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| 1949749029
| B07VJXV6KZ
| 4.16
| 11,294
| Jul 10, 2015
| Jul 18, 2019
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I’m on BookTube now! =) All I can say to this right now is that I absolutely adored Rex and Daniel! They fit together so perfectly and this book might h I’m on BookTube now! =) All I can say to this right now is that I absolutely adored Rex and Daniel! They fit together so perfectly and this book might have had quite the spicy scenes, but it also had a lot of heart and all the characters were unique and fleshed out! <333 Loved them! It might have been a quiet ending but a great one! Full RTC soon! I’ll write down a few more thoughts! =) __________________________ Okay, I admit it! Sometimes I’m a really simple mood reader. I stumbled upon this book recently, read the blurb and was intrigued, well, and then I saw that Martin rated it with 5 stars and I can always trust in him to read the best m/m books. So here we are! *lol* I only started this yesterday, but the chemistry between Daniel and Rex had me glued to the pages so I’m already at 25%?! I figured I might as well add it to my GR challenge because heaven knows it’s been a slow reading year for me. So far this has: - Lots of hot sex scenes - A guarded smart mouth teacher with tattoos - A secluded living giant of a man named Rex who loves old movies - A cute dog lady named Marilyn - And a queer kid in a small town named Leo who’s an adorable smart mouth as well Seriously, what’s not to love?! Gonna continue to read now! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 2024
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Nov 10, 2024
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Nov 01, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1488089329
| 9781488089329
| B076PDH5XN
| 4.17
| 10,199
| Feb 19, 2018
| Feb 19, 2018
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I’m on BookTube now! =) Okay, I absolutely loved and adored this?! And I could legit bite myself in my own behind for not picking this up sooner!!! Coo I’m on BookTube now! =) Okay, I absolutely loved and adored this?! And I could legit bite myself in my own behind for not picking this up sooner!!! Cooper and Park had such a great chemistry and the supernatural mystery element was done so well too. Not to mention the humour! *lol* Also Cooper is so damn relatable, I can’t even. Haha! Love this man. Full RTC soon-ish. Stay tuned for more! ;-) P.S: I managed to finish one #rainboween book, at least. >_< _____________________________ “The Wolf at the Door” is my second #Rainboween read this year and I’m more than just a little curious about it! So many people raved about this story, you have no idea! Also it sounds exactly like my cup of tea! I mean, two FBI agents that work for a special investigations bureau and are forced to team up in order to solve a supernatural case?! They are attracted to each other but don’t want to give in?! This sounds like the supernatural version of the “Cut & Run” series and I don’t know about you, but I’m so here for it! <3 Let’s do this! Cooper and Park, here I come! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 21, 2024
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Oct 31, 2024
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Oct 21, 2024
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ebook
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| 000860066X
| 9780008600662
| 000860066X
| 4.18
| 538,952
| Apr 04, 2023
| Aug 30, 2023
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I’m on BookTube now! =) WHY REBECCA ROSS?! Why?! I think I’m speaking for both of us when I say: We need book two asap!! Iris and Roman were so cute and I’m on BookTube now! =) WHY REBECCA ROSS?! Why?! I think I’m speaking for both of us when I say: We need book two asap!! Iris and Roman were so cute and yes, they broke my heart! T_T Full RTC soon! For now I’m busy with trying to get my hands on book two! *lol* ___________________________________ This is a buddy read with my lovely sister and even though I’m a couple of days too late I’m still glad we’re doing this together! (Sorry, didn’t plan on getting sick. *lol*) So as soon as I have the energy to pick up that huge brick of a book (not even kidding here. It IS a heavy book!) I’ll play catch up! Thankfully you’re not that far ahead in the game... yet. XD This said: I’m very curious how the magical letter exchange is going to play out in this and if I’ll end up loving the story or not. Could go either way. The fact it’s enemies-to-lovers is already a plus, though. Guess we’ll see and find out. Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 21, 2024
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Oct 20, 2024
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Sep 21, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1945952075
| 9781945952074
| B01MF701J0
| 3.77
| 2,900
| Oct 31, 2016
| Oct 31, 2016
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really liked it
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When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I
had
to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campai When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I had to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campaign strategist of his internship? And this aforementioned campaign strategist is actually secretly crushing on their boss? *lol* It had drama written all over it and if you know me, you also know that I can’t resist a decent drama! Well and now comes the funny part! There actually wasn’t all too much drama going on, but I still ended up loving this short story! Strange, right? XD No, if you think about it, it’s not! ;-) The characters in this book were just so real and to say I could relate to the main character certainly wouldn’t even get close to the truth! I had the feeling that I really found myself in him! XD And since I’m already talking about Kieran I might as well head directly to the characters section! ”People who work on political campaigns have ridiculous Starbucks orders and yeah, being the intern means learning them all and balancing twelve cups of coffee on his way back up to the office.” Mild spoilers and quotes ahead! Just to give you a heads-up! ;-) Kieran: ”And for the brief but intense period where Kieran was panicking over the revelation that he was gay and trans – like, how doomed to failure could he possibly be? – Jillian was his rock.” He’s just awesome! It’s been quite a while I last had the pleasure to read about such an honest and forthright person and I loved every second of it! Kieran’s humour was amazing and his honesty sometimes almost bordered on rudeness! He never minced his words and this was so refreshing! Well and even when he tried to be more sensitive, he still ended up saying the truth, which got him into rather awkward situations and amused me to no end! *lol* ”I’m shrill, you know. It tricks their brains. I can tell them to call me he, but I can’t change what’s going on in their heads when I talk to them.” ”Wait, so – I was assigned female at birth, and that’s okay to talk about, but your crush on our boss isn’t appropriate?” Seth: ”I’m old,” Seth mumbles. “I’m an old man who can’t hold down a relationship.” I loved him for being so sympathetic and I absolutely adored him for insisting on Kieran’s pronouns!!! I know Kieran got awkward whenever he reminded their co-workers to address him correctly but just like Seth I think that it’s very important to get them right!!! I know Seth sometimes came across as rather grumpy and reserved, but deep down within him he was a gentle soul! ;-) He respected Kieran and for that I respected him too! XD ”How long’ve you liked me?” Kieran asks. Seth’s throat works nervously. “Oh, I don’t know.” “Totally unromantic. Try again.” ”Honestly, he’s never met a guy more in need of a boyfriend. Kieran hopes he’s up to the task.” Sensitive issues: Their age difference: I don’t think that their age difference was important, at least for me it wasn’t. I mean 12 years isn’t all that much and considering my husband and I are 9 years apart it really was no shocker. Seth’s crush on Marcus: Yes, Seth the campaign strategist has a crush on his boss who has a child and a fiancée. For me this was no touchy subject though. After all you can’t choose the person you fall for, you just do it! Love is illogical so yeah, I don’t blame him for it. Besides nothing ever happened between those two, he just watched him from a distance. The sex scene at the end: I read a lot of Santino Hassell over the summer so it didn’t shock me. Some people might feel different though. ;-) I think it was a very good scene and I loved how they interacted with each other. There was so much respect and understanding between those two, it was actually pretty amazing to read. =) Overall Conclusion: I enjoyed the story and I’m glad I read it! It was interesting to see Kieran’s point of view and since I’ve never read a book about a trans person before it definitely broadened my horizon! “Coffee boy” was funny, relatable and way too short!! =)) I really would have loved to read more about Seth and Kieran! The world definitely is in dire need of more stories like that and I can easily recommend it! ;-) A short and refreshing read that most certainly will entertain you! XD Merged review: When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I had to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campaign strategist of his internship? And this aforementioned campaign strategist is actually secretly crushing on their boss? *lol* It had drama written all over it and if you know me, you also know that I can’t resist a decent drama! Well and now comes the funny part! There actually wasn’t all too much drama going on, but I still ended up loving this short story! Strange, right? XD No, if you think about it, it’s not! ;-) The characters in this book were just so real and to say I could relate to the main character certainly wouldn’t even get close to the truth! I had the feeling that I really found myself in him! XD And since I’m already talking about Kieran I might as well head directly to the characters section! ”People who work on political campaigns have ridiculous Starbucks orders and yeah, being the intern means learning them all and balancing twelve cups of coffee on his way back up to the office.” Mild spoilers and quotes ahead! Just to give you a heads-up! ;-) Kieran: ”And for the brief but intense period where Kieran was panicking over the revelation that he was gay and trans – like, how doomed to failure could he possibly be? – Jillian was his rock.” He’s just awesome! It’s been quite a while I last had the pleasure to read about such an honest and forthright person and I loved every second of it! Kieran’s humour was amazing and his honesty sometimes almost bordered on rudeness! He never minced his words and this was so refreshing! Well and even when he tried to be more sensitive, he still ended up saying the truth, which got him into rather awkward situations and amused me to no end! *lol* ”I’m shrill, you know. It tricks their brains. I can tell them to call me he, but I can’t change what’s going on in their heads when I talk to them.” ”Wait, so – I was assigned female at birth, and that’s okay to talk about, but your crush on our boss isn’t appropriate?” Seth: ”I’m old,” Seth mumbles. “I’m an old man who can’t hold down a relationship.” I loved him for being so sympathetic and I absolutely adored him for insisting on Kieran’s pronouns!!! I know Kieran got awkward whenever he reminded their co-workers to address him correctly but just like Seth I think that it’s very important to get them right!!! I know Seth sometimes came across as rather grumpy and reserved, but deep down within him he was a gentle soul! ;-) He respected Kieran and for that I respected him too! XD ”How long’ve you liked me?” Kieran asks. Seth’s throat works nervously. “Oh, I don’t know.” “Totally unromantic. Try again.” ”Honestly, he’s never met a guy more in need of a boyfriend. Kieran hopes he’s up to the task.” Sensitive issues: Their age difference: I don’t think that their age difference was important, at least for me it wasn’t. I mean 12 years isn’t all that much and considering my husband and I are 9 years apart it really was no shocker. Seth’s crush on Marcus: Yes, Seth the campaign strategist has a crush on his boss who has a child and a fiancée. For me this was no touchy subject though. After all you can’t choose the person you fall for, you just do it! Love is illogical so yeah, I don’t blame him for it. Besides nothing ever happened between those two, he just watched him from a distance. The sex scene at the end: I read a lot of Santino Hassell over the summer so it didn’t shock me. Some people might feel different though. ;-) I think it was a very good scene and I loved how they interacted with each other. There was so much respect and understanding between those two, it was actually pretty amazing to read. =) Overall Conclusion: I enjoyed the story and I’m glad I read it! It was interesting to see Kieran’s point of view and since I’ve never read a book about a trans person before it definitely broadened my horizon! “Coffee boy” was funny, relatable and way too short!! =)) I really would have loved to read more about Seth and Kieran! The world definitely is in dire need of more stories like that and I can easily recommend it! ;-) A short and refreshing read that most certainly will entertain you! XD ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Nov 03, 2017
not set
not set
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Nov 04, 2017
not set
not set
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Sep 12, 2024
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ebook
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| 1627980547
| 9781627980548
| B01HKYBT8U
| 3.72
| 1,357
| Aug 11, 2013
| Aug 12, 2013
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really liked it
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”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it w ”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it was still kinda good? O_o I never thought I'd enjoy a mermen book that much but aside from the rather weird start (all I'm saying is "butter"?!) this actually turned out to be an interesting read. *lol* To read this felt like to witness the author’s journey. I think at first she might have wanted to go for smut but the longer she wrote the more her story became fleshed out. Hence the rather smutty and weird beginning that turned into an unexpectedly good story line. Of course we’re not talking Shakespeare here, but it definitely was good enough to make me want to read her second book. ;-P ”The fates will find you, Taren. They always will.” And how they found him. Poor boy knew nothing but slavery and servitude, but despite everything he still managed to stay positive and that instantly caused me to like him. Plus I loved him with Rider and Bastian! If the book would have continued to be merely smut I definitely still would have been hooked by it. The Rider/Taren/Bastian love triangle was just too amazing and in all honesty I would have been content just to go on with those three. XD ”I know you too well. I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You want him, and yet you hesitate. Why?” “I’m not sure.” Taren shook his head. I LOVED Bastian’s character and how he always knew how Taren felt and what was on his mind. Those two would have been so cute together but since Shira Anthony obviously had other plans Taren got lost at sea and met Ian instead. I was okay with that ship though so I can’t really complain. *lol* After all Ian was a very strong-willed and caring character and I loved that he always kept an eye on Taren. <3 ”Aye, I will come with you. Not to make certain you do not harm him – you are too kindhearted to do him harm, even if he has brought it upon himself – but to give you my support, should you need it.” Ian kissed the top of his head. After the ending I can’t help but be curious about book two and I’m sure sooner or later I’ll eventually get to it. For now all I can say is: I really enjoyed this and I want to read more about those amazing mermen Trigger warnings: slavery, torture, abuse ____________________________ Ahh damn! Am I going to read an m/m mermen book right before the old year ends? Yep, yes I am! *nods* Don't judge me! XD A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. *lol* Merged review: ”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it was still kinda good? O_o I never thought I'd enjoy a mermen book that much but aside from the rather weird start (all I'm saying is "butter"?!) this actually turned out to be an interesting read. *lol* To read this felt like to witness the author’s journey. I think at first she might have wanted to go for smut but the longer she wrote the more her story became fleshed out. Hence the rather smutty and weird beginning that turned into an unexpectedly good story line. Of course we’re not talking Shakespeare here, but it definitely was good enough to make me want to read her second book. ;-P ”The fates will find you, Taren. They always will.” And how they found him. Poor boy knew nothing but slavery and servitude, but despite everything he still managed to stay positive and that instantly caused me to like him. Plus I loved him with Rider and Bastian! If the book would have continued to be merely smut I definitely still would have been hooked by it. The Rider/Taren/Bastian love triangle was just too amazing and in all honesty I would have been content just to go on with those three. XD ”I know you too well. I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You want him, and yet you hesitate. Why?” “I’m not sure.” Taren shook his head. I LOVED Bastian’s character and how he always knew how Taren felt and what was on his mind. Those two would have been so cute together but since Shira Anthony obviously had other plans Taren got lost at sea and met Ian instead. I was okay with that ship though so I can’t really complain. *lol* After all Ian was a very strong-willed and caring character and I loved that he always kept an eye on Taren. <3 ”Aye, I will come with you. Not to make certain you do not harm him – you are too kindhearted to do him harm, even if he has brought it upon himself – but to give you my support, should you need it.” Ian kissed the top of his head. After the ending I can’t help but be curious about book two and I’m sure sooner or later I’ll eventually get to it. For now all I can say is: I really enjoyed this and I want to read more about those amazing mermen Trigger warnings: slavery, torture, abuse ____________________________ Ahh damn! Am I going to read an m/m mermen book right before the old year ends? Yep, yes I am! *nods* Don't judge me! XD A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. *lol* ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Dec 26, 2019
not set
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Jan 04, 2020
not set
|
Sep 11, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1526651793
| 9781526651792
| 1526651793
| 4.00
| 21,418
| May 11, 2023
| May 11, 2023
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I’m on BookTube now! =) I really enjoyed this book and it was a lot of fun! =) The conversations between Gwen & Art were hilarious and gave me life, plu I’m on BookTube now! =) I really enjoyed this book and it was a lot of fun! =) The conversations between Gwen & Art were hilarious and gave me life, plus their interactions with Gabe & Bridget were cute. The ending was a little bit heavy, though so I dunno. >_< Full RTC soon! I’ll give it a think. ______________________________ I recently found “Gwen & Art Are Not in Love” in my library and just had to borrow it because the premise sounds way too good. I mean, this is a retelling in which Gwen and Art are supposed to marry each other, but actually hate each other’s guts?! *lol* And to top it all off they are not only in love with other people but both of them are queer as well! This sounds like the most interesting love square!? I hope this is a good one!! *fingers crossed* Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 26, 2024
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Sep 13, 2024
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Aug 26, 2024
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Paperback
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| 4.20
| 493,815
| Sep 07, 2021
| Sep 07, 2021
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I’m on BookTube now! =) Oh wow, this book was wild! There were so many revelations and things I didn’t expect! Damn! Jennifer Lynn Barnes knows how to c I’m on BookTube now! =) Oh wow, this book was wild! There were so many revelations and things I didn’t expect! Damn! Jennifer Lynn Barnes knows how to capture her reader’s attention! Also Jameson and Grayson! Once again damn! *whistles* I’m leaning more towards Jameson this time around, though, because reasons. *lol* ;-P Full RTC soon! I need to digest this wild rollercoaster of a book first. XD ________________________________ It’s time to read “The Hawthorne Legacy” because after the first book I’m hooked!!! I mean, here’s me - a person who always takes ages to finish series - starting the second book a couple of months after finishing “The Inheritance Games”. That cliff-hanger from the first book, though! I need answers! I need more of the Hawthorne brothers and all those intrigues and machinations. Also I need more of that amazing big mansion with lots of secret passages and rooms! I. AM. READY!!! Bring it on Hawthorne boys! *lol* Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 20, 2024
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Sep 29, 2024
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Aug 20, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1788167228
| 9781788167222
| 1788167228
| 3.94
| 82,874
| Jan 12, 2021
| Jan 06, 2022
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liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”We are much stronger and more powerful than we understand. We are fifteen thousand pounds of muscle and bone forged from rage I’m on BookTube now! =) ”We are much stronger and more powerful than we understand. We are fifteen thousand pounds of muscle and bone forged from rage and trauma, armed with ivory spears and faces unique in nature, living in grasslands where any of the ubiquitous humans may or may not be a poacher.” Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[ transphobia, violence, physical abuse, assault (on page), suicide, transphobic slurs, cheating & infidelity, MC is outed by another person (hide spoiler)] I finished “Detransition, Baby” about 3 weeks ago but I still haven’t found a way to review this book properly. I wish I could give you that elaborate review I spoke about, but with a book like this it’s really hard to speak about all the things I liked and didn’t like. I guess that’s the reason why so many other readers kept their reviews short and simple. I have extremely mixed feelings about this story because on the one hand it’s so good to have this book out there in the world and to get the unfiltered truth about how it feels to be trans in our society. It’s a true and bold representation of trans life we usually never get to see. But on the other hand there were a lot of serious themes and issues that were addressed in a way that made me feel extremely uncomfortable while I read the book. I’m pretty certain this was the author’s intention but for me those passages weren’t thought-provoking, but felt pretty alarming instead. So the question is: How do I review this book? I guess we might as well start with the plot and take it from there. The premise of the book was really interesting and I think it’s a very unusual approach because for once we also get a de-transition rep. So far I only read about MCs that transitioned so to get a de-transition story and then even in this kind of setting was something completely new and different. Which is a good thing in my book! Torrey Peters might have educated an entire generation of readers with this story and I’m very glad she did! It takes guts to write a book like this and there need to be voices like Torrey Peters’s in order to make trans experience not only more palpable but also available for the general public. ”This is what happens when the only trans voices out there are the loudest, shrillest trans girls constantly publishing dogmatic Trans 101 hot takes to rebuke the large cis public. You get people thinking that in order to avoid offending trans people, you must locate and follow a secret guidebook filled with arcane rites, instead of just thinking about them decently, as you would anything else.” I think it’s safe to say that the plot is rather simple because we have two POVs, Reese’s and Ames’s, and they vary while the story is told. A couple of years ago Reese and Ames were in a relationship. Back then Ames still went by Amy and was a girl, but then something happened that caused him to de-transition again and their relationship ended. Fast forward a couple of years later and Ames works at a company and has an affair with his boss Katrina. Well, and because Ames thought that after years on estrogen he would be sterile, they didn’t take any precautions and Katrina ends up pregnant. They both don’t feel up to the task and Ames gets in contact with his ex-girlfriend Reese asking her if she’d like to help him raise Katrina’s and his kid, finally fulfilling Reese’s strong wish for motherhood. I know, it sounds extremely crazy if you write it down like that and don’t worry, the MCs question their idea, too. *lol* Okay, so much to the plot. Still, there’s a lot more to this story and I think the only way to talk about this, is to speak about the characters and their stance on things themselves. So I guess I’ll try to write about the characters now and choose three quotes for every MC that represent the essence of their character. I have to divide this somehow so please bear with me. In his reply, he can’t help but let loose an old defensiveness on this topic. “I think it’s the opposite,” he says too sharply. “The whole reason transsexuals transition is because gender matters so incredibly much.” Ames: ”He hadn’t understood how little sense he made as a person without Reese until after she began to detach from him, until the lack of her became so painful that he started to once again want the armor of masculinity and, somewhat haphazardly, detransitioned to fully suit up in it.” Ames was the character I could relate to the most, because the way he thought and his opinion on certain things aligned the most with my own views of the world. I found his character interesting because his gender was so fluid. He started out as James then transitioned into Amy and later on de-transitioned into Ames. One of the most intriguing things in the book was Ames’s conversation with a man that de-transitioned, because it showed how the perception of others plays so much into the way people see themselves. That tans woman didn’t pass as a woman but when he de-transitioned back into a man, he didn’t pass either because