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goatsrsexy's reviews
579 reviews
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really enjoyed this book! It's not my typical genre, well, I do read a lot of horror but not a lot of gothic horror for some reason. I don't know why because I always enjoy it. I buddy read this book with one of my favourite internet friends and the person who introduced me to storygraph 🥹🥰 Buddy reads are always so much fun and a good way to read books you wouldn't normally get to.
I've heard a lot about T Kingfisher but this is the first of their books I've read!
The first half of the book was a little bit slow for me, I liked the set up but my mind did wander a bit as I was reading... But as we got more into the story and things started to get creepy I was really liking it. At first the scary stuff was very subtle but the last third went in a direction that was definitely a lot more out there than I was expecting (in a good way!!). This was a perfect October read that I'll definitely be recommending to others.
I've heard a lot about T Kingfisher but this is the first of their books I've read!
The first half of the book was a little bit slow for me, I liked the set up but my mind did wander a bit as I was reading... But as we got more into the story and things started to get creepy I was really liking it. At first the scary stuff was very subtle but the last third went in a direction that was definitely a lot more out there than I was expecting (in a good way!!). This was a perfect October read that I'll definitely be recommending to others.
The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
What a strange, creepy, hopeful little story. This book was recommended to me by storygraph and I chose it because it had an interesting cover. It was a very interesting but uncomfortable story about a small community where all the women have died from a fungus but a new kind of life comes from their body. It's creepy and strange with a fair amount of body horror. Overall I liked it quite a bit and would recommend it as a quick read to those who like weird books!
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely love Ava Reid's world building. It's the thing I've most admired in all her books, and I've read them all. Of course all books borrow from other things and her first two books especially were heavily influenced by folklore, but I was curious to see how she would tackle a retelling (I also love retellings in general, I think it's a really cool thing to take an already loved story and make something new out of it).
I'm not really a Shakespeare person, for one I struggle with the prose, for two I'm not really about reading something that's meant to be watched. So I'm not super familiar with the story of Macbeth, I do know it, but not well. So I went into this book not really recognizing characters or anything.
Another thing I love about Ava Reid is the way she writes angry, fed up women. Roscille is definitely that, living in a world where women are property and in constant danger, she's trying to figure out how to survive. The story took some interesting turns that I wasn't expecting and I really loved it. This is definitely my favourite of Reid's novels so far.
I'm not really a Shakespeare person, for one I struggle with the prose, for two I'm not really about reading something that's meant to be watched. So I'm not super familiar with the story of Macbeth, I do know it, but not well. So I went into this book not really recognizing characters or anything.
Another thing I love about Ava Reid is the way she writes angry, fed up women. Roscille is definitely that, living in a world where women are property and in constant danger, she's trying to figure out how to survive. The story took some interesting turns that I wasn't expecting and I really loved it. This is definitely my favourite of Reid's novels so far.
Rosenfeld by Maya Kessler
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wasn't sure going into this book what I was going to think. It's a romance (barely), it's very sex heavy which is not really my thing, but it's full of toxic unlikeable characters which is definitely my thing.
The love story between Teddy and Noa felt painfully realistic at times, and I really identified with Noas self destructive inclinations. Teddy is a controlling asshole pos but also a loving parent and extremely generous. Noa is pushing 40 but acts decades younger, has a ton of baggage but clearly just wants to be happy.
It was interesting to read a book like this where the toxicity is so apparent but you're still kinda rooting for everything to just work out for everyone. The characters felt very raw and real so it was easy to root for them.
This book had a lot of eroticism but for me was not 'hot', the sex scenes just made sense for the story. They are graphic and probably people who look for this kind of thing in a book will get something from them, but if you're like me and not really a fan of them, don't let them deter you from giving the book a try. I would also say you can skip/skim them if you want without losing much plot.
This book is translated from Hebrew as well, which comes across in the story, it's translated well but you can tell the dialogue wasn't originally English. I think it added to the book overall.
And advanced copy of this book was given to me by Simon & Schuster Canada.
The love story between Teddy and Noa felt painfully realistic at times, and I really identified with Noas self destructive inclinations. Teddy is a controlling asshole pos but also a loving parent and extremely generous. Noa is pushing 40 but acts decades younger, has a ton of baggage but clearly just wants to be happy.
It was interesting to read a book like this where the toxicity is so apparent but you're still kinda rooting for everything to just work out for everyone. The characters felt very raw and real so it was easy to root for them.
This book had a lot of eroticism but for me was not 'hot', the sex scenes just made sense for the story. They are graphic and probably people who look for this kind of thing in a book will get something from them, but if you're like me and not really a fan of them, don't let them deter you from giving the book a try. I would also say you can skip/skim them if you want without losing much plot.
This book is translated from Hebrew as well, which comes across in the story, it's translated well but you can tell the dialogue wasn't originally English. I think it added to the book overall.
And advanced copy of this book was given to me by Simon & Schuster Canada.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Happyhead by Josh Silver
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is already out in the UK I believe, but it's coming out Oct 22 in North America and I received an advanced copy from Penguin Teen Canada.
Happyhead is about a group of teens/young adults who get brought to this kind of mental health camp type thing. I guess it's supposed to be some kind of government initiative to help the disaffected youth of the country with their mental health, but you can tell from the start that something super weird is going on and it takes a bunch of super dark turns.
I really liked this book it's like a queer dystopian camp story. Some parts of it gave me crazy deja vu though I really wish I could put my finger on what it reminded me of, I think a scene in a movie but what movie???
Anyways, this is the first book in a duology and I'm itching to read the second book which has its North American release in Feb (hey penguin feel free to send me the second book right away 😇).
Happyhead is about a group of teens/young adults who get brought to this kind of mental health camp type thing. I guess it's supposed to be some kind of government initiative to help the disaffected youth of the country with their mental health, but you can tell from the start that something super weird is going on and it takes a bunch of super dark turns.
I really liked this book it's like a queer dystopian camp story. Some parts of it gave me crazy deja vu though I really wish I could put my finger on what it reminded me of, I think a scene in a movie but what movie???
Anyways, this is the first book in a duology and I'm itching to read the second book which has its North American release in Feb (hey penguin feel free to send me the second book right away 😇).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
The Judgment of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum
hopeful
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
5.0
I really loved this book! The story is about Yoyo Gold, the daughter of an orthodox rabbi who is seen as kind of a pillar of her community for teen girls, or an extension of her father. But when her best friend gets sent away and then she starts hanging out with the daughter of a reform rabbi, who lives a very different life and has very different ideas of right and wrong, she starts to question the way that she lives and the rules of her community.
This was a really great YA coming of age story with good Jewish representation which I obviously love. I liked that the book showed different types of Judaism. It tackled religious criticism and questioned the way Yoyo was raised very well without being anti-religious or anti-orthodox.
I related a lot to Yoyo, though I didn't grow up in a similar environment to her I think that the anxiety and hard lessons that come out of growing up and finding your sense of self is pretty universal.
I really liked the romance in this book as well and thought it was very sweet, believable, and well written.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes YA contemporary books especially with Jewish representation. Thanks so much to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy!!
This was a really great YA coming of age story with good Jewish representation which I obviously love. I liked that the book showed different types of Judaism. It tackled religious criticism and questioned the way Yoyo was raised very well without being anti-religious or anti-orthodox.
I related a lot to Yoyo, though I didn't grow up in a similar environment to her I think that the anxiety and hard lessons that come out of growing up and finding your sense of self is pretty universal.
I really liked the romance in this book as well and thought it was very sweet, believable, and well written.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes YA contemporary books especially with Jewish representation. Thanks so much to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy!!
I Did Something Bad: A Novel by Pyae Moe Thet War
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about a romcom with murder tbh. The premise felt a little silly to me, but this book actually worked really well and I tore through it way faster than I've typically been reading lately!
I should've known I'd like this book because I love rom-coms about celebrities. They're so much fun and you can get away with a lot that wouldn't be believable otherwise. So this book is about a journalist who gets assigned to do a profile on a huge actor and shadow him for two months but the two of them get wrapped up in a murder. There are some dark themes in this book, especially around themes of feeling unsafe as a woman, as well as access to abortion. This book takes place in Myanmar where abortion is illegal and the main character wrote an article about underground abortions so that's talked about quite a bit.
The only thing that kinda annoyed me with this book was that the conflict near the end didn't really make sense. Like he knew the whole time she was a journalist writing a story about him, that's literally why they met, but then all of a sudden he was angry and betrayed because she wrote notes on a whiteboard? I don't get it. But other than that I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!
Advanced digital copy was provided by Netgalley.
I should've known I'd like this book because I love rom-coms about celebrities. They're so much fun and you can get away with a lot that wouldn't be believable otherwise. So this book is about a journalist who gets assigned to do a profile on a huge actor and shadow him for two months but the two of them get wrapped up in a murder. There are some dark themes in this book, especially around themes of feeling unsafe as a woman, as well as access to abortion. This book takes place in Myanmar where abortion is illegal and the main character wrote an article about underground abortions so that's talked about quite a bit.
The only thing that kinda annoyed me with this book was that the conflict near the end didn't really make sense. Like he knew the whole time she was a journalist writing a story about him, that's literally why they met, but then all of a sudden he was angry and betrayed because she wrote notes on a whiteboard? I don't get it. But other than that I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!
Advanced digital copy was provided by Netgalley.
The Republic of Salt by Ariel Kaplan
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.5
I read the Pomegranate Gate a few months ago and immediately requested this book on Netgalley so I could find out what happened next. I was super excited to be approved. To my utter dismay I found out this is a trilogy not a duology so now I'm gonna be waiting for the third book. These books end on major cliffhangers and continue from where the last one left off (which I like, but it makes for a hard wait for the next book to come out).
I absolutely love this series. Those who follow me know I am Jewish and love reading Jewish books, I also love fae stories. I'm not a big fantasy reader but I've always had a weakness for fae. It's so cool how this series is a Jewish take on a fae fantasy novel and I think it works really well.
I found this second book a little bit slower than the first one but I still really liked it. I love how each character feels so different and multi faceted. I especially love Elena and the old woman, which is cool because I often have trouble relating to elderly characters
I can not wait for the next book! I definitely recommend this series!! Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy on Netgalley.
I absolutely love this series. Those who follow me know I am Jewish and love reading Jewish books, I also love fae stories. I'm not a big fantasy reader but I've always had a weakness for fae. It's so cool how this series is a Jewish take on a fae fantasy novel and I think it works really well.
I found this second book a little bit slower than the first one but I still really liked it. I love how each character feels so different and multi faceted. I especially love Elena and the old woman, which is cool because I often have trouble relating to elderly characters
I can not wait for the next book! I definitely recommend this series!! Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy on Netgalley.
The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed The Dividing Sky! It felt very reminiscent of the YA dystopian books I loved so much as a teen, and if this book is a sign of that genre having a comeback I'm all for it.
Near the end, Parable Of The Sower by Octavia Butler was mentioned, which made me realize how the Metro is actually pretty similar to the cities owned by businesses that were described but not focused on in the Earthseed series. Maybe this is a direction the world could have gone in those books if different things had happened. Anyways, I'm sure it was a source of inspiration for the author.
The romance in this book was sweet and believable, and I also really liked the way friendships and relationships in general were portrayed, as well as the beautiful and loving descriptions of nature.
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced digital copy of this book!
Near the end, Parable Of The Sower by Octavia Butler was mentioned, which made me realize how the Metro is actually pretty similar to the cities owned by businesses that were described but not focused on in the Earthseed series. Maybe this is a direction the world could have gone in those books if different things had happened. Anyways, I'm sure it was a source of inspiration for the author.
The romance in this book was sweet and believable, and I also really liked the way friendships and relationships in general were portrayed, as well as the beautiful and loving descriptions of nature.
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced digital copy of this book!