pucksandpaperbacks's reviews
642 reviews

Phoenomonal story. Phoneomal audiobook. No notes!

I received an advanced readers copy curtesy of the author. All thoughts are my own.

CW: Emotional abuse from a parent, (minor) homophobia, (minor) fatphobia
 
I enjoyed reading this snippet of a story about two women who were childhood friends and reunite in their adulthood. If you want to read a short autumnal read that is also sapphic, I encourage you to pick up this novella. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and how different Cassidy and Imari were. Imari is also dealing with a lot of turmoil as she left her fiancé at the altar and is struggling with cutting off her emotionally abusive mother. Whereas, Cassidy is the owner of a coffee shop and moved away from home like Imari. However, their situations are vastly different. 

This novella does touch on Imari's relationship with her mother and trying to find her chosen family. This was a sweet read and I loved the scene where Imari and her friends go to a Fall Festival. That really made this novella feel autumnal. I would definitely read a larger novel with these two characters!

However, I did have some trouble with the writing. There were some issues with the grammar making it hard to follow at times. However, I did receive a digital galley from the author, so I'm hoping those issues are resolved in the published edition. I also agree with other reviewers who said the writing was hard to get into because it is written in third-person but the balance of pronouns isn't there. The character's names are used more often that being referred by their pronouns. It made it hard to follow some scenes, but I think you just get used to it! 

Overall, I would recommend this novella. It was a cute sapphic read that will make you warm inside especially if you like the found family trope and childhood friends to lovers. 

just wasn't feeling it!

CW: racism, generational trauma, mention of dementia/character living with dementia, death of a parent, grief, alcoholism, mention of a drunk driving car accident, mentions of the pandemic, heart attack,

character goes into a coma but wakes up.

 

Maurene Goo nailed this Back to the Future inspired novel set in 1995. Through Samantha "Sam/Sammy" Kang's trip to 1995 - the same year her mother was in high school - she learns about her mother in a whole different way. The references to the culture of the 90s vs modern day times had me laughing throughout the book as Samantha tries to hide her identity of being from the future. However, Goo hits each point she is trying to make and further improves Sam's character development. Before the book ended, I felt myself disappointed because I thought it wasn't fair to claim Sam had to "fix" her mother's relationship with her grandmother. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when Sam realized this:

 "Maybe … maybe when I traveled to the past, it was just me that was supposed to change. And I had. Because even with my mom not doing exactly what I hoped she would do, her response didn’t fill me with despair or frustration."

There is a romance that I thought was sweet, but I am pretty neutral on whether it was needed or not. I have only read Goo's debut, I Believe in a Thing Called Love which wasn't my favorite but I think this is her best book by far. 

If you want a book about a mother/daughter relationship, generational trauma, and travel back in time to the 90's, I highly recommend Throwback. 

Now I want to go and watch Back to the Future! 

CW: HP and JKR reference, Alzheimer's, ableism,  miscarriage, sexual harassment 
A great debut full of family drama and family history. The main character was such a realistic teen as she made teenage-like mistakes and I liked her growth throughout the story seeing her learn about her mother that she has a rocky relationship with. I also liked and thought it was a smart writing decision to have the book written in epistolary format since it has to do with the media and as she finds the diary entries that lead her to more information about her family's history. 

As this is co-written, I thought it was a unique approach because most co-written words have dual POV but this has a single POV. I'm excited to read more from these authors!

CW: ableism and ableist language (challenged), panic attack, vomiting, alcohol, intoxication, mentions of anxiety, depression, OCD, intrusive thoughts, sexual content, and a depressive episode.

A sweet romance showing two queer, neurodivergent men - demisexual & gay - falling in love on a reality TV show. This had me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I was filled up with tears, smiling, and laughing as I read Dev and Charlie's love story. As a neurodivergent person and specifically someone with generalized & social anxiety, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the kindness each character showed to each other. 

An immersive experience that will make you sick to your stomach. A truly unreal read. Loved the audiobook!

CW: Underage drinking, Alzheimer's 

A sweet YA rom-com filled with movie references, summer vibes, and queer joy. I loved the setting, the family dynamics and the messiness of Harry's character. If you liked Always the Almost by Edward Underhill, you'll enjoy this book!