That writing! That structure! That tension! This queer Hamlet retelling as a locked-room sci-fi thriller is insanely good!!
I needed to recover for a wThat writing! That structure! That tension! This queer Hamlet retelling as a locked-room sci-fi thriller is insanely good!!
I needed to recover for a while because the tension was so tangible in every sentence that I felt I had to keep my breath constantly while reading. So, breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out!
Sometimes a book is fantastic because it’s different. Sometimes a book is fantastic because it’s original. Sometimes a book is fantastic because it’s ingenious.
This book has it all. The blunt, lyrical writing and the amazing structure kept me on the edge of my seat. The Death I Gave Him is only covering fourteen hours, but it doesn’t feel that way at all. It’s built up from an essay, camera footage, audio transcripts, letters, footnotes, Horatio’s and Hayden’s POVs from the neuromapper log, etc., etc. It switches from lyrical, distant third-person prose to a somewhat prickly first-person narrative to objective facts, to transcripts of conversations, and back again. Add a natural trigger warning within the text and an unreal love story that felt so real, and a sensational novel is born!
The Death I Gave Him follows Hamlet’s main themes, like mortality and immortality, revenge, and doubt. There’s science to find solutions to reverse death, there’s ambition and madness to prove it’s possible to relive, there’s revenge for Hayden’s father’s death, and there’s doubt because the question is: who did it and who stole the Sisyphus Formula? But also Hayden’s fears and doubts are central in this magnificent story!
Everyone who knows Shakespeare’s Hamlet also knows Horatio and the deep friendship the two of them had. In this retelling Em X. Liu constructs a relationship full of affection and love that I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t read it myself. Hayden who never felt he was enough and Horatio so caring for the human he loved. So much that tears clouded my eyes in the last part of the story. I almost don’t dare to admit that I fell in love with an AI voice.
Shakespeare would have been proud of this retelling and maybe even jealous! Pick up this book, everyone! It’s phenomenal!
I received an ARC from Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t even know what to say. I’m overwhelmed and perplexed how easily I pushed that five stars button. Ten if I could. My heart is broken and full oI don’t even know what to say. I’m overwhelmed and perplexed how easily I pushed that five stars button. Ten if I could. My heart is broken and full of love.
I occasionally read M/M but usually stick to (queer) fiction or YA because I like my stories a little less steamy and hate (photo) covers of half-naked people (M/M has a lot of those covers!). And then I found Thrown Off the Ice on my timeline. A terrible but intriguing blurb and a fascinating cover. A very high rating. Gushing reviews by my friends. So, I decided to end this year reading a sweet M/M instead of one of the many ARCs waiting for me.
First of all, this is not your usual M/M and it’s not sweet (well, at times it is). Not sure I would have picked up this book had I known more than the blurb told me. Because this story has some things, I usually like less. Steamy sex at the beginning, a huge age gap (I don’t mind age gaps in general, but I do if one of them is an eighteen-year-old virgin), and third person present tense writing. But …
I can’t tell you how happy I am that this was my last read of 2021. This book gave my bookish year an amazing end and deserves the last spot on my ‘Most memorable 2021’ shelf. Thrown Off the Ice is a gorgeous love story covering a long period of time, and it’s raw and beautiful and sad and witty and so much more. From about halfway through the book, I cried from time to time, and as I started reading the last two chapters, tears constantly rolled down my cheeks, so I had to put my Kindle down almost every other page (or even every other sentence). I read and sobbed, unloaded my dishwasher, read and sobbed, cooked, read and sobbed, loaded my dishwasher, read and sobbed, and so on until the very end.
