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skudiklier's reviews
602 reviews
Unfold: Poetry + Prose by Ari B. Cofer
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I'm absolutely blown away by Ari's latest book. The vulnerability, the way she writes about such painful things with such beautiful language, the way she makes some things metaphors and leaves others completely raw in what they are. This book took me on a journey I didn't even realize until I was so pulled in I had no choice but to continue. I'd absolutely recommend Unfold, whether you're a fan of Ari or completely new to her work.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I *love* this series and when I heard there was another one coming out, I rushed to Netgalley to see if I could read it early. I'm so glad I was able to, and I read this book all in a single sitting. Maureen Johnson is just so good at crafting these mysteries and tying together the two storylines of past and present.
Also, a couple minor spoilers:I was excited to see ace representation! And oh my gosh the endinggggg.....it's not a cliffhanger in terms of the mystery, but it's a cliffhanger all the same. The only time I regret reading books early like this is I can't even go on Twitter to beg the author for a sequel, not when this book literally hasn't even come out yet haha.
Tl:dr: I loved this book and can't wait for the next Stevie Bell mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Also, a couple minor spoilers:
Tl:dr: I loved this book and can't wait for the next Stevie Bell mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed reading it, and was very invested in what was going to happen. I wasn't at all bored by it because I knew how Pride and Prejudice goes, or anything like that.
On the other hand, for the first third of the book I hated all of the characters, and I still don't really like most of them by the end. There's a lot of transphobia, fatphobia, racism, and homophobia. Some of these are very clearly faults of the characters, but others are less easily dismissed. (More details on each of these under the spoiler warning.)
Transphobia: a major plot point in the novel is when a character is revealed to be trans, and this is treated very badly by almost every character. This is actually the one spoiler I knew ahead of time, because I'm trans and I read a little bit about this part of the book before starting it. But what I didn't realize is that even Lizzy was going to be weird and transphobic about it. She does quickly learn what she said/did was wrong, and becomes better towards the end of the book. But still, that section was frustrating and I didn't like it. It feels way out of proportion for her to fly home because of this, and to be honest I think Darcy forgives her too easily for this. Overall though it's clear Sittenfeld meant the transphobia to be a fault of the characters, and she herself doesn't agree with that, and so on and so on. I'm glad it was so clearly disputed in the book. But I still wouldn't have made that this big of a deal in the book at all.
Fatphobia: the fatphobia is one of the bigger issues I have with the book, as it's both blatant and not super clearly disagreed with. Lizzy as the narrator repeatedly says things like how she tries not to get caught up in diet talk, but that she's not completely successful. The characters' fatphobia is made fun of in some ways but reinforced in others. Charlotte is the only fat character that I can think of who is presented in a positive light, but she's repeatedly called unattractive--by the characters, but still. I think all of the characters who are portrayed as attractive are straight size, if not actively thin.
Racism: part of me wants to say the racism is disputed in similar ways to the transphobia, but I know I might also just be less focused on that since I'm white. Lizzy does definitely point out that several characters are racist, and this is seen as bad, and it's clear neither Lizzy as the narrator nor Sittenfeld as the author think any of the racism is okay. However, the casual racism just scattered throughout the book was still obviously not great, and I'm not sure how much of it was necessary or relevant to the plot.
Homophobia/lesbophobia: the homophobia was pretty bad in the beginning, and got a little better later on. I feel it could have been addressed more clearly, rather than just being accepted as normal, but I have less issue with the homophobia than with the rest of the things listed above. Lizzy's sisters are kind of awful about it though, and if you don't feel like reading a bunch of "haha you're a lesbian" "no I'm not" interactions, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Overall, I'm pretty torn on if I liked this book or would recommend it. In general I like Sittenfeld's writing, but the more of her books I read, I'm not sure if I should want to read them. I don't think this was a terrible retelling of Pride and Prejudice, though it's definitely a different story with different characters. I was also not super convinced by Darcy's character in general; I feel like in the beginning he was an almost irredeemable asshole, and then later he just sort of became nice and interesting. I don't buy that that's the same person with the same motivations.
On the other hand, for the first third of the book I hated all of the characters, and I still don't really like most of them by the end. There's a lot of transphobia, fatphobia, racism, and homophobia. Some of these are very clearly faults of the characters, but others are less easily dismissed. (More details on each of these under the spoiler warning.)
Transphobia: a major plot point in the novel is when a character is revealed to be trans, and this is treated very badly by almost every character. This is actually the one spoiler I knew ahead of time, because I'm trans and I read a little bit about this part of the book before starting it. But what I didn't realize is that even Lizzy was going to be weird and transphobic about it. She does quickly learn what she said/did was wrong, and becomes better towards the end of the book. But still, that section was frustrating and I didn't like it. It feels way out of proportion for her to fly home because of this, and to be honest I think Darcy forgives her too easily for this. Overall though it's clear Sittenfeld meant the transphobia to be a fault of the characters, and she herself doesn't agree with that, and so on and so on. I'm glad it was so clearly disputed in the book. But I still wouldn't have made that this big of a deal in the book at all.
