bisexualwentworth's reviews
707 reviews

Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Loved the characters and the story and the sheer quantity of historical details the author packed in. Always a fan of a queer historical story. It was just too short.
The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cute and gay. Nice art. Fun characters. Good adventure. Would read more in this silly fantasy world for sure.
“You Just Need to Lose Weight”: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Aubrey Gordon I love and adore you but I am not getting anything out of this book that I couldn't get out of just listening to Maintenance Phase.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

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challenging dark emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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Wanna Bet? by Talia Hibbert

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.
Really struggling with this book in a way I haven’t with other Talia Hibbert books.
The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
I will not be finishing this before my Libby hold is due. Better luck next time.
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

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5.0

Excellent overview of the history and craft of comics. I will never look at them the same way again, and I feel like I might even be equipped to start creating my own.
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a very strange book. I think it accomplished what the author wanted it to, and I think I liked it. I certainly looked at the world through a slightly shifted lens for a few hours.

You Dreamed of Empires is experimental historical fiction that reads like fantasy. I mean that in a complimentary way.

I will probably revisit it at some point.

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The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

You know how they talk about right book, right time, right person? That was me with The Luis Ortega Survival Club. Ariana's journey resonated with me in so many ways for so many reasons. Her autism, her queerness, and her messy relationships with her parents were written so well. I loved her character arc and her relationships with her friends, family, and love interest. Sonora Reyes really is the best in the YA contemporary game right now. 

This book is ultimately a revenge fantasy against a serial rapist/abuser/misogynist in a high school setting. It is never graphic, and the stakes are never super high, but the subject matter is still dark. The trajectory of the revenge plot was obvious, but I didn't mind because Reyes executed it so well. The ending was a bit carceral for my taste, but I also don't expect anything politically radical from this genre, despite how affirming and liberating it so often is for the target audience and for others who see themselves in these stories, as I did with Ariana.

I am sick of parents in these sorts of books all being Mr. and Mrs. LastName. I was sick of it three years ago and I am even more sick of it now. Is this how many people still refer to their friends' parents? yes of course. But you're telling me none of these adult women kept their maiden names? You're telling me not one parent asked their kid's friends to call them by their first name or by some other sort of honorific? I'm not buying it.

That's such a minor gripe, though, and even though I am not the target age range at all (and despite some unfortunate pop culture references that already haven't aged well), this lovely book resonated with me deeply and I would recommend it to pretty much anyone who is queer, autistic, and/or a survivor and who thinks they can handle the content.
The Arrival by K.A. Applegate

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I read this in one sitting while in jail. It was the only book the mental health lady had on hand that was not a mystery thriller or the bible.