A fun, good hearted adventure, grounded in art, friendship, and Eastern Indian folklore. AMAZING MENTAL HEALTH REP. Extremely satisfying!!
OPerfection!
A fun, good hearted adventure, grounded in art, friendship, and Eastern Indian folklore. AMAZING MENTAL HEALTH REP. Extremely satisfying!!
Other quality MG books: •Sal and Gabby Break the Universe by Carlo Hernandez •Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger •Greenglass House by Kate Milford
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
This begins with a bang, completely hilarious. Initially I really liked our characters, they were both a bit oDNF @ 24% Leaving unrated
So promising!!!
This begins with a bang, completely hilarious. Initially I really liked our characters, they were both a bit of a mess and I loved it. Then there was one misstep after another. They had great chemistry but he became really unappealing, despite it being obvious that he was operating from his brokenness. Despite a lot of the writing being great, the relationship became a massively inelegant portrayal of ideologies: toxic masculinity versus feminism. The characters became increasingly unbelievable, and the situations purely for the drama of this portrayal. Yikes. It killed all the fun.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
Another PERFECT BOOK. After having my mind blown by Julia Whelan's second book, Thank You For Listening, I immediately had to inhale this one too. FunAnother PERFECT BOOK. After having my mind blown by Julia Whelan's second book, Thank You For Listening, I immediately had to inhale this one too. Fun, smart, hilarious, deeply moving, with characters you will absolutely fall in love with. Listen on audio, because Julia is a queen! I only wish that she had a dozen more books!!
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
This is THE BEST ROMANCE I'VE EVER READ!!!!!!! It's flawless! I'm an incredibly stingy, difficult to please, downright romance-Grinch. Many times I'veThis is THE BEST ROMANCE I'VE EVER READ!!!!!!! It's flawless! I'm an incredibly stingy, difficult to please, downright romance-Grinch. Many times I've thought that it's not even fair for me to sample romance books because I'm so damn picky.
Thankfully I gave this a try. Julia Wayland is a phenomenal narrator. Turns out she's also a phenomenal writer! I RECOMMEND THIS UNRESERVEDLY TO EVERYBODY no matter what your genre preferences are. It's impressive!
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
This book has EVERYTHING! People of color in Starring roles. Queer rep. Mental health rep. Hilarity. Excellent romantic friendship, also excellent cheThis book has EVERYTHING! People of color in Starring roles. Queer rep. Mental health rep. Hilarity. Excellent romantic friendship, also excellent chemistry and sex scene (non graphic). FOUND FAMILY. Cute kids. Cute old people. Cute dog. Seriously cool witchy goodness and Magic system. And best of all, KINDNESS underpins everything. It reminds me of everything I loved in House by the Cerulean Sea plus everything I love about Miyazaki's adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle. So much heart and dignity. I just want to live in this book. Pick this up when you want something both profound and cozy.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
4.5 Stars Overall pretty darned great. Excellent rep for POC, sexual positivity, mental health, mental health professionals, quality relationships. And4.5 Stars Overall pretty darned great. Excellent rep for POC, sexual positivity, mental health, mental health professionals, quality relationships. And favorite tropes: Fake dating, bed sharing, playing house, childhood friends / nemesis. And this whole story happened in the days leading up to her brother and his male fiance getting married. This beautifully depicted gay relationship was a real treasure.
While this was not really lighthearted, I laughed out loud several times. I also legit cried during a crucial scene. I loved that romance was supportive, mature, honest, vulnerable. She pulled from her experience as a therapist, but never tried to analyze or fix him. And although their romance was a component of change and revelation, it was not the thing that made everything perfect. Nothing was perfect. Which made it perfect!
They had terrific chemistry and, due to their shared childhood, had a great wealth of shared history. They laughed a lot and teased each other hard, but it never crossed the line. The sex scenes were healthy and positive (yay), and quite steamy which was a little much for me. Sadly, the author used certain crude words for private bits that always makes me gag. Oh god, now I sound like a 19th century schoolmarm. Not a prude, just triggered by those two words.
The only glitch in the good writing was the massive overuse of the word "giggle," which made it seem sophomoric in those instances.
I'll definitely be reaching for more from this author, during those rare times when I crave a contemporary romance.
