fanboyriot's reviews
853 reviews

Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

♡ Hurt/Comfort
♡ Western Horror
♡ Wholesome Friendships

This gave off great country horror vibes with a transmasc main character.  I absolutely loved it.  The writing style was nice and I really enjoyed the characters.

In a way it reminded me of the same queer horror vibes as an Andrew Joseph White book.  It was definitely worth reading.  This book has wholesome friendships, a mysterious and suspenseful plot that left me so curious as to what would happen by the end, comforting characters, and lovely queer rep.

Thank you to Penguin Teen, the author, and NetGalley for this eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 08, October 2024
Rep: Transmasc (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)
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Beach House by R.L. Stine

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

♡ Beach Read
♡ Insecure Boys 
♡ Accidental Time Travel

I liked the nostalgic vibe of this book.  While the book obviously is quite dated with its references, it was still an entertaining read.  Having said that it wasn’t a very good read.  The characters were dull and the dialogue felt so forced and fast paced.  If insecure men and people pleasing women are your thing then you’ll probably love this.  100% of the problems would I have been solved if the guys in this weren’t so pathetically insecure about themselves and if the women had better survival skills of saying no when asked to go somewhere alone with the dude they have bad feelings about.

Also Amy not being a girls girl was annoying.  Like, bestie you left your best friend there with some creep?  Make an excuse for the BOTH you!  Also she acted as if someone showing their belly button (in a bikini) was causing too much attention.  Just say you want a bikini and stop being jealous.  Don’t even get me started on how insecure and annoying Ross was.  Dude got jealous his girlfriend talked to another guy… I’m not even joking.  She just met the other dude and was keeping polite conversation meanwhile Ross was storming off like a pathetic little man.

The plot summary:
Buddy: someone hurt my feelings 😢😡 so I murdered them.
Brad (also Buddy): tells his life story (no one asked) then tries to kill the girl he “likes” because she didn’t feel the same way??

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: n/a
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 01, August 1992
Rep: BIPOC (background characters)
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The Last Doorbell by William Parker

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emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

♡ Good Friendships
♡ Queer Characters
♡ Good Atmosphere

The atmosphere and vibe of this book was set so nicely.  All the queer and disability representation was done really well; I also really enjoyed the character development.

As for the plot though I admit I didn’t really care for it.  There was lots of backstory and while the dialogue was good it just felt like the story was going nowhere.  I don’t know if it was me and I just couldn’t get into the book but it felt like it passed by so slowly and very anticlimactically.  I have a bit of mixed feelings about it because overall I felt like there wasn’t much of a plot.  It actually felt like one long memoir in a way but it did have lovely characters and a good setting to it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and PrideBookTours over on Instagram for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: First and Third Person
Release Date: 28, August 2024
Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)
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The Babysitters Coven by Kate M. Williams

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
It felt very juvenile and immature.  It was as if an adult was trying to write a teenager character and failing miserably.  The main character was very annoying and how she kept going on about her crush of ten seconds and how hot he was made me want to DNF this book; so I did.

Also the use of “Lol” being used in an actual sentence and not a text made me want to hit my head against the wall.  The cover to this was great though.
Earth to Alis by Lex Carlow

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emotional funny 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

5.0

♡ Grumpy x Sunshine 
♡ Plus-Sized Love Interest 
♡ Class Trip Throughout Europe

I read this in one day.  It was so good!  I loved the characters and how real this book felt.  It was heartfelt and comforting even if there was a decent amount of hurt mixed in there too.  The friendships felt comforting like a found family trope and even the teachers were lovely.

This book dealt with some darker topics such as the struggles with mental health and SH with the main character and a few background characters; it was all written really well and it was honestly so nice to see the character development by the end of the book.  It felt honest, emotionally raw and  a bit brutal but the empathy shown was so powerful and wholesome.

And the romance was really good too.  Alis learning to let others in was a bit of a slow burn process and I loved it dearly.

A big thank you to the author and Pride Book Tours over on Instagram for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧 (4/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 01, July 2024
Rep: Gender Nonconforming (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Character), Plus-Sized (Love Interest)
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Under the Surface by Diana Urban

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

♡ Teen Drama
♡ Pairs Catacombs 
♡ R.L. Stine Horror Novel Vibes

I had such high hopes for this and was so excited that I got approved for the eARC but now I just feel bad that I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped.

