readwithmeemz's reviews
1255 reviews

3.5 Stars

Silly and fun, this was a delightful and goofy romp, with a range of stinky and silly characters, perfect for an enjoyable "read-out-loud" experience. I read this digitally, so wasn't able to scratch and sniff the way I'd like, but I had fun reading this, and I think it would be enjoyable to read it with young kids.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.

3 Stars

This was a fun read, albeit not the most well-paced one. It starts off strong, dropping you right into a world of magic and warring factions, with a headstrong heroine, and a promising chemistry with the brooding love interest. I really enjoyed the cast and most of the secondary characters (especially the Cloaks). The first part of the book sets up a really great premise.

The middle of the book, unfortunately didn’t have 
a payoff that was as rewarding as it could have been (although I wouldn’t say it was <i>bad</i> necessarily). The pacing starts slogging a bit (even as the heat and the steaminess pick up). Things move so slowly, and despite the stakes being supposedly high, it didn’t feel like it, and felt boring at times. Some twists are introduced, which feel out of place and don’t have the “shock factor” you’re hoping for with major reveals. Also, a personal pet peeve, I hate most love interest nicknames in romance and romantasy novels, and this book was no exception, spitfire - while cute at first, got old REAL FAST.

We get a long lead up to an action-packed climax & conclusion that felt confusing and a bit messy, where twists are revealed, and stakes are high, and dramatics are had, but it felt rushed and confusing, so things didn’t land with the emotional impact they could have had, especially with the drawn out middle of the book. 

Ultimately, the read was fun and I really enjoyed the promise the ending delivered. I definitely do plan to read the next one, as - although not necessarily the most well constructed book, it was a fun fantasy with some great secondary characters (plus an ADORABLE dog!!)

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher, in exhale for my honest feedback

1.5 Stars

This book was compulsively readable, and I read it in a day! However….

Unfortunately this was poor storytelling, grating dialogue, and poor character development, all tied together with a plot that barely progressed. I remembered almost nothing about this second book, and now having read it, I realize that it was pretty forgettable. Not just mediocre, but at times actively bad, which sucks, because the premise has promise, and book 1 was readable and occasionally enjoyable. 

There was a weird racist plot line about these “savage” Native ‘rusties’; continued misogyny; and BORING characters, leading to boring stakes. Shay was the only character with some *zest*, and unfortunately it appears our author hates her, as he continues to give her terrible development, motivation, and decision making. Sometimes she’ll be furniture in a scene, then all of a sudden she’s making terrible decisions out of nowhere. The pacing was pretty terrible too. So little happens, then you blink and some major character or relationship development happened. 

I’m a bit disappointed as the concept is engaging. I am curious to remember how the series ends, but am not sure if I’ll be able to finish my reread.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback. 

Egg freezing is something that myself and many of my friends and family members have talked about, especially in the last few years, as we’ve gotten older. It has always seemed to me like a magical insurance policy, a way to freeze time, and possibility, and postpone the decision or chance to have biological children. I’m kind of embarrassed to say that I knew very little about egg freezing, it was just one of those things that I knew <i>happened</i> whether I understood it or not — like flight, or the Kreb’s Cycle. I think I only know one person who has actually gotten their eggs frozen, but I do know several who have had difficulties on their fertility journey. When I heard about this book, immediately, I knew I needed to read it, and I’m so glad I did. 

<i>The Big Freeze</i> is a deep dive into egg freezing, embryo freezing, and a slice of the fertility industry, especially in the US. It’s also a reporter’s deeply personal journey as she tries to decide whether or not she should freeze her eggs. 

This book is meticulously researched, but written in a really accessible and fascinating way, so even when the author is writing about cervical mucus or hormonal changes, the reader is able to understand and contextualize what is being described. There are countless interviews and cited statistics and sources, and I felt that Lampert did a great job at painting a well-rounded, holistic picture of the idea of, the science behind, and the many, many factors surrounding making the decision to freeze your eggs. I learnt <b>so much</b> from this book. Things I had never heard of before, and information I wouldn’t have thought to ask for, or find out. 

