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_reedmylife_'s reviews
825 reviews
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
I'm not too sure if this book was a good read for me when I am already anxious about the election, but nonetheless, A Spark Of Light is a must-read!
This is my first adult novel, my Jodi Picoult, and I think that I will be reading more of her novels very soon. A Spark Of Light tackles the topic of abortion and choice through a hostage situation that turns deadly at a women's health clinic.
I felt the characters were really well done and had very accurate portrayals of the people who work as doctors, owners, and patients of these clinics. Sadly, it did become a bit dry after about 400 pages, so the last 150 pages made the story feel way too long. We got a few twists at the end and overall the message is phenomenal, LET WOMEN FUCKING CHOOSE.
If you are an anti, I highly recommend you also read this book as Picoult is able to put both sides on the pages of this book. I hope you will be able to understand why your beliefs are great for you but should not be forced down the throats of others.
This is my first adult novel, my Jodi Picoult, and I think that I will be reading more of her novels very soon. A Spark Of Light tackles the topic of abortion and choice through a hostage situation that turns deadly at a women's health clinic.
I felt the characters were really well done and had very accurate portrayals of the people who work as doctors, owners, and patients of these clinics. Sadly, it did become a bit dry after about 400 pages, so the last 150 pages made the story feel way too long. We got a few twists at the end and overall the message is phenomenal, LET WOMEN FUCKING CHOOSE.
If you are an anti, I highly recommend you also read this book as Picoult is able to put both sides on the pages of this book. I hope you will be able to understand why your beliefs are great for you but should not be forced down the throats of others.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I know this book has been hyped for a while now but 👏🏻👏🏻. Big Little Lies deserves all the hype. This is a clever murder mystery that intertwines the dark secrets that lie behind the doors of all families.
Liane Moriarty's writing is clever and refreshing. You won't be able to stop reading because of how breezy the writing is and the characters are all so interesting with a lot going on in their lives.
This isn't just a book about parents and their kids. This is a book that makes you remember that happiness does not come with wealth, abuse doesn't always happen to "other people", and healing is inevitable, no matter how long it might take.
(this review is coming from someone who does not like books involving children, I would highly recommend this book)
Liane Moriarty's writing is clever and refreshing. You won't be able to stop reading because of how breezy the writing is and the characters are all so interesting with a lot going on in their lives.
This isn't just a book about parents and their kids. This is a book that makes you remember that happiness does not come with wealth, abuse doesn't always happen to "other people", and healing is inevitable, no matter how long it might take.
(this review is coming from someone who does not like books involving children, I would highly recommend this book)
Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mary is much more than just a cult horror. It is a novel that encapsulates what it is to be a middle-aged woman and how society views you.
Nat Cassidy created a novel that was something completely new. He created a horror that touched upon women issues in the most raw way possible, through gruesome gore and beautiful writing.
There isn't much I want to reveal about this book as it is something that you have to go into blind to fully understand the extent of how gorgeous this piece of work is, but I will say it is a stunning portrayal of what it means to be a woman in the world. It is a story as old as time yet Nat Cassidy was able to reinvent and create something that pangs audiences through the heart.
I am aware Cassidy is a man but his afterword really spoke to me. I am glad he is aware that this story was maybe not his to tell but I think, if any cis-man was going to write this story, I am glad it was him as he handled it with such care.
Nat Cassidy created a novel that was something completely new. He created a horror that touched upon women issues in the most raw way possible, through gruesome gore and beautiful writing.
There isn't much I want to reveal about this book as it is something that you have to go into blind to fully understand the extent of how gorgeous this piece of work is, but I will say it is a stunning portrayal of what it means to be a woman in the world. It is a story as old as time yet Nat Cassidy was able to reinvent and create something that pangs audiences through the heart.
I am aware Cassidy is a man but his afterword really spoke to me. I am glad he is aware that this story was maybe not his to tell but I think, if any cis-man was going to write this story, I am glad it was him as he handled it with such care.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Riley Sager is the master of creating stories with beautifully complex characters and you cannot help but fall into his novels every time.
This is my third book by Sager and I have truly enjoyed all of them. The Only One left is a stunning look into family dynamics, money equaling power and the ways in which we never really know who our parents are. Lenora Hope is a gorgeous character that I continuously wanted to delve deeper into as the story went on. Sager gives us the opportunity to fully understand her and I am so glad we were given that as Lenora Hope is a wonderfully human character that offers a lot of insight into the things you do to keep up the family image and keep the money rolling.
Alongside Lenora, we have her caregiver, Kit, she is also quite a complex character as she is on probation from an accident that happened while she was caring for a patient. Her story before, during and after this journey of caring for Lenora is a stunning look at what women will do for each other and the strength they have to pick themselves up again. I truly loved Kit's character.
Overall, this is a great thriller for the spooky season. It is a bit more tame then his other books that I have read but still gives you the anxiety that all of the books I have read by him have promised. There is always a wonderfully eerie atmospheric uncertainty that causes me great anxiety that I will always gladly welcome from Sager.
This is my third book by Sager and I have truly enjoyed all of them. The Only One left is a stunning look into family dynamics, money equaling power and the ways in which we never really know who our parents are. Lenora Hope is a gorgeous character that I continuously wanted to delve deeper into as the story went on. Sager gives us the opportunity to fully understand her and I am so glad we were given that as Lenora Hope is a wonderfully human character that offers a lot of insight into the things you do to keep up the family image and keep the money rolling.
Alongside Lenora, we have her caregiver, Kit, she is also quite a complex character as she is on probation from an accident that happened while she was caring for a patient. Her story before, during and after this journey of caring for Lenora is a stunning look at what women will do for each other and the strength they have to pick themselves up again. I truly loved Kit's character.
