hangryforfiction's reviews
242 reviews

The biggest meh ever. Shouldve DNFd

Do you ever read a book and love it so much that you never want to stop reading about what those characters are up to? Never stop getting updates? Like make friends with them on social media and turn on the notifications. I got that feeling when I read Life and Other Near Death Experiences back in 2017. Much to my heart's surprise, one of my favorite authors delivered! Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around (isn't that a genius title?) by Camille Pagán is the sequel my heart desired but my brain never thought I'd get. Even though I read the first book years ago, I never forgot Libby & Shiloh. They never left. Camille's writing makes sure of that. Her characters are rich with personality and history and the setting for these two books, the small island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, where the author herself vacations frequently, seeps off the page and right into my senses. These books are a love letter to PR and that love enriches the story so much. The stories carry heavy topics and bring the tears, but the characters are charming and so relatable making the books impossible to put down. Libby & Shiloh are mature adults, have been married a while and I need more romance like that! Camille has written characters like this before and I love her for it. I recommend all her books, but this may be a new favorite!
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 All the stars for one of my most anticipated releases coming May 11th! Thanks so much to lakeunion & amazon publishing for the ARC and the beautiful finished copy.
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 (CW: cancer, death of a parent/grief, chronic illness) 🔎

"Mr. Wyatt say grief hit you in waves. Sometimes it pull me out to sea and take me under. No wonder it's hard to breathe as I cry."
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 Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is the prequel I didn't even know I needed. I loved The Hate U Give when I read it a few years ago. It's one of those stories that's stayed with me even in detail all this time. Concrete Rose tells the story of Maverick, the father of THUG protagonist, Star, before she was even born. Maverick is tough and complex and authentic, and Angie Thomas is just an incredible writer. Thomas has this unique ability to write characters that you immediately connect with and need to know more about. This book just endlessly rewarded me with it's complexity and depth. The characters in this one and Thomas' others are just so real that even when I finish the books I can still imagine their lives going on somewhere else. I could read their stories for years and never tire of them. These are stories that need to be told so badly, and I'm so glad that Angie Thomas is the one to do it. I also have to mention how happy I was to see her love of basketball come through on this one as well as the little 90s references throughout. I can't wait to see what Angie Thomas comes up with next. This is another one to add to my favorites shelf! 🤓
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 (CW: gun violence, gangs, death, grief, racism/racial slurs, drug use)

I finished Finlay Donovan is Killing it last week and I loved it. I received this book randomly in the mail and then I went in completely blind when I started. I had no idea what to expect, and it was such a fun ride. Elle Cosimano somehow weaves together humor and wit with mystery and suspense with a tiny dash of angsty romance. Finlay Donovan is a novel writer and single mother to two young humans. She has a terrible ex who is marrying an awful woman, a cop sister (who I do wish there was more of), and a nosey neighbor. Disguised in big sunglasses and a wig scarf (what is a wig scarf? Google wasn't really helpful), a short series of misunderstandings lead her right in the middle of a huge murder plot. I don't want to give away too much here because I promise it is very satisfying if you don't know what to expect. The story requires you to somewhat suspend reality, not the least of which concerns how often Finn is able to leave parenting to her nanny/accomplice/bff. Even with that considered, I absolutely adored this book. Cosimano somehow maintains an upbeat theme, even with some dark and suspenseful elements involved. The ending of the book was satisfying but was somewhat open ended, leaving the possibility of hope, at least in this reader's mind, that maybe this could turn into a series? I'd love to see more of Finn and Vero. I loved them and I loved this story. More stories like this, please!
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Though I would not classify this book as a thriller necessarily, and is in no way scary even for this chicken, there are a few triggers present in the story.

Thank you so much to minotaur books for the beautiful ARC of this book

Narration was awful, story was predictable. I just couldn't get interested in it whatsoever. 

10% through the book and was disturbed by one line when the MC refers to someone's looks as being like a pizza face. I read a bunch of reviews on instagram that described problematic language, including a reference to someone should've killed themselves on their own time, and a use of the R word, among others. I realize this book is supposed to be satire and I enjoy satire, but this doesn't mean problematic language and tropes are acceptable without challenge. Publishing needs to do better, because this book had the potential to be really great. It's a great premise by a Black debut author featuring a Black MC and the narration of the audiobook was really good.