Alongside the Science, there are also some really great personal stories. This includes the journeys of many people who weigh the decision about egg freezing, and even follows several people who end up making the decision, as well as a little bit about what happens next.  Alongside these individuals, we also follow the author’s personal journey. As a preteen, she had a medical emergency that resulted in the removal of one of her ovaries. Then, in her twenties and thirties, she was again faced with the possibility of losing her second ovary, and forced to consider what that might have meant for her future plans to have children. This (eventually) starts the author’s journey to understand fertility, and specifically egg freezing, as well as to try to decide if she should do it for herself. 

Written with thoughtfulness, compassion, and hard facts, this book turned so many of my perceptions on their head, over and over again. As with so many other “gimmicky” healthcare treatments and procedures, I learnt about who egg freezing can really work for, and the science and history behind where it came from. However, I also learnt about the often concerning and predatory marketing of egg freezing, especially to young women. I learnt about the extensive and occasionally dangerous process of the egg retrieval. I learnt about the relative uncertainty that your frozen eggs will be successfully fertilized or carried to term. I learnt concerning things about some of the lack of regulation and oversight in this booming business. I also learnt interesting things about the expense of the process, acting as a huge barrier for many. Most surprisingly, I learnt how few people go back for the eggs they froze. 

Ultimately, this book gave me a lot to think about - and did so in an engaging, accessible, and informative way. I finished it a few days ago, and have been recommending it left and right - in fact, I started recommending it before I even finished it! This book is a resource and a guide - while it may or may not tell you what decision is right for you in the end, it will give you incredibly valuable perspectives, insights, information, and tools, so that making the decision for yourself may be just that much easier. This was a compelling read, and I enjoyed Lampert’s sharp insights and tender explorations. 

I also highly recommend the audiobook version!

I received an advanced audio version of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback. 

Growing up in a golden age of dystopian fiction, I had previously read this series, albeit years ago. With the film expected to debut on Netflix this year, I wanted to re-read the first book (& potentially the whole series). 

As a concept, this book is set in a futuristic world ruled by the premise that most people are born “ugly”, so when kids turn 16, they undergo extensive surgery in order to become “pretty”, which gives them access to more freedom, technology, power, etc. Being pretty is the dream, especially for our young heroine Tally. Even though, for some reason, people who get turned “Pretty” seem to change pretty fundamentally, personality-wise. But that’s probably nothing to worry about… right? After her best friend turns pretty (a few months before Tally’s 16th birthday), she’s lonely and sad - until she meets Shay, fellow 15 year-old, and fellow “ugly”. The two become fast friends, Shay pushing Tally to do more and more rule-breaking, until Shay finally reveals her truth to Tally. Shay is going to run away from their “utopian”, beauty-obsessed society, and live in the woods, with a mysterious group of people, in a vague place called “The Smoke”. Shay asks Tally to run away with her, but Tally doesn’t want to. She just wants to be Pretty. It turns out Shay isn’t the only teen who has run away, and Tally soon finds herself embroiled in a shady plot, to try to save her friend, expose “The Smoke” and finally get her chance to be Pretty. Throw in some neat hover-boarding, a mysterious “ugly” (but compelling) boy, and you can probably (quite easily) predict what happens next…

I’ll start with the caveat that this series is “of its time”, so I think some of the points it tries to make, about cultural obsession with beauty, and about our transformations of the standards of beauty will feel a bit “…. yes, and?”. Even when I first read it years ago, it felt preachy, heavy-handed, and condescending… and if we’re being honest, a bit misogynistic. The misogyny continues throughout this story by the way, where we see petty cat-fights over boys, instant romances, character-defying decision-making, and an obsession with beating you over the head with shallowness. All of that to say, even in its time, this series probably didn’t win any points for creativity or ground breaking storytelling. Reading it, it was… fine. Nothing amazing, and not the worst thing I’d read either. Solidly middling. 

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the series - I did enjoy Tally’s journey to The Smoke, and seeing the way the people in the community lived. I liked the hover boarding. I did hate the slang though, it reminded me a lot of The Maze Runner (where I also hated the slang lol). What this book lacks in originality, it does make up in action-sequences, $ fun technology. Plus the (predictable & obvious) plot twist we learn about near the end of the book, sets the premise for some greater rebellion to come. I have only vague memories of the rest of the series, but TBD if I will continue!