people still saw his femininity. I think Ames could relate to that because when he was still James everyone was able to glimpse his femaleness, then he transitioned into Amy and became a beautiful woman, but he didn’t feel like he passed and sometimes craved the safety that comes with masculinity. I think the fact he chose Ames as his final name said a lot about the way he sees himself. And I’m pretty sure Ames was living his own truth outside of the gender norm because he loved to be a woman but he also enjoyed his masculinity and the protection it gave him. The author never explicitly mentioned it but I got gender-fluid vibes from Ames and experience has taught me that it takes one to know one. ;-) Maybe that’s the reason why I could relate to Ames character the most. This however is also one of the things I criticize about the book. I mean even in a story about people who are transgender all of the characters desperately try to fit into the gender binary of male or female. And this with all the horrible prejudices and gender stereotypes that come along with it which made me feel extremely conflicted about the book. But let’s go to the next character and get deeper into this discussion. ”She should have felt happy, but she didn't. Instead, she felt as if she had given in to an urge that ought to be turned away from. As when people shut their eyes in horror at the possibility of an apparition." "I got sick of living as trans. I got to a point where I thought I didn't need to put up with the bullshit of gender in order to satisfy my sense of myself. I am trans, but I don't need to do trans." Katrina: ”Are you sure you’re okay with this?” she asked. “If the genders were reversed, and some man had told his female employee to take a day off of work and come over I’d be appalled.” Katrina stands for the typical emancipated cis women of our generation. She’s in a leadership position, worked on her career, doesn’t take any shit and has a pretty strong opinion of what it means to be a woman and mother. I think I have to give her kudos for realizing that she’s not ready for a kid because a lot of people only realize that when it’s already too late. Moreover, I appreciated the way she was trying to think outside of the box and questioned herself and her decisions. I think in that way she had a leg-up on Ames and Reese, because those two thought more inside of the box of the gender binary than her. Which says a lot about how they perceived women- and motherhood. And this brings me right to Reese and her stance on things. ”What am I, some kind of walking uterus to you? Have you seen pregnant women? Do you think I would choose to go through that just to play a part in giving a baby to your ex-lover? Do you have any respect for my body? Do you value me at all?” ”I can’t believe that I’m more willing than you to think openly. Maybe the way you’re seeing things isn’t working. You’re so sure how things are, how to do things. But the way you do things ends in funerals. Maybe instead of saying what the inevitable outcome is, just make a fucking leap.” Reese: "She'd be over here, getting knocked around, each blow a minor illustration of her place in a world that did its gendering work no matter what you called it. So yeah, Stanley, bring it on. Hit Reese. Show her what it means to be a lady." Reese… where do I even start with her?! I read a couple of reviews that said that the book is misogynistic and I’m pretty sure this perception is due to Reese’s POV. Reese is a trans woman and strives to achieve that picture perfect idea she has of woman- and motherhood. Only, her idea of womanhood is a very narrow-minded one and she borrows all the usual clichés. I think in her mind women are still “the weaker sex” and she thrives when she feels fragile and vulnerable. I mean okay if she wants to feel like that in order to feel strengthened in her womanhood, but the way she lived it was nothing but self-destructive. For instance Reese only dated men that were unfaithful, bad company, misogynistic and hit their women. The fact she dated men from fetish sites, so called “tranny chasers” certainly didn’t help and I think her self-esteem must have been extremely low to put up with a guy like Stanley. Oh boy, how I hated him! Also and I need to say this here: Reese’s view of what it means to be a woman and that it entails being weak and vulnerable kinda made me angry. Because women in general are extremely strong and it takes a lot of strength to carry a child for 9 months and to raise it and give it all your love. So, yeah, if I’d be face to face with Reese I’d tell her: “Fragile and vulnerable?!” my ass!!! Seriously, I’m not surprised so many people thought this story to be misogynistic. With a character like Reese it’s really hard not to. Also and I say this with all the respect to Reese’s womanhood and femininity here, but a statement like the one she gave about cis women and hysterectomies tells me that she didn’t have to deal with this kind of problem. Just to make this very clear: Hysterectomies are NOT wildly available and every doctor will ask you about 10 times if you really want to get one before they give you a huge folder with thousands of things you have to sign in order to get one. And this is only the paperwork and psychological evaluation you’d have to get through. It SHOULD be a wildly known fact to everyone that hysterectomies are a not a walk in the park. They affect women who get them in so many ways because your hormones go crazy and they are dangerous, so many things can go wrong and leave scars you have to deal with for the rest of your life. It says a lot that doctors usually only go for them when the woman who gets surgery already has cancer and there’s no other way to save her life. It’s THAT kind of a life altering surgery where it’s better to deal with the repercussions than to die from cervical cancer. Truth be told it’s way easier for men to get a vasectomy and in comparison to women they barely have any repercussions to fear and if necessary could even undo it. You can’t undo a hysterectomy. And mind you: Usually it’s the woman who has to think about pregnancy prevention because almost every contraceptive or contraceptive device needs to be used by the woman. Pregnancy prevention for women is in fact WILDLY AVAILABLE because men don’t get pregnant. And if you just take a little moment to think about all the things women can use and do, not to get pregnant, and then there are just condoms for men (which a lot of them don’t want to use, but that’s an entirely different matter for another day), you see the imbalance women take for granted every single day. So yes, that’s the bitter truth right there. Sorry for that short essay but Reese’s ignorance on that matter and the way she assumed every woman would secretly cherish the idea of “their reproductive ability” made me so angry. It felt like a typical male view and Reese is a woman so I think this riled me even more?! It felt like a betrayal from your own ranks. I honestly hope that Reese’s view on womanhood and motherhood is not typical or representative for trans women because the way Reese lived her truth was very stereotypical, self-destructive and extremely unhealthy. I like to believe that not all trans women are in abusive relationships, because that wouldn’t just be toxic but also horrible. No woman deserves to be treated the way Stanley treated Reese. Period! As you can see I have a strong opinion about those things and I stand by it. ”It didn’t really matter what the difference was – although usually it was maleness to her femaleness, because men knew how to make her feel feminine, and feeling feminine turned her on; but she supposed she’d be open to other different types who could do the same. However, never someone just like her. No one should be that vulnerable to another.” "Cis women are always complaining about the burden of their reproductive ability, while secretly cherishing it. Hysterectomies are widely available, but even women who don't want children aren't exactly lining up to get them." One more topic to address : "He didn't need to explain this to Reese. She knew that no matter how you self-identify ultimately, chances are that you succumb to becoming what the world treats you as." I think this quote put the struggle of identifying as someone outside of the gender binary extremely well and I really liked the authors approach on this. When you’re a trans woman you want to pass as a woman, when you’re a trans man, you want to pass as a man. You want the world to see you the way you see yourself and to be confronted with other people’s perception is a constant struggle and challenge. And I’m just talking about being trans here. If you’re non-binary, gender-fluid, bi-gender or somewhere on that spectrum you have an even harder time because people will always try to fit you in a box. A box that doesn’t fit and never will, because you’re neither male nor female, you’re always somewhere in between. Just putting that out there in the world as an impulse for further thoughts. ;-) Conclusion: This review is already way too long and I still have so many thoughts I could share but I think I’ll just leave it at that. If you’ve read this book and want to talk about it, be my guest in the comments! I mean, all things considered this was a good book. The writing style might not have been for me and I disagreed a lot with Reese’s character, but I can appreciate what the author tried to do with this story and even though the ending wasn’t my cup of tea either, I still think that it fit the book. I’m going with the middle ground here: 3 stars. No less, no more. ________________________________ I honestly dunno how I feel about this book, let alone how I’ll rate it. There were good things but there were also some things I didn’t like. But I guess that’s exactly what the author tried to achieve because this book is supposed to be controversial. Anyway! RTC soon! I’ll give this a think and will try to put my thoughts & feelings into an elaborate review. ________________________________ I heard so many things about “Detransition, Baby” by now and I’ve to admit that they all only made me even more curious about the book. Some people hated it, others loved it, and I can’t help but wonder why. So if you know me, you know I’m intrigued. ;-) The only way to find out on which side I’ll land on, is by reading the book, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. The blurb already sounds like we’ll have complicated family & relationship dynamics and I’m so here for it. Give me all the trans reps! I hope this will be a good one. *fingers crossed* Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 14, 2024
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Sep 28, 2024
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Aug 14, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1473693152
| 9781473693159
| 1473693152
| 4.17
| 6,629
| Jul 18, 2023
| Jul 26, 2022
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I’m on BookTube now! =) This was such a great finale for a series and I didn’t know this was even possible but I loved all the characters even more tha I’m on BookTube now! =) This was such a great finale for a series and I didn’t know this was even possible but I loved all the characters even more than I loved them before?! I mean Nicky and his father are the best! <333 I love them and their interactions so much. And their friends and the Dad Squad! Damn, I just loved everything about this book. Full RTC once I sorted through my emotions and thoughts. XD _________________________________ I think by now you can say that it’s one of my traditions to read a book written by T.J. Klune every summer during the holidays. So this time around, I decided for “Heat Wave”! Because 1.) I’m so curious how this series is going to end and 2.) I finally need to finish one of the many series I started to read and this is the last book! XD And 3.) The title fits so perfectly to the summer heat over here. *lol* I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen with Nick and Seth in this instalment! I love them both so much and I just want a great HEA for my two precious boys! <333 Also, side-note to myself: Get up the review for book two soon!!! >_< Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 05, 2024
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Sep 08, 2024
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Aug 05, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1035007312
| 9781035007318
| 1035007312
| 4.10
| 238,526
| Feb 22, 2022
| Nov 10, 2022
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it was amazing
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. An orc’s life was strength and I’m on BookTube now! =) ”After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. An orc’s life was strength and violence and a sudden, sharp end – but she’d be damned if she’d let hers finish that way. It was time for something new.” And something new it is! I think the special thing about “Legends & Lattes” is that the story starts exactly where other books usually end. The adventure is over, all the fights are won and Viv has the scars to prove it. She’s tired of her life as a soldier and after 22 years she craves some quiet and peace. A normal trade that will ensure she can enjoy a calm peaceful life, a place to call her own and lots of coffee to bring joy into the world. It’s a pretty humble plan but it’s definitely an honourable one. (One I fully support because reasons and mostly COFFEE! *lol*) So right after her last adventure Viv sets out to find the perfect place for her coffee shop and ends up in Thune. A little city whose residents have never even heard of coffee. A small obstacle Viv is sure she’ll be able to overcome once they taste her delicious drinks and goods. Well, and once her legendary Scalvert’s Stone starts to work its magic and provides her with some dire needed luck. ;-) "They called it a café. People just sat around drinking it from these little ceramic cups, and I had to try it, and ... it was like drinking the feeling of being peaceful. Being peaceful in your mind. Well, not if you have too much, then it's something else." I honestly loved this so much!!! I think I get the hype now, and why so many people loved “Legends & Lattes”! This book is very different to other high fantasy stories and extremely slow paced but I think that’s exactly what makes it so charming. We follow Viv as she buys an old building, renovates it with the help of Cal, a hob who becomes one of her most trusted friends, and then starts her business by selling coffee and café latte. Sure, there doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s so nice to follow Viv as her long-cherished wish of being a coffee shop owner comes to fruition. It was a slow start, but boy, did I live for the way everything came together so nicely. I just loved the manner in which Viv went about setting up her business. She might have been a layperson but she trusted her gut instinct and made so many precious friends along the way. No matter if it was Tandri, the succubus she hired as a barista, or Thimble her rattkin baker, that created the most delicious pastries, Viv seemed to have a sixth sense for who to hire and to trust with her dream. It was so satisfying, wholesome and oddly soothing to read about every food that was added to the menu and boy, did this book make me hungry! Thimble sounded like a genius in the kitchen and I found myself wanting to taste his pastries. They sounded way too good! *lol* "Come on around here. I'll show you," said Viv. She was smiling, and for the first time, the building, the city, this place ... felt like hers. A place she'd still be tomorrow, the week after, next season, next year ... Home." But not everything is perfect and there are clouds on the horizon. An old battlefield acquaintance is jealous of Viv’s success and a local gang has set their eyes on Viv’s shop and profit. Our quick-witted orc barbarian would never allow them to destroy what she built, though and with the help of her friends and a huge dire-cat named Amity she’s ready to defend what’s hers. I won’t go into more detail here because you’ve to experience this book yourself but I just wanted to say that I loved how so many of the shops customers became Viv’s closest friends. They all contributed something to make the place a safe haven and it was so beautiful to see how every single one of them fell in love with the idea of Viv’s shop. Also and this is so rare for a standalone novel, all the characters were unique and fleshed-out! No matter if it was Hemington, a standoffish student who made the wards for Viv’s shop, Pendry the shy musician, Durias the chess playing gnome or Laney, Viv’s old neighbour that couldn’t bake to safe her own life, they were all one-of-a-kind and gave so much warmth to the storyline. The kindness of the characters made my heart feel so full and I think that already says so much about this book. <3 That’s not what I mean,” said Tandri, with surprising heat. “Sure, it might be fine this time, for this one thing … but once it’s an option, once she can pick that back up …” She pointed at the sword on the wall. “She loses what she won by building this place without it.” I can’t talk about the characters kindness without mentioning Tandri as well, because I loved her so much for being at Viv’s side from the beginning. They started out as strangers, then became friends and tentatively turned into more than that later on in the book. Such a satisfying slow burn romance that made me very happy for both of them. They both deserve happiness and a quiet peaceful life and the way they understood each other without saying anything was chef’s kiss. Give me more sweet and gentle romances like this one, please!!! ”You’d find few who know it, these days, but ‘the ring of fortune’ is an old sea-fey phrase. It means … a destined cadre, I suppose. Individuals brought together, like to like. Which can be fortunate, of course. Sometimes, nothing’s more fortunate than that!” Conclusion: “Legends & Lattes” is one of the most wholesome and tranquil books I’ve ever read. It floats by so steadily and it’s the perfect story it if you want to read something quiet, relaxing and rather uneventful. The found family trope in this book is perfection and the descriptions of Thimble’s delicious pastries made me hungry more than once. If you’re looking for something slow-paced and nice that will put a soft smile on your face: This is the book! ___________________________________ Short info: Yes, the hype around this book is real! <3 This was so, so wholesome and sweet and the found family trope really gets a chance to shine in here! There doesn’t happen a lot, though and the book is very slow paced. I guess it depends on your reading tastes, but for me this was perfect! Full RTC soon! I’ll write down a couple more thoughts because this was nice!! ____________________________________ It’s time for a comfort read and every book reviewer, book blogger, bookstagrammer and BookTuber I know said that “Legends & Lattes” is one of the best comfort books ever. So here we are and since I’m in dire need of a comforting and wholesome story it seems like the right time to pick this up. =) Plus it’s queer too so this sounds perfect! Let’s find out if this is as amazing as everyone claims it to be. ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 30, 2024
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Aug 18, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1529380944
| 9781529380941
| 1529380944
| 4.06
| 418,132
| Sep 28, 2021
| Jun 30, 2022
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I’m on BookTube now! =) I could say so many things about this book, but for now all I’ll say is: I LOVED it! Evangeline and Jacks are such great MCs and I’m on BookTube now! =) I could say so many things about this book, but for now all I’ll say is: I LOVED it! Evangeline and Jacks are such great MCs and I’m so curious how this series is going to continue because with those two everything seems to be possible! Also: Their chemistry was amazing. I can’t wait to dive into book two! Full RTC soon! Stay tuned, I’ve got plenty of thoughts and things to discuss. *lol* ;-P _________________________ After working my way through the entire “Caraval” series I can finally start to read “Once Upon a Broken Heart”!!! YES! I’ve been dying to read Jacks story and I’m so pumped for this! Also by now the third book is out so if I want to binge the series I can actually do it! XD Sometimes it pays off to miss the hype train. ;-P (Miraculously the plot wasn’t spoiled by anyone… yet! *lol*) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 24, 2024
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Aug 17, 2024
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Jul 24, 2024
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Paperback
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| B0CCZM8Y4C
| 4.09
| 11
| unknown
| Aug 31, 2023
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liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) "His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my li I’m on BookTube now! =) "His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my lips. The rain outside starts to pour down while the spinning world seems to come to a perfect still moment between us. Our galaxies are swirling together." It were quotes like this one, which made this book really interesting and good for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, at parts this story was extremely confusing and the timeline seemed to be all over the place. “Flesh and Bone – Awakening” had some good parts but also some that would have needed a little bit more work or feedback from the beta readers. So I think it’s best if we start with the good things first and then work our way through the not so good parts, okay?! First I’ve to say that I really loved Sam and Max as characters. They both gave me “All For the Game” vibes and if you know me, you know that I’m obsessed with this series. So I really appreciated those two boys and that they made their way even though they had a lot of baggage they carried with them. ”Well, I give up," I mutter through gritted teeth. Making eye contact, we both lean into the flame. The tobacco leaves light the night between us. His dimples radiate against the flame as that smirk transforms into a full-blown smile, all the while his hazel eyes never leave mine. We stay in that flame, gazing, gauging each other. Their chemistry was very palpable and even though they didn’t want to admit it at first, it became obvious that they were drawn to each other and weren’t able to escape each other’s pull. I really wish the author wouldn’t have left us in the dark about their mysterious connection because the way it reads, you know there is something between them but you never truly find out what exactly it is. I’m pretty certain a lot of people will say it’s insta-love, but I got the distinctive feeling that the author had reasons for writing them that way. Still, even after finishing the book, I didn’t grasp those reasons and that’s a shame because I really wanted to understand their relationship. "Caught off guard, I respond without thinking. "Absolutely, I ... I think I would go to war for you." His hand grabs mine firmly; a deep blush crossing his face. My grip tightens but he responds in kind. As stories go, this is a slow-paced one and there doesn’t really happen a lot. I’m honestly still trying to figure out in which kind of direction the author wanted to go with this because on the one hand we have the budding relationship of Sam and Max, then we have Max’s mysterious powers which he’s trying to hide and we also have Sam playing Lacrosse with his team. Well, and in between there are some sort of random fighting scenes and mysterious moments when I didn’t know what exactly was going on. *lol* I think you can already tell why this book was so confusing for me. XD "I might not know you very well Sam, but I recognize strength when I see it. You're the only one who doesn't want to recognize it. I thought at first it was a fear of being hurt, but now I think it's fear of being able to hurt others." From the blurb you can tell that mythology and gods seem to be involved in the story as well, but that aspect was highly confusing for me. We get a lot of dream sequences or parallel world sequences even (if I understood that correctly), in which Max is struggling with his fate, but we never truly find out what that fate is or entails. You might say Max is a very unreliable narrator and I think you’d be right with that assumption. Also I didn’t quite grasp which mythology the author wanted to go for. There were a couple of Greek Gods that were mentioned (Zeus, Hera, Olympus, etc.) but then we also had Max’s uncle named Horus?! And Horus is a god from ancient Egypt so this confused me immensely. Unless this was supposed to be a mash up of many different mythologies?! I think in this particular case, it would have been better not to keep the reader in the dark and to go for some tangible facts instead. That way a lot of the reader’s confusion could have been prevented. ”Just … wait, Sam. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to have someone feel that my life depended on them, I’ve never depended on anyone before, and I don’t want to start now. I didn’t want anyone mixed up with any of this! I don’t even feel like I should be here! I feel like I’m on borrowed time, but whose time, right? Whose lives are sent to replace my own? I mean, do you really want to become involved in this? In me?” I’m still trying to figure out what Max meant with all of this and so far there’s nothing but a huge question mark hoovering over my head. XD Anyway! Ignoring all of those issues, I could still see that the author has a lot of potential. There’s this raw and intense energy to his writing that sometimes grips you and you can’t help but think: “Damn, this is written so beautifully.” The relationship between Max and Sam, once it gets out of the “I hate you but I still kinda like you” stage is written so tender that you’re happy about every single moment they spend together and I think this was the part where the author’s writing style excelled the most. In addition, the ending was quite suspenseful and many things started to make sense. All told, I ended up liking SammaX’s story, no matter how confusing it was and I’ll watch out for book two because I hope to get some answers! Because as I already said, this story had a lot of potential and I’m curious if it will be used in the next book. =) ________________________________ This was a very interesting book but also extremely confusing at some points. I’m not gonna lie, half of the story I had no idea what was even going on (Max is an unreliable narrator) and the timeline confused me big time. XD Still, there’s a lot of potential and the last couple of chapters were pretty suspenseful. This said: Full RTC soon! I need to think about this some more in order to put all my thoughts into words. Stay tuned. ;-) ________________________________ I heard about this book on IG and wanted to read “Flesh and Bone - Awakening” ever since I saw the fanart some artists made about the main ship Sammax. So here we are! Considering there is even fanart on IG I’m surprised this doesn’t have more reviews on goodreads!? I mean the book is about sports and two boys that fall in love and apparently it also has some mythology angle?! Sounds good to me. =) I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. xD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 12, 2024
