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discardeddustjacket's reviews
316 reviews
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
This wasn’t for me. Trope-heavy plots don’t usually bother me, but the ones in this book smacked a bit too much of purity culture. You have a fmc who’s an adult virgin, described as sweet and innocent, and wants desperately, more than anything, to get married and have children. You have a mmc who’s allergic to commitment, doesn’t believe in love or marriage, and so of course the point is going to end up being that he teaches her about dating and sexuality and she teaches him about love.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those things on their own, but when you put them all together, it made this the kind of book that I felt like a women’s bible study would drool over. I think I get what the author was doing by attempting to subvert those stereotypes and have the characters realize by the end that a) marriage isn’t the end-all-be-all of relationships and it isn’t going to fill a void you have, and b) love is worth opening ourselves up to vulnerability and the potential for heartache. But for me personally—someone who’s been heavily traumatized by purity culture—that message wasn’t communicated strongly enough to undo the stereotypes being perpetuated throughout the entire rest of the book.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those things on their own, but when you put them all together, it made this the kind of book that I felt like a women’s bible study would drool over. I think I get what the author was doing by attempting to subvert those stereotypes and have the characters realize by the end that a) marriage isn’t the end-all-be-all of relationships and it isn’t going to fill a void you have, and b) love is worth opening ourselves up to vulnerability and the potential for heartache. But for me personally—someone who’s been heavily traumatized by purity culture—that message wasn’t communicated strongly enough to undo the stereotypes being perpetuated throughout the entire rest of the book.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with this, it was just a case of not the right book for the mood I’m currently in. I’ll probably come back to it later.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It started out pretty strong but lost my interest around the halfway mark and never really got it back.
I know this book began on kickstarter and is full of Easter eggs from other Sanderson books, but if it’s marketed as a standalone, those crossover characters and concepts should at least be explained. Instead we get MAIN characters whose motivations and context are only briefly mentioned—like a side wink to the seasoned Sanderson readers—leaving the newbies completely lost. To that end, I’d say this book is tough to enjoy fully if you haven’t read his other stuff.
I also felt a little icky about this story’s treatment of Hoid, who ends up being the comedic relief for most of it, simply because of his “village idiot” status. Something about that didn’t sit right with me. I get that he’s meant to be under a curse, but it struck me as an insensitive type of humor.
All that, plus the casually fatphobic comments that get thrown around a lot in this book, make it one I’m not likely to recommend honestly. It certainly has interesting world building. No one has ever said Brandon Sanderson can’t build a world or devise a unique magic system, that’s for sure. But it isn’t enough to save this one in my opinion.
I know this book began on kickstarter and is full of Easter eggs from other Sanderson books, but if it’s marketed as a standalone, those crossover characters and concepts should at least be explained. Instead we get MAIN characters whose motivations and context are only briefly mentioned—like a side wink to the seasoned Sanderson readers—leaving the newbies completely lost. To that end, I’d say this book is tough to enjoy fully if you haven’t read his other stuff.
I also felt a little icky about this story’s treatment of Hoid, who ends up being the comedic relief for most of it, simply because of his “village idiot” status. Something about that didn’t sit right with me. I get that he’s meant to be under a curse, but it struck me as an insensitive type of humor.
All that, plus the casually fatphobic comments that get thrown around a lot in this book, make it one I’m not likely to recommend honestly. It certainly has interesting world building. No one has ever said Brandon Sanderson can’t build a world or devise a unique magic system, that’s for sure. But it isn’t enough to save this one in my opinion.
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really really enjoyed this. The atmospheric quality and the plot premise are really engaging. The characters are lovable, and the romance had me squealing and kicking my feet in the air with delight.
But I think audiobook format was the right choice for me in this case, because this is a long book, and I tend to struggle with pushing through stories that heavily involve things like political intrigue and military movement. But listening to it made it easier to space out a little bit during the parts I’d typically find boring, yet not have it stall my overall progress.
But I think audiobook format was the right choice for me in this case, because this is a long book, and I tend to struggle with pushing through stories that heavily involve things like political intrigue and military movement. But listening to it made it easier to space out a little bit during the parts I’d typically find boring, yet not have it stall my overall progress.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Child death and Vomit
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
It’s not that this book was bad; it’s very well-written. I’m just in a bit of a reading slump and it didn’t excite me enough to warrant forcing myself to finish. Maybe I’ll come back to it.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Believe it or not, my first impression of this book was actually really good. From the very first page I was genuinely shocked by how engaging I found the writing style.
I don’t normally find books funny, let alone so funny that I actually have to put them down so I can throw my head back and laugh, but that happened so many times reading this that my face started to hurt.
The content of the plot mixed with the format in which it’s presented—i.e., the sex therapy transcripts—gave reading it the sort of scandalous “guilty pleasure” quality of eavesdropping. So to that end, I thought it was incredibly well-executed.
That is, at least for the first half. The second half is where it lost my attention and failed to truly regain it. I’m not sure if it was an issue with pacing, or tone, or what, but I just felt like the story lost something roughly 60% of the way through.
Not to mention, every time the race or ethnicity of a non-white or non-American person is mentioned, it always seems to be as the punchline to an unspoken joke. Like, “ha ha, the Italian restaurant is run by Indian people, isn’t that funny?”
There’s also the casual use of insensitive language (like “Asperger’s” instead of “Autism”) and even downright offensive language (like gratuitous f- and r-slurs).
Overall, I’d say my main feeling in response to this book is disappointment, because it started so strongly. I had such high hopes.
I don’t normally find books funny, let alone so funny that I actually have to put them down so I can throw my head back and laugh, but that happened so many times reading this that my face started to hurt.
The content of the plot mixed with the format in which it’s presented—i.e., the sex therapy transcripts—gave reading it the sort of scandalous “guilty pleasure” quality of eavesdropping. So to that end, I thought it was incredibly well-executed.
That is, at least for the first half. The second half is where it lost my attention and failed to truly regain it. I’m not sure if it was an issue with pacing, or tone, or what, but I just felt like the story lost something roughly 60% of the way through.
Not to mention, every time the race or ethnicity of a non-white or non-American person is mentioned, it always seems to be as the punchline to an unspoken joke. Like, “ha ha, the Italian restaurant is run by Indian people, isn’t that funny?”
There’s also the casual use of insensitive language (like “Asperger’s” instead of “Autism”) and even downright offensive language (like gratuitous f- and r-slurs).
Overall, I’d say my main feeling in response to this book is disappointment, because it started so strongly. I had such high hopes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
Loveless by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
I chose not to rate this book. Not because it’s bad—it’s really not—it just definitely wasn’t for me. If you enjoy contemporary YA, I’d absolutely recommend it!! You would probably love it!
I’m just coming to the realization the more contemporary YA stories I read, that they just don’t interest me as much as I really want them to when I pick them up. It’s one thing if it’s speculative fiction, where the plot might have fantastical aspects to keep my interest, but when it’s a story about school and adolescent drama, I really really really struggle to care.
And that’s not to say I don’t appreciate what this story is about!! I’m asexual, so I LOVED that the story focused on challenging this narrative that romantic love is the end-all-be-all of relationship goals. I loved the way this story treated platonic friendships as love stories. I really did. I just would’ve found it more engaging if those elements were explored in an adult setting.
My overall experience while reading this book, was just pushing forward so I could finish it. But I didn’t want my low star rating to skew the data, because that didn’t seem fair.
I’m just coming to the realization the more contemporary YA stories I read, that they just don’t interest me as much as I really want them to when I pick them up. It’s one thing if it’s speculative fiction, where the plot might have fantastical aspects to keep my interest, but when it’s a story about school and adolescent drama, I really really really struggle to care.
And that’s not to say I don’t appreciate what this story is about!! I’m asexual, so I LOVED that the story focused on challenging this narrative that romantic love is the end-all-be-all of relationship goals. I loved the way this story treated platonic friendships as love stories. I really did. I just would’ve found it more engaging if those elements were explored in an adult setting.
My overall experience while reading this book, was just pushing forward so I could finish it. But I didn’t want my low star rating to skew the data, because that didn’t seem fair.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Toxic relationship and Fire/Fire injury
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Wow this book really took me by surprise. Not only was the writing beautiful, and the love story so charming, but I think the thing that I found truly breathtaking was its depiction of friendship.