Dark and chilling, I read this anthology as an audiobook, and I highly recommend doing the same. The stories included varied a lot, in style, content, theme, and even how much I enjoyed them, but as a whole, this was a really good, really compelling read.

Some of the stories stuck with me deeply, still haunting me, even now, days after I finished them. 

My favourites included: 

In some cases, I’d read some of the authors’ precious works, but for the most part, they were new to me, so I’m excited to have stumbled onto new authors to explore!

Since this is horror and dark fiction, some pretty tough topics are covered, so I do recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading.

I loved this sweet and haunting story about friendship, love, responsibility, and the hidden parts of us. Our heroine Mags is a stoic and burdened character, holding herself together through the weight of her many, many responsibilities. I loved the careful exploration of her relationships with the people around her - in all their messy and complex glory. This is a coming-of-age story about love, and embracing the many parts of us (even the monstrous ones). I love the magic Ostertag imbues in the small towns and the relationships in her stories, and love the little bits of magic and mystery she’s woven into this compelling story. A must read, and one i can’t wait to reread. 

This was a quiet and brilliant accounting of a dystopian society, perfect for fans of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and The Handmaid’s Tale. Set on an island where things are disappeared from existence and memory, this is a resonant ode to the power of words and memories. We witness our nameless heroine slowly start to lose her memories, and eventually her selfhood, under the watchful eyes of the oppressive “memory police”. This is a smart and thoughtful story that moves slowly, but is no less impactful for it. I loved the snippets of our heroine’s novel woven into our present story. Ogawa is an excellent writer, using few words to paint a compelling picture of this world & to draw the readers into it. I look forward to reading more translations of her work.

The Quiet Damage is a compassionate and thoughtful book that follows five families and their experiences when a member of each family becomes radicalized by Q-Anon. It’s compulsively readable - harrowing and moving as it highlights the slow and subtle descent into indoctrination for people across different walks of life, and with various lived experiences. It takes an empathetic and careful perspective as it dives deep into the rabbit hole behind these individuals and their family members. It explores the damage of Q-Anon, both from the point of view of the person who became indoctrinated, and the family members they “leave behind”. 

It’s a fast read, almost paced like a true crime book of thriller, but with the caveat that it comes from a place of no judgment and clear compassion for everyone involved. It highlights the descent down the rabbit hole for ordinary (often vulnerable) people, who - whether searching for community, or understanding, or even a clear source of blame for their circumstances - found what they needed through Q-Anon. 

I also really appreciated the author’s focus on the efforts made to deprogram or reconnect with these individuals - and the varying degrees of success these efforts were met with. While focusing predominantly on American individuals and families, there was a lot of relevance here for all readers in our current social, cultural, and political climate.

This was such a compelling and heart wrenching read, that feels more timely than ever, in this epidemic of fake news, indoctrination, anti-government viewpoints, and coming in after years of a deadly, mass-disabling pandemic that was poorly managed and handled by the “powers that be”. I really appreciated the care and tact with wishing Cook approached this book and the people profiled within it. It really highlighted the perspective that it could be any of us who at affected by these kinds of radicalizations, especially as it explored the insidious ways that Q-Anon brings in and radicalized people. This was a breathless and impactful book, and a must-read for anyone.

Cheryl Isaac’s <i>Unfinished</i> is an eerie and unsettling horror debut, that will leave you with goosebumps. It moves forward at a breakneck pace, throwing you immediately into a creepy horror story set in a small town, with a dark and mysterious legend around it. It’s a pretty fast read, and quite an immersive one - just creepy enough that I did not like to read it before bed lol. Our protagonist Avery is headstrong and uncertain - and in a teenager, that is quite a combination. This is partially a coming-of-age story, with the regular growing pains of teenage hood, and crushes, and challenging family dynamics, but woven in is a mysterious legend, and an evil presence, that’s hungry, and won’t stop until it’s eaten it’s fill. This book read a LOT like a horror movie - in that it was quite evocative and atmospheric (I could picture so many of the scenes so well), but also in the way that we didn’t get a lot of time to develop relationships, and just had to rely on limited interactions and Avery’s narrations to paint our picture for us. I enjoyed the weaving together of Indigenous cultures and storytelling, into a fresh and creepy horror story. This was a really promising debut, and a genuinely scary story, and I’m so excited for more from Isaacs.