pickledpotato1021's reviews
186 reviews

“‘Drink before the coffee gets cold.’”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Death; Alzheimer’s Disease

Four people’s journeys through time at a café in Tokyo, however the trip can only last until the coffee gets cold. I enjoy how there’s more than one person's story of time travel instead of just focusing on one person. I love how the perspective is simply the café.

“Because just like back home, people think different means less. Less capable. Less competent.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Death of parent(s); Casual use of “niggas”; Themes of police brutality/neglect; Gangs; Drug abuse; Gun violence; Brief mention of child neglect; Use of racial slur; Themes of colonization; Racism

Rue, a half-human half-god, is taken from her home to a place called Ghizon after her mother is murdered; except in Ghizon her existence is a crime in more ways than one. And in Ghizon an evil is brewing, the same evil that threatens the streets she once called home. I loved so many things about this book: The non-formal writing, Rue’s character development, the serious themes hidden in this fantasy world. I’m so happy to see a character that looks like me, that grew up in a place other than Happily Ever After Land, that views the world in something other than rose colored lenses. The twists were done in a way that all the hints were there, and some you could put together, and others hit you like a walrus from the sky in the middle of the city.

“You think you need all of it. Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Death of loved ones; Sexualized themes (not graphic nor detailed); Mental illness; Drowning; Isolation; Depression

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone since she left for college, and Mabel is going to find out why. I enjoy the idea of “found family” and how this story pushes the idea family doesn't always mean relatives. That's really all I liked. There was almost no plot, but it wasn’t bad. It reads like my ADHD partner tells stories.

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Cancer; Death of a parent; Death of a child

Marty goes on the hunt for the train of lost things after he loses his most prized possession. It’s a cute fun story, but I’d like more backstory on the origins of the train.

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Runaway minors

Claudia and her brother run away to an art museum, and are presented with a modern day mystery.
I love the art history, and how innocent the children were but it felt really empty, like there could have been more. It was a cute book, regardless of my rating. I recommend it for most kids.

“If you don’t follow the rules一even one single time一there might be floods and earthquakes, or worse.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Teenage pregnancy; Child abuse

Four separate teenage lives all become intertwined by fate. The writing in this story is beautiful, but it really felt like it was dragging in some areas. I love when stories have different paths that all come together at one point in the end, and this did just that.

“My future or my past. Who I want to be versus who I’ve been.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story

TW/CW: Death of a loved one; Death of a parent; Cancer
Human memories have been linked to the cloud, however the technology is still in testing and is only available to students at once high tech school; However someone starts deleting Arden’s memories, and she can’t remember her day long enough to know why. The idea was there, there was a lot of promise. I always love a good sci-fi dystopia. The execution was.. Pretty bad. It was predictable, suspicious, hollow, and underwhelming. After that entire plot, you’re telling me the FBI wouldn’t be swooping into this school?

“It’s not exactly a fresh start, but it’s safe to say they’re turning a page.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Murder; Suicide; Fire; Drug abuse; Abusive relationship; Child abuse; Rape/molestation; Self harm

Paris is arrested for the murder of her husband, but she swears she isn’t the killer. There were so many twists and turns. When I thought I had it figured out another twist hit me. While I did figure out some of them, I didn’t get them all, and the best part: the twists were actually believable.

“I wanted to save us all from our stories, but I should have known better than anybody: there are worse endings than sleeping for a hundred years.”

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Arranged marriage; Incurable disease (fictional); Mentions of past rape; Violence

Zina is dying, and when she pricks her finger during her 21st birthday she begins to slip between words. It was an interesting retelling, with a few diversions from the normal retelling genre. The main character I just didn’t really vibe with. The way she behaved was just odd to me. Overall a good story, with a lackluster main character.

Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
TW/CW: Depictions of severe OCD, anxiety, PTSD, paranoia, and depression; Violence, blood, and murder; Attempted but failed rape; Masturbation; Glorification of murderers; Terminal illness; Death including death of a loved one; Kidnapping; Grooming

Follow Lynnette as she battles PTSD from an event leaving her a Final Girl, the sole survivor of a mass murder. Now, Lynnette's way of life is being threatened. Was her extreme paranoia justified all along? Issue number one: The plot. It’s the weirdest, most unbelievable sequence of events. Honestly, I kept thinking “that would never happen, ever.” Second issue: The characters. As I was reading I kept thinking “Wow, you need therapy” after characters did the most ridiculous unrealistic things. Most of them were truly insufferable. The most readable character was Fine the fern. My third issue: The writing style. The best way I can explain it is certain events or sentences or paragraphs were edited out, but Hendrix forgot to edit the rest of the page so it’s referencing something we know nothing about. It also jumped all over the place without a break (as in a chapter change, or section/scene break). It was like when my ADHD partner starts talking out of nowhere, and I just give him a confused look, and he says “I said the first half in my head and you have no idea what I’m talking about.” Fourth issue: The end of chapter bits. Most of them provided no sustenance to the book itself and seemed to be there for funsies. I was not having funsies. Also, only chapter 10 was abbreviated as “TFGSG” which just was an odd choice when the other chapters fully spelled out the title. Not a reason to hate a book, but I’m adding it to the list anyway. Number five: The only POC is the first to die. Number six: This is where I can see other people’s points of view and while I may disagree with them I respect them. I believe it’s all about perspective, mine is this: Hendrix depicts ODC, anxiety, PTSD, paranoia, and depression in a dangerous way. The entire book enables unhealthy behavior by allowing the main character to do it and then validate it with the events of the plot. Allowing someone with this level of mental health issues that are clearly going unchecked with a weapon is also dangerous. She has NO muzzle awareness whatsoever let alone concern or regard for human life.