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smillas_tales's reviews
414 reviews
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival by Laura L. Sullivan, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“When we speak of a house that is haunted, all we are speaking of is a house that is violent, and many houses are violent.”
This is a haunted house story like no other. A lyrical masterpiece of a horror story!
You might love this book as much as I did if you enjoy:
💚 explorations of generational trauma
💚 complex familial relationships
💚 disability and lgbtqia+ representation
💚 unique writing styles
💚 nonlinear narratives
From the very first page, I was utterly captivated by Solomon’s writing style. Its deliberately disjointed, metaphor-heavy and nonlinear nature perfectly captures the horror of the events unfolding in the life of the protagonist Ezri and their siblings. Their writing made me question what was real and imagined, literal and metaphorical, and while it fits the narrative, it also made it difficult to follow parts of the plot, which is the reason this wasn’t quite a 5⭐️ read for me.
While the writing was, at times, somewhat difficult to follow, I appreciate how perfectly it encapsulated Ezri’s thought processes, and their own inability to understand their past. I also highly appreciate how Solomon has chosen to illustrate the very different influences trauma can have on people through the depiction of Ezri and their two sisters. They are all complex characters, each dealing with grief and resurfacing memories in their own distinct way.
I’m already looking forward to rereading this in the future, but until then I’ll be busy reading all of Solomon’s other works!
TW: Death of a parent, animal death, sexual assault, child abuse, racism, suicide, hate crimes, grooming, and possibly more.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book makes me wish “annoying” was a mood option …
I really wanted this to be heartwarming, but the characters felt criminally one-dimensional and, as a result, the message that Lucy Gilmore attempts to convey felt incredibly forced. This truly is the first time found family has given me the ick, but I just couldn’t with this one.
I really wanted this to be heartwarming, but the characters felt criminally one-dimensional and, as a result, the message that Lucy Gilmore attempts to convey felt incredibly forced. This truly is the first time found family has given me the ick, but I just couldn’t with this one.
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Persuasion by Jane Austen
slow-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
Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0