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Aug 04, 2024
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Jul 12, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0063237881
| 9780063237889
| 0063237881
| 3.67
| 173
| Jul 23, 2024
| Jul 23, 2024
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) **This ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are m I’m on BookTube now! =) **This ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley & Quill Tree Books!** Every once in a while you come across a book that surprises you in unexpected ways and I’m glad to say that “Asking for a Friend” was exactly that kind of book for me. When I went into this story I expected it to be a light rom-com about two teens who start to write a dating advice column together, but I definitely got so much more than that. For me, personally, the book turned out to be rather a coming-of-age story than a romance but it was so well done that I couldn’t help but be drawn into the plot. Before I even knew it, I got so invested in the story around Juliana and Garrett that I didn’t even mind that the romance aspect took a backseat. I mean, this is a slow burn and the two MCs go from childhood friends to frenemies to friends again and eventually to lovers. Both of them have to work hard to get to that point and I loved that this was done so realistically. There are about a gazillion of obstacles they have to overcome in order to be able to be happy together and by the end of the book they don’t just fight for first place in the AABC competition but also for their beliefs and love. Unfortunately, their goals turn out to be somewhat mutually exclusive and this is where the coming-of-age arc of Juliana comes into play. I have to admit that I don’t know much about Taiwanese culture, but from what I read in the book the pressure that was on Juliana’s shoulders was almost unbearable. Of course, not everything was bad and I loved all the bits we got about the Taiwanese American community and their culture. It seemed like there were two different ways to be Taiwanese in America and I have to admit that I liked Garrett’s community more. The elite of the Taiwanese community in which Juliana and her family found themselves in sounded extreme and the high expectations they had for their children seemed to be unattainable. Not everyone can make it into Ivy League colleges (and quite honestly, not everyone wants to go to one) and to expect your child to get in or die trying isn’t how you provide a nourishing environment for your kid. As a parent, I get the overall motivation and the idea that your children should have it better than you did, but all the pressure and those high expectations that were put on the children made for a very toxic environment. Not to mention all the gossip and how it affected the MCs. Still, despite all that Juliana and her friends managed to find themselves and to thrive in their own way. The balancing act between what their parents wanted and how they wanted to live their lives was very demanding, though and the author did an amazing job of conveying that struggle. I felt with Juliana and was rooting for her and yes, I also suffered with her whenever she was forced to make a hard decision. I really don’t know how the author did it but there were so many different topics that were addressed in this story and every single one of them was handled more than just well. The reader is able to explore the Taiwanese American society from an observer’s perspective while important topics like cultural identity and standards, community, grief, inner conflicts, family dynamics and gentrification are tackled as well. It’s truly a long list and every single one of those subjects was treated with utmost care, tact and respect for Taiwanese culture. Moreover, it was easy to understand where Juliana’s mother was coming from and why she acted the way, she did. She might have backed the wrong horse and made life extremely difficult and hard for her children, but the reasons why she did what she did were always clear. In the end this made Juliana’s mom a very complex character that felt real and human. Also and I have to say this here: I loved the very realistic ending and the fact that we got an epilogue that allowed us to get a glimpse of the last chapters consequences. It made for such a well-rounded finish of the story and I was extremely happy that this was a book that didn’t just deliver on all fronts but also, for once, didn’t leave me disappointed with the ending. All told, “Asking for a Friend” was the perfect read for me and even though it might have started a little slow, it had me totally invested by the end. I really felt for Juliana and Garrett and always wanted to know what would happen next and how their decisions would influence the storyline. If there is one thing I would have liked more of, then its Sunny’s & Cloudy’s answers to all those troubled teens, but I understand why the author focused on other topics instead. Overall, this was an amazing story and I’ll definitely continue to read Kara H.L. Chen’s books! If you enjoy deep coming-of-age stories with a little bit of romance you can’t go wrong with this. __________________________________ This was great! I didn’t expect to get THAT invested in the book but wow, I really felt with Juliana and Garrett. Such a great coming-of-age story and the ending was done so well, too! I need to collect my thoughts so for now I’m leaving you with a Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-) __________________________________ I got an ARC of “Asking for a Friend” through NetGalley and Quill Tree Books and I’m so ready to dive into this book because it sounds like the perfect rom-com for the summer holidays! According to the blurb we have: - Childhood frenemies to lovers - Who write a dating advice column together - Taiwanese American rep - A disowned older sister & a family secret - Coming of age vibes I’m very curious about this story and can’t wait to start reading it! Let’s do this! I’m ready! =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Jul 08, 2024
|
Jul 21, 2024
|
Jul 08, 2024
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1405293187
| 9781405293181
| 1405293187
| 4.31
| 1,359,878
| May 02, 2019
| May 02, 2019
|
it was amazing
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I’m on BookTube now! =) He scratched his nose. “I’ll be honest, I’m starting to find your tone a tad annoying.” “Good,” she said, following Max’s eyes a I’m on BookTube now! =) He scratched his nose. “I’ll be honest, I’m starting to find your tone a tad annoying.” “Good,” she said, following Max’s eyes as they looked over again to a noticeboard on the far wall, littered with posters and pinned-up notes and photographs. “And I’m starting to find your lies a tad intriguing.” Okay, so first things first: I can’t believe I slept on this series for so long!!! I mean “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” was published in 2019 already and I only discovered it now! How come I missed this?! I honestly dunno, but I’m very glad this book was all over my feed due to the upcoming TV show on Netflix. (Which was released at the beginning of August but of course, I can’t watch it because Netflix Austria didn’t buy the rights yet. T_T ) So it looks like I’ll enjoy all the books first before I’ll hopefully be able to get my greedy hands on the TV series. ”So my research methods will actually be: interviewing those close to the case, obsessive social media stalking and wild, WILD speculation. [DON’T LET MRS MORGAN SEE ANY OF THIS!!!]” Anyway! I guess by now everyone knows what the plot is about and I don’t have to say all too much. Still, for everyone who lives under a rock, just like me, I’ll give a really brief summary: Pippa Fitz-Amobi our MC is writing her final project for school and decides that she’s going to write about a murder that happened in her small town a couple of years ago. What makes the case interesting is the fact that it’s a closed one because everyone “knows” that high school sweetheart Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh right before he committed suicide. Problem is, Pip doesn’t believe he did it and she’s determined to find the real culprit. Starting with Sal’s family, she gets unexpected help in the form of his younger brother Ravi who wants to clear his brother’s name as well and the rest is… not exactly history, but plot and storyline of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”. ;-) "I'm irrationally serious," Pip smiled, holding the Tupperware box out to him. "And I made muffins." "Like bribery muffins?" "That's what the recipe said, yeah." Ravi's mouth twitched, not quite a smile. I really loved those two together and they had such a nice chemistry and great banter going on. The simple fact Pip believed in Sal’s innocence already helped Ravi so much and I felt extremely sorry for him and his family. I mean everyone was so sure that Sal killed Andie, they didn’t even try to follow a different path. For them it was clear that he killed his girlfriend so why bother with following any hints that might have proven his innocence. Case closed. Period. The ones who suffered were Ravi and his family, though. Everyone believed his brother murdered Andie and they all treated him and his parents badly because of it. Seriously, I could understand Pip’s rage when she witnessed how horrible people acted around Ravi. I would have been mad as well. Just because Sal was his brother, they automatically assumed the worst. It was so unfair and if there’s one thing that makes me angry, it’s injustice. Stanley: That’s ‘cause everyone knows what I’m saying is true. Pip: Actually, I don’t. I think it’s very irresponsible to label someone a murderer without using ‘suspect’ or ‘allegedly’ when there’s been no trial or conviction. Or calling Sal a monster. Obviously, Pip felt the same way and I absolutely adored her for it. This girl was amazing and her research was so much fun to follow! No, seriously, THIS is how you write a murder mystery! Holly Jackson is a genius because as a reader you’re along for the ride and find the same clues the MCs are discovering! You’re able to collect all the pieces of the puzzle and to guess alongside the characters and for me this was awesome! With other authors, you’re just with the characters and a lot of information is knowledge only the MCs possess and that is never mentioned, which means you can’t guess and some things stay in the dark until the big revelation at the ending. With Holly Jackson you’re allowed to come to your own conclusions and to figure things out for yourself and for me, personally, this is the best kind of mystery. "Pip was both surprised and not at all. Yet another path opening up in the maze of Andie Bell's life. Palimpsest upon palimpsest, the original concept of Andie only just peeking out through all the overlaying scribbles." In this particular case, Andie Bell was a mystery as well. The more we find out about her, the more we have to readjust the picture everyone painted and this added so much depth to the story. It made her a realistic victim with good and bad sides and with many layers that weren’t even mentioned in the news. It shows how easily the media turns people into either saints or demons with no room for individuality, let alone complexity. The way everyone turned Sal into this cold and calculating murderer without even digging any deeper. They didn’t even try to find a motive for him committing suicide because Andie’s murder was all they cared about. And of course Andie was a pretty white girl with blue eyes whereas Sal was a brown haired boy with dark skin. The blatant racism made me sick to my stomach. It didn’t matter that Sal was a bright student who was supposed to go to one of the best colleges, the media and the public had already made up their mind and had their culprit. =( ”She unfolded the paper, eyes skipping across it. In a large formal front printed across the page were the words: Stop digging, Pippa.” But Pip and Ravi believed in Sal’s innocence and dug deeper. Which ultimately led to Pip making a couple of enemies along the way. ;-) I suppose if you want to solve a murder mystery everyone believes to be a closed case you’re bound to antagonize a couple of people. And the list of people Pip made angry was long. Haha! From the reporters and media, to the police, right to Andie’s family and many other people she got in contact with due to her research. I can’t even put into words how much I loved this, because for once we have a teen that gets involved with everyone who was a part of the case and this in a realistic and logical way. I mean even Pip’s parents knew that she wrote her final project about Andie Bell’s murder. Sure, she kept a couple of secrets to herself but even this was reasonable considering how much knowledge she collected along the way. Moreover, sometimes you dig up things that help no one and it’s better to keep them a secret. XD So how does it all end? Ha! Go read the book yourself and collect all the hints, because I won’t spoil anything! ;-P ”Can you stop bleeding all over the murder board, please?” Pip said. Ravi pretended to throw a pin at her. Conclusion: “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” was an awesome book that had me glued to the pages! It’s very rare I stay up long into the night just because I want to know how a book ends, but with this story I actually did! The way everything came together in the end was amazing and I was such a sucker for collecting all the hints and creating my own murder board in my mind. If you love a good murder mystery where you can actually guess alongside the characters, if you’re a fan of the TV shows “Castle” and “Sherlock Holmes” and if you like stories that address important topics like grief, racism, xenophobia and irresponsible media coverage, then this is the right book for you. =) I enjoyed it a lot and I’ll definitely watch out for book two! _______________________________ OMG! This was awesome!!! I was glued to the pages and I loved how the reader was able to guess along with the clues! No, seriously! It’s been a while I stayed up late into the night just because I wanted to know how a book ends! XD The story was THAT good! Can’t wait to continue with the series! Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! I need to find out the exact day this is going to come out as a Netflix series. =) ________________________________ I’ve seen “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” on my feed for weeks now and I guess my fellow reviewers are doing a splendid job because I finally got curious enough to pick up the book at my library. *lol* Also, I heard that there’s going to be a TV show on Netflix in August?! I guess that’s the perfect moment to jump on the hype train. ;-P So far I mostly read murder mysteries written by Karen M. McManus so it’s about time to broaden my horizon. Let’s find out if Holly Jackson’s writing is for me. =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 2024
