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sophiesometimesreads's reviews
221 reviews
Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Started on the 19th of March but put on pause between the 20th and 27th of March for the trans rights readathon.
I had a good time reading this and it was interesting to see the different experiences in child acting after having read Jeanette McCurdy's memoir earlier this year.
There was a large focus on the HP component of Tom's life, understandably so though, as that was important in his formative years. It was interesting to hear about all the great people he worked with, but I did feel partway through that we got a lot about other people when I picked up the book to learn about his life.
I would have liked to learn more about Tom's life outside of HP but I do understand that this is a real person's life and he may not have wanted to disclose more than he did, and that's okay.
It was an interesting read and I'd definitely recommend if you're interested in or a fan of Harry Potter. If not, you may not find this as interesting.
I had a good time reading this and it was interesting to see the different experiences in child acting after having read Jeanette McCurdy's memoir earlier this year.
There was a large focus on the HP component of Tom's life, understandably so though, as that was important in his formative years. It was interesting to hear about all the great people he worked with, but I did feel partway through that we got a lot about other people when I picked up the book to learn about his life.
I would have liked to learn more about Tom's life outside of HP but I do understand that this is a real person's life and he may not have wanted to disclose more than he did, and that's okay.
It was an interesting read and I'd definitely recommend if you're interested in or a fan of Harry Potter. If not, you may not find this as interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s been over 12 hours since I finished this and I cannot stop thinking about it. Yadriel and Julian live in my mind rent free.
I will read everything Aiden Thomas has written and ever will write, I love their writing style! It was so easy to read, yet so atmospheric and descriptive. He couldn’t have hit the mark more for a great balance for this YA novel.
The characters were great - they weren’t perfect but were loveable. I loved the trans and LGBTQIA+ rep, as well as the deep-dive into Latinx culture and stories. I felt like I learned so much! And the food sounded absolutely incredible.
The plot was easy to follow but also not enough that I guessed the whole story. I figured out bits and pieces along the way to a certain extent but was still surprised at how they all fit together and it gave me all the feelings when we got to the end. I was surprised that everything was able to be wrapped up in 50 pages, I was sure I’d need to wait for the second book, but it all managed to be concluded by the last page in a nice neat parcel. The most surprising thing about this, however, was the ending did not feel rushed and it felt like we got a great resolution, and the pacing never suffered. This was due to the story being set up so well at the start, in my opinion.
Overall, this was a wonderful book and I’ll be recommending it to everyone who will listen for the next few months at least. Can’t wait for the sequel, why is it so far away?!
I will read everything Aiden Thomas has written and ever will write, I love their writing style! It was so easy to read, yet so atmospheric and descriptive. He couldn’t have hit the mark more for a great balance for this YA novel.
The characters were great - they weren’t perfect but were loveable. I loved the trans and LGBTQIA+ rep, as well as the deep-dive into Latinx culture and stories. I felt like I learned so much! And the food sounded absolutely incredible.
The plot was easy to follow but also not enough that I guessed the whole story. I figured out bits and pieces along the way to a certain extent but was still surprised at how they all fit together and it gave me all the feelings when we got to the end. I was surprised that everything was able to be wrapped up in 50 pages, I was sure I’d need to wait for the second book, but it all managed to be concluded by the last page in a nice neat parcel. The most surprising thing about this, however, was the ending did not feel rushed and it felt like we got a great resolution, and the pacing never suffered. This was due to the story being set up so well at the start, in my opinion.
Overall, this was a wonderful book and I’ll be recommending it to everyone who will listen for the next few months at least. Can’t wait for the sequel, why is it so far away?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Murder
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Am I becoming a graphic novel girlie? There is a high chance.
I absolutely loved this! It was super cute, I loved the couple and how the conflict didn’t revolve around their relationship.
I loved the hard of hearing and non-binary representation, and the little notes in the back of the book that explained how the hearing aids worked with the lore - I would love to hear more about this, it was really intriguing.
The art style was wonderful, and I loved the use of the page colour to help portray the vibe of the scene and the time of day. The (dad) jokes and puns were also hilarious.
Overall, a really fun read and I would love to see more of the authors were willing to write more.
I absolutely loved this! It was super cute, I loved the couple and how the conflict didn’t revolve around their relationship.
I loved the hard of hearing and non-binary representation, and the little notes in the back of the book that explained how the hearing aids worked with the lore - I would love to hear more about this, it was really intriguing.
The art style was wonderful, and I loved the use of the page colour to help portray the vibe of the scene and the time of day. The (dad) jokes and puns were also hilarious.
Overall, a really fun read and I would love to see more of the authors were willing to write more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
PET by Akwaeke Emezi
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I want to say that I do intend on re-reading this book in the future and it may end up being 5 stars, I just couldn’t quite connect to the story as much this time because I was in a reading slump and struggled to concentrate on reading, to no fault of the book itself.
In saying this, I did really enjoy this book. There were so many layers of meaning, it was deep and dark and metaphorical and I think the more I contemplate the book, the more I’ll find there is to it.
The representation in this book was amazing for such a short novel (sub 300 pages). There was trans (MTF), polyamory, non-binary, selective mutism and wheelchair user rep, all of which I felt was done with care. I also loved how the sign language was women through the story, and how it was distinct from spoken word. I did, however, sometime find the lack of formatting on the in-mind speech a little confusing, but if I’d been able to concentrate more then maybe this wouldn’t have been so bad.
I really am not sure how to put into words how I felt about the rest of it, because it was so intricate and, as I mentioned, there are so many layers to what happens but I think this is what is really special about this book. It addresses, subtly, the monsters in today’s society and how monsters can come in many forms, about the appearance of angles and what that means, how good deeds often require questionable deeds, and the morality of certain forms of punishment and justice.
I would definitely recommend reading this to truely understand the intricacy of this narrative and the discourse on current society. Another great novel by Akwaeke Emezi.
In saying this, I did really enjoy this book. There were so many layers of meaning, it was deep and dark and metaphorical and I think the more I contemplate the book, the more I’ll find there is to it.
The representation in this book was amazing for such a short novel (sub 300 pages). There was trans (MTF), polyamory, non-binary, selective mutism and wheelchair user rep, all of which I felt was done with care. I also loved how the sign language was women through the story, and how it was distinct from spoken word. I did, however, sometime find the lack of formatting on the in-mind speech a little confusing, but if I’d been able to concentrate more then maybe this wouldn’t have been so bad.
I really am not sure how to put into words how I felt about the rest of it, because it was so intricate and, as I mentioned, there are so many layers to what happens but I think this is what is really special about this book. It addresses, subtly, the monsters in today’s society and how monsters can come in many forms, about the appearance of angles and what that means, how good deeds often require questionable deeds, and the morality of certain forms of punishment and justice.
I would definitely recommend reading this to truely understand the intricacy of this narrative and the discourse on current society. Another great novel by Akwaeke Emezi.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
This was really cute! A short, easy read but there was a lot packed into it. I loved the characters and their relationship and how there was still substantial character growth even though it was a short story. I could’ve read far more of this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming and Transphobia
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
This book was an enjoyable read, with the mystery slowly evolving through the story in a way that was easy to follow and made you want to figure it out yourself (spoiler: I didn’t, even though I was convinced I knew the answer to a clue and it turned out I was completely off).
I generally liked the characters, though I feel like there was a lot of focus on how “attractive” Grayson and Jameson were and I didn’t particularly feel like this “being drawn to both brothers” thing was necessary. Obviously, this is a series and I assume that’ll come into play later but it felt a bit overdone in this sort of YA series. That, and I’m generally not a huge fan of love triangles.
The mystery was mostly believable, as far as a 17 year old girl inheriting billions can be. I felt a bit disappointed at the reveal at the end, though. The answers we got to the questions seemed a bit lacklustre after all the build up. HOWEVER, the final twist really got me and left me so shocked and needing more, so I guess it worked to some extent.
I feel like I’ve said more negatives than positives in this review but I really did enjoy myself overall and I definitely will be reading the next book in the series.
NOTE: I started this book on the 9th of March but put it on hold from the 10th to the 14th of March.
I generally liked the characters, though I feel like there was a lot of focus on how “attractive” Grayson and Jameson were and I didn’t particularly feel like this “being drawn to both brothers” thing was necessary. Obviously, this is a series and I assume that’ll come into play later but it felt a bit overdone in this sort of YA series. That, and I’m generally not a huge fan of love triangles.
The mystery was mostly believable, as far as a 17 year old girl inheriting billions can be. I felt a bit disappointed at the reveal at the end, though. The answers we got to the questions seemed a bit lacklustre after all the build up. HOWEVER, the final twist really got me and left me so shocked and needing more, so I guess it worked to some extent.
I feel like I’ve said more negatives than positives in this review but I really did enjoy myself overall and I definitely will be reading the next book in the series.
NOTE: I started this book on the 9th of March but put it on hold from the 10th to the 14th of March.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
emotional
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
3.75
Minor spoiler warning.
This book was a fun, easy, lighthearted read, which is exactly what I needed after a few darker books. It’s really a book that you should take a surface level to really enjoy and not think too hard about the details of how things (eg the cupcake shop) work, otherwise you may lose your immersion (eg if Nicholas is constantly baking cupcakes to restock, how does it work during the football season when he’s not there?).
