alltheradreads's reviews
1853 reviews

this is MY KIND OF ROMANCE 🥰🔥🏒 she’s driven and focused on getting into grad school, he’s a flirt and captain of the hockey team. she hates hockey, but it turns out he’s who she has to work with to get her research done for her application. there’s simmering tension, a lot of pesky provoking, and of COURSE underlying attraction. nooooothing to see here… 😏

read this in one sitting and loved it and can’t wait for book #2!

this one has mystery and magic, brujos and best friends, cemeteries and coming of age drama, family dynamics and found family goodness, día de los muertos and destiny… it was beautiful and tender and rich, full of yearning and becoming and evolving. 

wow wow wow this was incredible. an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read, for SURE. 

flipping the adventures of huckleberry finn on its head to tell the story from the enslaved jim’s point of view, this one was eye-opening and fantastically written and full of action. i was blown away by the way this one pulled back the curtain on living as an enslaved person, code-switching often as to play to what the white folks expected, living in endless fear, doing anything to support their families and communities while being mercilessly tortured and used and forced into labor (and other awful things).

truly a masterpiece, a classic, a must-read.

❤️ woke up no light was an exploration of girlhood, neighborhood, falsehood, and womanhood— a creative, sharp, rhythmic, and powerful voice that i really enjoyed. 4/5 stars for me! (thanks to @aaknopf for sending me my copy!)

you can try to end a love story but you can’t end #radbookhugs 🥰

this was a delight of a read, diving into deep waters from the jump as the main characters navigate a tragic loss (tw for suicide and death of a sibling) but never losing its warmth, sparkle of hope, and slow burn of both romance and emotion.

you get:
✨enemies to lovers
✨black cat/golden retriever energy
✨workplace romance
✨spice!!!
✨grief, healing, family dynamics, and more

it’s tender and complicated and had my heart exploding with feels, so that’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for sure! #radfivestarfaves

i don’t think i understand horror??? or maybe this book wasn’t good? i truly don’t know? 🐝🍯

i’ve been tiptoeing into trying horror books this year and i can’t decide if it’s just not the genre for me or if i’m picking bad books… 

this one felt so drawn out for ultimately very little to happen, and the magical/horror-ish elements felt lacking in their execution and effectiveness in the story. the bones were intriguing but it didn’t stick the landing for me. 

i did think seeing mars explore their gender and its expression was well done especially in settings that weren’t affirming or supportive. 

i just wanted more?!? 🤷🏼‍♀️

⭐️⭐️ for this one… 

🌵instructions for traveling west was an INSTANT favorite. truly, i love this collection so, so much. started making art with some of these poems right after i read them, because i want to read them over and over! themes of leaving a relationship, finding yourself, honoring your intuition, seeking belonging, and knowing “joy is not a trick.” 10/10 for me! aka ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! (thanks to @thedialpress for sending me my copy!)

you can say you’re one in a millennial, @katekennedy, but this book made me realize just HOW MUCH we 80s/90s babies have in common! 💖

listened to this one on audio (kate reads it, and she’s a podcaster, so she reads it well!) and was CRACKING UP and hootin’ and hollerin’ to myself at all the things i could completely relate to! it was a delight in so many ways, written with a sparkly and fun humor and witty wordplay i thoroughly enjoyed. 

i wondered if my more sheltered, church-centric, gifted classes upbringing would mean most of this went over my head, but NOPE— that millennial culture seeped into everything and i’ve never felt so seen!

(and yes, i was the girl known for her ✨PGH✨ in school. you’re not surprised. 🙃✍🏼)