favorites but they're all older ones. It seems like all of the ones in the past year have been this light and easy angst free incredibly predictable and ultimately boring stories. It's sad. This one isn't necessarily bad but I can't get over the fact that she's got books like Red Dirt Heart in Tallowwood and Galaxies and Oceans out there and then there's this. There's also so many similarities and I don't know if it's just because it's the same narrator as a lot of her other books or that I've listened to Upside Down 30 something times but you start to recognize the exact phrasing of specific things that gets repeated.
I'm not totally writing off this book because it is the first in a series and there is potential for growth but I'm also not getting my hopes up. I'm just going to wait for the other two to come out on audio too until I read them....more
Starling House is such a cozy gothic fairytale with monsters that bite. It's romantic and haunting and atmospheric and creepy. I've always loved Alix Starling House is such a cozy gothic fairytale with monsters that bite. It's romantic and haunting and atmospheric and creepy. I've always loved Alix Harrow's writing and Natalie Naudus does a phenomenal job narrating.
Starling House is a gothic mansion that people in this small town know not to go near. Theres lore about the house that goes back to the towns founding and the most powerful family in the town getting what's coming to them for their crimes. There's a story that's about the underland and monsters that live there who will protect at any cost necessary but can also cause unknown harm as well.
I realize this review is a mess but it's what I've got for now. Put this on your spooky TBRs friends because it's a perfect Halloween read....more
This is a nice solid book. I always love reading queer romance books with older main characters and this one we have one in their '50s and one and theThis is a nice solid book. I always love reading queer romance books with older main characters and this one we have one in their '50s and one and their 40s I believe. One of them is the president and one of them is a renowned heart surgeon. I think this is a fun step away from the current reality of the US and I would love to imagine a world where we had an openly bisexual woman president. Sounds like a freaking dream.
I do think the pacing is a little bit off sometimes and I wish we had more of their conversations on page but as a whole it was good and solid.
This was so freaking good! I think it's my favorite Dahlia Adler book so far and I loved everything about it. It's a sort of choose your own adventureThis was so freaking good! I think it's my favorite Dahlia Adler book so far and I loved everything about it. It's a sort of choose your own adventure style where we get two simultaneous timelines based on which choice the main character ends up making. My favorite part of this book is the ending and there was one storyline that I enjoyed more than the other and I loved that we were able to see that choose your own adventure style continued throughout the ending.
Highly recommend.
Jewish Bisexual MC
Spoilers!!!!
Spoilers!!!
I was Team Adam the entire time. I don't know what it was about him but I love him and I loved their start to finish romance versus the working often already existing crush that was Ellie's timeline. That being said I did like the MC's relationship with her mom more from the New York timeline but I appreciated it all either way....more
Well this one is a hard one to rate and review and to read. It is told from the perspective of Mara who was a twin and loves her best friend and everyWell this one is a hard one to rate and review and to read. It is told from the perspective of Mara who was a twin and loves her best friend and everything changes after one party. After the party Mara's twin brother Owen is accused of raping one of Mara's friends and it's messy and complicated. This is by far one of the most realistic portrayals of sexual assault and how sexual assault is handled in society. I really appreciated that the characters were allowed to make their own decisions and had really decent character arcs. You felt the struggle that Mara went through with whether or not she was going to believe her brother or her friend and how she was supposed to make a decision.
I think that this book should be universally recommended of course with the content warning that this could absolutely be triggering regarding rape and sexual assault. There are on page descriptions of an assault and it is difficult to get through.
With that being said and while I did still enjoy this book and I would recommend it, I didn't love the secondary romance plot line and I didn't really like the secondary characters. A chunk of this book is taken up where Mara is trying to deal with her crash on her best friend Charlie. They dated and then they didn't date and it was unnecessarily complicated for an already complicated book. I don't think that there needed to be a romance in this and would have been just fine with a queer main character going through something truly traumatic.
One of my favorite parts of this book was actually Mara and Owens best friend Alex connecting and growing their friendship and grieving together. I thought that was a really nuanced and delicate plot and scene and was done exceptionally well....more
You would think that with a title like if tomorrow doesn't come I would have realized that this book discusses suicide and the end of the world but I You would think that with a title like if tomorrow doesn't come I would have realized that this book discusses suicide and the end of the world but I once again didn't read a synopsis. Don't be like me, friends, read the content warnings especially if you too deal with suicidal ideation or depression.
This one was a bit rough for me in terms of just hitting a little bit too hard but the book itself is wonderful and I definitely recommend it. Our main character is planning to commit suicide at the beginning of this book until she figures out that there is an asteroid headed for Earth that's going to hit in 9 days. So she ends up trying to get out of her college town and home to her family and her best friend who she's in love with. This is told in a present timeline but also has flashbacks throughout her life. It's incredibly well done and I even liked the ending....more
Oh my gosh there was so much happening in this book. And after finishing I can recognize that this book almost needs this many moving parts but in theOh my gosh there was so much happening in this book. And after finishing I can recognize that this book almost needs this many moving parts but in the moment it was a lot borderline too much. There's so many characters to follow and so many plot points that things get muddled and confusing and I feel like we lose a little bit of time with our main character....more
We love a found family here. I really fell in love with all the characters from blue and Levi's books and was really happy to see that Will got his owWe love a found family here. I really fell in love with all the characters from blue and Levi's books and was really happy to see that Will got his own story as well. I do wish this book had a prologue of the ghost tour that Will did with Jem because it's referenced so many times and I needed to know what happened and why it was so funny. Maybe I totally blanked and it was there and I dissociated during that entire chapter but I don't remember it being there. I actually just gas lit myself into going back and double-checking that there is not a prologue and can confirm but there is not. Someone tell me if there's a short story somewhere that I'm missing.
Anyway, I liked the ghosty elements to this and it was okay. I don't know if I was just so freaked out by the mysterious and amazing blue Billings that anything I'm reading afterward isn't leveling up, but this didn't feel the same. Obviously it's a different story and it's a different ghost and stuff but I wasn't as scared. I wanted more.
The last quarter of this book is the best part....more
This is a cozy, cute, and steamy novella. I initially picked this one up because of the fat representation, which is excellent, but I really liked theThis is a cozy, cute, and steamy novella. I initially picked this one up because of the fat representation, which is excellent, but I really liked the story as a whole too. With a Black fat bisexual main character with a Black sapphic love interest. There is a gay secondary character. This is a childhood friends who lose contact and then run into each other again and then go out on a date and fall in love.
I do think this could have been longer and it would have been better but it's solid as it is. It packs a lot into these 60 to 80 some pages. I honestly can't remember how long it is but it is short....more
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