rachel_from_avid_bookshop's reviews
936 reviews

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Ella Baxter‘s novel Woo Woo joins a handful of brilliant 2024 books featuring female creatives (All Fours by Miranda July, Colored Television by Danzy Senna, Exhibit by R. L. Kwon). The daily struggle and balancing act of being a productive artist is examined here as conceptual artist Sabine preps for a huge solo exhibition. She is trying desperately to be seen while also hiding from a stalker. She wants to use social media rather than be used by it and all the while her marriage feels off-kilter. Woo Woo gives us insights into a woman trying to come into her own while forces want to make her smaller. 

Dream State by Eric Puchner

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Dream State by Eric Puchner is a book that absorbs all of your attention. With rich character development and beautiful prose, Puchner builds the complicated world of Cece, Charlie, and Garrett in northwest Montana and you will find yourself captivated. Dream State is a meditation on friendship, marriage, loyalty, and found family and a supremely satisfying read.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

 A magical pawnshop where customers trade in their biggest regret has been Hana's home her entire life. When her father mysteriously disappears under confusing circumstances, the only solution is a quest to find him with a handsome stranger. Samantha Sotto Yambao's Water Moon is a trippy, time-bending, puddle-jumping fantastical mystery. 

Devil Is Fine by John Vercher

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

John Vercher's Devil is Fine shares the personal struggle of a biracial man grieving the loss of his son while also coming to terms with a painful inheritance from his white mother's father. Vercher's prose is smart and funny while also conveying the dreamy confusion of emotional exhaustion. This book surprised me over and over again.

Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I loved the voice of the narrator in Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's Mutual Interest. Their elegant and conspiratorial tone shares the story of Vivian and her husbands Oscar and Squire living and loving in New York City in the early 1900s. This lavender marriage is perhaps only possible because of Vivian's intense desire to be successful and create the life she deserves. Historical fiction centered around queer characters is much needed and I loved the details that added depth like how to layer notes in a fragrance, histories of NYC buildings, and the 1816 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia that caused a change in our global climate. This is a great book!

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery

funny informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

While I've had backyard chickens for about five years, Sy Montgomery's book What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird made me realize how much I didn't know about my flock. This short book was a delight, filled with personal stories of chickens and their human keepers. Read this if you're thinking about getting your own flock or are just chicken-curious.

The Rivals by Jane Pek

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

 Claudia Lin is back solving mysteries, fighting with her siblings, and getting some action in Jane Pek's The Rivals! This sequel to The Verifiers was everything I needed and more. Pek writes super-smart fun prose and the twists and turns in this mystery involving AI and matchmaking services kept me guessing. Wondering if there will be a third installment? They has to be, given the ending. Pick this up for a delightful read, perfect to escape into during a holiday or your weekend reading. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Murder and Abandonment

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Sanaka Hiiragi's The Lantern of Lost Memories shares the story of a secret photo studio that is a portal to the afterlife. Told in three loosely connected chapters, we meet Hirasaka who creates a special lantern of memories to guide each person through death. Beautifully reflective, The Lantern of Lost Memories helps each person see their life in a more compassionate light, which is a measure of grace each of us deserves. 

Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro

5.0

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

 Is a cat the answer to everyone's problems? Co-worker irritating you? Not feeling appreciated at home? Having trouble sleeping? Syou Ishida's We'll Prescribe You a Cat is a delightful book that will prove that, yes, a cat can solve most anything, but never in the way you anticipate.