oliviaoverthinkseverything's reviews
513 reviews

Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Well this is the scariest book I've ever read, and it's so good, like everything Grady Hendrix does. He's one of those authors who is so good at using horror as a genre to encourage the reader to examine real issues and problems. This book isn't about a haunted house or possessed puppets or creepy dolls, it's about the poisonous nature of family secrets and generational trauma and the hard work of grieving. But also, and I cannot stress this enough, it's about possessed puppets and creepy dolls. 😱 

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book made me feel seen more deeply than any other memoir ever has. I'm still reeling from the surprise of that. The author is a queer nonbinary immigrant Muslim woman of color. I am a bisexual-married-to-a-man cis American Episcopalian with skin the color of skim milk. And yet. 

At the end of a yoga practice, my favorite YouTube yogi often closes by saying "There is a place inside of you where all the Universe dwells. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are one." Reading this book felt like that. 
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

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adventurous inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

I...I don't even know what to say about this book. I know it's only February, but I'm pretty sure this is going to be my favorite read of the entire year. At least when it comes to non-2023 releases. Seriously, I have butterflies in my stomach and feel like I'm shivering. What an amazing book. Perfection. I can't say anything else for fear of spoiling this for you. 
The Farm by Joanne Ramos

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emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, but I felt it ended too abruptly. Regardless, there's a lot to say about capitalism, exploitation, and white supremacy here, and with the growth of surrogacy as a commodity combined with the domestic labor sphere being largely dependent on women who have very few choices, this was a very realistic scenario to ponder. I'm going to need to find a pallette cleanser, though; this triggered a lot of visceral emotions that will take a while to recover from. 
Promises of Gold by José Olivarez

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emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

I first heard of José Olivarez on the NPR podcast Code Switch, and was so excited to see he had a collection coming out soon. I have never highlighted and hearted so many pages in a book of poetry. There is so much here about isolation, love, friendship, identity. I hope another collection is forthcoming. I will devour each and every one. 
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds—The Illyrian Enigma #2 by

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Anyone who plans to watch Season 2 of Strange New Worlds later this year, I recommend reading this comic series. I have a feeling it will be integrated into the story somehow! I can't say more without spoiling the fun. 

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read this in most of a day, so the lower rating doesn't reflect readability. I was hoping for more worldbuilding/explanation of whether these folks were actually gods or if they were just a high tech/futuristic society. There's mention of going to Berkeley to study for a PhD but then also there's some kind of magical barriers between the city and the rest of the world? I don't know. I'll probably give the rest of the series a try but it wasn't what I was hoping for. Also a word of warning, it's pretty spicy if that's not your thing. (Or, if it is your thing. 😂)

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

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

5.0

I don't read a lot of murder mysteries because honestly, and this will sound like a humble brag but I promise I don't mean it to be, I almost always guess who the killer is entirely too soon. This book kept me guessing until the final reveal, and honestly I never saw the actual scenario coming. It stumped me just as much as Murder on the Orient Express did, and it shared the same claustrophobic quality with that classic as well since most of the story took place within the walls of a single home. Highly recommend. 

How Lucky by Will Leitch

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

While I feel like the plot was a little all over the place, preventing me from giving it 5*, it's been quite a while since I read a book that had me this much on edge. Think Rear Window but in the modern day, with a protagonist who is terminally ill and essentially unable to move beyond his left hand and his head, and who can't really speak without the assistance of technology. My heart raced until the end. This would be a great movie!