themermaddie's reviews
467 reviews

whoof, this was a hard one to get through. i don't know if it's because i had built it up to be this classic staple of gay YA books for so many years or if it was because of the content topic, but i couldn't get through this all in one go. i had to keep putting it down because i couldn't handle too much all at once.
danforth's writing is lovely and atmospheric, and she builds the small town setting beautifully. the characters all feel like people you might know in real life, maybe a little too well, i cared about cameron so much it hurt sometimes. i don't know if i can say i related to cameron, exactly; we don't have anything in common besides being "fellow diseased", but you'd think i had religious trauma in my personal experience from the way her story affected me.
the content is obviously potentially triggering for many readers, but if you can handle it, i absolutely recommend reading; this book is a classic for a reason.

this book slapped me across the face, hugged me, and told me to get therapy.
dude, seriously though, i cried all the way through the last 30%. just like, nonstop alternating between full on sobbing and just happy leaking. maybe this book is my final sign that i need therapy.
grace porter lives somewhere warm and golden inside my heart, sludge and all. this little novel of love, self-care, mental health, and privilege is so much more than i couldve ever expected it to be. i love all of grace's friends, they are a big beautiful queer poc family and i want to be best friends with all of them so bad. grace's relationship with her parents is so nuanced and hurt my heart so bad, morgan rogers does such a fabulous job of describing relationships in so few words.
and the WRITING, ugh, is so lovely and flowery and poetic, it just flows like music. yuki's storytelling especially is so captivating, i would definitely listen to her radio show.
maybe the universe has a plan for me too, because this read was exactly what i needed.

3.5 stars, rounded up for goodreads.

TW: public outing

rep: lesbian/bi rep, bengali characters, biracial black-brazilian and irish character, korean character

this was such a cute book, i loved nishat's voice so much. i'm not desi so i can't speak to cultural accuracy but nishat's culture and poc experience at her white irish catholic school was woven through the whole book and it was so lovely. i was expecting nishat to bond with flávia's over a shared poc experience (black-brazilian and irish) but there was less than i would've liked; flávia even excuses cultural appropriation at one point, though she does come around. i appreciated the nuance of everyone's characters, and this story dealt more with microaggressions than outright hate crimes. i would've given it a solid 4 stars but i was less than convinced by the romance. it was cute and fluffy but a lot more shallow than the rest of the book, which contained important discussions of race and culture and shame. flávia and nishat's relationship felt too surface level but if you're looking for an easy wlw coming of age, this is for you!

ms thomas really went off on this one, what an important book. i don't really have anything new to say about this book, just that it made me cry a lot and i loved how incredibly nuanced and complex the whole cast of characters were.

incredible. not usually something i would pick up but it was available at the library and i'm glad i did. it was absolutely heart wrenching and the writing was beautiful. the flashbacks and details about the journey are so well done.

a very enjoyable read! i kinda guessed the ending early on and it was a little predictable at times but the characters were all fun to read and well fleshed out. i was hoping for a little more murder mystery sleuthing but the majority of the book was the four main characters dealing with the media circus and aftermath of the murder accusations. it was still interesting, just not as much investigating as i'd have liked
4 stars bc i probably won't reread it but i would still highly recommend it

what to heck! that ending!
i liked this book better than the first one overall. the audiobook was still amazing, and the voice actor for Will was so endearing

3.5 or 4 stars, rounding up for goodreads.
okay, good things first: i'm a sucker for fake-dating, love that. i love the representation in this book, both Stella's autism and Michael's vietnamese heritage was well integrated and didnt feel put on for diversity points. i liked that they had lives outside their romance, although definitely more michael than stella. i appreciated stella's support of michael's sex work, even if it was in the casual throwaway line at the end that she would've been supportive of it if he had been doing it because he loved the job. i liked the discussion of class and money and privilege; i didn't realise the book was set in my hometown so hearing my streets get referenced kept throwing me off lol, but the location was very fitting. the story was sexy and fluffy, and had a very fanficcy-style of storytelling? i don't know how else to describe it, other than the fact that it's a story that knows exactly what kind of book it is, which is a good thing. their heartbreak during the conflict bit of the book made me absolutely ache (i love yearning!) and i liked that they worked on their own issues by themselves, and that twoo wuv didn't instantly solve everything.
now for things that bugged me: i could've done without the macho masculinity schtick that michael put on (ie wanting to punch any guy that so much as looked at stella), but it always manages to make an appearance in hetero romances. sigh. it was pretty much insta love at the beginning, almost laughably, not once you get further into their relationship it feels less important. the main issue was that the bar for both characters was so freaking low, i have to wonder if both of them just needed a hug? i wouldve preferred it if it had been better emphasised that stella's autism wasn't the issue that had to be solved when it came to specific events, ie having bad sex before wasnt because her autism got in the way, it was bc the men didn't care about her. most of the main conflict was miscommunication which is my biggest pet peeve in romance, but it was more tolerable here because it had layers that made sense due to the characters' arcs, so it was okay.
i thought helen hoang's writing was decent, i much preferred being in stella's head over michael's, because her thoughts were more interesting to listen to. hoang has a very direct style of writing that i dont find very subtle; michael manages to remind you that he has severe ~daddy issues~ every other page, and when it comes down to it, that plotline doesnt even really feel fully closed. the ending is sweet and fluffy and veryyyy wish fulfillment, everyone gets exactly what they want/need. it's a little too clean but it's nice to think that people get to be happy.
i could get more specific but all of this is mostly nitpicky at this point.
tldr; its a sweet fluffy read with only a few minor irks that i would recommend.

listened to the audiobook by Russell Tovey on audible, fantastic narrator

an absolute trip to read during covid. he got a lot right. also rieux and tarrou kinda gay???