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pucksandpaperbacks's reviews
642 reviews
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
CW: internalized biphobia; mention of Pulse shooting and other LGBTQ+ hate crimes; death; transphobia; mentions and discussions of Trump’s presidency; Mormonism
Huda F Are You by Huda Fahmy
CW: Islamophobia; menustration mentioned on page.
Funny memoir about Huda Fahmy coming of age in high school and finding who Huda really is. Meanwhile, she experiences a lot of Islamophobia from teachers and peers. I really enjoyed this. It was a short and sweet read!
Funny memoir about Huda Fahmy coming of age in high school and finding who Huda really is. Meanwhile, she experiences a lot of Islamophobia from teachers and peers. I really enjoyed this. It was a short and sweet read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia
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
CW: mentions of COVID, racism, bullying, grief, death of a loved one, injury, medical content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Grief
As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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
CW: death of a grandparent, death of a teen; mention in detail of a car accident death, grief, mention of homophobia and misgendering, mentions of Ari & Dante Save the Universe (author is transphobic), underage drinking & drug use (edibles)
I think I found my favorite Julian Winters book with As You Walk on By. Julian Winters nails coming of age stories every time and I love the uniqueness of his characters and stories. Instead of the generic retelling of The Breakfast Club, Winters sets his during a high school house party. The book unpacks teenage years with the pressure of high expectations from parents, crushes becoming real, and distancing yourself from childhood friends, drama/angst and an emphasis on friendships. Although we do have a romance blooming, As You Walk on By heavily speaks to friendships and falling outs. If you want a book about friendship breakups and rekindling, Winters does them justice in this novel.
I absolutely loved the way Julian Winters tackled these topics through our protagonist, Theo. What I love about Winters' work is how unique the characters and storyline are. They turn common topics in YA fiction flipping them on their head and making you feel for the character and want to keep learning more.
I'm so glad I got to read this!
I think I found my favorite Julian Winters book with As You Walk on By. Julian Winters nails coming of age stories every time and I love the uniqueness of his characters and stories. Instead of the generic retelling of The Breakfast Club, Winters sets his during a high school house party. The book unpacks teenage years with the pressure of high expectations from parents, crushes becoming real, and distancing yourself from childhood friends, drama/angst and an emphasis on friendships. Although we do have a romance blooming, As You Walk on By heavily speaks to friendships and falling outs. If you want a book about friendship breakups and rekindling, Winters does them justice in this novel.
I absolutely loved the way Julian Winters tackled these topics through our protagonist, Theo. What I love about Winters' work is how unique the characters and storyline are. They turn common topics in YA fiction flipping them on their head and making you feel for the character and want to keep learning more.
I'm so glad I got to read this!
Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble
reflective
medium-paced
CW: animal death, racism, sexism
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, and Sexism
Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydís Moon
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
CW: Sexual content, blood, grief, exorcism, animal death and resurrection, depiction of gender dysphoria, discussion of racism, gore, graverobbing, horror
Since learning the author has been lying about their BIPOC identity, I have removed my review.
Read more: https://geni.us/dFD1EG
Since learning the author has been lying about their BIPOC identity, I have removed my review.
Read more: https://geni.us/dFD1EG
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, and Grief
CW: Sexual content, blood, grief, exorcism, animal death and resurrection, depiction of gender dysphoria, discussion of racism, gore, graverobbing, horror
Love at 350° by Lisa Peers
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I was enjoying this but the execution was just not there for me. It was too slow burn and I felt myself not being as invested in the characters. This was one of my most anticipated releases, so this is such a bummer.
Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CW: mention of a panic attack, mention of someone having a seizure, mention of a parent having cancer
This was an interesting graphic novel that felt somewhat like a fever dream. It has Five Nights at Freddy's & Alice in Wonderland vibes with the animatronic the group meets when they enter Confetti Realms. Set on Halloween night, a group of queer teens go to the cemetery to summon a spirit, but find themselves in Confetti Realms, a town filled with talking animals. They're tasked with collecting teeth to bring back to Tom. But, during their quest, they're faced with talking about unresolved conflicts between each other including romance.
This was such an interesting and unique story. Plus, the illustrations were stunning especially with the depictions of the animal characters.
If you liked Finna by Nino Cipiri but want to follow teens, you'll enjoy this as well.
