this book follows five friends trying to outrun and outmatch the underground world of sex work. when kalu makes a decision at his f2024 reads: 244/250
this book follows five friends trying to outrun and outmatch the underground world of sex work. when kalu makes a decision at his friend ahmed’s sex party that will plunge them all into chaos, the friends are brought into danger they’re not sure they can escape.
what i love about akwaeke emezi’s books is that every one of them is different. i went into this book not having much of an idea as to what it had in store for me, and honestly, i don’t really think it would have been possible to know what to expect anyway. still, i enjoyed how each imperfect character moved through this story. i can’t wait to read more from emezi.
while i did enjoy this, it’s not something i would recommend lightly. please be aware this book deals heavily with themes of sexual violence and homophobia....more
i received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
it’s every yo3.5
2024 reads: 271/250
i received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
it’s every young musician’s dream to attend dukes academy. each july, gifted teens from across the country attend the academy’s four-week summer camp, at the end of which one will receive a scholarship to attend the school full-time. georgie’s excited for camp, but for her, it’s more than just music: it’s an opportunity to make friends. mina’s main concern is about the scholarship, as she feels it’s the only way to get her traditional parents to allow her to study anything besides medicine. as the two become friends, they begin to develop romantic feelings for each other.
i loved that we got both georgie’s and mina’s perspectives because they were so unique while also having some of the same goals in mind. georgie has been treated with pity in the past due to being “the blind girl,” so she’s having trouble trusting that her new friends are being genuine. mina has to hide a lot from her parents, so she’s having trouble opening up to her new friends. these two really brought out the best in each other!
one thing i didn’t love about this book was how fast-paced the relationships were. compared to a side couple, georgie and mina’s romance was a bit of a slow-burn, but still, the book takes place over four weeks. i know that some high school relationships can be this way, though, so it’s not something i’m judging too harshly.
overall, this was a lovely book. i’d recommend it to anyone wanting a summery romance read....more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 229/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
psyche has captured the eyes of every suitor in—and beyond—town. while these men are happy to look at her, none seem to want to marry her. this stresses out her father, who becomes desperate when the townspeople begin blaming their family for failed harvests, so he seeks out the oracle’s advice. the oracle, guided by the jealous aphrodite’s child eros, instructs psyche’s father to hand her over to a monstrous husband. instead of a monster, though, psyche is swept away to an idyllic palace, where her spouse, eros, visits her at night. psyche thinks it’s odd that her prophesied husband is neither man nor monster and that she’s not allowed to see her, but she soon falls in love with eros (who she calls pteron) and her life there. when she becomes filled with doubts, though, she breaks eros’s one rule by looking at her face, which brings about trouble in her home and on olympus…
as soon as i saw this, i knew it’d be at least 4-5 stars for me. i adore greek mythology retellings, and i haven’t seen many of eros and psyche. i was only vaguely familiar with the story of eros and psyche before reading this, but refreshing my memory with quick descriptions, this seems to have captured the essence of the story. i loved the decision to make this a sapphic love story. this representation is definitely lacking when it comes to greek mythology retellings. additionally, eros is nonbinary and i found her discussions of her gender interesting.
overall, this was a beautifully-written retelling, and i’d highly recommend it to greek mythology lovers. i can’t wait for whatever’s next from caro de robertis!...more
this novel-in-verse follows a vampire currently known as immy. immy has lived many lives and been in love many times, but nothing c2024 reads: 220/250
this novel-in-verse follows a vampire currently known as immy. immy has lived many lives and been in love many times, but nothing compares to what she feels for claudia.
i somehow didn’t realize the form of this book was poetry, not prose, when i borrowed it from libby. this was a very nice surprise, and i think the lyrical poetry matched the haunting love story at hand. i’d recommend this to anyone who likes vampires and poetry!...more
leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha follows up care work with this exploration of living during covid-19 as a disabled femme of color 2024 reads: 210/250
leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha follows up care work with this exploration of living during covid-19 as a disabled femme of color in an ableist world. they discuss mutual aid and disabled joy in the face of isolation and discrimination. i loved this book. i’d highly recommend this to anyone interested in disability justice!...more
at thirty-two years old, tara sidhoo fraser has a stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation. after surgery, she has no memory 2024 reads: 207/250
at thirty-two years old, tara sidhoo fraser has a stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation. after surgery, she has no memory of her previous life, so she starts trying to piece it all together. when her memories begin to surface, though, they’re seen through someone else’s eyes. she calls this person whose body she stole “ghost.” during this time, she meets jude, who is also struggling with their identity. tara’s conflict with ghost increases, and ghost, her memories, and her ex all threaten tara’s new relationship.
this memoir was absolutely beautiful. i’ve learned a lot about the medical side of strokes from my education, and even a bit about the personal side of strokes from my (limited) clinical experience, but never something as personal and unique as this memoir. i’d highly recommend this to people who enjoy reading memoirs, especially if you’d like to know more about how strokes can affect people....more
in this collection of essays, leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha discusses the politics of disability justice, centering queer, trans2024 reads: 201/250
in this collection of essays, leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha discusses the politics of disability justice, centering queer, trans, black, and brown people. i have not read nearly enough books centering disability justice, and unfortunately even fewer centering queer, trans, and non-white people, so i learned a lot from this book. this was also written with disabled people being the intended audience, which i loved to see. i can’t wait to read more from leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha!...more
first sister, who has no name and no voice, spends her days traveling alongside the soldiers of earth and mars, who own the rights 2024 reads: 227/250
first sister, who has no name and no voice, spends her days traveling alongside the soldiers of earth and mars, who own the rights to her body and soul. her hopes for freedom are dashed when her captain abandons her and she’s forced to remain on the ship with no friends and a new captain, saito ren. the sisterhood forces her to spy on captain ren, but first sister finds herself falling in love instead.
lito val lucius worked hard to become an elite soldier of venus, but was defeated by captain ren, resulting in his partner, hiro, disappearing. when he learns that hiro is alive and a traitor, his new shot at redemption involves hunting him down, though his allegiances become confused.
i’ve been wanting to read this ever since learning it features non-speaking representation. all the sisters undergo an operation that leaves them unable to speak. they communicate through their own form of sign language, which is unknown to those outside of the sisterhood. to get into specifics would be to venture into spoiler territory, but i would say this representation was done well.
one complaint i have would be that the switching of viewpoints was a bit hard to follow along with at times. the only clear distinction between narrators were for the “recordings.” with that said, this still wasn’t too hard to follow along with, so it didn’t affect my reading experience that much!
overall, this was an interesting sci-fi book, and i’m excited to read book two!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 243/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
this is the conclusion to the ending fire trilogy.
as a vigilante known as the truthsayer raises an army against the wardens, sylah and hassa search for anoor…who’s currently being praised as the child of fire.
i still can’t believe this trilogy is over! i’ve been lucky enough to have received each book early, so i’ve been following this series since before book one came out. needless to say, i had high hopes for this book. i’m so glad that this exceeded my expectations! i really enjoyed how each character’s arc played out. the plot was also very interesting, and the author used the 500+ pages well.
i highly recommend this to anyone who’s enjoyed the previous books in this series, and i’m looking forward to more from saara el-arifi....more
content warnings: suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, ptsd, sexual assault, self-harm
nathaniel conti is in his second semester of col2024 reads: 183/250
content warnings: suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, ptsd, sexual assault, self-harm
nathaniel conti is in his second semester of college and has made his reputation as a troublemaker. but then he finds a friend group, and wonders if he can stop acting out. when a ghost from his past shows up, though, he feels like his progress might just come to a halt.
i absolutely loved this book. i could tell that so much care went into nathaniel as a character, from the way he presented himself to his inner thoughts. i also loved his friend group and how supportive and caring they were! they kind of made me miss my first year of college...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 189/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
back home in mississippi, cal was the poor, queer kid whose family was hated. when he wins a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school in new england, he takes it as an opportunity to reinvent himself. but he soon finds out that his classmates at essex aren’t much better. they all come from money, and they mock his cheap clothes and southern twang. cal’s at his breaking point when he gets invited to rush a secret society. he’s desperate to find a place in this school, so he takes on the challenge, which leads him to dangerous places.
what originally drew me to this book was the comparison to the honeys and the secret history, two books i loved. i also loved the sound of a dark academia book with a secret society. i think this aspect was really unique; i haven’t read about many secret societies like this one...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 204/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
content warnings: emotional abuse, anxiety, panic attacks, past death of parent
after four years of dating alana, and with high school graduation around the corner, maya is scared to consider the idea of life outside her toxic relationship. finally, she finds the courage to break up with alana on a hiking trip. but while maya comes back from the trip, alana doesn’t…now, alana’s ghost is haunting maya, pressuring her into helping her possess someone, or else maya will go down for alana’s death.
when i first read the description of this book, i was immediately hooked. i’m so grateful i got a chance to read and review this book early, and it’s not one i’ll soon forget. i really felt for maya. she’s centered her life around alana these past years, even cutting some people off because alana told her they were bad for her. and of course, maya wanted to be done with alana, but she didn’t want her dead. even in death, though, alana manipulates and abuses maya. i appreciated how this subject was handled with care and how maya grew into her own person throughout the story....more
nayra mansour is under constant pressure from her family and is undergoing bullying at school. as she considers transferring school2024 reads: 159/250
nayra mansour is under constant pressure from her family and is undergoing bullying at school. as she considers transferring schools, a djinn named marjan appears. nayra has always wanted to meet a djinn, but marjan’s past might just catch up to them both.
first, i absolutely adored this art style!! and the color scheme was mainly pink and purple, which i loved.
the story was also really interesting. as i mentioned, nayra unfortunately faces a lot of islamophobia at school. her parents don’t understand why she’d want to transfer because of this, since her older siblings went to the same school and did well. she’s friends with the only other muslim girl at school, but it’s still hard. marjan, the djinn, becomes her new friend, but also biggest secret. i really liked the moments we were taken into marjan’s world.
i recommend this to anybody who enjoys YA graphic novels....more
content warnings: sexual assault (childhood & adult), biphobia, homophobia (including from a parent), suicidal thoughts, mentions o2024 reads: 147/250
content warnings: sexual assault (childhood & adult), biphobia, homophobia (including from a parent), suicidal thoughts, mentions of drug use and drinking
when hollywood’s bad boy logan gray and golden boy mattie cole are cast as leads in a new romance movie, they quickly have to devise a publicity plan after logan calls mattie talentless. they’re thrust into a fake dating scheme, which quickly brings about real romantic feelings for one another.
since i’ve read and enjoyed a couple other books by kacen callender, and was interested in this premise, i was expecting to like this book, but didn’t know i’d love it so much. i will say that i’d consider this more of a contemporary novel than a romance, as it focused more on the individual characters’ growth throughout the book. this was dual pov, which i really appreciated since it meant we got to see into both logan and mattie’s minds instead of relying on one narrative.
i’d recommend this to readers of adult contemporary novels, as long as you’re okay with the content warnings....more
jude, a cupid, has been studying (and helping speed along the process of) love their whole teen life. their most recent assignment 2024 reads: 144/250
jude, a cupid, has been studying (and helping speed along the process of) love their whole teen life. their most recent assignment is to spend a month in a human high school to reconnect two former best friends who haven’t spoken in a while. soon enough, jude realizes just how complicated human love can be.
as i’ve read and enjoyed mason deaver’s other books, i was excited to read this new one, especially because of its fantastical element of cupids. jude is in a bit of trouble because they’ve already fallen for a human, so this new mission has to go smoothly. however, as the mission goes on, jude realizes they might just have feelings for one of their marks, which could spell trouble. overall, this was a cute story, and i can’t wait for more from mason deaver....more
compared to the rest of their eighth-grade class, val and lanie are outsiders. this must be what makes them such great friends. 3.5
2024 reads: 138/250
compared to the rest of their eighth-grade class, val and lanie are outsiders. this must be what makes them such great friends. a school project rocks the boat, though, when a long-forgotten ghost starts terrorizing the town.
i mostly enjoyed the book. the art was lovely, the plot was interesting, and i found myself relating to val, who’s autistic. however, it rubbed me the wrong way that the bully/villain was a disabled girl who used to be bullied herself. this trope is annoying at best, harmful to real-life communities at worst. this did resolve in the end, though, which i was grateful for....more
emma and caleb, once best friends, are now as close as strangers. emma has been getting in the way of every romantic prospect of caleb’s, but when caleb becomes interested in the new girl at school, juliet, he’s desperate to get to know her before emma asks her out. so, they have a little challenge: emma and caleb will get to know juliet, and whoever juliet kisses first gets to go out with her. as they make plans with juliet, though, she seems to be interested in hanging out with both of them at the same time, leading caleb and emma to wonder whether winning juliet’s heart is worth opening old wounds.
this might be a bit of an implied spoiler? but with a description like that, it was easy to see this story going one of two ways, either of which i would’ve been happy with. luckily, it did go one of my two predicted ways!
i loved all these characters so much. even though juliet doesn’t have a pov of her own, i enjoyed getting to know her<3 and caleb and emma had so much history that i loved learning about.
the writing was a bit silly at times, but honestly i think it added to the vibes of the book, so i didn’t mind that too much. i can’t wait to read more of amanda woody’s books!...more
in this graphic memoir, alison bechdel details her strange relationship with her late father. alison did not find out her father was2024 reads: 97/250
in this graphic memoir, alison bechdel details her strange relationship with her late father. alison did not find out her father was gay until she came out as lesbian, just for him to die shortly after. i loved both the art and the candor in this book. going in, i really didn’t know anything about alison bechdel besides the famous bechdel test, but i really enjoyed this dive into her childhood and some young adulthood. i highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys graphic novels/memoirs!...more
in this final installment of the bergman brothers series, our meddling viggo bergman finally gets his own happily ever after…amongst2024 reads: 95/250
in this final installment of the bergman brothers series, our meddling viggo bergman finally gets his own happily ever after…amongst having a million other things keeping him busy. he makes a deal with tallulah clarke: while they cohabitate, he will help her with her thriller’s romantic subplot, and she will help him keep his new romance bookstore afloat.
viggo and tallulah’s relationship was so beautiful. viggo, a romance aficionado, plus tallulah, who’s seen her own parents’ “romance” and is sure it’s not for her, made the perfect pair. i love how tallulah felt accepted and loved by viggo’s family and still had a strong relationship with her sister. the progression of their relationship felt natural which i appreciated.
this was an emotional ride for me, especially since it’s the last bergman brothers book! i’m so glad viggo finally got his love story, but sad to say goodbye to this family☹️ i can’t wait for more books from chloe liese!...more
firuz-e jafari leaves home to find a refuge for their family. they find a job in qilwa as a healer, leading to them discovering sign2024 reads: 85/250
firuz-e jafari leaves home to find a refuge for their family. they find a job in qilwa as a healer, leading to them discovering signs of a new disease that could put their new life and their family in danger.
i tend to be a bit skeptical of fantasy novellas, as it just doesn’t seem like there’d be enough time to fully build a world i can immerse myself into. however, this was not the case for this one! naseem jamnia did an incredible job with creating this world and using it to explore themes of colonization, queerness, and immigration....more
Loading...