Fatphobia: the fatphobia is one of the bigger issues I have with the book, as it's both blatant and not super clearly disagreed with. Lizzy as the narrator repeatedly says things like how she tries not to get caught up in diet talk, but that she's not completely successful. The characters' fatphobia is made fun of in some ways but reinforced in others. Charlotte is the only fat character that I can think of who is presented in a positive light, but she's repeatedly called unattractive--by the characters, but still. I think all of the characters who are portrayed as attractive are straight size, if not actively thin.
Racism: part of me wants to say the racism is disputed in similar ways to the transphobia, but I know I might also just be less focused on that since I'm white. Lizzy does definitely point out that several characters are racist, and this is seen as bad, and it's clear neither Lizzy as the narrator nor Sittenfeld as the author think any of the racism is okay. However, the casual racism just scattered throughout the book was still obviously not great, and I'm not sure how much of it was necessary or relevant to the plot.
Homophobia/lesbophobia: the homophobia was pretty bad in the beginning, and got a little better later on. I feel it could have been addressed more clearly, rather than just being accepted as normal, but I have less issue with the homophobia than with the rest of the things listed above. Lizzy's sisters are kind of awful about it though, and if you don't feel like reading a bunch of "haha you're a lesbian" "no I'm not" interactions, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Overall, I'm pretty torn on if I liked this book or would recommend it. In general I like Sittenfeld's writing, but the more of her books I read, I'm not sure if I should want to read them. I don't think this was a terrible retelling of Pride and Prejudice, though it's definitely a different story with different characters. I was also not super convinced by Darcy's character in general; I feel like in the beginning he was an almost irredeemable asshole, and then later he just sort of became nice and interesting. I don't buy that that's the same person with the same motivations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Hate crime, Incest, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, and Outing
transphobic slur (t slur)
Leap Day by Wendy Mass
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wendy Mass was my favorite author as a child, and I loved so many of her books. This one I remember reading when I was maybe a little too young for it, but certain things from it really stuck with me. I've been in a bit of a reading slump so I decided to see if my library had this one, and I reread it for the first time in over a decade.
It definitely has some things that haven't aged well, and it feels very 2004 in ways both good and bad. But overall I liked it; it was definitely engaging, since I accidentally read the entire thing in like 24 hours despite having a lot of things I need to do. I really like how she shows so many glimpses into smaller characters' lives. The multiple POV thing/notes about things that happen outside of the time frame of the book really had an impact on me when I read this book as a child. It's an interesting concept and for the most part I think Mass pulls it off well.
It definitely has some things that haven't aged well, and it feels very 2004 in ways both good and bad. But overall I liked it; it was definitely engaging, since I accidentally read the entire thing in like 24 hours despite having a lot of things I need to do. I really like how she shows so many glimpses into smaller characters' lives. The multiple POV thing/notes about things that happen outside of the time frame of the book really had an impact on me when I read this book as a child. It's an interesting concept and for the most part I think Mass pulls it off well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Girl Made of Glass by Shelby Leigh
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is so beautiful! Shelby writes so well about self-love, discovery, and acceptance. Girl Made of Glass is perfect for anyone who finds themselves fixating on the past or their own flaws, and needs to learn how to forgive themselves.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Self-Portrait as Jesus by whentheresteeth
fast-paced
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
And Yet: Poems by Kate Baer
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Kate Baer's poetry is always so good, and I was so excited to hear about this book! I read it in less than 24 hours because I just couldn't put it down. Something about her writing--on motherhood, living in such weird times, womanhood, everything--just speaks so indescribably well to something inside me. I'd recommend this to anyone! Thanks to Harper Perennial and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content
Minor: Death
The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
It was kind of interesting but I just couldn't get into it. I got halfway through and then lost interest and had too many other books I wanted to read more.
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
God this was amazing. Chen Chen's writing never disappoints, and this collection just blew me away. I was excited to see a couple poems I already knew, especially "Winter (big smelly bowel...)"--I think of that one all the time, and loved seeing how the feeling of reading it changes in this context too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Car accident
Nevada by Imogen Binnie
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is really engaging and reflective! I'd definitely recommend it to people who liked Detransition, Baby. I wasn't ready for it to end, especially because my copy had an afterword, so it felt very sudden. But I really appreciated the afterword as well for some context from the author after some time had passed since she wrote it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Homophobia, and Self harm
Minor: Suicide