This was an interesting graphic novel that felt somewhat like a fever dream. It has Five Nights at Freddy's & Alice in Wonderland vibes with the animatronic the group meets when they enter Confetti Realms. Set on Halloween night, a group of queer teens go to the cemetery to summon a spirit, but find themselves in Confetti Realms, a town filled with talking animals. They're tasked with collecting teeth to bring back to Tom. But, during their quest, they're faced with talking about unresolved conflicts between each other including romance.
This was such an interesting and unique story. Plus, the illustrations were stunning especially with the depictions of the animal characters.
If you liked Finna by Nino Cipiri but want to follow teens, you'll enjoy this as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
CW: chronic pain, ableism, medical content, cancer
A sweet graphic novel and budding romance between two queer Australian teens (14 and 15) who meet at a fandom convention. This graphic novel heavily discusses the need for disability representation in media and intersectionality. Our main character Maisie is bisexual and an amputee and our love interest, Ollie is non-binary. Stars in Their Eyes was a cute, slice of life graphic novel following Maisie and her mom who go to a convention. Maisie wants to meet her favorite actor who is also an amputee. There she ends up meeting Ollie and they catch feelings for each other. There is some cheesy dialogue and I believe, for copyright sake they changed the names of popular fandoms like Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Stranger Things. I will say, I wish they would've just added the names instead of change them out or like most fandom/con related stories do, they have their own fandom. That is true in this book for Midnight Girls, but the other fandoms have different names but you can still tell what they are. I thought that was an odd choice, personally. But overall, it was a short and sweet read!
A sweet graphic novel and budding romance between two queer Australian teens (14 and 15) who meet at a fandom convention. This graphic novel heavily discusses the need for disability representation in media and intersectionality. Our main character Maisie is bisexual and an amputee and our love interest, Ollie is non-binary. Stars in Their Eyes was a cute, slice of life graphic novel following Maisie and her mom who go to a convention. Maisie wants to meet her favorite actor who is also an amputee. There she ends up meeting Ollie and they catch feelings for each other. There is some cheesy dialogue and I believe, for copyright sake they changed the names of popular fandoms like Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Stranger Things. I will say, I wish they would've just added the names instead of change them out or like most fandom/con related stories do, they have their own fandom. That is true in this book for Midnight Girls, but the other fandoms have different names but you can still tell what they are. I thought that was an odd choice, personally. But overall, it was a short and sweet read!
Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? N/A
CW: Racial slurs, racism, biphobia, homophobia, mentions of Christianity and religious bigotry, classism, absent/estranged parent; a scene references HP and mentions JKR's transphobia and why the character doesn't support the author
A sapphic teen rom-com about a messy Black bisexual girl who loves old music. Mahalia Harris is trying to make it through junior year of high school while trying to plan the ultimate "Coming Out" party with rainbows galore and a fancy rainbow dress. But, she has to save up the funds for it with her job at the grocery store. I LOVED THIS. Camryn Garrett is SO underrated. I devour all of her books. The audiobook was fantastic with it's narration, distinct for every character. What I love most about Garrett's work is that she adds commentary on important topics into her novels. They are so important for teens, especially queer Black teens. I loved Siobhan and Mahalia's chemistry and how their romance bloomed. There's also a sex positive scene which is SO crucial for queer teens to read and feel represented.
If you're a fan of the classics (i.e. Fleetwood Mac and The Cure), books with playlists, messy queer characters and a book that feels like you're watching a teen rom-com, Friday I'm in Love is *just* that.
A sapphic teen rom-com about a messy Black bisexual girl who loves old music. Mahalia Harris is trying to make it through junior year of high school while trying to plan the ultimate "Coming Out" party with rainbows galore and a fancy rainbow dress. But, she has to save up the funds for it with her job at the grocery store. I LOVED THIS. Camryn Garrett is SO underrated. I devour all of her books. The audiobook was fantastic with it's narration, distinct for every character. What I love most about Garrett's work is that she adds commentary on important topics into her novels. They are so important for teens, especially queer Black teens. I loved Siobhan and Mahalia's chemistry and how their romance bloomed. There's also a sex positive scene which is SO crucial for queer teens to read and feel represented.
If you're a fan of the classics (i.e. Fleetwood Mac and The Cure), books with playlists, messy queer characters and a book that feels like you're watching a teen rom-com, Friday I'm in Love is *just* that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
a scene references HP and mentions JKR's transphobia and why the character doesn't support the author