mcgbreads's reviews
1125 reviews

As always, an adorable, funny, feel-good time. I love this manga so much, it's my go-to for a quick hit of serotonin. 

This made me want to touch grass and hug trees immediately! It’s such a beautiful and inspiring book that explores how connected we are to nature and breaks down our relationship to the earth, how to nurture it, and how to be better humans not only for each other's sake, but for the sake of the land. 

It’s as moving as it is educational and perspective-widening.

The way the author delivers information and ideas is delightful, and the audiobook, which she narrates, felt like sitting down with her. I highly, highly recommend it! 

Even if you don’t usually read nonfiction, this one is a little long, but super accessible.

This book, to me, is *the* definition of a 3-star book. It's not bad or anything special, it's just a nice little fantasy read that I wish had more to offer. 

I'm not familiar with the mythology this is based on, so I can't speak on that. The only thing I can say is that this was a pleasant read. It's kind of cozy cause the stakes don't feel super high and it kept my attention once I sat with it. 

I liked the characters and, though the relationships between each other and the world/magic could've been developed more, what we get is nice enough. Again, I just wish things were taken up a notch in every single aspect. As it is, this felt quieter than it should've, but it's a nice story overall. 

This is the easiest 5 stars I've ever given in the romance genre. Someone on BookTok recommended this and I don't think a BookTok rec has ever worked this well for me. She only said "Read this if you've ever wanted to fuck a musician" and I said, "Say less."

This book had me screaming, blushing, smiling, kicking my feet, and tossing and turning in my bed. It gave me everything I expect romance books to give me and that hadn't happened in a long while. The characters were great, the chemistry was palpable, the spice was delicious, and the musical setting was very compelling. 

One thing Julie Soto did tremendously well in this book is communicate love, intimacy, and sexual desire through music. Some of the hottest scenes in this book, to me, are when the two characters are playing together. They're not touching each other, but all of the underlying feelings and context we're privy to as readers made the scenes so incredibly swoon-worthy. And then when they do touch each other, the electricity jumps out of the page. 

I think Julie Soto is a new favorite romance author and I can't wait to read more from her!

The intellectual introduction be like: "This is a satire on the gothic genre." 

My dumbass be like: Babe, this is clearly a rom-com.

For some reason, this has been on my Kindle for the longest time. I finally gave it a try cause one of my 2025 goals is to get through all of my physical and Kindle books, but it's aggressively not for me, so it's a DNF at 20%. I did love the setting, though. The idea of a magic hotel that changes location is very charming to me, I just immediately didn't like the MC and this read too young for my taste, so I don't want to give my time to something that will probably be 3 stars at best, a DNF later down the line at worst. 

I have to repeat what I said in my review of book 1 but more passionately: this is easily, EASILY, one of the best YA fantasy series I've ever read and this is only book 2. I can't fucking wait for book 3 and I hope I get an ARC, please god!!!

I honestly don't think I can do this book justice with a review, but this is just as good, if not better than book 1. Tracy Deonn can fucking WRITE! 

The characters feel as real as possible and they're all fleshed out, the commentary on the Black experience and racism is exquisite, the continued exploration of grief and generational trauma and burdens is so well done, the character development is amazing and Bree's arc is one of the most compelling I've read in YA fantasy, the relationships are touching (I'm so invested in this love triangle and usually I hate them because it's almost always clear that the author wants you to love one person and hate the other, NOT HERE. There's *nuance* babyyyyy and the dynamics are CHEF'S KISS), the worldbuilding, politics, and magic are soooo interesting, and the plot is plotting, guys. IT'S FUCKING PLOTTING. 

Just read this, it's as good as everyone says it is. Again, I can't fucking wait for book 3. Gimme gimme!!!

ARC review; thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and Dial Books for the access to this ebook. Pub date: April 01, 2025. 

I love the Huda series and this is no exception. This time, we follow Huda as she navigates the challenges and pressures of her junior year of high school as well as family turmoil after her parents announce they're getting a divorce. 

"Huda F Wants to Know?" explores the grief of losing the kind of family you thought you had and what happens when you try to act like everything's fine instead of feeling and processing your emotions. Of course, it's from a Muslim perspective, so on top of everything Huda is experiencing, she also has to deal with judgment from her community and worry about what her family's place will be in it after such a big change.

These themes are all handled appropriately for its intended audience and it does it, as always, with a little humor to deliver important lessons. The balance between seriousness and the silliness that comes with being Huda's age is always perfect in these books. The humor works really well for me, so Huda never fails to make me laugh. She has great comedic timing! 

Overall, a great entry to the series and I hope there are more in store. 

After Spy x Family, this is my favorite go-to manga for when I need something super cute, fluffy, feel-good, and easy to read. It's just a delight!