Don’t read this if you prefer the usual slow-burn romance with a guaranteed HEA. But I urge you to read this story about love, life, and loss, if you’re a sucker for books that are authentic, surprise you, and let emotions swirl through your body. Right now, I’m looking at the cover and immediately start sobbing again. F*ck, Mike! The cover seems almost too simple and is, at the same time, so utterly beautiful and so fitting to Mike’s and Liam’s story. It might be the time of the year, but I believe I’m feeling this way because of the story and the characters and the writing. And, of course, the cover. That beautiful, heartbreaking cover. I’m sobbing again …
I’ll definitely be checking out other books by Taylor Fitzpatrick!
I love you so fucking much, he doesn’t say, but he thinks it so goddamn hard he’s pretty sure Liam hears it anyway. ...more
Aw, do you know that feeling? Wanting to read an author’s second novel badly because you loved the first one so much? Being aActual rating 4.5 stars.
Aw, do you know that feeling? Wanting to read an author’s second novel badly because you loved the first one so much? Being afraid to start and then finding out the second one is even better? It happened to me while reading Ocean’s Echo.
First of all, don’t read this book because you want to read a romance with a lot of yearning and longing. Even though it’s clear from the start that Tennal and Surit will become a couple, the romance is not central in the story. Far from it even. Ocean’s Echo is a highly political story with a burgeoning civil war at its core. The first architects and readers were made in a military lab twenty years ago. Readers can read other people’s minds while architects can write (influence) other people’s minds. The main plot is about how those capacities can be misused.
Tennal is a reader, selfish and chaotic, destructive and putting his own needs first. Until his aunt orders him to go into the military and sync with Surit, an architect. Surit, a duty-bound soldier, follows the regulations but is even more focused on justice and doesn’t want to be illegally synced with an unconsenting civilian.
I loved those two guys and their interactions, and from the moment Tennal and Surit knew they could only trust each other, I felt the care for another throughout the story. So many times, content smiles tugged at the corners of my lips, and I had to slow down myself at times to understand everything that was happening. Everina Maxwell's writing is sublime, and even though I’m not a huge sci-fi reader, I could see all those ships and planets and even the chaotic space so lively. I highly recommend this fantastic story! The only reason I didn’t rate Ocean’s Echo a full five stars is because I wanted a tiny, tiny bit more romance.
I received an ARC from Little Brown Book Group Uk and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For lovers of historical or fantasy M/M stories with kings or princes or warriors and political intrigues such as The Song of Actual rating 4.5 stars.
For lovers of historical or fantasy M/M stories with kings or princes or warriors and political intrigues such as The Song of Achilles, A Taste of Gold and Iron, The Scottish Boy, or even Winter’s Orbit.
This book is fantastic! Seth Haddon delivers a story with just the right amount of political intrigue and a romance to die for. From the first page Seth drew me in with his descriptive writing and I sat on the edge of my seat because of that immediate tension between Bale and Zavrius who had been lovers in the past. They were a couple to swoon over and my heart fluttered in my chest every time they looked at each other. When they kissed I let out a deep sigh of content and a smile played around my lips when they finally admitted they still had feelings for each other. Seth Haddon is an author to watch for, everyone, and if you loved one of the above mentioned titles then put this book on your TBR or preorder immediately!
And let’s not forget that amazing intimate cover! Julie Dillon did a fantastic job!
Thank you so much, Nicole from Blind Eye Books for trusting me to read and review this ARC!
Indivisible meets A Million Quiet Revolutions in this tender and heartfelt story about a vulnerable queer teen who’s part of an undocumented Mexican-AIndivisible meets A Million Quiet Revolutions in this tender and heartfelt story about a vulnerable queer teen who’s part of an undocumented Mexican-American family.
I love books written in verse. I’ve said it before, a book in verse is like a stream; it bends and accelerates and then slows down again as you absorb the turn of the words and phrases. It never gets boring because after each turn you’ll find another beautiful view.
Only Pieces is a hi-lo book which means it’s written for struggling readers like dyslectic teens. So the words and sentences are simple. Therefore, I thought this would be a fast and easy read, but this story triggered something in my mind that left me staring after every few pages. I took a lot of notes, an enormous amount, for such a short story because even though Only Pieces is stripped of all frills, it still shows us the life of a vulnerable Mexican-American queer teen so vividly. So few words stirred up so many emotions in me, left my heart broken in pieces, and mended it back together in one piece in the end.
