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The Herd by Andrea Bartz
Having really enjoyed Andrea Bartz’s debut novel, The Lost Night, I had rather high hopes for The Herd. Sadly, not only is The Herd populated by simultaneously unrealistic and detestable characters but it also tells a rather derivative story. The summary seemed to promise a tantalising story, one that would depict the complicated and shifting…
1st pov, 2 STARS, ADOPTION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Andrea Bartz, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, books i hate, drama, female authors, jealousy, lgbtq+, MELODRAMA, missing persons, missing women, MYSTERY, NEW YORK, published in 2020, purply prose, read in 2020, SISTERS, summer reads, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, trying and failing @ feminism, weak prose, work culture -
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
re-re-read: what can i say, whatever this book has going on, i here for it. re-read: it hasn’t even been a year and I have already re-read this. This book slaps. Ninth House can be best described as: “talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, academia, addiction, adrenaline fuelled reads, Adult, alex stern, Alex Stern #1, all of the trigger warnings, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, California, campus, Contemporary, dark, dark academia, dark fantasy, DEATH, FANTASY, female authors, ghosts/spirits, graphic content, it’s about the *aesthetics*, Leigh Bardugo, MAGIC, mental health, MURDER, MYSTERY, NEW ADULT, New Haven, Ninth House, occult, PARANORMAL, Pedophelia, place as character, published in 2019, rape, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, rich people, secret societies, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, strong sense of place, SUPERNATURAL, terrific prose, THRILLER, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, violence, violence against women, Yale -
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a compelling fiction debut from a promising author. As the title suggests the stories in this collection are centred on Black women who have complex relationships to their church and to God. In a concise and stirring prose Deesha Philyaw explores the lives, desires, and fears of her…
20th century, 4 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, CHILDHOOD, Christianity, collection of short stories, coming of age, Contemporary, Deesha Philyaw, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), f/f, Faith, family, female authors, girlhood, HISTORICAL FICTION, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, MARRIAGE, mothers & daughters, published in 2020, queer, RACE, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, Religion, sapphic, short stories, social issues, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies -
Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little
“Action, cut, action, cut, action, cut, action, cut. These aren’t commands, not for me. They’re more like everyday punctuation. A capital letter. A period. An indication that I should pay attention to what’s going on in the middle.” Pretty as a Picture tells a slow-burn type of suspenseful story, one that I would definitely recommend…
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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 -
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
For a book published in the 90s The Kitchen God’s Wife comes across as strangely outdated. And I guess in spite of Tan’s writing—which is far from mediocre or incompetent—I could not look past the fact that her story was the antithesis of female solidarity. At first I was taken by Tan’s storytelling. The first…
1930S, 1940s, 1990s, 1st pov, 2 STARS, 20th century, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, America, Amy Tan, China, chinese american author, class, drama, HISTORICAL FICTION, horrible friends, MARRIAGE, MELODRAMA, MEMORY, mothers & daughters, published in 1991, read in 2020, sexual assault/abuse/rape, Sino-Japanese War, story within a story, The Kitchen God's Wife, war -
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
“Hold it gently, this hungry beast that is your heart.” Butter Honey Pig Bread explores the complex relationship two sisters who were once close but have become estranged as adults. Their mother, Kambirinachi, believes that she is an Ogbanje, a malevolent spirit who haunts mothers by ‘coming’ and ‘going’ (usually the child dies in childhood).…
4 STARS, Black & Black heritage authors, Butter Honey Pig Bread, canada, child abuse, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), england, f/f, female authors, food & cooking, forgiveness, FRANCE, Francesca Ekwuyasi, friendships, GUILT, lagos, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, mothers & daughters, Nigeria, nigerian canadian author, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, sapphic, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SISTERS, social issues, trauma, travel, twins -
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This novel proved to be the perfect ‘escape’ read. While I may not have been enamoured by every single book I’ve read by Libba Bray (the finales to her series left me a wee bit unsatisfied) I do consider her to be an amazing writer and a favourite of mine. Usually, however, her books are…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, adventure, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, beauty, beauty contest, Beauty Queens, Booklr, Contemporary, f/f side, female authors, female friendships, feminism, friendships, HUMOR, ISLAND, LESBIAN, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LIBBA BRAY, lord of the flies, pageants, pirates, playful style, published in 2011, queer, read in 2020, satire, social issues, surreal, survival, the wilds, trans side characters, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
“That was the thing about people on the outside. They thought it cheered him up to see their faces, but it just reminded him too much of freedom when everybody knew it was better to adjust to the kind of freedom available on the inside.” Heartbreaking yet luminous A Kind of Freedom is a truly…
1940s, 1980s, 2010s, 20th century, 4 STARS, A Kind of Freedom, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, cheating, Contemporary, family, FAMILY SAGA, fatherhood, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, LITERARY FICTION, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, MARRIAGE, motherhood, New Orleans, prison, PUBLISHED IN 2017, RACE, read in 2020, SISTERS, social issues, war, WWII -
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Caroline O’Donoghue’s foray into YA will definitely appeal to fans of the genre. Although I do have a few criticisms I can safely say that I found All Our Hidden Gifts to be an entertaining read. Set in Ireland, our narrator and protagonist is sixteen-year old Maeve Chambers, the youngest in a big family. She…
1st pov, 3 STARS, all girls school, All Our Hidden Gifts, Caroline O’Donoghue, coming of age, Contemporary, cults, curses, Dreams, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, gender identity, IRELAND, IRISH AUTHOR, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, missing girls, missing persons, PARANORMAL, published in 2021, queer side characters, read in 2020, ROMANCE, social issues, tarots, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 