This book felt like reading one of R.L. Stines YA novels.  Marketed with thriller theme in mind but that doesn’t really feel like anything other than immature characters doing something stupid.

It felt like it was meant for a younger audience, some of the characters seemed way more juvenile and childish for their age.  I was annoyed by the characters.  It felt way too much like the “I’m not like other girls” or how “quirky” the characters were.  Ruby was so toxic towards Selena.  Also being over the age of five and calling your father “daddy” still is such a massive ick.

Going into the pairs catacombs while laughably unprepared felt like it was setting up the vibe for the rest of the book.

I will say the actual setting was really cool.  While it might not have been scary it did have some tension and some good old horror vibes.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: Duel, first person 
Release Date: 13, August 2024
Rep: French People
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Heart Wood by Katey Hawthorne

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adventurous mysterious sad 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

3.25

♡ Reluctant Hero
♡ Emotional Romance 
♡ Angst with a Happy Ending

I really liked the representation in this book, there were so many queer characters and there was some mental health rep in there as well.  The relationships were lovely even if it was a lot of hurt near the beginning than comfort.  But it worked out really well in the end.

I really struggle to get into this book some of the plot points just seemed to pull me in only to turn and focus on something else.  I wasn’t really sure how I felt about this book after the first few chapters.  I still feel a bit torn between feelings for this book.  Some of the character deaths were a bit frustrating and I wasn’t expecting so much spice so early on in the book.  I didn’t really even get enough time to care about the characters then when I did one was dead.

It overall just felt like it dragged out a lot.  I feel like I read an entire five book series and a few spin-offs in one book.  It wasn’t bad at all, it just was a lot.

Thank you to the author and PrideBookTours on instagram for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 20, June 2024
Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), Leg Amputee (Love Interest)
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Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake

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funny 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

5.0

♡ Fake Dating
♡ Gay Theater
♡ Opposites Attract

I really this book.  The queer rep was amazing and the anxiety rep was written so well.  I really love the fake dating trope and that plays such a lovely role in this book.  If you like actress x romance author then I highly recommend this sapphic read.

The characters worked well together and I really loved getting to see Delilah and Claire again.  It was so wholesome and heartwarming.  I would have liked to have more of the theater moments though.  I really enjoyed those.  The small town vibes were great, this book was a comforting read.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: Duel, Third Person 
Release Date: 24, October 2023
Rep: Bisexual (Main Character), Lesbian (Main and Side Characters), BIPOC (Main Character), Non-Binary Japanese-American (Side Character), Agender (Side Character), Pansexual (Side Character), Transmasc (Side Character) Anxiety
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Happy Place by Emily Henry

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emotional funny 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

4.75

♡ Second Chance
♡ Fake Relationship
♡ Summer Vacation

Seriously such a perfect summer read for sure.  It had all the wholesome friendship vibes combined with such detailed background history.  I loved the t-shirts the main character and her friends had in college, truly iconic.

The humor was 10/10, deadpan as ever and I’m here for it.  The miscommunication trope did play into this book a bit and I actually didn’t mind it as much as I usually do.  I liked how things worked out in the end.  While there were a few sad moments this book was fairly lighthearted and enjoyable, plus it had a happy ending so that helped a lot too.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 25, April 2023
Rep: Lesbian (Side Characters)
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Origin Story by Jendi Reiter

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

😢 Hurt/Comfort
✝️ Religious Trauma 
🥹 Angst with a Happy for now Ending

Definitely a unique and interesting way to write a book, I really liked how it was set up.  The plot and characters do well to leave you wanting to learn more within the story.  It’s a complex novel and while it’s not necessarily an easy read with some of the dark themes and the happy for now kind of ending it does have it’s moments of hope within the darkness.  It leans a bit more to the hurt than the comfort in the hurt/comfort tag, but definitely worth giving it a read; just mind the content warnings.

Thank you to pridebooktours over on Instagram and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧 (4/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 15, July 2024
Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)
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