mkw1lson's reviews
123 reviews

Heartstopper Volume 4 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? It's complicated

3.25

Well, this is the heartbreaking & gutwrenching one!

First - the "I love you" was PERFECT. Very cute, very awkward, very Nick and Charlie.

Second - the culmination of Charlie's mental health struggles leading to his stay at the mental health facility was so sad. It was well handled, and as I said in my last review, Nick and Charlie cope with it in a very real way for a couple of teens who don't know much or what to do. I also appreciate that although Charlie does get better and improves, he isn't miraculously cured - he's working on himself.

Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

funny 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? It's complicated

3.25

PARIS. COMING OUT. AH.

Charlie continues to be SO cute and sweet and they just love each other so much. I love their love. This is great seeing the plotlines kind of coming together, with Nick finally coming out and their relationship being public! There's also the start (? I read these books in very quick succession and don't have the clearest memory of what was in each) of Charlie's mental health struggles coming to light and Nick's concern over Charlie. The book handles this very well, very accurate to how a couple of teens who don't really know much would try to manage this very big thing. Which isn't always correct or well!

It was also very satisfying to have Charlie close the door on Harry.

Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

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? It's complicated

3.25

I liked this one more than the first one, which is a trend from here through to the last volume of the series (so far). This book is very cute, watching Charlie and Nick navigate both the start of their relationship and the added dynamic of, "How do we come out?" and for Nick, "How do I come out?". While there is still so much in this book that is accessible to anyone  - having a first boyfriend, puppy love, anxiety over a first relationship and how to manage that - this book is a lot about the specific difficulties that young queer couples face, distinct from straight couples.

It's a good representation of that added layer of complication and anxiety, while still keeping the characters very grounded in being just a couple of teens who really like each other! 

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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? It's complicated

3.0

I am not much of a comic/graphic novel reader, but here we are! I watched the TV show first and absolutely adored it, so I figured why not give the comics a try!

One thing working against the comics for a TV show watcher, the adaption is SO accurate, that it sometimes feels like you're just reading the script for the TV show. That said, and giving the book its credit as it did come first, it is very good! It was cute and sweet, it showed queer relationships in a very real way, it's teen boys having a crush on each other and figuring out what that means, and how to come to terms with this new thing. It's very cute and sweet and a bit nostalgic even!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional funny informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is fantastic.

I powered through this book in no time, it is so addicting, like a train crash. June is awful, I cannot stand her, and reading her justify all the awful things she does is so frustrating. It's especially painful when she gets so close to understanding it, and then chooses not to.

The perfection of this book is how real June is, she is not the embodiment of white feminism and white victimhood (although, she is absolutely both) - she is someone you've met. This book shows why what June is doing wrong through the justifications and excuses June makes for herself.

And I won't spoil it,  but the ending is perfect.

Read this book, it's amazing.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

funny lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.0

I am going to politely opt out of commenting much on this book.

I did not enjoy it. Done.

Drop Dead by Lily Chu

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

3.0

Phillipa Soo and John Cho, what could possibly go wrong?

Interesting book, I listened to this book over a couple of long road trips. The plot was never too complicated that I had to pay intense attention to it but it was also never boring. The dynamic between Nadine and Wesley is very fun and so satisfying as it evolves over the book. And although this book is relatively easy and fun listen, it also deals with heavier and sadder topics, taking the listener on this emotional journey with the characters.

Vilest Things by Chloe Gong

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I did like this book! I love the drama, the characters, and the world-building. There is something particularly interesting about a fantasy world in a 1990s-type era: magic, Gods, and pagers. The plot points laid out in the first book are starting to come together as this book leads to the conclusion of the trilogy. The groundwork is laid and there is solid foreshadowing, so it's not hard to guess where the story is going, but it is still satisfying when the big reveals occur.

Especially the reveal of Otta's true identity and August's involvement with the bad guys (I forget what they're called).

I think I'm in the minority here, but I liked the first book better. I think that this book flounders a bit and suffers from second-book syndrome. I think there are a lot of complicated plot points - even those started in the first book - that do come together eventually, but I think they are often given more space in the book than the development of the characters and their relationships. I think especially for a book based on Antony and Cleopatra, there should be more space dedicated to that relationship and building the tension there. I weirdly found that there was more of a build-up and tension in the relationship between August and Galipei than our two leads... which is intriguing but lbr, should not be standing out to me more than Calla and Anton's relationship.

Needs more room to breathe and build the characters and their relationships more, but otherwise good. Chloe Gong is always a very beautiful writer.

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live by Bianca Bosker

funny informative inspiring fast-paced

4.5

I am completely obsessed with this book and the journey Bianca went on. I am also a casual fan of wine, but I've always wanted to learn and know more about it. I love trying new wines or splurging on something a little pricey, just to see if I can tell the difference. It was fascinating reading (or listening in my case) about how Bianca went from my level to

becoming a sommelier

!

This book is informative and inspiring, and overall has renewed my love of wine and my desire just to explore scents and tastes more. Because, yes, this book is about wine, but it's also about the importance and the love of the "lesser" senses, and how much we can get out of life by embracing and training them.

Beautiful book! I will be reaching for it again someday, I am sure, and I will be recommending it to friends ASAP.

Not Dead Yet: The Memoir by Phil Collins

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

2.5

There is so much I did not know about Phil Collins. I didn't realize how old he was before reading this book, or how much he had done in his career, all the people he has worked with. This story had some really compelling and interesting stories, but it also had some that felt repetitive and a bit tired. For me, everything that got too personal about Phil (his relationships and divorces, for instance) held this book back. I don't think he executed a balanced view of them very well and it detracted from the overall story for me.

This might be because I am not a <i>huge</i> fan of Phil Collins (I like him as well as anyone, I suspect - he is a good musician and has some great songs but I don't know more than that), so every aspect of his life didn't grip me. That said, I did enjoy several chapters and I think anyone who is a big Genesis or Phil Collin's fan would really love this.