skudiklier's reviews
604 reviews

I had intended on this being my last book of the year, and finishing it slowly so that it would end on new year's eve. Instead I couldn't put it down and I finished it two days ago at like three in the morning. I loved this book as a romance lover, as a trans person, as an Our Flag Means Death fan, everything. It's so good. It made me cry. I told several people about it while I was reading. I'd definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

I simply couldn't put this book down. I'm typing this review at 1 pm, while eating breakfast in my pajamas because I stayed in bed reading all morning. I've loved all of Allison Raskin's previous books, so I was excited about this one, but I also knew it would be a departure from how she wrote her other books. As someone who reads tons of romance novels, I think this one is amazing. I was completely absorbed by the story and its characters, and couldn't wait to get to the ending and find out how everything gets wrapped up. I think she did it really well and I can't wait for everyone else to get to read this in April. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Canary Street Press for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

This book is beautifully written and I'd definitely recommend it. I'll be honest and say it took me a while to get through, and felt a bit slow at times, but I honestly think my experience reading it had more to do with external factors in my life than the book itself. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it and I'm glad it was written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

I've been a fan of Daniel Lavery's for years and was really excited about this book! My experience reading it was weird because I put it off for a long time due to other life stuff, and so by the time I started it I was stressed about finishing it in time. I ended up switching to the audiobook really early on mostly due to the time constraint (and the several Netgalley books I needed to read in a short time period lmao). I do think that was a good choice for me because while the book is good and very interesting, I think I would have gotten a little bored with reading it not in audiobook form. I would have struggled to keep up momentum I think. That said, I think the book is really funny, entertaining, and well-written. I love Lavery's voice and style of writing and I'd definitely read another similar book by him.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperVia for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I love Curtis Sittenfeld's writing so much that it's hard to explain. I'm not big on short stories, and usually reading a collection of them is hard for me, because they don't keep me as engaged and the momentum keeps being killed by each one ending as soon as I'm getting into it. But I read this in two sittings and basically couldn't put it down. Sittenfeld just writes in this way that's perfect for my brain, and even when starting a new story and having no idea what it's about, I know it'll take maximum two pages before I'm hooked.

Also, I can't believe I didn't realize there was a follow-up story about Lee Fiora in here!!! As someone who had an unhealthy obsession with Prep as a teenager, it was really exciting to get to see more of that world. I was worried the story might be disappointing or depressing, with all my personal high expectations for it specifically, but I loved it.

I don't even know what else to say. Reading anything by Curtis Sittenfeld makes me want to reread everything else I've read by her. I love the way she writes women who are often morally grey, overly direct, and very observational. I love the way she writes every little interaction in such detail, with all the miniscule ways people signal things to each other. I love how matter-of-factly she writes about sex. I love how she makes everyday things feel as thrilling and important as they are to the people they involve.

I think when I was in high school, Prep was really foundational to the way I learned about the world, and about myself, and about the different ways people could exist and be teenagers (as silly as that might sound). And now, in a way, these short stories are giving me a lot to think about regarding middle age, marriage, parenting--things like that. Not in as intense a way of course, and I know now more what is bad about a lot of the relationships in this book (as opposed to teenage me not realizing some of the ways people treated each other badly in Prep). But still, it's there. I'm glad I got to read this book, both in general, and because it was a really good distraction from the world these last couple days. I definitely want to own a copy once it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

This is a beautiful collection that has so much to say on motherhood, love, grief, femininity, and so much more. I loved getting to read it!

I had so many favorite poems, but the line I can't get out of my head is "You can have summer, the season most likely to keep its word."

Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

I think this book is a great read for anyone married, considering marriage, or even just curious about marriage as an institution and its place in today's society. It also has a lot of relationship advice that can be helpful regardless of if you ever plan on getting married. I think Allison Raskin is great at balancing evidence and anecdotes to make this book an easy and informative read. I learned a lot that I'm going to think about with regard to my own marriage and I'm glad I could read this. (Also random but I thought it was very fun that this book came out on my second wedding anniversary. Low-key made for me.)

Thank you to Netgalley and Hanover Square Press for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

I loved this book so much that I knew I had to wait at least a day before writing my review. Oh my god, this was so good. 

I have a one-line pitch for it that immediately sold my sister so much that I preordered a copy for her birthday even though it doesn't come out until March, but it's a bit spoilery about the ending, so I'll put that at the end. But basically if you love books like Madeline Miller's or Greek mythology in general, and you love queerness and hope while still not feeling like a lighthearted fairy tale, this is the perfect book for you. I was so drawn in to the characters and their world, while also being so stressed the whole time about how it would end. I loved the way it was written, and the themes, and the things you come back to, and the resolution we get for all the questions and mysteries. Genuinely dare I say a perfect book??? Idk. I just know I'm going to be recommending it to everyone I can.

What I told my sister is that it has some Orpheus and Eurydice/Achilles and Patroclus vibes while also having a happier ending. Like, it's not just a HEA type thing, but the ending was much happier than I expected given how these sorts of stories usually go (and given how it wasn't marketed as a romance, at least not by the time I read it). Like, if The Song of Achilles and/or Hadestown broke your heart, this will put it back together again, just a little.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC!