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obscurepages's reviews
397 reviews

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

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challenging funny mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

OH THIS BOOK 😭 This was a journey!! This book gave me slow burn romance (the kind that made me ache tbh 😂), gave me intriguing characters and intriguing politics, showed that healing was a process, and best of all, showed how incredible it can be to just be yourself–queer identity, queer love, and all.

CW: rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, self-harm, attempted suicide, death, murder, blood, animal death, graphic violence, homophobia, transphobia, misogynistic ideas/culture
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Flip the Script by Lyla Lee

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.0

I think absolutely love that this is my first read for Pride Month. This was just so cute and so fun, and most importantly, it shed some light on the queer community in South Korea and the entertainment industry in particular. It also gives us hope of what may come and what we can do to make a difference. This was just a delight to read. 🥺

Full review soon.
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Fight + Flight by Jules Machias

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emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

Was so excited for this book! I loved Both Can Be True so I expected another great book from the author. And you know what? Jules Machias just knows how to bring stories to life. This book perfectly sums up how it's like to be kids experiencing a a bunch of things all at the same time, how to feel everything slip right out of your control, how fear controls us, especially when it comes to kids and young teens in today's world.
I also love how this book shed light in a couple of societal issues and representations. From the disease that affects Avery's joints, to the anxiety that grips Sarah, the queer and trans rep, and a whole lot more.
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This book is so good and so thoughtful, and a perfect combination of comforting and inspiring. This is out tomorrow! 🥺 Go add it to your TBRs, preorder/request on your library, or gift it to your own kids, siblings, or more. They need a story like this one 💜
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I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

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emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*screams* Listen. I started reading this book with a half-baked idea of what I was getting into, and I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would.

This was quite a ride. If I were to explain it very simply, I would say it was about gays trying to navigate high school, getting together, and gays leaving cryptic notes and gay panicking here and there. 😭😂

However, it was also about identity, about survival, about love we haven't really noticed before but found, about the people around us and the multitudes they hold. This book was funny, and heartfelt, and it was a delight to read.
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Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

 A Wayward Children novella just never disappoints me 😭

I've been on a weird slump lately, but I think this is just what I needed. Whimsical and dark just like the rest of the books in the series, but also somehow more emotional? I don't know if that's the right word. What I know is that there was fear, and sadness, the desperation to be okay, and of course, hope. 
Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 
This book just confirmed something for me: Adib Khorram is now one of my favorite authors! This book, just like his other works I’ve read and loved (Darius the Great books), is beautifully done. It’s a whole new different writing style, but the purpose and the meaning are evident and it is wonderful.

This book might seem simple, but it was anything but. Kiss & Tell tackled romance and boy bands, racism and privilege, the pressure towards queer people in the limelight. As well as the way people think they can dissect or stereotype celebrities and their lives, especially queer and people of color, and the way some people equate being gay to being promiscuous (it’s not), and then thinking sexual promiscuity is bad (it’s not). Even the unfair treatment of boy band fans and reducing them to teenage girls was briefly mentioned (as another fangirl and a part of the BTS ARMY, I know full well how this is). I was actually so surprised when I realized how much social issues this book highlighted, whether it be in a small or big way. It was poignant and relatable and thought-provoking in its own.

I also remember feeling so frustrated while reading this book. Not because it was bad (the total opposite), but because it showed perfectly how some people have a lot of ideas on the “proper” way to be gay and if you don’t meet that idea in their heads, you’re the horrible kind of gay and you’re now setting up a bad example for others. It was frustrating, yes, but it was an important discussion and I was so glad the author chose to point this out in the book.

Hunter, as a main character was both relatable and compelling for me. He is a character in the limelight, who has so much pressure and judgment on his shoulders, who still tries to do more in the best of his ability. I couldn’t help but feel for him and everything he went through, and everything he wants and aspires to be.

I also loved the way the author’s storytelling in Kiss & Tell. Not only did we have Hunter’s perspective, but the story can also be followed through the media articles and gossips, emails exchanged between music label executives, the social media reactions from both fans and the general public. This, for me, offered various other perspectives that added much more to the story. It provoked readers to think so critically, especially on how people think and act because of their own biases and prejudice.

As for the romance, I wasn’t completely sold yet with Hunter’s love interest, Kaivan. I wanted to see more moments with the two of them and see their relationship fully bloom. Still, they were cute, and Hunter deserves another shot at love.

Overall, Kiss & Tell is a beautifully written YA novel meant to capture hearts and make people think. It’s a well-thought out book and it deserves a lot of love. 

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The One True Me and You by Remi K. England

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emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

 OKAY, HOW DARE THE AUTHOR CREATE SUCH A PERFECT YA BOOK THAT CAPTURES FANDOM AND COMMUNITY AND SISTERHOOD AND BEING QUEER SO MAGNIFICENTLY??? 😭💜

I HAVE NO OTHER WORDS RIGHT NOW. LET ME DROWN IN MY FEELS FIRST. 😭😂

Full review soon!
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Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This got me crying at like 4 in the afternoon and, yes, I was hiding my face from my family. *cries some more*

This was SO SO GOOD. The bi rep, Nick's journey, Charlie's supportiveness and understanding, the drama, the fluff, the overall wholesomeness... Just everything in this one is so good and so lovely!

I am definitely enjoying this series way more than I originally thought I would. Now I really know why the fans adore this and the characters! I can't wait to dive into the next chapters!
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Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Okay, hello???? Now I know why so many of you love this book! *cries* I've been meaning to read this series since a lot of my friends recommend it, but I always can't find copies. Thank goodness I found it on Webtoon!

This was just so cute, so wholesome, and I'm so soft reading all about Charlie and Nick. Is it cheesy? Sometimes, a bit, yes. Does it have a thrilling or action-packed plot? Nope, if anything, this was more of a character-driven story. However, despite these, I love how quietly beautiful this story was. It didn't need to be dramatic, it didn't need to have an overly complicated plot. It just needed to be simple, and relatable, and captivating. That was all I needed.

Queers falling in love, not toxic at all, and just genuinely a wholesome story? HELL YES, I LOVE IT.
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Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

First read of 2021 and it was disaster bis! AAAHHHHHHH I am so glad I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This was messy and ridiculous at other times (they're technically catfishing the other MC, of course it's going to get chaotic and messy), but wow. It was also heartfelt and funny and sweet. It tackled love, family, identity, and the effort to connect with others. The characterization for me was on point as well because the three main characters shined in their own ways and they went on their individual arcs.

I adored this book! Exact rating: 4/5