The title is just perfect, and those poems Edgar wrote are mesmerizing. Edd, you did an amazing job with this precious gem of a story!
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
I received an ARC from West 44 Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A mesmerizing cover and title and one of the sweetest MGs I’ve ever read about two twelve-year-old boys falling in love for thActual rating 4.5 stars.
A mesmerizing cover and title and one of the sweetest MGs I’ve ever read about two twelve-year-old boys falling in love for the first time.
Jeremy spends his summer holiday in a seaside cabin in Oregon with his dad. It’s hard, though, because his parents have just divorced. His dad, who always was mellow, is suddenly grumpy and drinks a lot. But when Jeremy meets Evan, he falls in love for the first time.
Two years ago, my family and I were supposed to go to Oregon in the summer. Until COVID struck. So, I have books of Oregon on my bookshelf, including one about birds. And when I started reading The Language of Seabirds, I felt so much recognition even though I still haven’t visited the state.
This is a book that slowly conquers a permanent place in your heart. It’s pure, tender, and inviting while covering heavier themes like coming out of the closet and the divorce of parents. While reading, a fluffy feeling settled in my chest, and my smile grew wider and wider. I loved the scenes where Jeremy and Evan ran for the first time together and how they used the names of seabirds as a secret language. At the same time, my heart broke for Jeremy because of how his dad treated him. It almost felt like his dad didn’t care for him. A twelve-year-old who disappeared at night and his dad just went to bed?
Tears clouded my eyes a couple of times because those boys were so gentle together, and a tear might have run down my cheek when I closed my ereader. This is what kids need who might be afraid that they have to hide who they really are.
I’m sure that I will visit Oregon someday, and whenever I see seabirds flying above the beach and the sea, I’ll think back to The Language of Seabirds. Thanks, Will! I’m so glad that just the title became a beautiful MG.
Thanks to Scholastic, who provided me with this beautiful ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Okay. Ookay. Ookaay. I’m trying to put into words what an insanely good book A Shot in The Dark is and what it did to me, so forgive me if this reviewOkay. Ookay. Ookaay. I’m trying to put into words what an insanely good book A Shot in The Dark is and what it did to me, so forgive me if this review seems to be a vomit of incoherent thoughts.
Want. Need. Desire. That’s what this beautiful love story is about. A craving for addictive substances, still, after so many years of both being sober. A yearning to be completely and unapologetically themselves after both having lost their family all at once. A longing for each other after just one night together and simply feeling lost without the other. A hunger so tangible on every page, in every sentence, that it made the constant tension in the book jump over to my body and soar through my veins until my stomach flipped, my chest tightened, and my heart ached. But that tension also let a smile reach my eyes, and that same body, stiff from anxiety and worries, began to tingle. My heart opened up time and again for those two beautiful people, a professor and a student, both photographers, both sober, both abandoned by their families, and their forbidden love.
This story belongs to the category of books I desperately want to read. Need to read. Desire to read. Darker, heavier topics against the backdrop of a love story. Flawed and fully fleshed-out characters jumping off the pages. Mesmerizing poetic and descriptive writing. I hadn’t read anything by Victoria Lee before, but this story made me obsessed, and I can’t wait to read more of their books! Thank you so much, Victoria, for one of the best novels I read this year!
I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not going to rate The Alpha’s Son because sometimes a debut has potential but isn’t ready to enter the world yet. This is such a book.
The Alpha’sI’m not going to rate The Alpha’s Son because sometimes a debut has potential but isn’t ready to enter the world yet. This is such a book.
The Alpha’s Son is a queer YA about werewolves. Max is sixteen when he gets invited to the Blue Moon Festival to find his mate. But he doesn’t want to find his mate, he’d rather draw in his sketchbook. Until he meets Jasper.
I had Green Creek vibes when I put The Alpha’s Son on my TBR, but the minute I started reading, those vibes disappeared. If I had to compare this story to another T.J. Klune’s series, it would be The Extraordinaries. The Alpha’s Son is action-packed, humorous (almost over the top at times), lively, and even though it’s nearly 400 pages, it’s very easily readable. This is a story to read on an evening or a Sunday afternoon in just one sitting.
While I liked the overall story and read the book in just a few sittings, there was a bit too much drama for my liking especially in the second part of the story (that ending???). And more importantly, I had mixed feelings about the writing and the editing. Sometimes the writing was vivid and active, and at other times it felt clunky, immature, simple, and repetitive. Furthermore, paragraphs broke off rather abruptly and sometimes consisted of only one sentence. The transitions between chapters or within chapters were also awkward at times. At the same time, the simpler writing and the drama are far more suited to younger MCs (upper MG/lower YA) than to sixteen and eighteen-year-olds (the age of Max and Jasper).
I contacted the publisher, and they told me they want their first book to have the best chance of success as possible out in the wild, and they promised to look into the manuscript again. I really hope The Alpha’s Son will be thoroughly edited. If done right, I believe this could be a great book!
I received an ARC from Tiny Ghost Press in exchange for an honest review....more
OUT NOW!! The Sleepless is a queer genre-blending story, combining so many genres in one. From Sci-fi (set in 2043) to mystery/thriller to literary, wiOUT NOW!! The Sleepless is a queer genre-blending story, combining so many genres in one. From Sci-fi (set in 2043) to mystery/thriller to literary, with a pandemic causing sleeplessness at its core.
I’m not a huge Sci-fi reader, but I devour stories like this, only wanting more, more, and more. Jamie is a journalist and one of the 25% sleepless people in the world, dealing with loss in different ways. He doesn’t have nightmares and other dreams to process unhappy experiences. He’s on 24 hours a day.
What I liked most in this story were those little snippets thrown around. Things you take for granted at first and then start to question. Things slowly coming to the surface, and each time you’ll think, aw, that makes sense, or sh*t, I should have known. There are so many themes handled in this book. Of course, the sleeplessness, does that make the world better? Or worse? But the story is also about mental health issues, suicide, grief, and queerness, even though the last one isn’t even discussed. It’s just there. I laughed when Jamie talked about coming out to his parents. Not because he was queer but because he was sleepless.
Victor Manibo is a name to watch out for, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next!
I received an ARC from Ehrewon Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Awww, I liked this one. Once in a while, I just need a breezy and charming story, and Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell was exactly what I needed.
Take a Bow,Awww, I liked this one. Once in a while, I just need a breezy and charming story, and Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell was exactly what I needed.
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell is such an easy-to-read YA book, and I even like it a bit more than I liked Anything but Fine. Again, Tobias Madden chose to write a book featuring a boy who does questionable things but hey, I love when teens are just being teens. Meaning not thinking things through, being egotistical at times, and doing cringy things. Noah is such a teen, a nerdy one, without friends because of what happened three years ago and crushing on the boy, he plays video games with.
So, I read, and I cringed, and I swooned, and I shook my head, and I smiled, and I read on again. What I less was the bullying. I could have done without it. But overall, this story is for everyone who needs a distraction, a book to read in one or a couple of sittings, and after reading, a content feeling inside your chest—highly recommended!...more
Please, read this gem about music, dreams, and first love between two boys (one trans)!!! It’s utterly gorgeous, amazing, incredible, and mind-blowingPlease, read this gem about music, dreams, and first love between two boys (one trans)!!! It’s utterly gorgeous, amazing, incredible, and mind-blowing!
I found Beating Heart Baby on Edelweiss/NetGalley and fell for the sweet and intimate cover. My request for an ARC kept pending and pending, and in the meantime, I read some raving reviews. I got restless, and I felt this want, no, this need in my body, to read this story RIGHT NOW!!! And then suddenly I got approved… I almost cried and screamed out loud.
