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As someone who is apart of the transgender community I can't begin to express how important this representation is in media like this. There needs to be more stories like this.
Felix's character and the struggles that he went through this book made me quickly become attached to him. It's so refreshing to see trans issues being represented in correct and non harmful ways.
It's so refreshing to see characters that are so diverse and real. There was a character that every reader could see themselves in.
“You don't get to use my pain to make your point.”
I think this is something that needs to be highlighted and more importantly be said.
The MCU and stucky being mentioned in this somehow just made this ten times better for me.
This made me feel so hopeful for the future. This is an absolute comfort read.
Matthew Perry has always been one of my most favourite actors. His character on Friends, Chandler always drew me to him with his ability to make a joke out of everything, including his trauma. Reading this memoir showed me that Matthew is just like Chandler in that regard and it felt so refreshing and real to read.
“Addiction is like the Joker. It just wants to see the whole world burn.”
This was heartbreaking to read but as someone who has struggled with addiction, this meant something very special to me. I am so proud of how far Matthew has come.
Seeing autistic representation in books never fail to make me feel so happy and seen. This book demonstrates perfectly some of the struggles that autistic people experience when it comes to relationships or their everyday lives.
You know you're really enjoying a book when you potentially put off reading it because you don't want to finish it. I don't care how cringey or silly this book might seem to others but this is so special to me as someone who is autistic.
I truly believed for a long time that I wouldn't ever find someone who could accept me as I am, my autistic quirks and all. I told myself I wouldn't be able to experience love or understand when I had felt it.
“Everyone deserved to love and be loved back”
I think this is really important to include because I think it's such a beautiful quote. No one should ever settle or accept less than what they deserve.
“I love you. I told myself I didn't. Because I was afraid to lose someone again, and I doubted myself, and I wanted only the best for you. But the feeling has gotten too big to deny. My heart works in a different way, but it's yours. You're my one.”
This is definitely a comfort read for me.
This is one of those books that you realise after reading it that you needed it. This felt like a healing process.
Being betrayed is something that messes with someone but when it's by people that you should be able to trust, it's even more heartbreaking.
This story covered so many serious issues. Grief, addiction, alcoholism... I found myself laughing and crying throughout the whole book. The best way to sum this up in one word is real.
Raf, with his tendency to infuse humour with trauma and problems immediately drew me to him and he quickly became my favourite character and a highlight of this book for me.
“Getting sober doesn't take away the things that made you use in the first place.”
As an ex addict, this quote hit me pretty hard. It took me years of reflecting and therapy until I had realised this for myself. Most of the time addiction, alcoholism or any other self destructive soothing is used as coping mechanisms. Stopping the actions doesn't change what lies beneath. You need to address it first so you can properly move forward.
This felt so incredibly real to me. Recovery is a process that has ups and downs and this story shown a light on it perfectly. This is definitely a comfort read.
I have heard so many good things about this book and it's been on my to read list for a very long time. I am so happy I finally decided to take the leap and read it.
This had me hooked from the very first page. I haven't read a book like this in a long time and it got me so excited about reading again.
The characters, the plot... everything was so enticing to me. This is a book that I could absolutely see being a successful movie or tv series.
I loved reading about the relationship between Hannah and Bailey. Seeing them grow closer together was such a highlight for me. I'm not afraid to say that I cried reading this. Everything about it was so real and raw. I really appreciated every aspect of this book.
This is a comfort read. It's a reread. I will definitely be coming back to read this again in the near future.
Evan was one of my favourite characters in Good Girl Complex so I was super excited to start this and read more about him.
“Seriously, though. I keep waiting for the grief to hit, but it doesn't come.”
This was a quote that I had to include here because it really hit me. Grief is such a strange thing and it affects everyone in different ways.
“I can't be responsible for your happiness, Evan. I can barely account for myself.”
I think this is an important quote to highlight. You should never allow someone to feel responsible for your happiness or well-being. It's not healthy for either parties involved. Be happy for you.
I have to admit that I laughed multiple times reading this. The banter and overall things that Evan would say had me giggling on numerous occasions.
“You're going to get sick of how much I love you. Totally disgusted with it.”“I'll take that bet.”
I loved this. I am not afraid to admit that I am an absolute sucker for predictable rom coms when they are like this.
This is the second book of Gillian Flynn's that I have read and I was so pleasantly surprised to see how different this was from the first. I love that this author doesn't stay in the same box and is always changing but still maintains the eerie feeling that Gone Girl had alluded.
The characters in this book are so twisted and unique in their own ways. I was struggling to pin someone down as trust worthy because I felt like every character had their own agendas and alternative motives. They were all complex and had their secrets and dark pasts.
Sharp Object was a rollercoaster. It came with so many twists and turns that left me reeling. This will definitely be a reread for me.
This is the third book of Riley Sager's that I have read and all it's done is encourage me to keep reading more. This one had me hooked from the first page.
I was constantly trying to question whether characters we came across with could be trusted and that's something I have noticed is a theme that happens in Sager's books and I love that.
This wasn't like anything that I hadn't read in the past and it's definitely something that I would read again in the future. There's something so captivating about this book.
This was the second book that I've read from this author and I have to say I am disappointed from this one like I was with the first.
The idea behind it had great promise and that's what drawn me towards it. These books are showing me that YA slasher/thrillers maybe aren't my cup of tea.
What I did appreciate about this book was Sky and Mint's friendship. I loved how supportive they were of one another. I wanted to scream and shake Alissa multiple times in this.
I loved the idea behind this and I think if you're an inexperienced reader that this will be a good read for you.
This is probably my favourite work of Stephen King's so far. He was this unique way of writing that makes me feel like I am being transported into the story.
Carrie is a teenager who has been treated so horribly, by not just her mother but by her peers. You can't help but feel sorry for her, all she wanted was to fit in and feel normal. The story follows Carrie's discovery of her telekinetic powers and what happens when she is pushed to her limit.
This is a book I definitely recommend to people who are starting out as readers or someone who is struggling with a book slump.
This was definitely an entertaining read. I have been looking for a good slasher and I feel like with this I am definitely getting closer to finding it.
I found the jumping of point of views a bit confusing and unnecessary at times. The moments that were set in Henry's point of view had me double checking to make sure I was still reading the same story since it didn't make sense until much later on. There were definitely characters I wanted to root for and characters I most certainly didn't.
I do have a lot of questions about Bracken, the owner of the cabin with what his motives were and what would happen with him. I felt like his part of the story possibly could've been left out altogether.
However, I loved the thriller aspect of it and actually would've loved for the action and eeriness of not knowing what's lurking in the dark whilst being stranded in a cabin in the middle of nowhere to be dragged out further.
I enjoyed how the main plots of the story were tied together at the end of the story. I would read this again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a quick read once I finally put my head down and read it. I feel like this book had real promise if it delved more into the actual theme of the Fright Night and added more onto the storyline that they did.
The concept was so good for me. The idea of being in the woods with no cell phone service and people waiting to scare you? Mortifying. I went into this hoping to be on the edge of my seat and waiting for the most terrifying thing to happen next and I was left quite disappointed because I would've liked for this to have been scary rather than disturbing.
The overall storyline of Dylan and his trauma was written quite well and definitely what stood out to me. I just would've loved more detail with it.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and I'm interested to see what else this author has to offer.
I went into this book with an open mind and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved how the author brought into the pandemic and corporates it into the story so that it felt modern and very current.
I feel like this book was quite hard to follow and I struggled at times to get a grip on what was going to happen next for it to flow. I couldn't feel attached or feel any connection to the characters except for Laura.
Laura's character stood out to me the most with her realistic thinking and her having to grow up fast to raise her sibling. I would've liked for there to have been less detail about minor things in the story and more detail about the characters and what lead up to the conclusion of this book.
Overall, this book was a fun journey and I'm interested to see what other works this author has.
Thank you to BookSirens and Nicky Webber for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This feels like applauding bare minimum but I just wanted to say that I really do appreciate trigger and content warnings, especially when it's for serious things like this.
I think the best part of this book was the banter between the characters, I loved reading them bouncing off one another and I felt that the chemistry was easily noticed through the pages.
Sadly, I felt the story was almost quite rushed where I was wanting more detail. I didn't feel like I was able to connect to the characters as much as I liked.
However, if you enjoy enemies to lovers, this is the story for you.
Thank you to BookSirens and Kelly Kay for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I've said this a few times for other books now but truthfully, I'm glad I get to repeat it – Thank you to the author for including content warnings. It's bare minimum but it is appreciated.
I am a huge sucker for fake relationship trope and the fact that there was bi representation made this so much better for me.
This was short and sweet. I definitely recommend this to anyone who might be suffering from a book slump.
Thank you to BookSirens and Skye Kilaen for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is the first book that I've read from this author and I'm a sucker for second chance romances so this definitely lived up to those expectations.
I loved the banter and I found myself giggling at some moments of the book. It explored on some heavy topics which made the characters feel more human and relatable to me.
I personally felt that the first half of the book was more enjoyable than the second half. I felt like the conclusion was slightly rushed. However, I enjoyed this book and would most likely reread again at a later date.
Thank you to BookSirens and Luna Whitney for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This will be the second book from Riley Sager that I have read and it most definitely will not be the last.
It started slow but by the time I got into the middle of this book, I was constantly on edge. There's something about books like these that just have a hold on me and I always seem to struggle to find the ability to put it down even just for a moment.
I love books where I struggle to find the main protagonists reliable. I love not knowing who to trust or who to root for.
This took me on a wild ride and I never knew what to expect. It was filled with twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I would happily read this again.
This is probably my favourite book by this author so far and I am so excited to check his other works out.
I always think there's no possible way for me to fall deeper in love with these characters until I read another story featuring them and prove myself wrong.
Nick and Charlie's banter never fails to leave me laughing and I can never not audibly say awe when they have their cute moments.
Reading this made me remember when I was young and scared of losing them. Relationships have rocky moments and arguments sometimes are inevitable but it's important how you come back from them.
“I love this. I love us. I love our weird, boring life.”
I'm so happy I took the time to read this novella.
Heartstopper is a very special series to me that holds an important place in my heart. I loved all the characters in the series and I was so excited to explore them further in this novella and I am so glad I did.
I think the reason why the stories surrounding these characters are so loved by so many people is the fact that they are so breathtakingly real and relatable. I can see myself in Tori and Charlie, it's not very often that you feel so connected to characters that it's like reading yourself.
They aren't perfect, they are far from it. They're human and I love them.
I would definitely read it again and I will most certainly be checking out the rest of the solitaire series and other works by Alice Oseman.
I know this is bare minimum but I always truly appreciate when a book includes trigger warnings, especially when it covers such heavy topics as it does in this book. I'll include them below this so people are aware of them.
This book discusses sexual assault, suicide, anxiety, self-harming, and intrusive thoughts. As well as family trauma, drunk driving and death.
It's not very often that you read a story that portrays serious issues in the correct way. I've gone through these things myself and it was refreshing to read something that I could see myself in.
I only wish that the pace of the book had been slower as it did feel rushed in some parts. Overall, I enjoyed it and felt like this book can help people see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you to BookSirens and Meg Fitz for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A mystery thriller that has links to Shakespeare and acting? This immediately had me hooked.
This is actually the first dark academia that I've read and it's sold me on it. The characters are all so intriguing. They each brought something so unique to the story and I found myself struggling to put this book down for even a short period of time.
What I loved most is the feeling of not knowing who to trust, including the characters I grew to love and enjoy whilst reading. It follows Oliver's point of view throughout the story and I couldn't help but not be able to find him a reliable narrator.
It was filled with twists that I never saw coming and constantly left me waiting for the next show to drop. I absolutely love this book.
I don't think I'm going to be able to stop thinking about this book. It's so beautifully tragic. This is definitely a comfort read and I will probably reread again very soon.
Stephen King never fails to deliver on creepy and eery stories that leave shivers down your spine.
I can never get over the imagery you get from his books, especially when some of them are as short as this one is. I felt like I was there and that I was experiencing the same terrors the characters were.
This is the perfect story if you are struggling with a book slump or you're just wanting to introduce yourself to the world of horror in fiction.
The Friendzone is definitely a comfort read for me and it meant something very special to me so I was beyond excited to read this. I couldn't stop thinking about Sloan after finishing the first book and how badly I wanted her to have her happy ending. I needed to read this book to have closure on how she ended up.
The humour of the characters is what got me with the first book and I was so happy to see that it wasn't lost in this one.
Jason and Sloan's interactions left me feeling giddy and I found myself smiling like an idiot while I read on multiple occasions.
“You're worth the wait. You're worth everything.”
Can I please ask where I can find a Jason and when can he become available to purchase?
SPOILER BELOW
I will admit that when we believed that Lola was behind all the things going wrong, I was bothered because I'm not fond of stories making women out to be villains in stories. I'm so happy it wasn't the case and I was pleased when Lola was able to have her redemption and the help she needed. I felt it was so important that it showed that because addiction and mental health are real issues that so many people deal with. She was crying out for help and someone listened. I'm so happy for her.
“She was every love song I've never been good enough to write.”
This line is so beautiful and I will never forget it.
There was something so special about this book. It was heartbreaking and so beautiful. I became obsessed so quickly. I went into this wanting closure and I got that and more. This is definitely a comfort read.
I went into this book nervous because of all the praise that I had heard about it. Usually, I find that when books have been talked highly often they do not deserve the praise so I was very pleased to see that with Beach Read, this was not the case.
There's something about rivals to lovers that I can't help but enjoy. This book showed the perfect example of that trope that had me almost bouncing at the walls.
“Sometimes—sometimes good, or at least decent, people do bad things.”
I wanted to include this quote because I think it's really important to highlight and I want the chance to come back whenever I can to look at it.
“I was always looking for the secret code, the rules I could follow so he wouldn't freak out. That's how you keep yourself safe, you know? You pay attention to how the world works. But there was no secret code for him. It was like our actions were entirely detached from his reactions to us. ”
I wanted to include this because as I read it, I actually audibly went “oh”. I was in an abusive relationship for five years and I understand all too well the desperate need to learn the patterns and rules that came with the abuse so it could be avoided. As soon as I read this quote, I felt like I had grown so much closer to Gus and that I could understand him as a character completely.
This book is exactly what you love and expect from a romantic comedy. You could feel absolutely everything that occurred during the book. I could feel the pain, the pining, the heartbreak, the angst... everything. It was so easy to become invested.
I couldn't help but giggle at January and Gus' banter and their interactions. They were both so sarcastic and refreshing to read. They felt so real and were definitely characters that people can easily see themselves in.
“You're so fucking beautiful, you're like the sun.”
This line.... If someone said this to me? Yeah.
“When I watch you sleep,” he said shakily, “I feel overwhelmed that you exist.”
This book both broke and healed my heart. It quickly became special to me and was mentally put away as a comfort read.