cosmicwillow's reviews
633 reviews

If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich, Sophie Gonzales

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

this was such a fun read! definitely harkens to a very popular 2010s fandom lol but i loved what was done with this. i love how the authors really fleshed out all the characters, and made them all really unique in their struggles. i really really enjoyed this and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet queer ya book with great depth!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura

Go to review page

challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

while there were moments i found this book immensely frustrating, i also loved how unique it was within that. a ya book dealing with the intersections of culture, racism, and cheating is definitely unique, and i think it was dealt with well, for the most part. my favourite parts of this book were looking at the ways race, racism, and culture interacted with each other, and how sana was able to learn from them. it was super interesting. 

one thing i really hated though was that sana “had to be sure” she was a lesbian by kissing another boy like. cmon. i hate that trope so much, but i do understand why it was used to execute the final act of the book. and speaking of that, the pacing was super off in the last quarter of the book as sana kinda speedran an apology tour lol, but overall the book was enjoyable!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson

Go to review page

medium-paced

1.0

this was so boring and i didnt feel connected to any of the characters. the personal IS political and vice versa. the apolitical narrative in this is utterly annoying.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.25

this book is stunning. acevedo is truly a remarkable writer, and i adore everything ive read by her. she’s definitely cemented as an auto buy author for me. her prose is gorgeous and the stories she tells are visceral and emotional in their reality, and so so moving. ive particularly been intrigued by this book, but ive never read anything about a teen mom, and getting to know emoni, to know that while thats important its only a section of what makes her up. and it was delightful to get to know her, and especially to get to know her through her recipes–food tells so many stories, and acevedo delicately and vibrantly depicts this.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

this was a gorgeous book. moving and very very real. my only issue (aside from the cover that makes my eyes hurt and hurts the designer in me) is that the last half of the book was more focused on the romance, which definitely did the rest of the Shirin’s story as a Muslim girl in America after 9/11 a disservice in what was being said about that. but truly this was a remarkable read!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Release by Patrick Ness

Go to review page

dark reflective 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

3.0

this is such an interesting way of storytelling! i think ness brings that to almost everything he writes, however despite that there was a disconnect with the dual povs in this that significantly lowers my rating of this book. i think the idea of telling this over the course of a day was brilliant and evocative, but there was so little connection between the stories that it fell flat. both were interesting and heart wrenching in their own ways, but the back and forth between magical realism and literary was odd without more hints to the magic in the literary pov.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Final Draft by Riley Redgate

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.0

this was really heartwarming and lovely! i very much enjoyed reading this. the sort of meta aspect was fun, but did get tedious at points, especially as it wasnt reflected in the quality of the writing of this book (very ironic).
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

this story is really fascinating and very real. however, the way it’s written and presented does it such a disservice. while i mostly enjoyed this book, it needed to probably be about double the size to really dive into the religious and cultural aspects, the fallout and the literal trauma that would affect any human who went through what rukhsana did (and her family), and to actually properly develop each character. like the stuff with her nani’s diary felt like a cheap plot device which sucks because it’s, again, a very real and emotional thing that should have been explored more, especially with the ways rukhsana interacts with her mom. 

also i think its fucking wild that she just swallowed the racist bullshit from her friends and girlfriend. idc how long theyve been friends for, she was way to unbothered about it which is just. it shouldn’t have taken her so long to talk to them about it. 

the way this was tied up was honestly lazy storytelling because shit like that does not go down that easy in the end in real life. the only thing i feel okay to suspend my disbelief for is the caltech stuff, but otherwise i seriously just want more from this! it’s very interesting and an important story to tell, i wish there was more of it and presented in a better way.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom

Go to review page

fast-paced

4.0

this was a very beautiful read! magical and heart wrenching, i loved getting to know these characters and this world. the author writes gorgeously, and while some moments strayed purple, it was still really lovely and full of stunning allegories.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

Go to review page

emotional 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

4.75

utterly beautiful and moving. the way this very real and very emotional story is woven through prose is simply stunning, and extremely evocative. a must-read.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings