ginger_curmudgeon's reviews
370 reviews

Rick is Alex Gino’s follow up to Melissa. I’m not sure if you need to read them in order. I didn’t. I read Rick first. Now that I’ve read both for the Trans Rights Readathon, I think it probably does make sense to read in order as Rick references at least one scene from Melissa, and it informs you on how other kids react to Rick. 

That being said, Rick is a cute book. It follows the title character starting middle school and learning things about who he is. 

I appreciate how Gino portrays the way Rick feels whenever he’s asked about girls or whenever someone jokes with him about liking girls. Our reasons might be different, but I remember hating those questions and comments when I was his age and even older. This is the first book I’ve read with asexual and/or aromantic representation and I liked it. It’s a cute story and I love that this book is available for preteen readers. 

I also like that Gino shows Rick’s growth in terms of who he chooses to be friends with. Choices like that are not always easy to make and Rick clearly struggles. Something else I’m able to relate to going through. 

I read this for the Trans Rights Readathon, on a whim. I had already chosen other titles when I learned what Melissa is about. Alex Gino does a good job showing how Melissa feels and the struggles she has with being able to be herself. 

I appreciate that there is a mix of characters with varying levels of support. It avoids presenting too perfect of a world while also showing there’s reason to be hopeful and to be who you are. I think books like this are important for young readers. There’s so much going on, so many things to figure out. Sometimes it helps to have a fictional world to use as a means of exploring and realizing who you are. 

Of course, my favorite scenes are the second performance of the play and the trip to the Bronx zoo. The day at the zoo is mix of courage, excitement, nerves, and anxiety. All things that I imagine would be true in that scenario. It’s also a moment of growth for both Kelly and Melissa. 

I finished this one late Friday. I enjoyed it a lot. I can’t think of anything I disliked. The story is a bit of a whodunit, but not in the usual sense where murder is involved. 

I enjoy Slocumb’s writing style. It’s not incredibly basic or overly complex. 

TW: racism is prevalent throughout the book. At times I felt uncomfortable and angry, but that’s kind of the point, right? These are things happening in real life that shouldn’t ever happen. One scene in particular had me seething. I appreciate, though, that Slocumb included the level of detail he did. I think a lot of writers would have chosen not to, but he captured how rapidly things would happen in the moment, but also made it hard to gloss over what happened. 

When the culprit was revealed, I wasn’t surprised. I had a few in mind as my primary guilty parties and it turned out to be one of them. I was surprised by the why and how. I had a very different theory in mind, that was likely a stretch. 

I’m not sure this book will get the attention it deserves, but do yourself a favor and read it.

I finished this one last week. I’ll start by saying that classifying this as a romance does it a disservice. Yes, there is romance and it’s one of the major parts of the story, but there’s so much more to it.

The portrayal of Will’s anxiety is my favorite thing about this book (the romance is a close second). The early scene at a work function captures so much of how I feel and what I worry about. When his friend, Klair, tries to help calm his anxiety so he doesn’t overreact to things, I can relate. 

The other big parts of this story are the brilliant, mysterious manuscript that is Will’s first big assignment at the publishing house he just stared working at, and Will’s relationships with his family. 

There‘s much more to enjoy in this novel than I anticipated, but the romance is only a close second for me. 

The Appeal is a mystery told through electronic communication - email, messaging apps, texts. (Who communicates that much through email?!) I expected the format to bother me, but once I had the rhythm, I didn’t even think about it. I enjoyed it even. 

I really enjoyed the story itself. It reminded me a little bit of a soap opera whodunnit with a long list of suspects, several theories, but one conclusion. Of course, the quality of this story is better than a soap opera, and I say that having spent years watching them. 

As annoying as some of the characters are (looking at you Isabel), there are times when I liked them or sympathized with them. 

There are a couple of twists or plot points that are very easy to see, but others that aren’t obvious until much later, or even until the end. 

One small thing that bothered me, the emergency number in England is not 911. This felt like an unnecessary American change. One slightly bigger part I didn’t care for is the final scene in Africa. Even though I understand why it was included, I don’t think it was really needed. 

Hallett’s second book is coming out soon with a similar format. I think I enjoyed this enough to read her next book. 

This reminds me of an episode of Criminal Minds. The story is pretty twisted, but Hutchison does a very good job crafting the story, and keeping readers invested. 

The dynamic between the two primary FBI agents reminds me a little of the Hannibal Lecter trilogy. The two agents clearly have a rapport with each other, have vastly different perspectives and approaches, but also care deeply. 

I don’t know I feel about Mya. At times I really like the character, but at other times I find her very frustrating. In the end, though, she choices and actions make sense. She’s been through a lot in her short life and she’s grown into the person she needed to be as a result. I am a little bit disappointed by her Stockholm Syndrome, but not surprised by it. 

This is apparently the first in a series. I’m not sure if I’ll read the others. I enjoyed this, but I’m not sure if I’d enjoy continuing with these characters.