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Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
I had quite hopes for Anything But Fine and the first few chapters promised a ya coming-of-age in the realms of The Sky Blues, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, and You Should See Me in a Crown. As the story progresses however I found myself growing weary of the unnecessary miscommunication. If you are…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Anything But Fine, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Contemporary, dancing, drama, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, male authors, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, sports, teen angst, Tobias Madden, YOUNG ADULT -
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
The first two chapters of The Swimmers, βThe Underground Poolβ and βThe Crackβ are highly reminiscent of the authorβs acclaimed The Buddha in the Attic. Like that novel The Swimmers at first seems to implement a playful choral βweβ as our perspective. The βweβ in question are the people who regularly swim at a local…
3 STARS, Adult, ageing, Alzheimer, America, asian american, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about writers, Contemporary, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, gay side characters, greek chorus, GRIEF, HUMOR, interconnected stories, japanese american author, lgbtq+ side, MEMORY, mothers & daughters, My reviews, place as character, playful style, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, satire, self-inserts, sports, subject over characters/story, The Swimmers -
The Archer by Shruti Swamy
Throughout the course of reading The Archer, I was painfully aware that I was in fact reading a novel. That is to say, I did not think this was a particularly βimmersive coming-of-ageβ story, quite the contrary. Almost every line I read struck me as contrived and as attempting (and failing) to be eloquent and…
1960s, 1970s, 2 STARS, 20th century, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, CHILDHOOD, coming of age, dancing, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, growing up, heavy on telling, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, India, indian american author, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MARRIAGE, mothers & daughters, My reviews, navel gazing, pregnancy, published in 2021, purply prose, queer, read in 2021, reading, slow pacing, sports, style over character, stylised prose, subject over characters/story, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
Gut-wrenching and haunting Indian Horse depicts the horrific realities of residential schools, as well as racism and discrimination in 1960s Ontario. This is the third novel that Iβve read by Richard Wagamese and, while Medicine Walk and Ragged Company were no walks in the parks, Indian Horseβs unsparing bleakness and distressing content make those two…
1960s, 1st pov, 20th century, 4 STARS, abuse, addiction, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, canadian author, conversational style, DEPRESSION, distressing reads, favourite authors, GRIEF, HISTORICAL FICTION, hockey, indigenous, indigenous author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, male authors, My reviews, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, nuns, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, Pedophelia, published in 2012, RACE, read in 2021, reading, rural setting, social issues, sports, trauma -
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
DISCLAIMER: If you are thinking of reading this novel I recommend you check out some more positive reviews, especially ones from #ownvoices reviewers (such as Brandann Hill-Mann’s review). I didn’t hate this book it but I would be lying if I said that it didn’t really, really, really frustrate me (because it did). I would…
1st pov, addiction, America, Angeline Boulley, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, canada, coming of age, CRIME, DEATH, drama, FANTASY, female authors, Firekeeper's Daughter, gay side characters, GRIEF, indigenous, indigenous author, insta love, INVESTIGATION, kidnapping, lgbtq+ side, Michigan, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, Not Like Other Girls, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ojibwe/Chippewa author, psychopaths, published in 2021, rape, read in 2021, ROMANCE, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, sports, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, trauma, trying and failing @ feminism, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, why the hype, YOUNG ADULT -
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
βHe wasn’t sure if parents had limits to their love, but he was worried that one day something would push them too far and he’d find out.β After a horrible experience at his old high school Spencer Harris is ready to turn a new leaf. He’s Black, fifteen, a bit of a nerd, and good…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, America, American, Black & Black heritage authors, boarding/private school, bullying, Contemporary, FLUFFY READ, friendships, HIGH SCHOOL, Isaac Fitzsimons, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, light reads, m/m, male authors, netgalley, neurodivergent side characters, non-binary side characters, ohio, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, Religion, ROMANCE, sports, The Passing Playbook, TRANSGENDER, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
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 Bright Lands by John Fram
At first, I was intrigued by The Bright Lands: a small town in Texas, missing teen(s), possible evil entities…I kind of expected it to be a modern take on Twin Peaks by way of Stephen King. Sadly, however, The Bright Lands never delivers on its intriguing premise. The writing leaves a lot to be desired,…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEWS, Contemporary, cults, gay, heavy on telling, HIGH SCHOOL, HORROR, John Fram, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, male authors, missing boys, MYSTERY, NEW YORK, PARANORMAL, problematic, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, REVIEWS, rural setting, sex, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, Southern America, sports, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, texas, The Bright Lands, THRILLER, weak prose -
The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr β book review
The Necessary Hunger, Nina Revoyr’s debut novel first published in 1997, had the potential of being a great YA book. In many ways this novel was ahead of its times. Set in Inglewood, L. A., in the late 1980s The Necessary Hunger is narrated by seventeen-year-old Nancy Takahiro, a Japanese-American all-star high school basketball player.…
1980s, 1st pov, 2.5 STARS, America, American, ANGST, basketball, BOOK REVIEW, California, drama, f/f side, family, female authors, female friendships, friendships, Inglewood, japanese american author, jealousy, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, los angeles, navel gazing, Nina Revoyr, queer, RACE, read in 2020, sapphic, social issues, sports, The Necessary Hunger, unrequited love, YOUNG ADULT -
We Came Here to Forget by Andrea Dunlop β book review
For the most part We Came Here to Forget was a somewhat inconsistent read. Perhaps this is due to the two timelines, one which follows Katie Cleary as she grows up, and the other one focuses on the aftermath a personal tragedy. In order to escape from her unbearable existence (one in which she has…
luce [is reading] 