As someone who struggles to develop and maintain friendships, I tend to find really well-written platonic relationships in books to be especially compelling, and the ones in Honey Girl literally had my jaw dropping as I read. I was like: “This. This is what I want more of in my life.” It choked me up at some points! The casual laying on one another, the forehead kisses, the “did you eat?” Found family.
I also really appreciated that the central tension doesn’t necessarily happen between two people (although there is important interpersonal conflict within the story). Rather, I would argue the main focus is Grace’s internal struggle to overcome the lie that says nothing is worth achieving if she doesn’t tear herself apart working for it. The lie that claims she has to prove herself by being the absolute best at everything she pursues, even if the things she’s pursuing are not what’s right or healthy for her. The central tension occurs when Grace is faced with the urgent need to, for once, ask for help and let others support her.
The backdrop to this entire story, is that Grace has made the disorienting decision to derail her meticulous professional plan when she realizes that all the work she’s put in over the last decade of her life is neither sustainable, nor has it produced the outcome she wanted. I really identify with that broader sentiment, even though it’s important to point out that her challenges are particular to Black women functioning under capitalism within academic spaces.
As someone who struggles to develop and maintain friendships, I tend to find really well-written platonic relationships in books to be especially compelling, and the ones in Honey Girl literally had my jaw dropping as I read. I was like: “This. This is what I want more of in my life.” It choked me up at some points! The casual laying on one another, the forehead kisses, the “did you eat?” Found family.
I also really appreciated that the central tension doesn’t necessarily happen between two people (although there is important interpersonal conflict within the story). Rather, I would argue the main focus is Grace’s internal struggle to overcome the lie that says nothing is worth achieving if she doesn’t tear herself apart working for it. The lie that claims she has to prove herself by being the absolute best at everything she pursues, even if the things she’s pursuing are not what’s right or healthy for her. The central tension occurs when Grace is faced with the urgent need to, for once, ask for help and let others support her.
The backdrop to this entire story, is that Grace has made the disorienting decision to derail her meticulous professional plan when she realizes that all the work she’s put in over the last decade of her life is neither sustainable, nor has it produced the outcome she wanted. I really identify with that broader sentiment, even though it’s important to point out that her challenges are particular to Black women functioning under capitalism within academic spaces.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This is such a poignant and well-written book. Smith has such a talent for making the locations mentioned (and by extension, their history) so viscerally tangible; it felt like you were standing there with him, experiencing the weight of those places alongside him.
The locations themselves were well-curated: highlighting both places where we, as present day Americans, are attempting to reckon with our nation’s past relationship with chattel slavery, and places where we are instead choosing to prioritize comfort over truth.
It asks us to question (among other things) all we’ve been taught about a) those who were supposedly “the good guys” like Thomas Jefferson, and b) the “innocence” of northern cities, both pre- and post-civil war. It asks us not to shy away from discomfort, but to face the ugly truth head on. And no matter what was being discussed, it continued to remind us of the personhood of enslaved people—never allowing us to reduce the enslaved population of the United States to a faceless, amorphous concept in our minds, but instead repeatedly giving enslaved people names, identities, cultures, and deep familial bonds. Always always always reminding us: these were human beings. These were people. I really appreciated that aspect of Smith’s storytelling.
The locations themselves were well-curated: highlighting both places where we, as present day Americans, are attempting to reckon with our nation’s past relationship with chattel slavery, and places where we are instead choosing to prioritize comfort over truth.
It asks us to question (among other things) all we’ve been taught about a) those who were supposedly “the good guys” like Thomas Jefferson, and b) the “innocence” of northern cities, both pre- and post-civil war. It asks us not to shy away from discomfort, but to face the ugly truth head on. And no matter what was being discussed, it continued to remind us of the personhood of enslaved people—never allowing us to reduce the enslaved population of the United States to a faceless, amorphous concept in our minds, but instead repeatedly giving enslaved people names, identities, cultures, and deep familial bonds. Always always always reminding us: these were human beings. These were people. I really appreciated that aspect of Smith’s storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Colonisation
Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is a sweet series. There’s something very healing and wholesome about reading a coming-out story wherein the character is supported and loved and reassured every step of the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Homophobia