melanie_page's reviews
1469 reviews

The most bizarre character in The Babysitter is not Tony, but his child bride, Avis. At fourteen, Avis starts dating Tony, who in his twenties often tried to garner the attention of early-teen girls. Together they get pregnant on purpose to force her mother to sign off on their marriage. By fifteen she’s a wife and mother. Later, with three children, she and Tony divorce, but she continues to help Tony, giving him rides and lying to police for him, despite the sexual abuse she faced while married to him. At his trial for multiple murders, Avis blows kisses to Tony when she enters the courtroom with her boyfriend. She often refuses to shower, clean her home (police note there is dog shit on the floor and refuse to sit on the furniture), or properly care for their children.

Check out the full review here: https://grabthelapels.com/2021/05/25/the-babysitter-by-lisa-rodman-and-jennifer-jordan/

 Although Lola’s height and weight are mentioned only once, it was hard for me to understand all the fatphobic comments she receives. Look up images of women who are 5’10” and just under 200lbs and you’ll find photos of very average-sized people. In this way Bannon, not a fat person, tattles on herself. Like many straight-size individuals, Bannon suggests 5-10 pounds larger than an “ideal” dieting weight calls for mooing and cries of “lard ass” because getting fat is unforgivable. In Bannon’s attempt to write a fat character with dignity, her book shines a white-hot light on how lightly women and girls can tread outside of “acceptable” before they are ostracized and physically beaten then rewarded with attention from crushes, friends, and family after compliance is met.

Check out the full review here https://grabthelapels.com/2021/05/13/invisible/

I did feel Ballard’s treatment of Candice being a fat heroin was….a little bumpy. Candice had often cried to her grandmother that she wished she were born in the 1800s when “voluptuous” women were considered beautiful. I’ve always hated this notion that a woman can be fat, but only at the right time. Then, when Candice gets to the ranch, all the male ranch hands can’t keep their eyes off her, confirming Candice’s original wish. I guess I’m looking for fiction in which women aren’t turning to men for confirmation of their value. And for that reason, I wish Candice had more personality, or hobbies or acumen, to bring to the novel.

But, perhaps that’s not what Ballard was going for. As a straight forward romance/western/science fiction novel, the author hits all the right notes for an easy, enjoyable read when you don’t think too hard about it.

Check out the full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/05/06/once-upon-another-time/

I got about four hours in because I really wanted to know how it ended. I didn't find the plot predictable. The main character had a side scheme to lose weight and also make her husband fat by feeding him the same foods she was eating, only in whole fat versions. I was a little meh about weight being a way to seek revenge, but I also understand he's an actor and worried about his appearance. But eventually, she starts bodyshaming the crap out of herself. At one point, she compares her body to the fatty gunk that gets stuck in a drain and clogs it, and that's when I was done. What a bummer.

The book is too short to cover the topic. Mindy's entire history of being fat shamed is resolved with her parents basically saying "we didn't mean to." An actual conversation didn't occur. Rather than seeing the problem as external, Mindy devices she needs to just love herself. I also hate when authors depict a fat woman as having an average waist and thick legs so she looks more J-Lo than fat. There's an element of still conventionally sexy, so it's okay if she loves herself.

The writing is just bad. Repetitive, clichéd, and the characters are predictable. He's a hot player into super model types, she's voluptuous. Best friends, but totally oblivious. 

This is not a politically correct novel at all. Chavisa Woods appears to draw on her own background in rural Illinois with a highly religious family in which she did not fit as a goth/punk lesbian. Thus, many of her characters have a similarly conservative background, which would likely include the uncles: ” ‘I met myself a Jew. First Jew I ever met. Well, that I know of. He had one of those Yammahaws. Guess I wouldn’t have known he was a Jew if he didn’t have that thing on his head.’ ” Although in general what the uncle says is offensive, he also comes from a homogeneous place where he wouldn’t encounter people unlike himself. Rather than pronouncing “Idrissa,” the uncles simply call him “Africa” — and Idrissa is thankful they don’t call him “Mali” (like Molly), his home country. Honestly, I was comfortable with rude characters because such people exist around us, and if we don’t hear them out, we can’t share our stories with them, either.

Check out my full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/05/04/the-albino-album/

Rylie's mom could be so terrible that poor Rylie is anxious about an unplanned visit. However, the end of the novel was sweet and shows that moms can step up when you least expect it if only you allow them the chance to do good.

Other than the aggravating ablest side plot about Amily, I enjoyed Redoubt because Mags ends up in a survivalist adventure. Kidnapped and drugged, he’s taken around two weeks away from Valdemar into enemy Karse. There, he learns more about the power-hungry priests who pervert the religion to keep citizens in line, sending demons into the night to kill those who disobey. If you’ve read previous books, you’re familiar with what happened to the Karse religion and who these priests are and how it resolves.

Check out the full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/04/29/redoubt/

In general, a quick historical fiction read with an immersive setting that could have been crafted a bit more carefully in some regards.

Check out the full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/04/27/in-the-garden-of-spite/