Tag: reader

2 reviews in one!

My best friends Exorcism

This books setting in the 80s just filled my whole inner 80s soul (even though I was born way after the 80s hahah) it’s seriously one of my fav decades of film,tv and music!!

Anyways I’m going off track 🙈 but the pop culture references and how the chapter names are 80s songs!! So good!

Now with the book overall it was a good book, very captivating and made me want to read on and on which is a big positive…But there was a few sections throughout this novel I thought were Questionable(I spoke with Jords about this) I was just a bit like 🤔 and that sadly knocked it down for me.

In the end a 3star!

Perfect on paper

Oh this was what the title says…Perfect!

Everything about it was just a beautiful story and definitely at times emotional… especially some of the scenes with the two main characters 😭 one significant scene near the end too that made my heart glow and my tear ducts Flow 😭😂

I feel this book will be so important for quite a lot of people and @sgonzalesauthor really handles this book with so much care and love which you can see through the writing and speaking to Sophie Myself.

Everyone PICK THIS ONE UP! When this book releases next year! If you thought OMD was good this is just that little bit better but both are just 😍😍.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson review

Thank you for Edelweiss/publishers for sending early review E-arc copy

Review below

Trigger warnings for sexual abuse,assault,Child abuse, opioid addiction, kidnapping, rape

Ooo I need to just have a little think On this one wether it’s a 4 or a 5 because damn this book was so good, I didn’t really know anything going into it (my fav thing to do with books) but when I started reading and got further and further into it, wow what a book this one is.

Grown is definitely full of trigger warnings and I would not go into this novel lightly this features some very upsetting themes and scenes throughout and for sure when I first read the beginning of this book and how it’s path was taking a dark turn I was shocked and definitely caught off guard and from then the story gets darker and darker.

This novel also definitely dealt with issues and themes that are very important and Tiffany D Jackson wrote and dealt with these with care and also showing what does happen when someone with a higher status can and will try and control and manipulate everything.

As our main character is an aspiring singer I loved the songs that get mentioned throughout this book because most of these Songs are some of my all time faves and for sure I had to listen to them once I had finished the novel 🙂 can’t go wrong with the classics.

A very challenging plus flinching story that is not to be taken lightly!! Definitely if you want to read this one please check the trigger warnings on reviews or that feature inside the book before the novel starts.

The death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi review

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for review

Review below

wow wow wow!!! what a book this one was, powerful from start to finish, so emotional and no spoilers but I just can’t get over that ending 😦 as it states in the synopsis we know that something terrible happens to Vivek Oji and that’s how we start the novel. from the first page I was sucked into this story and with what Emezi does best and we follow few different characters significant to the story and the switch between before and after of this incident that happens. Yes it is about the death of Vivek Oji but its not just that is explores the life of Vivek Oji and the company he kept (his family and friends) and how they treated Vivek with the ongoings of so many societal issues being put into these characters day in and out.

The way that Emezi can just write these stories is mind blowing and they are a force to be reckoned with from their writing and the beautiful prose to the characters and you can feel the emotion just rolling of the page with every novel Emezi writes, and this one did not disappoint. Auto buy author forever and always!!

this book deals with many subject matters that many readers could not want to read about but if you feel you are up for this novel I would recommend so so much!!!

Cemetery boys by Aiden Thomas Review

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Thank you to netgalley/publishers for sending me a E-Arc in exchange for review

Review below

4.5/5 stars

Oh this was everything and more!!

This is a story about a Latinx Trans boy called Yadriel from a Brujxs family who when he came out as trans are not accepting and find it hard to come to terms with. Especially his Father who doesn’t let Yadriel take the ceremony to be come a fully fledged Part of the Brujxs community.

So Yadriel takes it into his own hands to prove to his family that he is ready and why shouldn’t he be aloud to be apart of the community while being the person he wants to be too.

So this starts the trials and tribulations of a long adventure ahead with Yadriel’s best friend Maritza where once they summon a Ghost named Julian a short tempered/caring person under his exterior things get more complicated as Julian wants Yadriel and Maritza to help him find out what happened to him to become a ghost.

This really is such a beautiful book and has some of the best trio of characters (our main three) and the bloom of such a precious friendship. There is a scene with Yadriel and Julian where they share a heart to heart and oh it’s just 😭😭🥰🥰 i can’t deal.

Everyone pick this book up on September 1st and let’s read more and more books about trans character written by Trans author and let’s celebrate and admire these beautiful stories and Authors.

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The black kids by Christina Hammonds Reed review

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for sending me a copy in exchange for review

Review below

this book was so powerful from start to finish!!! the books message and story is so very important and significant for now and for years to come and stories like these need to be read not just today but everyday, this book was a work of fiction but with real life events and issues that are weaved into this novel.

it explores issues of race, class and violence in the midst of the 1992 Rodney King riots that happened in L.A. when Rodney king was a victim of police brutality and was beaten by the LAPD.

the writing was beautiful and this book does hit you right in the feels for what happening in the book but alongside that what is happening and continuing to happen in the world today! we see Ashley our main character come to terms with everything that is happening and I loved how Christina wrote about Ashleys friendship group and the question of when is the right time to leave a friendship group that is toxic and who don’t actually care about you much. Christina really questions the reader and it just makes you sit and think for so long about certain things/actions.

this book was just amazing and like I said its such an important read that It needs to get read and be given all the love it deserves!! this is one that could impact everyone and now I’ve finished this book I’m going to be sending this book to everyone I know.

4/5 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

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Darius the great deserves better – Review

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a E-Galley in exchange for review

Review below

oh I loved this one so much!!!

the first book in this series is and always will be one of my fav books ever.!!! this sequel did not disappoint one bit
this is set a few months after our first novel and we follow Darius when he is back from Iran and we see how life has changed for him since his visit.

we see Darius grow even more in this second novel and while we have this few months time jump you can definitely see the confidence that oozes more Darius and how he handles himself in situations with himself and with others. he’s definitely changed but he still as all the same characteristics he had from the first novel with his love for tea being the biggest one and now as he works in the teashop (what a perfect job for him) this is also where he met his boyfriend Landon. plus always being the kind and protective brother and son to his family.

as with any mental illness you can have a good days and bad days and that for sure happens for Darius with his depression and the further exploration and talk of depression that happens in this second novel continues between Darius and his father. (their bond in this second novel is so beautiful to see and read about, and how accepted Darius’s family make him).

there are so manyyyy things I loved about this book that it would be like writing a book in itself but here is 2-3 out of about 50 that I loved.
the protectiveness Darius has over his sister and how he helps with the bullying she is facing in school .

Darius’s queer Grandma’s who come to stay with the family throughout this book and the slow growth that happens in the relationship between the three of them and all the little stories that they tell Darius about them being a couple growing up (one is transgender)

and finally how so supportive all of his friends are especially His soccer friends who will always be their for him and make sure he is okay and doing well, and actually not giving a damn that he is Gay. (which is very rare to see in a group of sports related mens teams/circles and we need this more)

like I said I could go on and on about this book but don’t want to bore you, when this releases please please pick this one up or if you haven’t read the first yet go… read the first then buy the second because you will not be disappointed.

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Blog tour review post – In the Role of Brie Hutchens by Nicole Melleby

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Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book in exchange for review

Review below

I really enjoyed this one very much!!! A very cute coming of age story mixed in with some hard topics such as coming out to parents who are religious. F/F romance

This was a great read about Brie a theatre loving, soap star watching 13 year old girl who goes to a catholic school and is hiding that she is a lesbian… until she starts falling for the Always top of the class Girl called Kennedy, they start to bond and become closer and closer but one thing is stopping them from being their true selves and that is Brie’s parents and family who are very religious and are set in their ways. We see what unfolds as the book continues on.

One other part I loved if the book was the supportiveness of two of Brie’s teachers at school and also her best friend who always comforted her and made sure she was the best person she can be

Really enjoyed this one and I read this book In two sitting in one morning it was so easy to fly through and recommend very much.

4 Stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Once upon an Eid anthology – review

Thank you to Netgalley/publishers for a early copy

Once upon an Eid synopsis

Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid! 

Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift-giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.

The full list of Once Upon an Eid contributors include: G. Willow Wilson (Alif the Unseen, Ms. Marvel), Hena Khan (Amina’s Voice, Under My Hijab), N. H. Senzai (Shooting Kabul, Escape from Aleppo), Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky), Rukhsana Khan (Big Red Lollipop), Randa Abdel-Fattah (Does My Head Look Big in This?), Ashley Franklin (Not Quite Snow White), Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (Mommy’s Khimar), Candice Montgomery (Home and Away, By Any Means Necessary), Huda Al-Marashi (First Comes Marriage), Ayesha Mattu, Asmaa Hussein, and Sara Alfageeh.

My review below

This was such a beautiful collection of short stories entering around Ramadan and eid mubarak. very diverse full of very different meanings/ experiences of Eid/Ramadan written by all the others and really enjoyed that all the characters were all so unique in all their own ways and I didnt fell that there were one of the same in other characters. 

some books were very happy and cheerful and some very sad but with hope swell which I loved the variations very much. learning more about the culture was so interesting and all the dishes that get made throughout this anthology sounded so amazing and I needed to eat them right away.

Even though im not the target audience for this book, it was just so amazing and if your muslim or not I very recommend you to read this book and to get a insight into the culture and you definitely learn quite a lot.

4/5 stars

Foul is fair by Hannah Capin review – blog tour

Synopsis

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target. 

They picked the wrong girl. 

Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly. 

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.

Review below

Ooo this book was something else haha, this was a retelling of Macbeth but for the new generation giving me full on vibes of heathers, mean girls, riverdale and a few other shows. This was a revenge filled and violent book.

Very dark retelling with characters that lots of people may dislike and some people may like, but for me this book was an okay book, in the middle ground as it was enjoyable but I wasn’t blown away by.

Going back onto my earlier point the characters for me I just couldn’t connect with unfortunately and I felt some of the characters were a little over the top/cheesy but that’s just my own opinion.

It’s a very unique book though I will say that 🙂

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for sending me a copy of this book and I’m on the blog tour for this too

3 stars

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The worst best man by Mia Sosa review

Synopsis

Critically acclaimed author Mia Sosa delivers a sassy, steamy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about a woman whose new job requires her to work side-by-side with the best man who ruined her wedding: her ex-fiancé’s infuriating, irritating, annoyingly handsome brother. Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne!

A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. 

Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. 

If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own. 

But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again…

Review below

Such an enjoyable romance novel from start to finish, if u know me I love a good hate to love trope and this for sure was a great one. It has so many great elements throughout and I loved the dynamic between both the main characters and the writing just seemed to flow and make this relationship work and feel authentic, which I love.

One thing I love in any books are family aspects and this for sure has many moments with some great members of Linda’s family and friends which I really enjoyed and loved how dysfunctional they all were in such good ways. Loved how they always tried to encourage Lina to do what she wanted to do too.

Overall it was a really great novel, not top tier as in out of this world romance but I really nice and sweet romance that you can fly through!!!

3/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