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ali1311's reviews
191 reviews
I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness by Yuki Fumino
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i love these little gay boys!!
I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I think this book was maybe just not for me. It was the type of literary fiction where the character is so inside her own head that it gets grating and hard to read. Maybe that was the point, and if it was, then like I said, I think this book just wasn't for me because I don't enjoy that sort of thing. Most of the issues I found with this were that the characters were so insufferable and obsessed with their own suffering, particularly Khaki and Fiona. The book often put me in a bad mood just reading it because the stewing in one's own suffering and punishing oneself for nothing was just hard to read about. I understand what the book was trying to do, but phew, it was not fun or interesting to read. It felt less like it was making a point and more like it was just a deep dive into the brain of someone who has a lot of issues and isn't resolving to get help for any of them. Also this book needs so many trigger warnings so I'd really recommend looking into that before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death and Racism
The (Fake) Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A sweet, steamy, and quick read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
I was so pumped when I saw this book because I think it's a super interesting topic! But alas :( The book itself was very repetitive and kept using examples from movies and TV shows to prove its points, which is fine, but I didn't want to listen to transcriptions of random episodes of TV. I wished there had been more ethnography involved or even some more history on the topic. I was just a bit disappointed and found myself zoning out a lot, so I thought it was best to call it quits here. Sad
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The writing in this book is so lovely and it made me YEARN! The way love is discussed is really beautiful and poetic. The actual pacing and plot of the book felt a bit estranged for some reason, and I think it may be the writing in 2nd person. I think the use of that perspective was done really well, but it still made it hard to entirely follow along. I'm also kinda mad at the main character, but I suppose that means the book was well crafted. But I'm still mad at him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Grief
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was cute! Nothing crazy and a bit slow to start in my opinion, but by the middle I was hooked in. The outside plot was a little bland but that's alright because these characters had a lot of personality. Well done OCD rep and a cool way to include mental illness without it being the driving force of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was not only beautifully written but such a unique story. Heartbreaking and heartwarming--it had it all! I loved the depictions of food and art, and the whole thing felt very physical. As in, I could taste the foods, feel the emotions, see the scenery, all that. It was really visceral while also having beautiful prose, so I have no choice but to award it the ole 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
I feel like I was fooled by the Internet with this one. Why am I a third of the way through and nothing has happened?? Personally I don't want to spend a third of a book reading about a girl getting bullied by people who have significant magical power holds over her. So in conclusion this is the year of the DNF for me and I cannot justify listening to more school bullying so I'm tapping out.
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Perhaps my tipping point was the fact that this chapter ended with the main character saying "yassss!" to herself. I could maybe get past the fact that 100 pages in I don't really care about any of the characters or want to know what happens next, but the writing style felt really undeveloped. I loved the premise and I thought the parts about Armenian culture and history were great, but I don't think it made up for the lack of character building or cringe writing.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
One of the better Emily Henry books imo, her descriptions in this are killer. The book did drag a bit and about 2/3rds of the way through I was wondering why we were still doing this. But overall it was an enjoyable read. Oh and also the main male character kinda didn't have a personality. It seemed like the appeal of him was that he could keep up with the main character's witty remarks and that's not enough for me personally. Anyways it was a sweet story about friendship which was maybe the best part and I thought that was lovely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent