emitareads's reviews
41 reviews

When Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata

adventurous funny lighthearted

4.0

El Asco: Thomas Bernhard En San Salvador / Revulsion: Thomas Bernhard in San Salvador by Horacio Castellanos Moya

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

I appreciate that Castellanos Moya was trying something new by imitating Austrian writer Thomas Bernard, both in style and subject matter, and it's true I've never read anything like this before. But, it started to lose its power very quickly. The whole book is basically the narrator, a guy named Vega, talking or better yet complaining to Moya. By page 25, I was so over the constant whining of the narrator. I get that the repetition is the whole point, but still. It got old real fast.
The text is also so blatantly offensive to San Salvador, its inhabitants, and everything that's related to the country, that it was clearly intencional. Provocative. And also clearly not to be taken to heart. Often times the complaints of our narrator were so ridiculous (Can he please stop hating on the national specialty, las pupusas? Just say it isn’t for you and move on, mate), that I stopped seeing it as offensive and it became whining instead. Every new topic, every new group of people, is the absolute worst thing our narrator has ever encountered. And Moya does imply he's not in agreement. There are several hints of that. So again, this signals to me that we don't have to project the ideas of the narrator onto the author (which a lot of people did do and Moya received death threats for it).
While I appreciate the work as a literary experiment, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. I got bored halfway through and just stopped caring about what was said, because it was the same complaint over and over. I wouldn't particularly recommend it to anyone, but it is a good book for class discussions.

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This one made me laugh so hard that I can only give it four stars. I loved Freya and her family and her friends. I loved the concept.

Her dropkicking Matthew in the balls will never not be funny.

It might not be the most original story, but I honestly just had a blast.

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Very much like the first book in the series, this one was pure serotonin. It was just so witty and weird and wonderful. I laughed so much. I had the best time, really. Charlotte and Sebastian’s dynamic was glorious. I loved or loved to hate all the side characters. I don’t really have anything more to say, I just hope India Holton writes more of these.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

emotional funny hopeful

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

4.25

I just re-read this book for the third time, so that should tell you enough about how much I enjoy it.

Every time I read the parts with Justin, Tiffy’s arsehole ex-boyfriend, I have to take a deep breath as to not throw my e-reader across the room. Fuck, I hate that man. The worst is when he

publicly (like on stage during a live stream) proposes to her despite not having properly spoken to her for months.

I almost didn’t want to read that part again. Out of all the creepy things that man has done, this one just makes my skin crawl. It makes me want to fucking scream. 

Though this was my third read, it wasn’t any less enjoyable. I still had some Strong Feelings (read: wanting to punch Justin in the face). This is just such a lovely book, one that makes me laugh and makes me feel and it’s profound enough without being heavy. I love all the subplots in this book. I love the characters. 
Just. Lovely. 
Tiffy and Leon are the sort of couple I want to read about. I wish there were more contemporary novels like this one.

I also feel like I have to highlight how Tiffy’s past relationship

with her abuser is handled. I quite liked how her friends didn’t pressure her to see what really happened (i.e. he abused her emotionally), but rather that they let her remember the truth for herself.

I think O’Leary handled this subplot very elegantly.

Oh, and I also love how she writes Leon's pov. I haven't seen it done like that many times, but I love how it perfectly conveys his character.

Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

3.75

I really enjoyed this. This was a solid rom-com with some sweet representation. It wasn't perfect, but it was entertaining and it had a lot of heart. I also liked the movie and drive-in sub-plot.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

3.75

Firstly, I think it’s important to note that this was different from what I mostly read (aka romance novels (or fantasy)) and this might be a reason why I was quite underwhelmed in the beginning. All the hype surrounding this book probably didn’t help either. From the second story onwards, I started liking it a bit better. I think I got used to the author’s style and the characters and such, and that helped my enjoyment of the story. In the end, I’m happy I read this and I quite enjoyed it. I was affected by the end and some parts of the stories. I didn’t cry or anything, but I felt a bit emotional, so I came around to the story eventually. 

Though I’m happy to have read this, I don’t understand the extreme hype surrounding it and if I didn’t already have the second book, I probably wouldn’t feel the need to buy or read it. I did enjoy the different stories or chapters within the book. It was nice to finish something relatively quickly for a change. And I think it has a gorgeous cover.

Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This was one of the most joyous reading experiences I've ever had. I just love Heartstopper, like most of the world does. Nick and Charlie and everyone are just. So. Cute! I almost can't handle it. This volume made laugh out loud a lot. I just had a wonderful time. I'm really curious for the next volume.

I will probably re-read these every time I need some joy in my life.

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I watched the new Netflix series first, because I didn't have the patience to wait until my books arrived. I think I might have rated this even higher had I not. The tv series allows for more exploration of certain themes and more depth, which is logical of course. Alice Oseman herself said in an interview that she views the tv series as an expansion of the book series. That's not to say that the graphic novel didn't have depth, because it did, and I still totally loved it. I'm also looking forward to reading the other volumes, especially the ones that aren't yet adapted in season one. 

This made me incredibly happy and I love that it exists.

El Dia Que Dejo de Nevar En Alaska by Alice Kellen

emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

I really, really liked this. Heather and Nilak had amazing chemistry and their kisses were honestly delightful. I liked just about everything about this book. I loved John, I loved Caos, I loved Seth and Sialuk. I barely had to look up words while reading, so that was nice, too.

I just really enjoyed this. So much so that I now trust Alice Kellen to deliver me a good story in general. I even asked another one of her books for my birthday. I had such a good time reading and I was really invested. It felt like a perfect mix of funny, tragic and hopeful. The setting of Alaska and all the things that come with it were really cool to read about, like Inuit culture, mushing, canicross etc. I was also impressed by the way Kellen combined the two apparently separate stories she had going on. I never would’ve guessed that

Kayden Storm and Nilak were the same person.

It literally never crossed my mind. So, when she revealed this, I was blown away. And then when we find out what happened. Pf. I was definitely affected. 

I’ll end this by saying that Devon

(if I remember the fucker’s name correctly) is a piece of shit. I was horrified by his actions at the end.