ariel937's reviews
477 reviews

i liked this one a lot more!!! now we’re really getting into the meat of the story

this book was very difficult to read, but also powerful, raw, heartfelt, and heartbreaking. this is the first of Gay’s that i’ve read and it certainly won’t be the last. her writing was so strong and beautiful, and listening to this on audiobook was just wonderful. there was so much discussed in here - about family, food, fatness, society, rape, and femininity - that i couldn’t possibly contain all my thoughts on so many topics in one review and try to make it make sense. there were times that it was difficult to listen to because of those topics as well. (and because this is the first ive read from someone who is basically a stranger - it’s almost so personal that i felt like i should have at least read some of her articles or books before venturing into her memoir.) but even with that in mind, i know she wrote this knowing that anyone from all walks of life would stumble upon her story with little or no context. this memoir is so personal and, again, raw that it’s hard to know what to think. but overall, i would say that, yes, i did enjoy this and i would recommend absolutely anyone to read this (as long as you’re okay with the body image and sexual abuse triggers in this).

ah this was a really cute and funny romance! i listened to it during my walks and it made me laugh and blush a few times! however, a bit of the humor wasn’t really my thing, and the ending kind of threw me off. i also am not sure now if the reason why i dislike a romance book ore is bc of ale narrators. idk what it is, but men really can’t voice women very well instead of sounding sexy or flirt, they just sound like a witch! lol

wow. wow wow wow. this was such a brilliant book. it covers racism, prison industrial complex, medical racism, and a near-future that’s less dystopian and more a reality that we may one day live. i had to set the book down to take breaks from the intensity that filled each and every word on the page. if righteous anger was a book, this would be it.

in many ways it reminds me of “red at the bone” by jacqueline woodson - maybe because i read it not that long ago, but because that book also covers many of the themes touched upon in this book. so if you’re interested in a book like this, but something more contemporary, i would absolutely recommend that as well.

✔️ fourth book finished for the reading rush, complete ing the challenge to “read the first book you touch.” i picked this up as soon as i saw it available at my library and i could not have picked a more powerful, impactful book of i tried.

this was such an incredible book. the writing is so lush and vibrant, and every character felt whole and alive. this is such a beautiful book that takes you in a quiet journey through multiple lives, and ways in which they connect.

okay.... i unapologetically LOVED this. it’s silly, cringey, full of ridiculous characters and i loved every second of this. this was “My Immortal” BEFORE “My Immortal.” im listening to this in audio so maybe it’s more bearable than if i was physically reading it but....even then, this is just a fun, stupid ride. and i loved every bit of it!

this one was still just as good!! i loved the cringey, cheesy silliness of it! honestly this series is so fun, funny, and surprisingly interesting

i surprised myself by how much i enjoyed this book. though “enjoyed” is probably a weird word to use, but from the first few pages i was sucked into this emotional, intense, and heartbreaking story. if i hadn’t read this for school, i definitely would have missed the opportunity to read it, and i’m thankful that i didn’t! this book is so much more than a boy going through a sexual awakening - it’s also about racism, love crossing boundaries, family secrets, and growing up. there were a few sections i liked more than others, with “radha aunty” and “see no evil, hear no evil” being my favorite sections. i did totally think this was a memoir until the last chapter, but it was written in a way that gave it a very memoir-y feel. i feel like if this was adapted into like a 2-part graphic novel (like “Persepolis”) it would be really good! overall i really enjoyed this and would recommend it!

hm so far my least fav in the series but still super hilarious.

i'm definitely not the only one to say this is one of the strangest books that i've ever read - right up there with "The Pisces" by Melissa Broder, who funnily enough, wrote a blurb for this book. this was a really fast read, and the writing made it easy to get sucked into the story. there were a lot of things that i really liked about the book, like the conversations about grief, trauma, and how regrets that occur in our lives can deeply effect us and our future relationships. however, i feel like a lot of these themes weren't handled as well as they could have, and i feel like it was kind of just thrown together haphazardly. it's difficult to say who the main character of the story is, and if the whole is better than the sum of its parts. there were some really brilliant parts in here, but a lot more confusing and unnecessary parts, too.

overall i wouldn't say this is a bad book, just a very very strange one that i don't think would work for a lot of people (myself included). there were times when i actually laughed out loud and times when i paused to contemplate my own existence, but it also fell a bit flat for me in the end.