PS: this was my first Mazey Eddings. You do not need to have read the other books on the series to fully enjoy this one. I could've even tell it was the third.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
Not only do these own-voices stories educate, illuminate and bring their beauty to life, they are extremely well written. I've fo★★★★★ PERFECT 5 STARS
Not only do these own-voices stories educate, illuminate and bring their beauty to life, they are extremely well written. I've found several new authors to check out and bring into my life. BRAVO!!!! My favorite nonfiction so far this year ...more
4.75 Stars Very close to book 1 in quality and enjoyment. There are 2 in-between stories that are referenced, and it did seem like I was missing out by4.75 Stars Very close to book 1 in quality and enjoyment. There are 2 in-between stories that are referenced, and it did seem like I was missing out by not reading them before this one. There was a tad bit of romantic relationship waffling which I traditionally despise in YA. But this book went there and then pulled back to a truly excellent perspective and resolution. I love this world, these characters, and the lore. Plus, there was spoken poetry that knocked my socks off!!
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
This is a retelling of that famous, beloved book by Fitzgerald. I greatly disliked The Great Gatsby original, at least the first half I slogg4.5 Stars
This is a retelling of that famous, beloved book by Fitzgerald. I greatly disliked The Great Gatsby original, at least the first half I slogged through before abandoning. All the drinking to excess, glittering social artifice, and exhausting ennui... Ugh.
I'm delighted to report that THIS is the Great Gatsby that won my heart. It was lush and it was queer and it was near perfect. And a touch supernatural that immediately intrigued me.
If you liked this, definitely check out Passing Strange by Ellen Klages, a novella that is a spiritual twin of this book.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
SO MUCH FUN! I was intrigued immediately, and utterly hooked from the first 15 minutes. This ticked every box for me. Art, family, magic, all main chaSO MUCH FUN! I was intrigued immediately, and utterly hooked from the first 15 minutes. This ticked every box for me. Art, family, magic, all main characters are POC, queer rep, spookiness, lore, tons of laugh my but off moments. Highly recommend, especially on audio.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
5 Stars/1 Star I've been dwelling for 2 months on how to write this review. Sigh. Okay, short and sweet? I CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS unless you are a reader5 Stars/1 Star I've been dwelling for 2 months on how to write this review. Sigh. Okay, short and sweet? I CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS unless you are a reader who doesn't get triggered by stuff. I mostly loved it and also kinda hated it. The parts I hated were proportionately small but so awful they have huge weight. If not for the triggering parts I would've loved love loved it, a perfect 5 Star kind of love. Ready for some lists? I love lists!
STUFF I LOVED ~Genuinely captivating from the beginning. ~Compelling characters, even side characters ~Very real mounting sense of dread ~A REAL HERB GARDEN WITH ACCURACY!!!!! ~How the malevolence was brought into the New World ~I loved the ending but...* (see below)
MEH STUFF ~Overwritten at times, loses momentum ~Too much foreshadowing, dilutes the dread ~At least one unnecessary complication (if Corey took the time to find the St Anthony medal, he very well had time to grab those herbs too!) ~The opponent is so pernicious, so overpowered that it sometimes loses credibility, and creates a sense of hopelessness that just doesn't work for me
STUFF I STRAIGHT UP HATED (SPOILERS & TRIGGERS) ~Chapter 14, the second situation of an underage girl / older man. At least in the first case the girl was manipulated but not forced. This one was horrifying. Recommend skipping this chapter maybe. In the audiobook it started somewhere around 8:50. Go to 8:59, the last few paragraphs of chapter. ~Chapter 15, kinky stuff with a married couple. I objected to this one because it involved incest/underage/pedophile fantasy. In light of the previous content, this is where I became seriously wary of the author. ~Chapter 17... So, ok. Dark is one thing, but this involved a parent killing their child, and for me this crossed over into the kind of horror I don't like. This is where I seriously considered DNFing despite really loving so much about the story. ~Chapter 18, I hated being in Tariq's head while he was under this influence. I also hated the follow-up details about the murdered son. Essentially, I preferred to see the "curse" from a distance. Being on the inside was too disturbing for me. ~Chapter 21, violence against a dog, somewhere around 11:37 in audiobook. ~Chapter 31, someone is upset, imagining an assault on a girl, in gratuitous detail. Doesn't matter that it didn't "actually" happen, it's still triggering. I skipped ahead starting at 18:20, but it starts before then. ~Chapter 34, more sexual degradation, even when it's just euphemisms like "take her" I was completely sick of it. Not my kind of horror. ~And also in Chapter 34, 20:47, harm to a dog. This is where I became completely furious with the author. If I hadn't been so close to the end I would've trashed it. *~The ending, I loved the happy ending BUT * I did not love the absolute hell they went through to get there. I was exhausted and still pissed off by the previous junk.
Months later, referring back to my notes to write this review, I'm pissed off all over again. YMMV.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
Perversely, when I love a book this much, it's hard to write a review! I simply do not understand why this book has such a mediocre rating on GR.Perversely, when I love a book this much, it's hard to write a review! I simply do not understand why this book has such a mediocre rating on GR....more
I'm not sure how to rate this one at all. For the most part I absolutely loved it, but as we get deeper into the story it doesn't quite stick the landI'm not sure how to rate this one at all. For the most part I absolutely loved it, but as we get deeper into the story it doesn't quite stick the landing. I will absolutely read anything this author writes though!...more
Pre-read review: A Pride and Prejudice retelling, all with POC? I want it now!
*** This was nearly PERFECT. The only thing that fell flat was the actual Pre-read review: A Pride and Prejudice retelling, all with POC? I want it now!
*** This was nearly PERFECT. The only thing that fell flat was the actual pairing of Zuri and Darius. I believed completely in each character, each relationship, was genuinely impressed with the finesse of this retelling... Until we got to the big romantic shift. There just wasn't enough developed between them for me to believe in it, let alone cheer for it. Still, I loved it for everything else.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
I decided to drop this in the middle of a sex scene. I didn't like how it was being handled, and I could've just jumped ahead. But I realizedDNF @ 47%
I decided to drop this in the middle of a sex scene. I didn't like how it was being handled, and I could've just jumped ahead. But I realized I didn't really want to do that either. The two leads are so perfect for each other it's obvious true love will prevail, so the stakes were not high at all. The only real barrier to HEA was her ultra traditional mother. And I wasn't interested in seeing that play out when the mother was already so controlling and abusive. In other circumstances I very likely would have finished the book.
Things I loved: •Nigerian lead who is very competent at her career
•Male lead is absolutely perfect - respectful, kind and honest. Oh yeah, of course he's got be super hot too, but that's not why I loved him.
•She has a fully fleshed life besides her romance and her family! Actual details about the ad campaign she was running at her job were really fun.
•Extremely believable conversations with toxic people. Author deserves a hug, because it clearly comes from authentic experience.
Things I didn't love: •Everyone had PERFECT bodies. Not a single flaw, wobble, stray hair, stretch mark, or pimple. Probably zero chance of body odor, bad breath or smudged makeup either. When the leads are that perfect, and that perfection keeps being described in detail, it's freaking alienating. And perhaps an implied fat shaming, especially when her mother complains she's too skinny because you can see her collarbones. I really had to roll my eyes at that one. Author should read Talia Hibbett to see how sexy real people are.
•Pregnancy. I know, I know, it's the plot driver. But unplanned pregnancy is just not romantic at all to me.
•Terrible boundaries. Even with her friends and allies within her family, everyone bullies her into revealing more than she offers. It makes sense that her default is to be secretive and vague, to create a little space between herself and all of these interrogators. Even safe people can be intrusive. Hey Mother is absolutely not a safe person, she's a tyrant within her role, and everybody enables it, trying to sweet talk her into being reasonable. My hope is that issue of boundaries would have been the main victory in her character growth. This is another essential part of the story that I personally didn't care for, perhaps because it was (to me) so over the top that it wasn't believable.
•That sex scene. Oof. I've already mentioned the author's delight in describing how perfect their bodies are. And it was the main focus of the sex scene, objectifying our couple to such a degree that it felt wrong and creepy. The elements that make a sex scene work for me are consent, discovery, chemistry, and connection on many levels. Bonus points for humor and emotional vulnerability. All this had was chemistry, consent, and graphic descriptions of good looking people.
In conclusion, although romance is not my favorite genre, I could have really enjoyed this if the author had different priorities with her plot. But I'm sure this will appeal to others that aren't as picky as I am.
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GR Personal Rating System: ★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED ★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE...more
Heather-Lin
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