Overall, this is a great thriller for the spooky season. It is a bit more tame then his other books that I have read but still gives you the anxiety that all of the books I have read by him have promised. There is always a wonderfully eerie atmospheric uncertainty that causes me great anxiety that I will always gladly welcome from Sager.
I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
This is cute but was not the children's book I thought it would be. I wish that it was more open about grief instead I felt like it kind of avoided it.
Night of the Living Queers by Shelly Page, Alex Brown
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
This was kind of a mix bag of stories as most short story collections are. I am not someone who really enjoys short stories but this was a fun, spooky and very queer time so I didn't mind it. There were quite a few 1 and 2 stars which made the average star rating of the collection go way down, but the stories I did enjoy were pretty high 4 stars. Something that I didn't realize when I picked this collection up was that it was all queer BIPOC authors which was really nice. It added more layers to each story.
I have added my ratings below and a few thoughts on each story:
- Welcome to Hotel Paranoia - 3 Stars, pretty good start to a collection
- The Visitor: 4 Stars, Very intense atmosphere, pretty spooky
- The Brief Intermission: 2 Stars, was okay just not much spooky vibes and read very young
- Guested: 1 Star, SO BORING and very confusing due to it being in 2nd person
- Rocky Road With a Caramel Drizzle: 4 Stars, this was amazing! I loved this one, it almost was a 5 star
- The Three Phases of Ghost-Hunting: 3 Star, this was cute and had me craving a good slice of pizza
- Nine Stops: 4 Stars, Scary and lots of conversations around hate crimes
- Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane: 3 Stars, Beautiful story just hard to follow due to being in 2nd person
- In You to Burn: 1 Star, very confusing and boring
- Anna: 1 Star, just not very intrigued by the story
- Hey There, Demons: 2 Stars, this one was okay, but can't really remember much about it
- Save Me From Myself: 1 Star, Once again hard to follow and was just a bit all over the place
- KnickKnack: 3 Stars, Almost got a 4 star but just missed the mark. This was a super fun read and good way to end the collection as it was just the right amount of silly, queer and spooky
I have added my ratings below and a few thoughts on each story:
- Welcome to Hotel Paranoia - 3 Stars, pretty good start to a collection
- The Visitor: 4 Stars, Very intense atmosphere, pretty spooky
- The Brief Intermission: 2 Stars, was okay just not much spooky vibes and read very young
- Guested: 1 Star, SO BORING and very confusing due to it being in 2nd person
- Rocky Road With a Caramel Drizzle: 4 Stars, this was amazing! I loved this one, it almost was a 5 star
- The Three Phases of Ghost-Hunting: 3 Star, this was cute and had me craving a good slice of pizza
- Nine Stops: 4 Stars, Scary and lots of conversations around hate crimes
- Leyla Mendoza and the Last House on the Lane: 3 Stars, Beautiful story just hard to follow due to being in 2nd person
- In You to Burn: 1 Star, very confusing and boring
- Anna: 1 Star, just not very intrigued by the story
- Hey There, Demons: 2 Stars, this one was okay, but can't really remember much about it
- Save Me From Myself: 1 Star, Once again hard to follow and was just a bit all over the place
- KnickKnack: 3 Stars, Almost got a 4 star but just missed the mark. This was a super fun read and good way to end the collection as it was just the right amount of silly, queer and spooky
When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao
reflective
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
1.0
I cannot believe I am rating Dustin Thao's sophomore novel a one-star but here I am.
When I read You've Reached Sam I was completely stunned that it was a debut novel and the way it tore me apart. Sadly, When Haru Was Here did not have the same effect on me. I never felt connected with any of the characters as they felt so flat. The sad parts in this book felt formulaic and almost forced as if Thao knew what parts he wanted the readers to cry at but did it in such fashion that it was way too basic. There was no depth to any of the writing in this novel and I didn't understand why Haru was being used as a grief device.
Some might say that I just didn't understand this book, but I understand that this was a book about grief and how Eric was so weighed down by losing two important people in his life that he would have rather stayed in the dream-like state with those people, but I never quite understood Haru. He didn't add any substance to the story and even was quite annoying after a while. I understand that Eric needed somewhere to hold his grief but if Thao wanted to make this an impactful statement on grief like he did in You've Reached Sam, I think he might have gone about it the wrong way by not expanding upon his characters.
When I read You've Reached Sam I was completely stunned that it was a debut novel and the way it tore me apart. Sadly, When Haru Was Here did not have the same effect on me. I never felt connected with any of the characters as they felt so flat. The sad parts in this book felt formulaic and almost forced as if Thao knew what parts he wanted the readers to cry at but did it in such fashion that it was way too basic. There was no depth to any of the writing in this novel and I didn't understand why Haru was being used as a grief device.
Some might say that I just didn't understand this book, but I understand that this was a book about grief and how Eric was so weighed down by losing two important people in his life that he would have rather stayed in the dream-like state with those people, but I never quite understood Haru. He didn't add any substance to the story and even was quite annoying after a while. I understand that Eric needed somewhere to hold his grief but if Thao wanted to make this an impactful statement on grief like he did in You've Reached Sam, I think he might have gone about it the wrong way by not expanding upon his characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
If you are looking for something that will have you start your day off right and end your day with positive thoughts, Lin - Manuel Miranda's words are so lyrical and inspiring. This collection truly reminds you that being human is okay and that you must give yourself some grace.
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Very sweet and sentimental book that will have you tearing up. As someone who used to be a caretaker for their parent, this one hit pretty close to home. I think this is a very good book to read to your kids to let them know that you will always love them but also is a good book to look back on when you grow older.
Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
This is a really cute picture book! If you are looking for a book to read to your kiddo this one is perfect! Very simple to understand and what child doesn't love a cat and dog as the main characters?!