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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 -
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Lacklustre and monotonous, not only did How High We Go in the Dark fail to grip my attention but it also failed to elicit an emotional response on my part. It was a bland and repetitive affair, which is a pity given the hype around it. It didnβt help that a few weeks ago I…
2 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, apocalyptic, asian american, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), doctors, dystopia, environmental, existentialism, family, GRIEF, illness, interconnected stories, japan, male authors, pandemic, parenting, post-apocalyptic, published in 2022, read in 2022, SCI-FI, SPACE, spaceships, SPECULATIVE FICTION, 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 βmysteryβ, 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 -
Here Again Now by Okechukwu Nzelu
The first few pages of Here Again Now brought to mind the opening scene from my much beloved A Little Life so, naturally, I cranked up my expectations. As I kept on reading however my initial excitement over the story incrementally decreased to the point that I no longer looked forward to picking it up.…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, actors, addiction, Adult, ANGST, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, england, fatherhood, fathers & sons, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, friendships, gay, GRIEF, Here Again Now, introspective, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, LONDON, lyrical prose, male authors, male friendships, My reviews, Nigeria, nigerian british author, Okechukwu Nzelu, published in 2022, purply prose, queer, read in 2021, reading, ROMANCE, style over character, tragedy, weak prose, will they won't they -
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
If I was feeling in a generous mood I could say that A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro’s debut novel, proves just how much Ishiguro has matured as an author. If I had to be completely honest, however, I would say that I am fairly mystified by A Pale View of Hills. How can…
1950s, 1980s, 1st pov, 2 STARS, 20th century, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, British Japanese author, cold tone, england, favourite authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, intergenerational, japan, Kazuo Ishiguro, LITERARY FICTION, male authors, MEMORY, mothers & daughters, My reviews, published in 1982, read in 2021, reading, suicide, weak prose -
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
βBut I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me.I choose vengeance.β Xiran Jay Zhao has written an ambitious debut novel that should definitely appeal to fans of Pacific Rim & The Hunger Games. Iron Widow is likely one of the most creative books that I’ve read this year (which is saying something given…
1st pov, 2 STARS, action, alternate history, arc, battles, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, China, chinese author, chinese inspired setting, DEATH, dystopia, FANTASY, Iron Widow, LGBTQ+ Author, lgbtq+ side, m/f/m romance, My reviews, netgalley, Not Like Other Girls, polyamory, reading, RETELLINGS, revenge, SCI-FI, trying and failing @ feminism, violence, weak prose, weak worldbuilding, Xiran Jay Zhao, YOUNG ADULT -
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Riding the coattails of Little Fires Everywhere and The Vanishing Half, What’s Mine and Yours not only tells a blow-by-blow predictable tale but one that failed to entertain or elicit any feeling other than frustration in this particular reader. What’s Mine and Yours, ya basic. To call the writing in this novel ‘prose’ seems misleading…
1990s, 2 STARS, 2000s, 2010s, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, affairs, America, American, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cheating, class, Contemporary, Dominican American author, drama, f/f side, family, female authors, FRANCE, HIGH SCHOOL, HISTORICAL FICTION, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MARRIAGE, MELODRAMA, motherhood, mothers & daughters, My reviews, Naima Coster, North Carolina, Paris, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2021, reading, SISTERS, social issues, weak prose, What's Mine and Yours -
The Herd by Andrea Bartz
Having really enjoyed Andrea Bartzβs 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 -
Whoβs Loving You by Sareeta Domingo
Who’s Loving You? is a wonderfully inclusive collection that sadly falls into the common pitfalls of short story collections: some stories are good, others not so much. Each story in Who’s Loving You? was written and focuses on women of colour (most of them British). You could definitely tell that many of the authors…
3 STARS, Adult, Amna Saleem, British author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, Danielle Dash, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Dorothy Koomson, drama, england, f/f, female authors, insta love, Kelechi Okafor, Kuchenga, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, meet cute, netgalley, published in 2021, queer, RACE, read in 2021, ROMANCE, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, sapphic, Sara Jafari, Sareeta Domingo, short stories, social issues, star-crossed lovers, TRANSGENDER, Varaidzo, weak prose -
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
luce [is reading] 