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frenchtoast_n_books's reviews
498 reviews
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-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
4.5
I loved so many things about this book: the plot, the main characters, the message, the fact that therapy and love doesn't easily/quickly solve mental health issues and that it is messy, that it shows how messy emotions are, and that it helps those unfamiliar with non-binary people understand what it feels like to be non-binary without spoon-feeding the reader definitions. It allows for further exploration and discovery on the readers time if they choose to do so.
I can't say there was really anything wrong with this book or that there is anything I'd correct... except, maybe, making the side characters a little more rounded. I understand that Ben, our main character, might not focus on these side characters while he is trapped in his own thoughts and wound up in other things. However, I really wanted to read more about Ben's other school friends and read more about their interactions with each other to see their friendship grow to where it is at by the story's end.
I can't say there was really anything wrong with this book or that there is anything I'd correct... except, maybe, making the side characters a little more rounded. I understand that Ben, our main character, might not focus on these side characters while he is trapped in his own thoughts and wound up in other things. However, I really wanted to read more about Ben's other school friends and read more about their interactions with each other to see their friendship grow to where it is at by the story's end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur
I loved the mix-media approach to the story, different timelines with both mother and daughter's stories and points of view, and how things are messy. It makes the story very real, not fiction-sugar coating but also not trauma porn. I also love how the story was written pre-COVID, so the author added how the story would be different if if was to reflect our current COVID immigration procedures.
I'd love to reread this as audio to hear the cadence of the poems because I'm not good with poetry. It would add an extra layer to the story for me that would make me love it even more.
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
In short, I loved it. It was really beautiful and even though it centers around really difficult topics (rape, undocumented persons, racism, and such) it was handled very well in a manner that I think is easily digestible. It gives the necessary depth and emotion without being graphic/explicit in its content.
I loved the mix-media approach to the story, different timelines with both mother and daughter's stories and points of view, and how things are messy. It makes the story very real, not fiction-sugar coating but also not trauma porn. I also love how the story was written pre-COVID, so the author added how the story would be different if if was to reflect our current COVID immigration procedures.
I only found 2 things that irked me in my read that were personal sentence/word choice issues for me. One, was immediately abbreviating the college. The other was a sentence that didn't quite make sense to me.
I'd love to reread this as audio to hear the cadence of the poems because I'm not good with poetry. It would add an extra layer to the story for me that would make me love it even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, and Gaslighting
Minor: Abortion
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
Moshfegh is eloquent and I love how committed she is to writing a strong character with a unique personality. I love that the main character is very unreliable in her narration.....but that's about all I loved and enjoyed when it comes to this story.
I wanted more from the Magda mystery then we were given and less past reflection of Vesta. The lengthy chapters and paragraphs also made me struggle to read this without falling asleep within minutes. Lastly, Vesta is such a problematic character that also hindered my reading experience. She is fat phobic, misogynistic, and classist to a toxic level.
This decent into loneliness, grief, and aging gives a mystery premise the addition of metaphysical exploration that could be just what readers are after if you are okay with the things I had issues with.
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
This book wasn't quite for me though I can appreciate it.
Moshfegh is eloquent and I love how committed she is to writing a strong character with a unique personality. I love that the main character is very unreliable in her narration.....but that's about all I loved and enjoyed when it comes to this story.
I wanted more from the Magda mystery then we were given and less past reflection of Vesta. The lengthy chapters and paragraphs also made me struggle to read this without falling asleep within minutes. Lastly, Vesta is such a problematic character that also hindered my reading experience. She is fat phobic, misogynistic, and classist to a toxic level.
This decent into loneliness, grief, and aging gives a mystery premise the addition of metaphysical exploration that could be just what readers are after if you are okay with the things I had issues with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Grief
Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality by Pauline W. Chen
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I enjoyed what I learned from this book in regards to doctors learning about mortality and facing mortality in their training and practicing years, especially since I learned about the history of cadaver lab and how med school was taught in the 80s and such.
However, the writing structure wasn't for me. Chapters and page breaks seemed to end and start without feeling line a thought was completed. It made for each chapter to be difficult to follow along and I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to get out of my reading experience.
It fell flat for me, and maybe this book would have been better catered to the Liz of a few years ago that was still planning on the med school route. I'm not that Liz anymore, and that could be why I didn't resonate with this book like I thought I would.
I hope others were able to get more from this book and our author's medical journey through mortality.
However, the writing structure wasn't for me. Chapters and page breaks seemed to end and start without feeling line a thought was completed. It made for each chapter to be difficult to follow along and I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to get out of my reading experience.
It fell flat for me, and maybe this book would have been better catered to the Liz of a few years ago that was still planning on the med school route. I'm not that Liz anymore, and that could be why I didn't resonate with this book like I thought I would.
I hope others were able to get more from this book and our author's medical journey through mortality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Well, this reread was illuminating.
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-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
4.0
It's hard to dissect everything I feel about this book but I do care for the characters, their journey, and their flaws. No one is perfect in this book and they have so many difficult things to navigate. It was a beautiful and tragic read.
I must say that there are quite a few content warnings to note, particularly suicidal ideation, self harm, abusive/toxic relationships, depression, anxiety, and manipulative behaviors. Be cautious going into this book, especially if suicidal ideation and self harm are strong triggers for you because it got to me at times.
This book is about how scary medical diagnoses can shake a person's psyche, especially when they don't seek support and mental health counseling. It shakes relationships and makes people go down dark paths. Then the journey must be made to find their way back into the light, and it can't be done alone. For that, this book is beautiful and I'm so glad I read it.
I didn't know much about Huntington's Disease going into this book, except the big things (it's genetic and makes you lose motor and cognitive functions), so this book helped me learn more about it and how families navigate having a member with advancing stages of the illness. It was a great way to get exposure without complicated medical explanations and jargon.
I also loved the religious representation with having many characters be Jewish. I learned much about the religion that I didn't know. I especially liked seeing the different scales of Jewish practices based upon how traditional or not a character was.
My only criticisms, apart from the lack of content warnings being made visible to the public on the synopsis page or something (which I know publishers are working on getting g better at), is that sometimes in Tovah's POV the author gets really descriptive and explains medical/religious things and other times there are no explanations at all. For example, Tovah talks about her heart rate but uses the medical abbreviation bpm (beats per minute) without explaining what it means. However. In another chapter Tovah will go in depth on blood circulation or something like that. The inconsistency was off-putting, though not completely distracting to me.
Overall, this book was a really great read!
I must say that there are quite a few content warnings to note, particularly suicidal ideation, self harm, abusive/toxic relationships, depression, anxiety, and manipulative behaviors. Be cautious going into this book, especially if suicidal ideation and self harm are strong triggers for you because it got to me at times.
This book is about how scary medical diagnoses can shake a person's psyche, especially when they don't seek support and mental health counseling. It shakes relationships and makes people go down dark paths. Then the journey must be made to find their way back into the light, and it can't be done alone. For that, this book is beautiful and I'm so glad I read it.
I didn't know much about Huntington's Disease going into this book, except the big things (it's genetic and makes you lose motor and cognitive functions), so this book helped me learn more about it and how families navigate having a member with advancing stages of the illness. It was a great way to get exposure without complicated medical explanations and jargon.
I also loved the religious representation with having many characters be Jewish. I learned much about the religion that I didn't know. I especially liked seeing the different scales of Jewish practices based upon how traditional or not a character was.
My only criticisms, apart from the lack of content warnings being made visible to the public on the synopsis page or something (which I know publishers are working on getting g better at), is that sometimes in Tovah's POV the author gets really descriptive and explains medical/religious things and other times there are no explanations at all. For example, Tovah talks about her heart rate but uses the medical abbreviation bpm (beats per minute) without explaining what it means. However. In another chapter Tovah will go in depth on blood circulation or something like that. The inconsistency was off-putting, though not completely distracting to me.
Overall, this book was a really great read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Stalking
Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall, a great sequel and end to a duology series.
I didn't connect with this book as much as I did it's predecessor. The writing wasn't has up to par with the first book in my opinion, and the overuse of the word "melted" in romatic contexts irked me, but I really enjoyed the journey Maia made.
I loved that characters weren't automatically forgiven for things that happened from the first book and this one. The romantic relationship was serious goals. The familial and friendship relationships were very well rounded and thought out in how they shape Maia's arc. The world, magic, and mythology were so fascinating. The duology conclusion felt complete and not too fast or "perfect".
I can't wait to read Elizabeth Lim's next story.
I didn't connect with this book as much as I did it's predecessor. The writing wasn't has up to par with the first book in my opinion, and the overuse of the word "melted" in romatic contexts irked me, but I really enjoyed the journey Maia made.
I loved that characters weren't automatically forgiven for things that happened from the first book and this one. The romantic relationship was serious goals. The familial and friendship relationships were very well rounded and thought out in how they shape Maia's arc. The world, magic, and mythology were so fascinating. The duology conclusion felt complete and not too fast or "perfect".
I can't wait to read Elizabeth Lim's next story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-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
3.0
I'm somewhat conflicted in my feelings of this book and I can't place why.
I think I'm struggling with a disconnect between Gifty as a child and Gifty as an adult. Maybe the story seemed to be more telling than showing. Maybe I didn't get the end as it didn't seem to conclude or complete anything. I don't know why but I somehow just didn't connect or understand this story as a whole like I thought I would.
I think this book requires more contemplation on my part to figure out my overall thoughts about it.
I'll use this review template to see if I can sort it out:
Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, drug use and addiction, drug overdose, suicide, depression, religious trauma, child abuse, divorce/parent separation (probably more that I can't think of)
Main Theme: I'm not sure on this. We have: Gifty's childhood detailing her journey and struggles with religion that caries into her adult life, Nana's (Gifty's brother) drug use that lead to his death, Gifty's mother coming to stay with her as she needs help dealing with a major depressive episode that leaves her bed ridden, and Gifty's adult life and research with mice mapping neural pathways for addiction and how reducing their addiction seeking behavior. As you can see there is a lot going on and parsing the major theme is difficult for me.
I guess the major theme is the multifaceted lives we live that shape who we become and how we interact with others.
Plot/Plot Pacing: The pacing was consistent and the plot was consistent through each space in time we inhabit of Gifty's life. However, the reader jumps around in time without rime or reason throughout her life. It comes without warning and maybe that stilts the book for me and why I have the disconnect I do for the story and the characters.
Writing Style/Audio Quality: The writing was overall excellent, though at times when we are in Gifty's childhood the author includes large or advanced words that I didn't think a girl from 4-11 would know. It made me think that when we were in Gifty's childhood it was being narrated or told via the lens of the older, neuroscientist Gifty even though there was no indication of that being the case in the writing itself.
The audiobook is amazing and has one of my favorite narrators: Bahni Turpin.
Character Development: The overall arc of young Gifty makes a whole lot of sense, but I'm not sure there was one for adult Gifty. I can't place adult Gifty's "a-ha" moment and her story just ends. Then there is an epilogue of sorts that discuss her life years after her current research has ended. A "where is she now" if you will. I'm not sure this worked for me in the story because I wanted more. I crave reading the space from the end of the story to the epilogue, so the end of the book leaves me a little deflated.
Diversity: Gifty's mother is an immigrant that left Ghana for the US. She settled in Alabama where she had Gifty. Gifty left Alabama for Harvard and Stanford, and spent a summer in Ghana when she was a child. It has each location represented in the story and discusses being Black and an immigrant in America. It also details the difference between a Black immigrant US citizen and a Black generational US citizen. There is also bisexuality and disordered mental health representation in the story.
