shoohoob's reviews
169 reviews
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Beautifully written book. I flew through it and the characters were fascinating to me. That being said, the incest was really prominent and almost made it DNF.
Spoiler
I’m not really sure why Vivek and Osita couldn’t have just been close childhood friends instead of cousins. Maybe it was just supposed to add to taboo life Vivek was living, but it was really uncomfortable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Incest, and Homophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Blood, Infidelity, and Outing
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
slow-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? It's complicated
2.75
I get the overall idea, but the execution was so hard to follow. I almost wish there was a chapter for each person rather than intertwining stories. This was an interesting topic but took me forever to finish.
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
will come back to this! don’t feel like reading at the moment
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I needed a cute, low-stakes fantasy book to get me out of a reading slump! I loved this :’)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’ve never read a book like this before and I don’t know that I will again.
I can’t tell you how many times I googled “Little Blue TV show” trying to find a show I missed out on. The background behind this fictional show is so RICH and complex it almost makes me want to watch it.
The way that the author makes you feel the grief that the main character feels for Viv….I felt it in my soul.
I can’t tell you how many times I googled “Little Blue TV show” trying to find a show I missed out on. The background behind this fictional show is so RICH and complex it almost makes me want to watch it.
The way that the author makes you feel the grief that the main character feels for Viv….I felt it in my soul.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, and Sexual violence
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
I loved this so much. As a musician and lover of music, reading how Abdurraqib so vividly talks about music is amazing. The way he just weaves artists into stories of his life and experiences is impactful. I’m not usually a big non-fiction/essay reader but I am so so so glad I picked this up and read it. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I knew/heard all of the artists he talks about, but the ones I did know HIT.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, Racism, Death of parent, Police brutality, Xenophobia, and Grief
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A classic I’ve always wanted to read! It was fine. I’ll admit I didn’t really buy into the Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy romance but I LOVED Elizabeth as a character. I enjoyed and and Jane’s sisterly relationship much much more :’)
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
TRANS RAGE!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!
I was not expecting this book to have as much horror and gore as it did, but I fucking loved it. It was so interesting to read how Benji’s transformation played into his transness. I also loved the autistic rep and the use of neopronouns!!
I will say this book had far too many named characters and it was hard to keep track of all of them. That being said: the main cast was sooooo good, especially Benji.
I am so glad to be living in a time where a book like this can exist. A horror post-apocalyptic novel with a trans male lead and LGBTQ+ representation??? HELL YEAH
I was not expecting this book to have as much horror and gore as it did, but I fucking loved it. It was so interesting to read how Benji’s transformation played into his transness. I also loved the autistic rep and the use of neopronouns!!
I will say this book had far too many named characters and it was hard to keep track of all of them. That being said: the main cast was sooooo good, especially Benji.
I am so glad to be living in a time where a book like this can exist. A horror post-apocalyptic novel with a trans male lead and LGBTQ+ representation??? HELL YEAH
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Death, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Forced institutionalization
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
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? No
5.0
so sweet 🥺 resonated with me so much as queer child of immigrants. one of my faves :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Grief, and Homophobia
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
I’ve tired reading this book TWICE and DNFed both times. This reads like a YA novel but the characters are in their late 20s??? The writing style is sooo juvenile. Why the hell is the author describing a man having a “panty-dropping grin” like who tf actually says that. Not to mention Delilah Green is very obviously a lesbian but does not once call herself that except to say “dyke” in a derogatory way. Nope nope nope.