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Jul 28, 2024
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Jul 01, 2024
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1039007570
| 9781039007574
| B0CKKZPV8R
| 3.82
| 908
| May 07, 2024
| May 07, 2024
|
it was amazing
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”They could have this, if only for a moment. A tiny bit of comfort in a world that wanted to rip them apart.” **I received an advanced copy of this ”They could have this, if only for a moment. A tiny bit of comfort in a world that wanted to rip them apart.” **I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this ARC!** After reading “The Sins on Their Bones” and giving myself some time to digest the book it seems like I’m still at a loss for words. Considering the heavy topics this story explored and how dark and twisted it turned out to be this shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. If you ask me Laura R. Samotin did something not many authors are able to pull off. She wrote a book that’s not only set in a Jewish folklore-inspired queernormative world but also one that features three different POVS. And she gave all those characters such a unique voice that it was extremely easy to keep them apart. No matter if it was Dimitri, Vasily or Alexey, each and every single one of them had their own agenda and tried to push it forward. Still, if you’re expecting something fast paced now, you’ll be disappointed. “The Sins on Their Bones” is a very character driven story that used every tool available in order to create a lush and credible setting. There’s a very strong religious element that runs through the entire storyline and the topic of abuse and how it affects the people who suffered from it is always in the forefront as well. All of the characters are morally grey and they all did things they aren’t proud of. It’s a pretty complex world with multi-layered characters that are all forced to play the parts they’ve been given. Like a chess game, that’s working its way towards the grande finale. What the book truly lives from are the different kinds of love that are visible in every line of the story, though. And I’m not just talking about queer love here. I’m talking about the toxic, destructive, manipulative kind of love that rips you apart, the wholesome and nourishing sort we all crave for, as well as the love that comes from having supportive friends that stick with you through thick and thin. Samotin didn’t just cover the entire bandwidth of human emotions and relationships, she also dove into the abyss of human nature and gave this book an unexpected psychological depth that’s not easy to match. The story raises the century old question of what is wrong and what is right and confronts the reader with what happens if both sides think that the other side is in the wrong. Hearts and bones are quite literally broken in order to find the truth, but in the end, as is the essence of war, no side ever truly wins. And for that alone I love what Laura R. Samotin did with this story! “The Sins on Their Bones” is a book about love and loss, about grief and guilt, about the darkness within and the light of hope that always finds its way in. It’s a study of human nature, a story about the resilience of humankind and what we’re able to endure. But most of all it’s a story about faith, the belief that no matter how dark it gets, there are people who love us, there’s a higher power that guides us and when confronted with our sins, there’s always hope for change and amendment. 4,5 stars rounded up to 5. Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[physical and mental abuse, gaslighting, child abuse (mentioned & insinuated), blood & gore, violence (also sexual), drug use, war (mentioned), body horror and human experimentation (on page), trauma, grief, sickness, panic attacks, PTSD, depression, bodily harm (hide spoiler)] The characters: Welcome to my spoiler section! When I read ARCs I usually don’t go for one of these, but since I bought the book (my e-reader died and my copy didn’t work anymore) I decided I’d go for a more thorough review here. I have many thoughts and I need to put them into words. So here goes nothing! You’re welcome to join me or to skip this part. It’s your choice. ;-) Dimitri: "I'd ask God to protect you, but I don't think He's listening to me anymore." Dimitri looked down at his hands in his lap, his voice thick. Dima is a character I couldn’t help but feel sorry for. He probably would hate me for saying that, but after everything he went through it’s no surprise that he’s a broken man. The things he did in order to get Alexey back and the things he had to do after he betrayed him? It’s enough to break any man and this without true love being involved. Dimitri loved Alexey too much and there’s truth in the saying that “the ones who can hurt you the most are the ones you love”. I hear the reviewers who said that Dima is wallowing in self-pity and therefore didn’t get anything done but hear me out. This man was thoroughly broken, Alexey was the one person he trusted and his everything after his parents died. He was manipulated and gaslighted by him for years and because he loved him, he didn’t even notice until it was too late. The pain and guilt that came along with the realization of what he’d done and what he had allowed him to do with his country must have been more than just crippling and yes, we might have not known everything that happened but the reader knows enough to get a good picture of the situation. And if that wouldn’t have been enough already, the physical and mental abuse went on for years. No, seriously, I feel so, so sad for Dimitri because he’s a poor soul that had to suffer. Yet despite it all, he’s also a survivor and I loved to see the change in him. It was slow but it was realistic and after all the pain he went through I honestly hope that he and Vasya will have some peace now. ”He’d spent the last year wondering if Alexey had been right, if he’d been too weak to be the Tzar that Novo-Svitsevo needed. He still heard the echo of every one of Alexey’s scornful remarks over and over, every time he was alone.” ”Alexey was still so much a part of him, still controlling him, still leaving him crippled with guilt and with grief. He was nothing more than a boy living in the past, wishing that there was some way to undo his sins so he didn’t have to grapple with the consequences in the present.” Alexey: ”They all cried out for their families, begged him to let them go, prayed to God, as if Alexey Balakin, God’s finest creation, was not standing in front of them, offering to be their family, giving them a chance to protect the empire from any of the monstrosities that would stand against it. None of them loved Novo-Svitsevo like he did. Boy, Alexey was a piece of work! >_< The horrible thing about him, was that he truly believed he was doing what was best for Dimitri and his country. Whilst Dima was eaten up with self-doubt and self-hatred in equal measure, Alexey had no such qualms. Quite the contrary, Alexey was self-assured and believed in himself and his Holy Science. You might say he was a fanatic that did what he thought needed to be done and you’d be right. But unfortunately he was also charismatic and manipulative af and very scary which explained all the people at his court that just tried to survive his reign. For Alexey there’s no doubt that he’s in the right and he ruled with an iron fist. And I have to say this here: he’s also a sadistic assh*le that thrives when others are in pain. From what I gathered from all the sex scenes in the book he enjoys being in power and degrading and humiliating others. I know some people criticized that there are seemingly unnecessary sex scenes but I think Samotin wrote them in order to emphasise Alexey’s sadistic streak. For me those scenes revealed a lot about his character and megalomaniacal personality and therefore actually felt necessary for the plot. ”Every day after that, Alexey had prayed that Dimitri made no trouble, because as long as he made no trouble, he could stay alive. The moment he began to make a move for the throne, he would have to die. There would be no way that Alexey could maintain control otherwise. So he hoped that Dimitri would never make that mistake.” "I believe, Moy Tzar," Ivan said, bending down for another kiss, then nuzzling his neck. "I believe in two things. In you, and in the Lord our God." Alexey didn't correct Ivan that believing in him and believing in God were one and the same. Vasily: "He'd made it his life's mission to protect Dimitri - the very heart of Novo-Svitsevo, the backbone of them all - from anything that might hurt him, be it assassination or civil unrest, or bruised ribs and a broken heart." Can I have my own Vasya, please?! I swear this man stole the show and I enjoyed his POV so damn much! The way he toyed with Alexey and catered to his needs in order to get the information, he wanted… chef’s kiss! The role as spymaster fit him so well and Dima honestly couldn’t have found a better guy for the job. Vasya has all my respect for being a force to be reckoned with, and keeping a cool head when everyone else would have succumbed to panic. I’m not gonna lie, I fell in love with this man’s clever mind and the way he went about solving problems. He was extremely resourceful and would have done everything to safe not only Dima but also his country and people. His unwavering trust, dedication and loyalty in Dima and his court was so admirable. I can’t even. Moreover, I adored him for being so compassionate and having one hell of a poker face. Yes, I’m besotted with this man and I regret nothing. Legit the best character in the entire book. <3 ”Alexey licked his lips, and Vasily prayed to God that Ivan was satisfying in bed, because while he would bury every fear and instinct of his and let Alexey fuck him for days if that would save Dimitri and Novo-Svitsevo, he’d really rather not.” ”You shifted my entire image of myself. For all this time, I thought I deserved what happened to me as a child. I thought I was the one at fault. But now that instinct just kills me, because I see it in you too.” The relationships & ships: Dimitri & Alexey: "But he could love Alexey the same way Alexey had loved him. Unflinchingly, honestly, willing to look him in the eyes and assess his flaws. Willing to betray him, because the love they both felt for their country was more powerful than anything else." I’m still in awe of the way Samotin wrote their toxic relationship. It felt so real, dark and twisted and it was definitely abusive and destructive as well. You know some part of Dima still loves Alexey, yet at the same time he’s painfully aware of all the abuse he went through. Alexey for his part sees nothing wrong in his actions and this makes it so damn difficult. Whilst Dima went through some tough trauma initiated by his own husband, Alexey thinks the end justified the means. Alexey is blind to his own actions and how they affect and hurt the ones around him. Mostly because his humanity seems to have died when he returned from the grave. It was so hard to read from the villains POV because you know he’s wrong but he doesn’t see the error of his ways. Alexey tried to form Dima into someone he wasn’t and he didn’t care whether that broke him or not. So whilst Dima has true feelings for Alexey, his husband seems to be incapable of feeling anything at all. Even worse, when confronted with the truth, he refuses to acknowledge it. In the end Dimitri sees no other way than to kill his own husband, even going as far as to ask for help from an angel. Which is dangerous and leaves him with an arm that was flayed open because Gods name ended up written on his bones. Quite literally. Boy, that one was graphic. As were the scenes of Alexey’s abuse and how he broke Dimitri, figuratively and literally. This definitely wasn’t for the