The main characters were generally well-written and rounded and their relationship was cute. It was a very fast-paced relationship in a real-world context but I felt that wasn’t an issue in the context of the story (coming from someone who does not like instalove). The banter between the couple was also good and I loved the dyslexia representation! I think the side characters could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more, though.
I was really enjoying the storyline, even if it was a little ridiculous, up until the end. I didn’t like the fact there was a third-act break up, it didn’t seem necessary and the conflict and growth could have happened without it. The fact there was miscommunication just sprinkled in there as well made me like it less. Literally 10 pages or so before this happened, I had written a note saying that there were so many opportunities for miscommunication and/or a break up to be put in here and I’m loving the fact it hasn’t happened… then we got a break up with miscommunication… at 90% of the way through the book. This also meant the pacing of the ending was not great, it felt super rushed. One moment they’re broken up and next paragraph they’re basically back together. Also, did I miss something or did they just not explain how/why August went viral?
Overall, I enjoyed the middle part of this book, I thought it was fun, but it was let down a bit by the ending.
This book was a fun, easy, lighthearted read, which is exactly what I needed after a few darker books. It’s really a book that you should take a surface level to really enjoy and not think too hard about the details of how things (eg the cupcake shop) work, otherwise you may lose your immersion (eg if Nicholas is constantly baking cupcakes to restock, how does it work during the football season when he’s not there?).
The main characters were generally well-written and rounded and their relationship was cute. It was a very fast-paced relationship in a real-world context but I felt that wasn’t an issue in the context of the story (coming from someone who does not like instalove). The banter between the couple was also good and I loved the dyslexia representation! I think the side characters could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more, though.
I was really enjoying the storyline, even if it was a little ridiculous, up until the end. I didn’t like the fact there was a third-act break up, it didn’t seem necessary and the conflict and growth could have happened without it. The fact there was miscommunication just sprinkled in there as well made me like it less. Literally 10 pages or so before this happened, I had written a note saying that there were so many opportunities for miscommunication and/or a break up to be put in here and I’m loving the fact it hasn’t happened… then we got a break up with miscommunication… at 90% of the way through the book. This also meant the pacing of the ending was not great, it felt super rushed. One moment they’re broken up and next paragraph they’re basically back together. Also, did I miss something or did they just not explain how/why August went viral?
Overall, I enjoyed the middle part of this book, I thought it was fun, but it was let down a bit by the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Ableism
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I needed a few days to process this… wow. What a wild ride this was! I don’t even know if I can properly put this into words but I’ll try. Tagged for spoilers because I don’t think I can write this without giving away some plot points but I’ll try my best to be as vague as possible… but don’t say you weren’t warned!
This book took me on a ride. The book starts off very low stakes and I was questioning what people meant when they said it was high stakes but boy did it get more intense with every part! By the end, I was so scared someone was going to die, that’s how high the stakes were.
I didn’t trust anyone throughout the book, and rightfully so. The only people I trusted were Devon and Chiamaka. Despite this, I didn’t really know who could be behind it all for a lot of the novel. I liked how bits and pieces were fed to us along the way but didn’t make it obvious as to who was doing these things and why, but when it was revealed as to who was behind it, it all started to make sense and everything fell into place.
I don’t really know how to articulate much more without just using the mind blown emoji, this is really just a book you have to read for yourself to see the real impact it has.
The one thing that did drop this rating down from a 5 star for me was the pacing and one detail in the ending. I didn’t like the circumstances around the fire. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to see Niveus burn, but I felt like the explanation and timing of this was way too convenient. I was adamant that Terrell lit the fire as revenge for what Aces did, but they just explained it off as an “electrical fault”. It just felt very abrupt and too coincidental that it happened at just the right time. It would’ve been good if everyone else thought it was an electrical fault but someone had lit the fire and we knew who.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and it was a fantastic, strong, intense, thrilling debut by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and I look forward to reading more of their novels in the future.
This book took me on a ride. The book starts off very low stakes and I was questioning what people meant when they said it was high stakes but boy did it get more intense with every part! By the end, I was so scared someone was going to die, that’s how high the stakes were.
I didn’t trust anyone throughout the book, and rightfully so. The only people I trusted were Devon and Chiamaka. Despite this, I didn’t really know who could be behind it all for a lot of the novel. I liked how bits and pieces were fed to us along the way but didn’t make it obvious as to who was doing these things and why, but when it was revealed as to who was behind it, it all started to make sense and everything fell into place.
I don’t really know how to articulate much more without just using the mind blown emoji, this is really just a book you have to read for yourself to see the real impact it has.