Do you know that feeling? When you want to read on and on, and you try to read slowly because you don’t want the story to end, and at the same time, you see those pages flashing by at an agonizingly fast pace? That gnawing feeling in your chest when you put your book or e-reader down and want it with you every minute of the day? That sigh of contentment when you pick it up and start reading again?
This book! This book! This book! Goosebumps crawled over my body, and smiles tugged at my lips. My eyes watered from anger and joy, and sometimes I just stared in the distance, teardrops rolling down my cheek. My chest hurt and my heart thudded in my throat. And then the sky broke open, and warm sunshowers fell down on me, embracing me wholeheartedly. This book! This book! This book! So full of emotions. Full of emo oceans. So achingly beautiful!
Beating Heart Baby is a love song about music, about self-acceptance, about dreams, about found family, and about love itself! It’s so, so, so good! I’m sure this story will end up as one of my most favorite reads of 2022, and probably as one of my most favorite young adult books ever.
And as a sideline, I loved the structure, set up as a music album, divided into an A-side (narrated from Santi’s voice) and a B-side (narrated from Suwa’s voice), with track numbers as chapters.
So, did you quit reading my review and put this sweet, and intimate, and personal, and heartbreaking, and heartwarming, and stunningly, lyrically written story on your TBR? And did you preorder it? NO? Please, leave 카지노싸이트 RIGHT NOW and do it!! And when you’re back on your socials and have an Instagram account, please follow @emo.ocean (Twitter @EmoOcean).
Thank you so much, Lio Min, for writing this incredible story! You’re going to be such a great author! Correction, you are a great author! And thank you, Flatiron, for trusting me to read this gem early!
I received an ARC from Flatiron and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Greenland is the captivating and unusual story of Kip, a Black queer author who has three weeks to write a book about the secret love affair E.M. ForsGreenland is the captivating and unusual story of Kip, a Black queer author who has three weeks to write a book about the secret love affair E.M. Forster had with Mohammed el Adl.
The book starts when Kip locks himself in the basement for three weeks. He badly wants to be a published author, and if he can write the story from Mohammed’s point of view, he’ll be offered a contract. While trying to write the story, Kip often gets distracted. He looks at his own life, the choices he made and how Mohammed handled things.
At first, I found it a bit difficult to get into the story, but I couldn't stop reading after a few chapters. In this fascinating book, David Santos Donaldson seamlessly interweaves Kip’s and Mohammed’s lives. Both men have so much in common, they’re Black, queer, and are in a relationship with white men. But this story is about more. It’s about the cost of friendship, the role that books and poems (by Walt Whitman) play in their lives, and most of all, it’s about being seen. Truly being seen. Kip’s reason why he wants to publish his book so badly touched me. As a Black, gay man, he needs the world to say, I see you. You matter. I know you exist.
Greenland is an honest and sometimes raw book. A refreshing read, and I highly recommend this story!
I received an ARC from Amistad and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I started reading this second chance M/M lovestory just at the right time. Rain, rain, and more rain pouring down, the whole wActual rating: 3.5 stars
I started reading this second chance M/M lovestory just at the right time. Rain, rain, and more rain pouring down, the whole weekend. A perfect moment to curl up on the couch with a sweet romance!
DeShawn, a chef in a Michelin restaurant, and Malik, an accountant at his family’s restaurant, were married, but divorced seven years ago. Ar least, they thought they did. But their divorce got rejected without their knowledge and they never found out. When they do find out, DeShawn’s grandma tells them she’s terminally ill and wants to leave her house and other possessions to them. There’s one problem, DeShawn’s uncle contests his mom’s will. DeShawn and Malik have only one option, play it like they’ve reconciled.
If you love something is an easy, sweet, and nice read, an in between, nothing spectacular, but definitely not bad either. The writing is engaging and invites you to keep on reading. I read it in a couple of sittings. DeShawn and Malik are likable characters, and throughout the book I felt their love for each other. And I had a soft spot for Grandma and the dogs! If you’re want to read a cute slow burn second chance love story to dream away for a few moments, check this one out!
I have one remark though. The saying is: don’t judge a book by its cover. I do, to be honest. And I keep thinking that this cover looks like a cheesy straight rom-com instead of a Black queer love story. It could be a positive thing because it shouldn’t matter if the characters are Black or white, or straight or queer. On the other hand, I think that every book deserves a cover that fits its content. It would be a shame if (Black) queer people passed this book in a bookstore because of its cover.
I received an ARC from Harlequin Carina Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Loved this one much more than I initially thought I would. What I like about this series is that it focuses on different types of romances. The first Loved this one much more than I initially thought I would. What I like about this series is that it focuses on different types of romances. The first book focuses on a romance between a guy and a non-binary person, the second on two guys, one of them anxious and big-boned, and this book focuses on a polyamorous relationship. All books can be read separately from each other.
Diego and Claris are married and have an open relationship. When Mason meets Diego, he falls hard. Head over heels. But can he love someone who’s in another relationship too?
Diego mentions somewhere in the story that Mason is able to look at things from different angles. And that’s precisely what this story is about. Most people start judging and have prejudices when they hear you’re falling in love with someone who’s married. An open marriage in this case. You’re in love with each other? He’s in love with you, too? And he’s married? So, they’re getting a divorce? No? So, you’re having a secret affair? No? They’re still together, and you’re together with that guy, too? Huh? HUH? That’s not normal! And there it is. The word I have a love-hate relationship with.
NORMAL
We all are different and still can be normal. But many of us think that when someone is different or when someone’s relationship is different, they’re abnormal. And I have to admit, when I started reading The Love Revamp, I frowned multiple times. Falling in love with a guy who’s part of a happily married couple? Mmm. But like I once read: There’s no such thing as weird, worthless, or abnormal, as long as you’re true to yourself. So, if Mason is true to himself, and Diego and Claris are too, and there’s consent from the three of them, who am I to judge?
I liked the writing, I liked Mason, and I loved, loved Diego with his future playdates, the Manicuregate, and his courtship cake. The Life Revamp is funny without being over the top (like The Love Study was, in my opinion). I liked Mason’s internal discussions about how it would even work if his partner had more than one partner. Switch days like divorced people with kids do? This story is sweet and funny, and I loved how it got me thinking and pushing my limits at the same time. After finishing the story, questions kept popping up in my head. A lot of what if’s. But again, if Mason and Diego are happy, and Claris is too, why should I question their way of living? Isn’t it important we all live our lives the way we chose?
Pick up this book if you want to read a story that explores a relationship that may seem beyond our human comfort zones. It’s cosy and sweet, and puts a smile on your face. Definitely worth a read!
I received an ARC from Harlequin Carina Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Anita Kelly has become one of my favorite authors in recent months. Those who haven’t heard of Love & Other Disasters yet, putActual rating 4.5 stars.
Anita Kelly has become one of my favorite authors in recent months. Those who haven’t heard of Love & Other Disasters yet, put this book on your TBR, buy it in your local bookstore or order it online! It’s sooo good!
Next to their full novel, Anita also wrote three novellas, all taking place in a queer Karaoke bar, the Moonie’s. And each of those novellas is amazing as well.
Wherever is Your Heart is the third and final novella, and it’s about two badass women, a trucker and a bartender, and at the same time, it’s so sweet and tender. Like Anita told me, this book is the quietest of all three, and maybe not for everyone, but definitely for me! Loved Mal and June together, and I smiled when they both sat in the truck and Mal tried to find the mints. I smiled so much more, and I always love that feeling in my belly when I just adore a couple and want to keep reading on and on. I can’t wait for Anita’s sophomore full novel, Something Wild & Wonderful, and am counting down the days until its release (a year from now, a year, sigh …)!
A smashing queer story for Bridget Jones fans. Or Dolly Parton fans. Or for those who want to laugh and cry at the same time. Or want to have this fuzA smashing queer story for Bridget Jones fans. Or Dolly Parton fans. Or for those who want to laugh and cry at the same time. Or want to have this fuzzy feeling in their chest. For anyone, actually!
Danny is twenty-seven, lives with his friend Laura and her boyfriend, and just had his first anniversary with his boyfriend Tobbs. But when he finds out, Tobbs probably got him stuck with an STI, and Laura tells him she’s pregnant, Danny’s life is spiraling out of control. Fortunately, there’s Jacob, or Jay, his non-binary best friend.
I can’t express in words how much I loved this story. It’s so well written, incredibly witty, and so much like Bridget Jones. There’s an aspiring journalist. Who doesn’t make the best choices when it comes to men. Who tears himself down. Who’s anxious. There are so many heartwarming moments. And of course … a diary.
Henry Fry shows us Danny’s journey through life in a funny and touching way, and throughout the story, I wanted to cheer Danny on so much. Danny, who adores his Dolly Parton holographic triptych, has friends who make homophobic jokes, and wants to have a house and a boyfriend (or is this too heteronormative?). When the ground falls from underneath his feet, he needs to acknowledge his anxiety issues, learn to love himself, and find his place in the (queer) world. I laughed, and at times I cringed, and sometimes I had teary eyes, but I always kept cheering him on. There were so many side characters I lost count, but I want to put two of them on a pedestal. Raj is the sweetest thing ever, and Jacob, oh Jacob. ‘The human glitterball’ is the best friend Danny could imagine, and they were the star of this book! Funny, outspoken, showy, caring, and so much more.
I found out that the television rights have been sold and that Henry will adapt his own novel for television. I can’t wait to see Danny’s journey on screen. And Jacob's, of course. Because we all need a Jay in our lives ...more
A Black queer YA, raw and painful, funny at times. Alexis ‘Lex’ is an average student, but great at basketball and therefore hoping for a scholarship.A Black queer YA, raw and painful, funny at times. Alexis ‘Lex’ is an average student, but great at basketball and therefore hoping for a scholarship. Until she gets shot in a gang shooting.
I loved the beginning of the story, and the first chapter immediately pulled me in. I barely had time to breathe when Lex was chased by a cop. She had a constant stream of thoughts filled with strong opinions, and this story seemed incredibly fast paced. Furthermore, the author used teen slang including a lot of curse words. Don’t tell my kids, but I secretly love cursing in YA ...more
LGBTQ and then I always add a plus. It’s merely to make it easy on myself but I shouldn’t. The I and A are as important. Just Ash is about an intersexLGBTQ and then I always add a plus. It’s merely to make it easy on myself but I shouldn’t. The I and A are as important. Just Ash is about an intersex boy and although I’ve read countless queer stories, I never read a story with an intersex MC written by an ownvoices.
Ash is a sixteen-year-old boy who suddenly gets his first period in front of the entire boys’ soccer team. Ash has male and female genitalia. Specifically: a penis and a vagina. No one knows he’s intersex except for his parents who decided at his birth he should be raised as a guy. But after getting his first period, his mom wants him to be a girl.
I loved the way non-fictional content about intersex was interwoven into the story. I always get happy when I learn from a book. It was an easy read and I flew through the pages. Ash was a likable person and I liked Michelle, Evie, and Trisha. I loved the conversation Ash and Ariel had. But … A lot of side characters were downright disgusting, including Ash’s parents. I didn’t understand his pediatrician, a boy suddenly calling a girl? And his mom too? It felt like the opposite of transphobia, raised as a boy, than suddenly treated as a girl (against his will). WTF? And I didn’t understand Ash either. He was so sure about his gender and just let his mom turn him into a girl. I wanted to scream and shout at him. Please Google! Birth control pills contain female hormones! Maybe there are other ways to stop your periods. Don’t wear that skirt! Tell your mom you want to go to the hairdresser! But none of it all. I read these parts with disbelief and even got a bit bored because Ash let all of this happen so easily in the first part of the book. The second part of the book was better, even though it was too rushed.
I wanted to love this book so badly and give it a beautiful four or five star rating. Sadly, I couldn’t. Overall I found the characters not fleshed out enough and too black and white, the pacing too irregular (slow parts interchanged with rushed parts), and the story laced with too much unnecessary drama.
I received an ARC from Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Lab and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
The author decided to edit the prologue, so the first part of my review might not be true anymore. The revFunny, heartwarming and so incredibly sweet!
The author decided to edit the prologue, so the first part of my review might not be true anymore. The revision probably made the story even better!
**** Although I ended up adoring this book, The Magic Between and I weren’t exactly friends from the start. In fact, I furrowed my brows and felt somewhat overwhelmed when I dove into a massive info dump about magic, their six categories, and all their subcategories. While reading the prologue, I gasped and almost had a panic attack. Do we really need to know any of this? Well, let me tell you I loved the story without barely remembering a thing from the prologue. So, choose yourself … ****
I’m not able to compare The Magic Between to other books. It’s quite unique. Because of the prologue, because of the writing, because of all those capitals, and because of the name of one of its MCs. Who on earth calls their MC AB? Anyway, unique can be refreshing and highly entertaining. And that’s what this book is. So, my brows relaxed, and my breathing calmed down. I smiled because of Matthew’s enthusiasm about Bonds and felt AB’s anxiety and Matthew’s fear seep through the pages. Warmth spread out in my chest when they started texting. I read and I read, and somehow this story gripped me, and I couldn’t let go. I grinned at their banter, smiled at their flirting, and sometimes laughed out loud. The illustrations were the icing on the cake (I want them in color!), and even though I couldn’t keep up with all those side characters, this book was just what I needed right now—fluffy, cute, and lighthearted, dealing with heavier topics like OCD and coming out as a queer hockey player in the NHL.
Thanks, Stephanie, for writing this wonderful book, and Victoria, for those awesome illustrations.
I received an ARC from NineStar Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book so much. Because it has the most fabulous rep and the most fantastic (LGBTQIA+) parent ever. I really wanted to. But …
Sam iI wanted to love this book so much. Because it has the most fabulous rep and the most fantastic (LGBTQIA+) parent ever. I really wanted to. But …
Sam is eighteen, non-binary, and on the autism spectrum. Because of a traumatic experience Sam and their dad move to Oregon to a house where a teen boy died thirty years ago. Sam has long been fascinated by kids who died before they turned nineteen and therefore want to investigate the death of the teenage boy. But then they meet resistance.
First of all, the cover. I love the colors and after reading this story, it fits Sam so much! Furthermore, the rep in this young adult is great, and I loved the supporting characters. I had a soft spot for Sky with his pizza and his glitter Chuck Taylors. And the best of all was Junius, Sam’s dad, a Black single father who adopted Sam when they were seven years old and supported them wherever he could. If it is about their disorder, about gender, traumatic experience, or just about living, Junius is always there for Sam. Like I said, the most fantastic parent ever!
But …
Yep, I already announced the but. Although the story should tick all of my boxes, it just didn’t. The writing was awesome, I loved the part about Sam’s heart being not on their sleeve. The rep was great, the author tackled heavy topics, and I really liked the characters. I just didn’t get invested in the mystery/paranormal aspect of the book, and I think the story was a bit too long and therefore started to drag.
On the other hand, I think a lot of people will like this book, because of the reasons I stated above. It’s probably a me, not the book thing, so please check out the four and five star reviews if you want to read this book!
I received an ARC from Astra Publishing House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
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