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marywahlmeierbracciano's reviews
829 reviews
Red by Annie Cardi
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Red, Anne Cardi’s thrilling and fresh retelling of The Scarlet Letter, illustrates how sexual abuse can go unrecognized, even by the survivor. However, this book centers on a different “A” word. After moving in with her devout grandparents due to her mom’s layoff, Tess finds solace in their religious community. She loves singing in the church choir and attending youth group. After what feels like a whirlwind romance, she finds out she’s pregnant, later facing daily harassment after people discover she’s had an abortion. Only with the support of her mom and a few friends can Tess gather the courage to speak up about things others would rather have left unsaid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Abortion
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
The Long Game by Elena Armas
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
With The Long Game, Queen Elena Armas has gifted us with a woodsy small town romance featuring a strong but sensitive ex-pro footballer opposite a guarded girlboss who doesn’t know her worth. Both are running away and healing from something, whether they like it or not. He’s super competitive; she’s in crisis mode. I absolutely loved the setting, premise, and characters—the execution was a little clumsy at times, but it was so worth it in the end! Shane East’s narration of Cam—who is such a sweet and sexy caretaking hero—was *chef’s kiss*.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Stalking
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Alice Sadie Celine is so funny, sexy, and full of nuance. Just read the explosive premise—it’ll reel you right in. With three fantastic central characters, so crisply distinct from each other, it’s sort of like Gilmore Girls gone wrong, but in the best way. There’s lots of love-to-hate going on, and there are also many tender, beautiful, true-to-life moments. I really appreciated that one of the characters makes her sexual debut at a later age than is often portrayed in media. It’s giving off pheromones for fans of my favorite Irish girlies—Sally Rooney, Naoise Dolan, Caroline O’Donoghue—but we’re in Hollywood (and Berkeley) now, baby. Mommy issues, who?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health by Anupam B. Jena, Christopher Worsham
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Written and read by two medical doctors, one of whom is also a doctor of economics, Random Acts of Medicine is a vast exploration of how biases, random events, and chance impact medical outcomes. Could a large marathon race impact area residents experiencing heart attacks? Do vaccination rates in children depend on where their birthdays fall in the year? Why might a planned vaginal birth switch to C-section, despite no change in the patient? There are dozens and dozens of interesting natural experiments briefly detailed in this book—many with results which may be tough pills for some doctors to swallow. Read this to increase your awareness of how doctors make decisions and to hopefully become a better advocate for your own health and that of your loved ones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen, Jackie Morris
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Gorgeous illustrations and story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy
Who Will Make the Snow? by Taras Prokhasko, Marjana Prokhasko
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
In a small community that feels a bit like the Hundred Acre Wood, a large family of moles—which called to mind my father’s enormous Catholic family of origin—welcomes a pair of twins. It is spring, and the book will follow the family through the rest of the seasons with a delightful series of vignettes. The stories are incredibly charming and wholesome, timeless yet feminist (see Mama Mole). The illustrations are stunning—unique and unforgettable. Over the course of a year, the two youngest moles learn so much—namely, how to be brave. Who Will Make the Snow? is a standout treasure. Bonus points: it introduced me to both an intriguing Ukrainian writer and an intriguing Ukrainian visual artist.
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
In the world of Curious Tides, the moon phase of your birth determines the type of magic you possess. Not everyone is powerful enough to study magic in college, but Emory and her best friend, Romie—a prodigy—made it in. But after a mysterious ritual turns deadly, Emory must do whatever it takes to get Romie back. As death haunts school grounds, Emory’s magic, once-lacking, changes into something much more powerful—even dangerous. The desire to be special and the need to find her friend lead Emory to a cult-like society and into the arms of its magnetic leader. Meanwhile, Romie’s brother, Baz, of the ostracized House Eclipse, is determined to uncover the mystery that stole his sister and to save Emory before it’s too late. This atmospheric, gripping debut is sure to appeal to fans of astrology and moon magic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Abandonment
Natural Causes by Nina Lykke
challenging
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fifty-something general practitioner, Elin has found herself discontented. Her unattentive but otherwise nice husband is constantly off skiing, she’s through with socializing because people annoy her, and her only remaining friend encourages her alcoholism. It’s no wonder that she stumbles into an affair with a boyfriend from her college years. With a timeline that leaps from before, during, and after the affair is discovered, we see Elin’s carefully-constructed persona disintegrate. The best part? She discusses her demise only with the skeleton model in her office at work, where she has been secretly sleeping since leaving home. Natural Causes is woven with satire, social commentary, and a heroine who’s not entirely likeable, though perhaps she’s doing her best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Dementia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Infertility, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
The God of Good Looks by Breanne Mc Ivor
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Bianca is an educated and accomplished Chinese-Trinidadian twenty-something who delves into increasingly erotic modeling after her relationship with a politician ignites a scandal that ruins her career as a magazine editor. She spends her free time writing a novel about her beloved (late) mother, journaling, wishing things were different. When a local beauty mogul approaches her with a job opportunity, she assumes she’s being dehumanized again, but looks can be deceiving. This is a story about a young woman who reclaims her power and stands up to political corruption. With an understated romance and sprinkles of the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago, The God of Good Looks is a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Alcohol