fanboyriot's reviews
876 reviews

Blood In The Water by Matthew R. Corr

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Read For:

✓ Slasher Vibes 

✓ Creepy Crystals

✓ Underwater Horror

✓ Nightmare Vacation

✓ LGBTQIA+ Characters

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

Ander and Liam survive a nightmare of a summer camp only to go on vacation and have to fight for their lives again.  A nightmare vacation weekend at the worst underwater bed and breakfast ever.  Note to self to never stay anywhere that makes you give up your phone and swim with sharks.

Another great queer horror book that brings in the hurt/comfort vibes that only a slasher film could.  There was also a nice balance of sci-fi elements added in here as well.   The plot was nicely paced out, setting the scenes and bringing in the suspense of what was going to happen.  And when things get bad, they got worse.  There were lots of sad deaths but I really liked how things played out in the end.

And the lore of the glowing crystals was really interesting, I really liked that element.  I’m curious to know if the different colors will have different meanings or if it’s just random.

A big thank you to the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧💧

POV: Third Person

Release Date: 31, October 2024

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Vomit and Alcohol

These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Read For:

✓ Witches 

✓ Mystery Plot

✓ Good Friends 

✓ LGBTQIA+ Characters

✓ Witch Hunter (we hate you)

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

I have mixed feelings about this book but ultimately it was an entertaining read.  I liked the magic and the mystery of who the hunter was.  The friendships were also really nice for the most part.  And the one friendship I was rightfully cautious about ended how I expected.

I wasn’t a big fan of Veronica and all the relationship drama she brought to Hannah’s life.  The character development was good though with how Veronica changed by the end but she was pretty toxic at some parts of this book.  The ending though really annoyed me.  I know there is a second book which I’ll be reading but this ending felt too incomplete with having the witch hunter not be caught.

Spice Level: (it’s mentioned)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧

POV: First Person

Release Date: 28, May 2019

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death and Sexism

The Black Girl Survives in This One by Saraciea J. Fennell, Desiree S. Evans

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Read For:

✓ BIOPIC MCs

✓ Short Stories

✓ Horror Settings/Plots

✓ LGBTQIA+ Characters

✓ Good Narrator (audiobook)

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

This was an entertaining read, though I didn’t realize this was a bunch of short stories when I picked it up.  Most of the stories were good, some I liked more than others but ultimately they all had a good plot to them.

My favorite story was probably The Brides of Devil’s Bayou, I could have read a full book on it.  That atmosphere was great.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧

POV: First and Third Person

Release Date: 04, April 2024

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Read For:

✓ Autistic SC

✓ Horror Vibes

✓ An Actual Cult 

✓ Transmasc MC

✓ Religious Trauma

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

I absolutely loved this book.  This author always has such great queer horror books.  I love the representation in this book, the queer rep was especially wonderful.  There was trans people, gay, lesbian, aromantic, and even a character that uses neopronouns which is not something I read too often so I really loved it.

This had drama, horror, trans rep, and religious trauma and it was written into the plot so beautifully.  Nick was definitely my favorite character, I thought he was a great leader with the ALC.  Benji was also an amazing character, he had gotten through so much in his life and kept going.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (mentioned but not explicit)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧

POV: Multiple, First and Third Person

Release Date: 07, June 2022

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Classism

The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Read For:

✓ Plot Twist

✓ Slight Ambiguous ending

✓ Getting Away with Murder

✓ Teenagers Doing the Most

✓ The Call is Coming From Inside the House

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

The whole Parker thing was a nice twist on things but I’m not entirely sure what to think of the ending.

The plot felt a bit slow at times and most of the main relationships kinda gave me the ick more times than not.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧

POV: Multiple, Third Person

Release Date:  02, June 2015

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Stalking, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

Read For:

✓ Good Humor

✓ Hurt/Comfort

✓ Happy Ending 

✓ Good Therapist 

✓ LGBTQIA+ Character

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

This book wasn’t really what I was expecting but really enjoyed it by the end.  I like the character development and how Jeff eventually works through his problems and comes to terms with them.  

There was a good sense of hope by the end of this book that I really liked.  No matter how bad you feel it eventually gets easier to cope.  This book felt realistic and for some parts it felt like reading the MC’s journal; which brought a more personal sense to it.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Angst Level: 💧💧💧

POV: First Person 

Release Date: 12, March 2019 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, Death of parent, and Outing

Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Madison Reyes, Spencer Henry

dark informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Read For:

✓ Obituaries

✓ Funeral Clowns  

✓ Death Erections

✓ Different Burial Options

✓ Funeral Potatoes Recipe

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

Interesting and fun things about death sums it all up.  This book was great for any fans of the Obitchuary podcast, people who find comfort in learning about death, and anyone wanting to pick up a book that talks about funeral clowns, which are iconic.

There is so many interesting stories in this book and great for my ADHD mind to skip to whichever section I want to read.  I really liked the illustrations throughout the book, they were such a nice touch.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: n/a

POV: non-fiction

Release Date: 20, August 2024

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Read For:

✓ Secrets 

✓ Murder List

✓ Young Adult

✓ Toxic Relationships

✓ Slow-Build Mystery

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

I read this because I liked the show for the short time it was on but the book feels nothing like it.  This book fell flat and felt dragged out.  I don’t think I liked any of the characters all that much and all of the relationships got on my nerves.  But the mystery parts were good, a bit too YA for me though.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧

POV: Multiple, Third Person

Release Date: 28, May 2019

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use, Self harm, and Death of parent

Meowloween by Diane Muldrow

adventurous fast-paced

4.0

While the story was okay, I really just read it because of the artwork.  I loved the Halloween vibes and thought it was really beautifully drawn.   

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Read For:

✓ Hurt/Comfort

✓ Iconic Characters

✓ LGBTQIA Characters 

✓ Healthy Relationships

✓ Wholesome Friendships

˗ˏˋ ★ REVIEW ★ ˎˊ˗

I’m going to be so devastated when this series is over.  This is such a comfort read.  The characters growing up, planning their futures, and figuring out what they want in life.

It’s so cute and heartwarming.  I loved seeing Charlie becoming more comfortable with his body and gaining his confidence back.  I loved seeing Nick start to figure out who he is when he’s not with Charlie, talking to his other friends while on the uni road trip.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Angst Level: 💧💧💧

POV: Graphic Novel

Release Date: 19, December 2023

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Sexual content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria