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smillas_tales's reviews
412 reviews
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book gripped me from the very first page! Stories with omniscient narrators don’t always work well for me, but Celeste Ng’s writing is utterly captivating. She truly writes suburbian suspense like no other, and her character work is unparalleled. I’m so impressed with the ways she crafts flawed, yet human characters, and I loved how the narrative illustrates how people are shaped by decades of choices and experiences.
Chlorine by Jade Song
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this, but Chlorine absolutely blew me away! I adore Song’s writing, and I loved how the eerie absurdity of the story slowly builds and ultimately crescendoes as Ren works towards achieving her dreams of becoming a mermaid. I also really appreciated how Ren Yu’s desire towards body transformation was used as commentary on the harmful expectations for women in competitive sports. At the same time Ren’s storyline also reads like a metaphor for the trans experience, and I thought the themes were handled beautifully!
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
The Broposal by Sonora Reyes
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
“If I couldn’t have Kenny for real, at least we could enjoy the pretending.”
I was so sure this would be the queer autistic romance of my dreams, and I am absolutely devastated that this book didn’t blow me away!
That being said, I greatly appreciate the incredible representation and important themes present in this book, and I’m grateful to @readforeverpub for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
While this didn’t quite do it for me, there are so many things to love about it, and I’m sure a lot of readers would absolutely adore this. You might be one of those if you love:
🩵 friends to lovers romance
🩵 realistic autistic representation!!!
🩵 themes of abuse and trauma
🩵 marriage of convenience
The main reason I didn’t love The Broposal is that it had too many side-plots, and attempted to explore too many themes at once. As a result many of the plot elements weren’t satisfactorily resolved by the end, and none of the significant moments hit me as hard as intended.
Because of the many plot elements I also felt that the characters lacked depth, and I found myself struggling to understand the reasons behind their actions and thought processes. Both Han and Kenny are emotionally stunted, but I didn’t feel like this was properly explored, and as a result I was just mildly annoyed by both of them.
I was also incredibly frustrated by Jackie, Kenny’s almost cartoonishly evil ex-girlfriend, who is the driver behind the primary conflict of the story. I felt that the exploration of domestic abuse would’ve felt more nuanced and been more hard-hitting if there had been more depth to her character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Deportation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book made me realize that I just don’t like historical fiction all that much. And that’s not a critique of this book, cause I definitely understand why so many people adore it, but I just found it underwhelming.
While I did appreciate the overall storyline, I unfortunately struggled to get fully invested in the lives of these characters. I think it partly comes down to the inconsistencies in the story, and partly that the romantic side plot felt out of place to me.
While I did appreciate the overall storyline, I unfortunately struggled to get fully invested in the lives of these characters. I think it partly comes down to the inconsistencies in the story, and partly that the romantic side plot felt out of place to me.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
dark
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? No
4.5
This is such an incredible, dark novella, exploring generational trauma and the passing down of violent history. I was gripped by the narrative and Solomon’s incredible writing from the start, and read almost the entire book in one sitting!
I especially loved the exploration of traumatic memories as both sacred and destructive. This duality was captivating, and I loved reading about the MC Yetu’s inner struggle with her role as Historian to her people.
I especially loved the exploration of traumatic memories as both sacred and destructive. This duality was captivating, and I loved reading about the MC Yetu’s inner struggle with her role as Historian to her people.
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This is, without a doubt, one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. I am blown away by the raw honesty in Lamya H’s recollections of their life experiences, as well as her reflections on queerness and Islam.
Lamya H’s writing is beautiful, and I greatly appreciate the choice to structure the memoir around some of the key teachings from the Quran, while ensuring that it is still accessible to readers with limited knowledge of the Quran. The way Lamya H draws parallels between interpretations of these scriptures and their own experiences and reflections concerning queerness was eye-opening and beautiful.
Lamya H’s writing is beautiful, and I greatly appreciate the choice to structure the memoir around some of the key teachings from the Quran, while ensuring that it is still accessible to readers with limited knowledge of the Quran. The way Lamya H draws parallels between interpretations of these scriptures and their own experiences and reflections concerning queerness was eye-opening and beautiful.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This is by no means a bad book, but it just wasn’t my preferred type of story. I knew going into it that it might be a miss for me, as I often don’t enjoy highly character-driven storylines, but I was hoping this would be an exception.
While I did enjoy the overall storyline, I found the present timeline boring and I thought that the book could’ve been much shorter. To add to that I didn’t love the lack of structure, with chapter POVs shifting between a large number of characters in both past and present. It felt very chaotic, and made it difficult for me to really get invested in any of the characters.
That being said, I appreciated the events of especially the last 25% of the book, and I think a lot of people could find many things to love in this book.
While I did enjoy the overall storyline, I found the present timeline boring and I thought that the book could’ve been much shorter. To add to that I didn’t love the lack of structure, with chapter POVs shifting between a large number of characters in both past and present. It felt very chaotic, and made it difficult for me to really get invested in any of the characters.
That being said, I appreciated the events of especially the last 25% of the book, and I think a lot of people could find many things to love in this book.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about this series, but the start of this first book is such a drag and I really can’t get into it! I’ve read about 25% and the plot hasn’t really got going, I’m not invested in any of the characters, and I’m not even loving the vibes, so I’m doing what I normally never do and DNF’ing it.