funkyauntjules's reviews
49 reviews

Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

5.0

no you don't understand. i'm in love with this book. about 1/4 of the way in i knew i needed to read it again. and then again. this book has everything. EVERYTHING. melissa manages to take one thing and veer it in the opposite direction. oh you're crying? now you're laughing. oh you're scared? here's a wholesome, gorgeous, poetic moment. i wanted this story to be six hundred pages longer. i want this book etched into my headstone.

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Carnality by Lina Wolff

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

okay so the beginning had me pretty quickly but about halfway i was starting to teeter off. eventually i accepted the circumstances and tried to finish and i'm so glad i did- this book is all about unreliable narration and what actually happened versus perception. the end had me biting my nails and kicking my feet. highly recommend!
Pretend I'm Dead by Jen Beagin

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

so funny, so raw, so real. jen does this thing where every single thing in her books are characters: the setting, objects, feelings. everything she writes has this strong presence and that's nothing but true in this book. while a quick read, it definitely gets super heavy at parts. i already want to reread it. i love jen beagin's brain.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

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dark funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

incredible amazing so fun. jen beagin is HILARIOUS and this book was such a fun obsessive journey. it's amazing how she can make every single character (down to the animals) so specific, nuanced, and likable. what a journey. ahh!!

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In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

she's a master. she's incredible. i couldn't put this down.
carmen is a titan and this work is something i wish i had picked up years ago. it is something i will constantly come back to. to have been able to break herself open and paint with her torment to create this absolute masterpiece is something i admire, worship, and hope to one day come close to achieving. an absolute must read (if you are in a healthy and stable place to receive it)

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Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

none of these stories are the same. they are all so incredibly different in tone and type of horror. in the beginning it's a bit more forthright, but as you continue to go on it begins to sneak up on you. by the last story you're waiting for it to creep up on you. bora chung is a master of storytelling and a weaver of terror. incredible!

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Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SO !! FUCKING !! GOOD !! i read this in like four days and it is just incredible. i didn't know when i was rooting for her and when i wasn't but boy did i feel BAD for her. an incredibly gripping story about loss, grief, and how we cope with it all. so real so raw so so SO incredible

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Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a story about grief, loss, and a murder without a person to pin it on. kwon beautifully illustrates the portraits of people who simply did what they could with what they had through something mysterious and horrible. in the end, the loss itself is big, and the empty space left behind is what they all fall into.

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A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a sizzling, glistening, sautéed masterpiece. she took everything globby, goopy, and messy and pan seared it to PERFECTION. an absolute MUST read WOWWWW

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Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up by Selma Blair

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

so incredible. i had been wanting to read this for months after picking it up and i'm so glad i finally got to. blair's style is just so visceral, clear, and open. she cracked herself right open to write this! the true theme of labels and language and how it connects to her relationships (her mother, her son, herself) is so beautiful. i absolutely loved it.

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