The one thing that did drop this rating down from a 5 star for me was the pacing and one detail in the ending. I didn’t like the circumstances around the fire. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to see Niveus burn, but I felt like the explanation and timing of this was way too convenient. I was adamant that Terrell lit the fire as revenge for what Aces did, but they just explained it off as an “electrical fault”. It just felt very abrupt and too coincidental that it happened at just the right time. It would’ve been good if everyone else thought it was an electrical fault but someone had lit the fire and we knew who.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and it was a fantastic, strong, intense, thrilling debut by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and I look forward to reading more of their novels in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.25
I just realised I hadn’t written a review for this, so let’s see if I remember it enough to summarise my thoughts.
I had a good time with this book. I really liked the way the discussion of grief and tools of dealing with grief were woven into the story in a gentle and normalised way, and how therapy was normalised. It explored finding yourself and love after a loss well and I felt for the characters when going through this.
Feyi was kind of messy, as people have said, but I think that was to be expected given her experiences but I don’t think she was ever out of line and made her boundaries and expectations known. Also, it takes two to tango so she wasn’t the only one pursuing the relationship. In this sense, I did also like how consent was seamlessly woven into the story, particularly when it came to the “forbidden” romance aspect and testing the waters as to how much they each wanted the other to share. It didn’t feel forced, it didn’t blatantly scream consent but just normalised checking in with your partner and making sure what was happening was still okay. I also liked how their bisexuality wasn’t a core of their stories, it was just who they were.
I did like the main couple but I just wished I was a bit more invested in that side of the story. Despite this, I enjoyed the story and really liked the other parts of this book. Once again, Akwaeke Emezi has written a wonderful story.
I had a good time with this book. I really liked the way the discussion of grief and tools of dealing with grief were woven into the story in a gentle and normalised way, and how therapy was normalised. It explored finding yourself and love after a loss well and I felt for the characters when going through this.
Feyi was kind of messy, as people have said, but I think that was to be expected given her experiences but I don’t think she was ever out of line and made her boundaries and expectations known. Also, it takes two to tango so she wasn’t the only one pursuing the relationship. In this sense, I did also like how consent was seamlessly woven into the story, particularly when it came to the “forbidden” romance aspect and testing the waters as to how much they each wanted the other to share. It didn’t feel forced, it didn’t blatantly scream consent but just normalised checking in with your partner and making sure what was happening was still okay. I also liked how their bisexuality wasn’t a core of their stories, it was just who they were.
I did like the main couple but I just wished I was a bit more invested in that side of the story. Despite this, I enjoyed the story and really liked the other parts of this book. Once again, Akwaeke Emezi has written a wonderful story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Biphobia, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was an interesting read, and I have some mixed feelings about it. I should preface this by saying the nature of the twist was, unfortunately, spoiled for me by social media the day I started this book so I think I did pick up on some foreshadowing that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
The characters were not likeable, even Daisy, who I felt we were supposed to sympathise with, I didn’t really connect with or feel much for. This is not necessarily a problem, but I just didn’t feel like I connected with these characters one way or the other.
The pacing was a bit all over the place and I felt like it dragged in places to just have the chapter end on a “cliffhanger” that was resolved early in the next chapter in a way that was kind of anti-climatic.
The twist was interesting and different to what I’ve seen before but I felt like some of the foreshadowing was a bit too obvious in some places. Even though I did know the nature of this twist, I felt like it was mentioned enough times I would’ve picked up on some of it had I not know. It wasn’t very subtle about some of it, either. For example, everyone outright ignored everything she said and the number of times it was explicitly stated that she was ignored made it kind of obvious something was up. And there was a large focus on death and ghosts throughout the book, as well.
Overall, I had a decent time reading this but I don’t think it’s a very memorable thriller for me; however, I do intend on reading more of Alice Feeney’s books.
The characters were not likeable, even Daisy, who I felt we were supposed to sympathise with, I didn’t really connect with or feel much for. This is not necessarily a problem, but I just didn’t feel like I connected with these characters one way or the other.
The pacing was a bit all over the place and I felt like it dragged in places to just have the chapter end on a “cliffhanger” that was resolved early in the next chapter in a way that was kind of anti-climatic.
The twist was interesting and different to what I’ve seen before but I felt like some of the foreshadowing was a bit too obvious in some places. Even though I did know the nature of this twist, I felt like it was mentioned enough times I would’ve picked up on some of it had I not know. It wasn’t very subtle about some of it, either.
Overall, I had a decent time reading this but I don’t think it’s a very memorable thriller for me; however, I do intend on reading more of Alice Feeney’s books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicide