Scan barcode
kaylaramoutar's reviews
709 reviews
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor
I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It was a standard YA novel set in a camp with good friendships and a summer romance. The thing is, and I'm not sure if the author intended this or not, the main character is implied to be autistic. Which is great, because I'd love to read more books with autistic main characters... but every single person spends the entire book trying to "fix" Beatrice. The way she eats (her unchanging meals, ie: asparagus on Mondays and mushroom pizza on Fridays, etc), the way she dresses (her mother calls it "her uniform", polos and khakis), the way she attacks problems (a big white board with red or blue marker, depending on if she has the solution), not understanding social cues, sensory processing issues, etc.
Her parents honestly kind of sucked! If she was just introverted, maybe they wouldn't seem so bad in my eyes, but if she's autistic... They just seem kinda cruel. Her therapist seemed good but we unfortunately don't get a lot of him. Anyway, her parents (and her new friends) seem to want her to change almost every aspect of her personality. And by the end of the novel.... she kind of does. Probably a spoiler, but she ends up making out with someone by the end of the novel when at the beginning (simply 4 weeks earlier) she can barely hug people.
I think this novel would have been better if Beatrice was simply just a little "different"; homeschooled, introverted, etc., because then when she "changes" it doesn't feel quite as icky. I think there were better ways to have Beatrice open up by the end of camp besides the romance, like keeping her having real friends and "flirting for the hell of it" would have been great. Instead, what I got out of the novel was that autism could—and should—be fixed.
Wednesday Books and NetGalley sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It was a standard YA novel set in a camp with good friendships and a summer romance. The thing is, and I'm not sure if the author intended this or not, the main character is implied to be autistic. Which is great, because I'd love to read more books with autistic main characters... but every single person spends the entire book trying to "fix" Beatrice. The way she eats (her unchanging meals, ie: asparagus on Mondays and mushroom pizza on Fridays, etc), the way she dresses (her mother calls it "her uniform", polos and khakis), the way she attacks problems (a big white board with red or blue marker, depending on if she has the solution), not understanding social cues, sensory processing issues, etc.
Her parents honestly kind of sucked! If she was just introverted, maybe they wouldn't seem so bad in my eyes, but if she's autistic... They just seem kinda cruel. Her therapist seemed good but we unfortunately don't get a lot of him. Anyway, her parents (and her new friends) seem to want her to change almost every aspect of her personality. And by the end of the novel.... she kind of does. Probably a spoiler, but she ends up making out with someone by the end of the novel when at the beginning (simply 4 weeks earlier) she can barely hug people.
I think this novel would have been better if Beatrice was simply just a little "different"; homeschooled, introverted, etc., because then when she "changes" it doesn't feel quite as icky. I think there were better ways to have Beatrice open up by the end of camp besides the romance, like keeping her having real friends and "flirting for the hell of it" would have been great. Instead, what I got out of the novel was that autism could—and should—be fixed.
Wednesday Books and NetGalley sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse
Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, and War
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death