ladybird4prez's reviews
161 reviews

Fraternity by Andy Mientus

4.0

Alf by Samuel B. Johnson, Bruno Vogel

5.0

A story from 1929 that feels all too relevant today. Heartbreaking and unapologetically bold, it’s a book that would’ve been groundbreaking had it had a chance to find an audience. Unfortunately it was banned and burned by the Nazis soon after it was written. Don’t overlook this story any longer! Just as important today as it was then.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

3.75

Every individual aspect of this sounds like it was handcrafted in a lab for me. Altogether, it’s like a cheesy eighties high school movie except it stars a field hockey team who practices witchcraft with help from Emilio Estevez. Yes, star of the breakfast club and the mighty ducks, d2, and d3, that Emilio Estevez. Well, a photo of him on a notebook but that’s weirder right? Add in things like a sentient pair of over-bleached bangs and you know you’re in for a ride. 
This book is completely and utterly ridiculous and yet highly entertaining all the same. Even with all the weirdness it manages to be touching at certain points and it’s a fun coming of age story that plays into all the ridiculousness of teenage girlhood. It’s bizarre in nearly every way but still a good time.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

4.5

Although I don’t consider myself too much of a litfic fan anymore, I think Sally Rooney is incapable of disappointing me. This stream of consciousness style writing as means of exploring grief, substance abuse, politics, complicated tangled webs of relationships, existential crises, and suicidal ideation coupled with the alternating povs that all come to the same conclusion: there is no point to life if we don’t continue to share it with these people. And nobody writes relationships like a Rooney relationship🤷‍♀️really masterful stuff. A poignant and hopeful read. 

It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

3.5

Cute and endearing and I will always love Cat’s writing and the way she incorporates class consciousness, chronic pain/illness, disabilities, and meaningful queer rep into histroms but the relationship moved so fast and felt underdeveloped :( Regency era u-hauling rep ig

Reputation by Lex Croucher

3.0

Me try not to call a Lex Croucher book “charming” challenge (impossible). While this was the most underdeveloped I’ve read from them (debut novel-makes sense), Croucher’s sense of humor goes a long way and makes this more enjoyable.
A blurb on the back said this was like bridgerton and fleabag had a baby but I’d say it’s definitely high school movie meets Jane Austen.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

4.0

This book has everything: Southern gothic themes☝️, dark academia☝️, ghosts☝️, curses☝️, street racing☝️… intense gay repression☝️y’know that thing where you convince yourself you’re just bros™️and not codependent and deeply in love with each other

The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid

5.0

This is second chance romance at its finest. I truly believe it’s a difficult trope to pull off but this is flawless. The characters, their history, the time that’s passed, and the conversations/interactions they have all make it not only believable but something to actively root for. Adam and Riley have a complicated history and they’re complex people navigating difficult situations who still deeply care about each other. There’s regret, mistakes, maturity, room for growth and missteps, and above all, an enduring (but recultivated) love. There’s no flinching away from the pain and messiness but the payoff is beautiful and so worth it. 

Some authors just know romance. They get at the very heart of it and understand how every glance and brief touch can carry so much weight and longing. The yearning and care and affection that can be communicated through the simplest gestures. There’s an abundance of that here and I don’t know what to say besides chef’s kiss (chef who’s making soup and wearing a lil apron of course).

I’d say this one is more hockey-adjacent in that it explores the detrimental effects such a demanding sport can take on the body and mind and the even more harmful expectations for athletes to accept and embrace it as part of the job. And I loved it! (and that’s coming from someone who typically likes a generous helping of hockey in hockey romances.) Looking at these issues through two retired NHL players trying to reconcile the sport’s impact on their lives both then and now is done so well. 

It’s hilarious, it’s emotional (Grieving Novia Scotians are back baby!), and it’s romantic. The dual timeline, the reconciliation, the older mcs, the messiness but ultimate maturity…yeah, you’ll want to grab this as soon as it’s out.

Huge huge thank you to Harlequin/Carina Adores and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I was ready to do something drastic like sell my soul for an early copy so I’m glad it was a lot simpler than that.

Yerba Buena: A Novel by Nina LaCour

LaCour was an author I read back when I only knew a handful of queer books. It’s been years since then but I immediately recognized her voice. There’s a heavy air of melancholy throughout the book and somewhat of a sense of remove from the characters even as you follow them through their lives and their trauma. We get the story of two women, Emilie and Sara, and follow their own separate stories until eventually their paths cross. 

This was baby’s return to lit fic (it’s me. I’m baby) and I’m honestly not sure how to rate it. Lit fic was my go to genre for years but I don’t know how I feel about the almost meandering plot, melancholy, and distant relationship to the characters now. I do like that it’s just a glimpse into these characters’ lives and that it felt realistic, but I think maybe now I prefer a deeper look into them to really form a connection. It was poignant and there were some beautiful lines but I was left with this feeling that I just wanted a little more.

It's a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson

funny hopeful lighthearted

4.0

It’s kind of like a Disney Channel Original Movie, but make it gay. And you know what? I’m gonna eat that up. It does mean that the conflict and everything require a suspension of disbelief because it’s all super played up and dramatic without ever getting deep but it’s fun! The premise is also totally DCOM material: butch hockey player gets in trouble after a huge, damage-causing off-ice fight with her school’s rival team and has to fill in as the ice princess’s figure skating partner to pay off her debt? I mean, you’re seated already, right? 

The fact that it ends up being an uplifting sports story where they ~just might fall in love~ is just the cherry on top. 

Also, the cover is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. 

It’s probably closer to 3.5 for me but I’m going to round up because sapphic hockey player/figure skater romance <333 duh

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.