Impression on Character Relationships: This is potentially the strongest aspect of the story for me because Gifty details and examines her relationships throughout the story: family, friends, and romantic relationships. She even examines the relationships she perceives between those she knows, mostly family members. I really enjoyed examining how relationships evolved in this story based on events that happen in their lives.
I don't know if any of this has helped me sort out my thoughts but it definitely allows me starting points to dive further in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Abortion
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book has allowed me to add to my toolbox for fighting my internal biases, prejudices, and racism through the use of questions outlined in each chapter. It has allowed me ways of discussing race and racism through an antiracist lens by bringing underlying issues to the forefront of current events. It has helped me identify proper ways to address tough questions and answer them. It helps me become a better anti-racist, which is my goal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love a whole lot of what this book does and I can agree that so much of this book is very quotable.
I can only place a few negative critiques in this 300 year, just over 400 page, journey of accepting your life decisions. First, the sudden change in POV to Henry at page 92 jarred me out of Addie's journey. Eventually, I appreciated his POV, but that wasn't until much later in the story. Second, there were some stylistic writing choices that didn't work for me, but that was few and far between. The last 2 are much more of an issue, but more difficult to find an appropriate compromise. We have the issue of diversity in the story. There are plenty of LGBT+ representation in this story, but BI POC representation in a melting pot of New York City is sadly missing. I can probably count 3-5 mentions of BI POC characters, with one regular BI POC side character, out of all the characters mentioned in the story. It's off putting, especially when nearly all historical figure mentions also happen to me white men. Many other reviewers have discussed this and it definitel needs to be said. Lastly, which was a big disappointment to me, is the almost nonchalant mentioning of a character's problematic actions after a deal causes him to be loved by everyone he orbits. He strips their ability to consent to sexual activity when the deal makes them what to do anything to please him or make him happy. Its creepy and it needed to be addressed not brushed under the rug.
Now, those critiques are important but can be argued as necessary because the story is told under the lens of Addie and other factors (with an exception of the few writing irritations). I do still think they are important to be mentioned.
Once getting to the ending of the story and seeing everything drawn to a close, I am so happy I read this book. It is a beautiful examination of how you live through historical horrors and how you try to leave your mark when you are cursed to live eternity unable to say your name and everyone forgets you once you leave their line of sight. Those life lessons and time change you and seeing that on page was phenomenal.
I can only place a few negative critiques in this 300 year, just over 400 page, journey of accepting your life decisions. First, the sudden change in POV to Henry at page 92 jarred me out of Addie's journey. Eventually, I appreciated his POV, but that wasn't until much later in the story. Second, there were some stylistic writing choices that didn't work for me, but that was few and far between. The last 2 are much more of an issue, but more difficult to find an appropriate compromise. We have the issue of diversity in the story. There are plenty of LGBT+ representation in this story, but BI POC representation in a melting pot of New York City is sadly missing. I can probably count 3-5 mentions of BI POC characters, with one regular BI POC side character, out of all the characters mentioned in the story. It's off putting, especially when nearly all historical figure mentions also happen to me white men. Many other reviewers have discussed this and it definitel needs to be said. Lastly, which was a big disappointment to me, is the almost nonchalant mentioning of a character's problematic actions after a deal causes him to be loved by everyone he orbits. He strips their ability to consent to sexual activity when the deal makes them what to do anything to please him or make him happy. Its creepy and it needed to be addressed not brushed under the rug.
Now, those critiques are important but can be argued as necessary because the story is told under the lens of Addie and other factors (with an exception of the few writing irritations). I do still think they are important to be mentioned.
Once getting to the ending of the story and seeing everything drawn to a close, I am so happy I read this book. It is a beautiful examination of how you live through historical horrors and how you try to leave your mark when you are cursed to live eternity unable to say your name and everyone forgets you once you leave their line of sight. Those life lessons and time change you and seeing that on page was phenomenal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt