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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
This makes for a very wholesome read that will definitely appeal to fans of T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. Set in Britain, we follow Mika Moon, a witch who has learnt to live an isolated life in order to successfully hide her magic from others. Like other witches, she is an orphan…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, british indian author, cheesy, Contemporary, cozy mystery, england, FANTASY, female authors, found family, gay side characters, grumpy/sunshine dynamic, HUMOR, lgbtq+ side, light reads, m/m side, MAGIC, NORFOLK, orphans, playful style, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sangu Mandanna, sitter/au pair/governess, teachers, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, WITCHES -
The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton
this is my fault. i should know by now that titles claiming to have dark academia or sapphic vibes should be approached with extreme caution. DISCLAIMER: I did not like this book and my review reflects of that. I will be brutally honest about my thoughts on this novel so if you want to read…
1 STAR, 3rd pov, academia, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANGST, boarding/private school, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about writers, cheesy, Christianity, cliques, Contemporary, dark academia, drama, eating disorders, f/f side, female authors, horrible friends, lesbian side characters, Longing, maine, MELODRAMA, music, My reviews, MYSTERY, obsession, philosophical, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, reading, Religion, sex, SEXUALITY, SUSPENSE, Tara Isabella Burton, teen angst, The World Cannot Give, toxic relationships, unrequited love, weak prose, weak worldbuilding -
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Cheesy, boring, poorly executed. While there is indeed a murder and the identity behind the culprit is, supposedly, a ‘mystery’, The Widows of Malabar Hill struck me as something in the realms of a third-rate period drama. The first part of the novel introduces us to Perveen Mistry, our protagonist, and works to establish the…
1910s, 1920s, 2 STARS, 3rd pov, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, British author, cheating, cheesy, courtroom drama, CRIME, divorce/separations, drama, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, India, lawyers, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MARRIAGE, MURDER, murder investigation, murder mystery, My reviews, MYSTERY, Not Like Other Girls, Perveen Mistry, published in 2018, read in 2021, reading, Sujata Massey, The Widows of Malabar Hill, weak prose, widows, zoroastrianism -
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Perhaps I should not have requested an arc for People We Meet on Vacation as I was one of the few people who last was not particularly enamoured by Beach Read (i know, i know, the audacity). I actually ended up enjoying this more as I found it to be both funnier and a lot…
3 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, cheesy, Chicago, Contemporary, croatia, drama, Emily Henry, female authors, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, gay side characters, holidays, HUMOR, Italy, lgbtq+ side, light reads, m/m side, My reviews, netgalley, NEW YORK, ohio, published in 2021, queer side characters, read in 2021, rom-coms, ROMANCE, Summer, summer reads, travel, uplifting reads, wedding drama -
The Split by Laura Kay
minor spoilers belowTo be honest, The Split was a wee bit disappointing. Not only did the MC got on my nerves big time but most of the characters came across as very one-dimensional and the narrative’s attempts at humor were puerile. On the plus side: a sapphic rom-com in which the main tension does not…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, bi side characters, break-ups, British author, cheating, cheesy, Contemporary, drama, england, f/f, female authors, food & cooking, friendships, gay side characters, HUMOR, Laura Kay, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, netgalley, published in 2021, read in 2021, rom-coms, ROMANCE, running, sapphic, Sheffield, sports, The Split -
The Rebellious Tide by Eddy Boudel Tan
This is one of those rare cases where I genuinely feel bad for not liking a book. The more I read The Rebellious Tide, the less I liked it. Yet, I really tried to pretend otherwise. Having loved Eddy Boudel Tan’s debut novel (it moved me to tears, something that does not happen often to…
2.5 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, canadian author, cheesy, class, Contemporary, cruise, drama, Eddy Boudel Tan, fathers & sons, gay, Greece, Italy, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, male authors, Mediterranean, MELODRAMA, myths, netgalley, published in 2021, queer, read in 2020, sea, ship, The Rebellious Tide, voyage, weak prose, work culture -
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall — book review
Boyfriend Material reads less like fiction than fanfiction. No one acts their age, we have an exceedingly angsty protagonist, a plethora of silly side characters who express themselves using a Tumblresque sort of lingo, unlikely interactions, and a lot tropes. The novel’s sitcom-like structure was predictable and often unfunny. Luc O’Donnell’s friends, colleagues, and acquaintances…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, Alexis Hall, arc, BOOK REVIEWS, Boyfriend Material, British author, cheesy, Contemporary, drama, england, fake dating, gay, HUMOR, Hyped new releases, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, male authors, netgalley, published in 2020, read in 2020, rom-coms, ROMANCE, summer reads, why the hype -
Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye — book review
“But what does normal even mean? Who decided that? And why are gay teens still forced to keep secrets and live double lives?” It seems I’m not an Ice Queen after all…this book melted my heart. Date Me, Bryson Keller is an incredibly sweet and thoughtful YA romance that can be easily read in one…
1st pov, 3.5 STARS, America, American, cheesy, coming of age, Contemporary, Date Me Bryson Keller, drama, fake dating, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, Kevin van Whye, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, male authors, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, RETELLINGS, ROMANCE, SEXUALITY, south African author, summer reads, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
Beach Read by Emily Henry — book review
Romance enthusiasts will undoubtedly enjoy Emily Henry’s Beach Read. Personally, while I do enjoy romance books, I usually prefer them to be less cheesy…and while certain scenes or lines in Beach Read did make me smile, it wasn’t quite the ‘laugh-out-loud’ read I was hoping it would be. This is yet another novel that seems…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Beach Read, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, cheesy, Contemporary, drama, Emily Henry, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, female authors, HUMOR, hyped novels, hyped releases, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, light reads, Michigan, published in 2020, read in 2020, rom-coms, ROMANCE, Summer, summer reads -
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune — book review
“He was here to observe and nothing more. He couldn’t influence the orphanage. It wouldn’t be proper. The RULES AND REGULATIONS were specific about such matters.” The House in the Cerulean Sea tells an equal parts heartwarming and silly tale. The world in this novel is fairly reminiscent of our own one however its pages…
3.25 stars, Adult, AMERICAN AUTHOR, cheesy, FANTASY, fatherhood, found family, HUMOR, KIDS WITH POWERS, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, MAGIC, male authors, PARANORMAL, parenting, POWERS, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, ROMANCE, SPECULATIVE FICTION, T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea, uplifting reads, URBAN FANTASY
luce [is reading] 