faint hearted… In the end, Dima tried to do the right thing and suffered immensely because of it and I can’t help but wonder how this will affect him in the second book. I’m sure we’ll see more of Alexey as well and that their toxic story isn’t quite over yet even though I wish it would be. For Dima’s sake I hope he’ll be a lot stronger when he faces him again. >_< But that’s the problem, if you’ve been the victim, it’s not easy to change your role and to fight against what the other made you believe. I guess we’ll have to find out in the next book. "If there was one thing about Dimitri he had despised, it was how stubborn and steadfast he was. Dimitri had pushed back and fought him, clawed at him, despite all of Alexey's efforts to mold him." ”We’re just two broken men, aren’t we? Who tried and tried, and yet in the trying, made everything worse.” Alexey recoiled and squared his shoulders. “I am not broken.” Dimitri laughed wetly. “If you refuse to admit it, then, who are we but two people who loved each other to the point of destruction? You and I burned everything to the ground in our wake. I loved you, Alexey, but I lost you all the same. I lost you to that fucking Holy Science of yours, and you never came back to me.” Dimitri & Vasily: ”It filled him with guilt, pretending that Vasily was Alexey instead, but it was what he needed. And Vasily had never told him no, had never complained, and so he took and took and took, even as he wished it wasn't Vasily he was taking from." Those two were so good for each other and I loved their slow burn romance! I know a couple of other readers mentioned that Dima was too hung up on Alexey to make their ship believable but I personally think that this was very realistic. To fall in love is easy, but to fall out of it is hard and it’s exactly what Dimitri was trying to do. He knew Alexey was bad for him, but his heart couldn’t quite follow the lead of his head. Once there are feelings involved it’s always difficult. You can hate someone but still love them and I think Samotin portrayed Dima’s inner conflict more than just well. So yes, Vasya’s and Dima’s relationship is developing slowly and there isn’t a lot of chemistry, but considering their history this felt real. They connected more on an emotional level than on a physical one and I think that’s totally believable. Both of them suffered physical and emotional abuse from the people they trusted and loved so them building a healthy relationship based on trust and familiarity was exactly what they needed. I think it was realistic and developed naturally and I don’t need them to have mind-blowing chemistry as long as they are happy and feel comfortable around each other. They have room to grow and to heal and that’s perfect! I ship it! Period! ”I know what he would do. I know exactly what he would do, because I spent years watching him do it to you. I could draw the atlas of the way he hurt you.” It was a punch to the gut, the way that Dimitri leaned into his touch, the way that he replied, “I don’t want him to hurt you. And I’m afraid he will.” Like his own hurt didn’t matter. Like he was so worthless that he didn’t deserve to be safe. ”It was a feeling that only one other person had truly been able to give him, and something in Dimitri’s heart burned with the thought that Vasily’s comfort was better, and purer, and more real and selfless and solid than Alexey’s had ever been. He couldn’t lose this. He couldn’t bear it. This would be the loss that tore him to shreds.” ”There will merely be this, between us, this recognition of the perfect hurt and pain that honed us into blades, so we could cut each other free. I wanted so badly to tell you that if you died, I would follow, because it’s no longer the secrets of heaven I would wish to whisper to you. It’s that I love you too.” Alexey & Ivan: ”Would you –“ Ivan was truly crying now, and Alexey deigned to wipe away his tears. “Would you be doing this if I wasn’t my father’s son?” No, Alexey thought. “Yes, of course. Don’t be ridiculous.” I still feel sad about Ivan’s death because this gullible boy fell in love with the wrong man and he’s basically the embodiment of what could have happened to Dimitri if he would have stayed with Alexey. But Dima was too strong-willed and fought against Alexey, something that would have never even occurred to Ivan. Which is so tragic because it’s the reason Alexey didn’t love him as much as he loved his husband. Ivan was too pliable and innocent. No match for Alexey’s wickedness and cunning. He was just a means to an end and this will always be tragic and sad. T_T ”None of us get what we want in this life.” Ivan’s voice was laced with such unbearable sadness that it made Alexey choke on a sob. “Not bastards, not Tzars. Not even the chosen one of God.” Dimitri & his Court: ”I meant it because to people like you, to people like me, there’s more to our lives than family, than friends, than love,” Annika continued. “There is duty, and loyalty to one’s country, and the knowledge that we will do what we must to protect our people.” I absolutely adored Dima’s court because they weren’t just amazing but also distinctive and diverse voices. Mischa his physician went by they/them pronouns, Ladushka (Lada in short) seemed to be on the aro/ace spectrum and Annika was a compassionate soul that deserved the world. (I think she might have been bi or lesbian, but it was never truly mentioned, at least as far as I can remember) I loved that they all had different strengths and that they did their best to support Dima. They definitely were a found family and I was glad Dimitri and Vasily had them. =) ”None of them had protested the plan. He had not needed to ask if they would come with him, back to Novo-Svitsevo. Because he knew that even if he was standing at the edge of the world, these four would be behind him, holding him up. They were his friends, his family, his strength, his salvation.” Conclusion: So, those are my thoughts on the book and its characters. I probably could go on and on but I think I’ll leave it at that. If anyone wants to discuss the story with me, feel free to drop me a comment! I’d love to talk about this because I still have so many thoughts! =) _____________________________ I was very lucky to get an e-ARC of “The Sins on Their Bones” through NetGalley. Well, and then I was extremely unlucky because my e-reader died and my ARC copy didn’t work anymore. >_< Guess they are right when they say: You win some, you lose some?! *lol* I decided to buy the book now, though because I wanted to read this so badly it hurts So yeah, I might be late to the party but I had very good reasons and now I’m going to read this book! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 24, 2024
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Aug 24, 2024
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Jun 24, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 3000767665
| 9783000767661
| B0CP47YSP9
| 4.27
| 220
| unknown
| Jan 29, 2024
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it was amazing
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”The Binding. For the first time Vindt understood what it meant, its impact, its finality. The Singer’s heart beat against Vind I’m on BookTube now! =) ”The Binding. For the first time Vindt understood what it meant, its impact, its finality. The Singer’s heart beat against Vindt’s back, strong and fast, like his own.” **I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read your book, Thelma!** Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[mention of past suicide attempt, lashing (on page), dubious consent, on page sex, blood drinking, mention of torture, mild body horror, war, trauma, forced servitude, slavery, violence (hide spoiler)] I thought long and hard about how to start this review but all I seem to be able to come up with is: Wow. What a debut!!! The fact this is Thelma Mantey’s first book is something my mind can’t comprehend because how do you even write a story and characters like that?! It boggles my mind but I definitely won’t complain because this was amazing and exactly the kind of book I want to read. There’s so much to love about “Ocean’s Blood” because we don’t just have two really interesting and complex MCs but also a great setting and world-building. There are a lot of intrigues and schemes going on as well and the unique magic system had me glued to the pages. The idea of Singers who can decide a war by just using their voices is wild, but also very fascinating and it was extremely interesting to find out more about their origins and limitations. ”Withdrawal. The Singer’s blood was a drug, without exit. No matter how long the abstinence went, how much he suffered, it wouldn’t leave his system. If the new Singer didn’t arrive soon, Vindt would die, slowly and painfully.” One of the things that gives the story an intriguing dynamic is the fact that we explore this world through Vindt’s eyes and even though he’s spent a decade in the service of Silhorveen, his former master and quite a piece of work, he somehow managed to live from day to day without giving his surroundings much of a thought. Something he becomes painfully aware of once an unforeseeable chain of events causes Silhorveen to be out of the picture and binds him to a new master. Asche is completely different than Silhorveen, though and for the first time in years Vindt is making an effort to understand his new masters motives. "Mad?" he said, so quietly Vindt was sure the others couldn't hear him. "Funny. You are not the first to say that." Louder, he added, "You need my blood, Thyd. If I were you, I would think before speaking." With that, he rose and left the tent. What I really liked about those two is the way they challenged each other. No matter if it was Asche asking Vindt to change his braid because he was aware of its meaning or if it was Vindt refusing to give into Asche’s manipulations. They both gave each other a run for their money and I lived and breathed for their little mind games. Vindt has been through a lot and his distrust and defiance are based on years of abuse by his former master. Whilst everyone else considers being a Thyd an honour, Vindt certainly doesn’t see it that way and Asche is trying to understand the reasons why. He’s the first Singer who confronts Vindt and demands answers to questions Vindt doesn’t want to answer, let alone think about. And I loved that about him. "I assume you sent a messenger?" Plotliw just glowered at Asche. "So you've received an answer. Let me guess. She said, 'Try to negotiate, and if he won't, give the bastard the fucking money.' Am I wrong?" Asche is such a multi-layered, mysterious, charismatic and morally grey character, I couldn’t help but adore him. There’s good in him and you can see that he truly cares about his people, but there’s also a darker side to the Singer and he seems to thrive when he’s challenged and forced to use his wits. All his schemes and the way he presented himself were calculated and deliberate and trying to figure him out had my mind in knots. In a good way, of course. ;-) I love characters like that because they make me think and I’m sure Vindt felt the same way, his initial distrust and animosity turning into something like respect and tentative trust. "He didn't know how long he had been sitting like that when someone crouching down in front of him made him look up. Asche's face was as pale as bone, the lips pressed together into two bloodless lines. The dark, burning glow in the black eyes would have made Vindt recoil, had it not been for the wheel at his back. “You’re wounded.” Asche sounded as if he wanted to strangle him. The more time they spend together, the more the reader learns about the world they live in and I really appreciated this kind of approach of introducing your characters and their environment. What I also valued, and now we’re finally addressing the big elephant in the room, was their extremely slow slow-burn and how their relationship changed throughout the book. At first, they were two strangers that didn’t trust each other, then they turned into acquaintances that respected and appreciated each other’s company and mind. And at the end? Well, I definitely wouldn’t call them lovers because they’re not. Maybe two people who feel an undeniable pull towards each other? It’s complicated, especially after that ending, but it has me hooked for sure. XD "Now that the chase was over, the places their bodies touched crawled to the forefront of his awareness, chest, groin, thighs. Asche's flanks under his hands. So strange. Not a demon's squirming nothingness but an actual body, bones, flesh. Touchable." And speaking of THAT mind-blowing ending without spoiling anything, at least for now: My mind still grapples with all the insinuations and repercussions the actions of Asche and Vindt might entail. I mean, I’m still thinking about this book, and I have so many questions that haven’t been answered and so many thoughts on what exactly happened! Thank you, Thelma for doing my head in. Haha! No, seriously, I have THOUGHTS and because of that, I need to go for a little spoiler part real quick now: (view spoiler)[ 1.) Asche had known him for less than a month; Vindt’s eyes had not even made a full turn. It took people years to notice the color changing. Most never did. From gray to deep green and back in a moon’s cycle. “Moon child,” Asche said. He knew. What is it with Vindt’s eyes that makes him so special?! I mean Asche alludes to them more than once and the other Singers seemed to be impressed by him being a moon child as well. Does it come with special abilities? Are those powers dependent on the moon cycles? I need to know!! And I hope we’ll find out more about this in book 2! Also, nice touch with the Swedish word “växling” which means “change/shift”. ;-) 2.) "So, golden boy, next time you think you are the dependent one in our relationship, the slave - think again." This bomb was dropped and delivered so nicely. So if I got that correctly Singers are also sort of enslaved to their gods and hunted by the Verdurs?! And their Thyd’s have more power over the Singers than the Singers have over them? Which changes literally EVERYTHING!! And especially what happened near the ending between Asche and Vindt! I swear my mind is still in knots about this and I’ve thought about this scene again and again. 3.) ”The other side: untainted, unclaimed. Vindt could see the pulsing vein beneath the pale skin, smell the blood. He licked his lips. The Singer’s eyes went even wider. “No.” “No?” Vindt didn’t let go of Asche’s wrists, but he slackened his grip so it would take a child’s strength to free them. Then he waited. Now it was Asche’s turn to lick his lips. He tried to say something, but all that came out was an inarticulate noise. He was struggling now, ferociously – Vindt felt it – just not with his body. “Tilt your head.” Asche’s breath changed from shallow to wheezing. THIS scene! I’ve reread it more than twice and I’m still trying to figure out if it was consensual or not. At first I didn’t understand why Asche lashed Vindt within an inch of his life after they slept with each other but then I reread that moment and if we consider the fact that a Thyd who drank a Singers blood is stronger because of it, then I have to assume that Asche couldn’t stop Vindt even if he tried?! He said “no”, he was struggling against Vindt’s pull and I think some part of Asche tried to fight it but couldn’t. Vindt wanted Asche to stop him but he didn’t and Vindt took this as consent even though his actions and his reactions to him spoke a different language. Damn! My mind is still reeling from this and then we have this quote as well: "Losing is an acquired taste, you know. Once you've done it a few times, you'll start to ... well." Asche bored his glinting eyes into Vindt's. "Get addicted to it." Vindt's skin prickled. He wasn't sure whether the Singer was still talking about chess. We know the Singers drink each other’s blood as some sort of power game and if you win you’re considered to be the highest rank on the food chain. So how often did Asche lose to Ru and is this the reason he learned to accept it?! To protect himself from thinking of it as what it is, namely rape. Because there’s clearly no love lost between these two and Asche hates Ru at least as much as he seems to hate him. ”His mind was dazed, and yet he had never been this aware. And he wanted Asche to be aware, too. Of this. Its impossibility. The universe upended. Of the fact that he could have prevented it but had not.” I’m so confused! I honestly don’t know if it was consensual or not and I hope one of these days I’ll stop breaking my head over this. My mind says “no” it wasn’t consensual but there’s a small part that considers all of Asche’s actions and can’t help but wonder if it was consensual after all. I mean he obviously tried to manipulate Vindt into betraying him to Ru and Vindt didn’t betray him, even though he had plenty of chances to do so after he drank from Asche’s wrist. Giving into Vindt’s advances and hurting him so much that he had no other choice than to go to Ru and finally take action against Asche wouldn’t be that improbable. Quite honestly, it’s something that’s definitely in Asche’s skill set. And it would explain Asche’s cautious probing and confusion through their mental link after he lashed Vindt. For Asche the end justifies the means, but he might have felt guilty and confused about his own growing feelings for Vindt. 4.) ”This time, however, the pattern didn’t inspire dread; to the contrary, the Singer looked newly born, as if the ocean had spat him out of its womb, a creature made of waves and tides, of liquid and darkness, something that would slip through Vindt’s fingers as soon as he tried to grasp it.” And last but not least: Are Singers vampires or do they fall into the category of sirens and merfolk?! Maybe they are both? I get siren vibes but also vampiric ones and I honestly don’t know where to place them. Anyway, I hope Thelma will put me out of my misery with the release of her second book and with answers to all of those burning questions soon because this is driving me nuts. XD (hide spoiler)] ”With my blood, I bind you. I bind your body and your soul. My blood will fulfil your destiny. You will be my shield and my sword. You will be my voice. You will depend on me as I will depend on you. You will defend my life with yours, and I will do the same for you. This Bond is sacred. It shall only be broken by death.” Conclusion: “Ocean’s Blood” is one hell of a debut novel and once I started to read it, I had difficulties to put it down. The world building was well thought-out and the characters were intriguing. In addition to that, I loved all the machinations, political schemes and mysteries that raised so many questions that have yet to be answered. What the book truly lived from was the chemistry between the two MCs, though. Their character arcs and the way their relationship changed and grew into something more was done so masterfully and I honestly can’t wait to see how their bond is going to develop in the next book. I’m definitely going to find out because there’s no way I’ll miss this. Thelma if you read this: Thank you! And now, I need book two! ;-P ______________________________ I absolutely loved this book! Asche was such a complex, mysterious and morally grey character! I totally lived and breathed for this. Also the world building! Amazing! <3 What happened at the ending totally blew my mind and I’m still reeling from … everything?! I want to understand what happened there?!?! Anyway! Full review to come soon! I’m looking forward to the next book in the series! _______________________________ At the end of January, Thelma asked me if I wanted to read an ARC of “Ocean’s Blood” and I was more than just happy to say “yes”! I already saw the book all over my IG feed and got extremely curious about it. So Thelma Mantey asking me to read it was perfect timing! It took me a while to get to it, but here I am, totally ready to dive into this enemies-to-lovers story that promises “Captive Prince” and “Interview with the Vampire” vibes. The world building already sounds so unique and I love the concept of Singers that use their voices to bring down entire empires! Not to mention that I can’t wait to meet Vindt and Asche and all the intrigues they’ll have to face! Can you already tell I’m excited? Boy, I’m so here for this! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 14, 2024
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Jul 07, 2024
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Jun 14, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 9783865806161
| 3865806163
| 4.39
| 28,235
| Apr 2005
| May 24, 2007
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) I’ve to admit that Volume 6 was better again and that it was actually pretty suspenseful. At the beginning, neither Light nor M I’m on BookTube now! =) I’ve to admit that Volume 6 was better again and that it was actually pretty suspenseful. At the beginning, neither Light nor Misa know that they’ve been the former owners of the “Death Note” and L is still in the dark about how the murders actually happen. In order to find the Kira in the finance company Light and L decide to go for surveillance cameras in the conference room and that definitely pays off. To figure out the identity of the new Kira takes them a little while, though. Well, and there is still the trust issue between L and Light. Their dynamic always amazes me because while they are both extremely intelligent and think about ten steps ahead they still don’t get along all too well. Yes, they put their differences aside for the time being whenever it’s necessary but they are always at each other’s throat as well. Also and that’s something I find very particular: Whenever they run out of words, they resort to fists and violence. *lol* Then again there’s something about L that can really piss you off. So I can’t blame Light for losing his patience every once in a while. Haha! I think what makes it really hard for L to figure out the details, is that he’s a logical person who thinks things through and comes to logical conclusions but that’s not how the Death Notes work. They are supernatural and L has troubles to wrap his mind around that, which stands in his way of figuring things out. I suppose you’d get the same result if you’d let Sherlock Holmes go for a supernatural case that is actually supernatural. XD I can’t help but wonder when it will finally sink in. Anyway! What I really liked about this Volume was how suspenseful it was. We’re led to the true identity of the Death Note owner and I’m sorry to say it but I was completely wrong with my assumptions after Vol.5. *lol* Tsugumi Ohba did a great job with that. Also kudos for making Misa a character that acts and thinks for herself. I really liked that she did her own thing in this Volume and it was intriguing to get insight into Rem’s thoughts. It’s interesting that Rem – a death god – thinks Light was a good owner of the Death Note because he used it to do good. Plus I’m pretty certain sooner or later the Death Note will find its way back to Light. After everything, I wonder how he’ll feel about it once he gets it back, though. Right now, it seems like he doesn’t believe in the possibility that he was the original Kira and to find out he was, might turn out to be quite the shock to this new version of Light. (view spoiler)[So far only Misa is back in the game and knows about the truth so I’m sure this is going to add a lot of new and interesting possibilities to the plot. ;-) (hide spoiler)] It might take a while until we get to this point of the series, though so I’m very curious how everything will continue in volume 7. After that suspenseful car chase at the ending, everything seems to be possible. The elaborate con to cause the new Death Note owner to expose himself was one hell of a freaky ride and I loved every second of it. ;-) I’m ready to find out what Volume 7 holds in store for me! ____________________________ Okay, I admit it! This was fun again! Of course, Light and L were at each other’s throat, but that’s nothing new. Still, I really liked how they planned ahead and set a trap for the new Kira. Very entertaining & suspenseful. Full and short RTC soon! ;-) ____________________________ It’s time to pick up volume 6 of “Death Note”! I wasn’t an all too huge fan of the last one but I have high hopes that this one will be great again. Apparently, Misa is working for Yotsuba-Group and trying to find out who has the death note. This already sounds way more interesting than the last volume. *lol* Fingers crossed this will be a good one! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 03, 2024
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Jun 16, 2024
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Jun 03, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0241473667
| 9780241473665
| 0241473667
| 3.73
| 72,522
| Nov 30, 2021
| Nov 30, 2021
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) “You can be right in principle and still wrong in approach.” I think by now I’ve read almost every Karen M. McManus book that is I’m on BookTube now! =) “You can be right in principle and still wrong in approach.” I think by now I’ve read almost every Karen M. McManus book that is currently existing under the sun and because there is always a new one I decided to go for “You’ll Be the Death of Me” next. Of course, this one followed the typical McManus formula, but for some reason the story worked better for me this time around. I mean yes, the characters were pretty predictable and as always we have three teens with different POVs that all struggle with something in their private lives. No matter if it’s Ivy who tries her best to reach perfection in order to be as good as her brother, Cal who is lonely and has no friends or Mateo whose family is struggling after their livelihood was taken away from them. They all have problems and all three of them have good reasons to skip a day of school when they meet on a fateful day in the parking lot. ”Maybe I’m just jealous of Gabe. I have a chip on my shoulder, lately, for anyone who has more than they need and doesn’t have to work for it. I have two jobs, and Autumn, who graduated Carlton High last spring, has three. And it’s still not enough. Not since the one-two punch we got hit with. It starts good as well and for a while, they are able to forget about their troubles. Well, until Ivy spots Boney Mahoney – the reason why she skipped school in the first place - as he enters a building in Boston and decides to follow him. As the three friends stumble upon his corpse in a studio things escalate quickly and everything goes downhill from there. Of course, our three former besties don’t even think about calling the police or giving a statement and instead decide to solve the mystery on their own because that’s exactly what dumb kids these days do. *lol* Okay, okay, I’m reigning in my sarcasm, but it’s just so hilarious that McManus characters almost never do things the normal way and always try to do everything on their own. "I understand his frustration. I really, really do, because I share it. We're doing so many things wrong that it's almost physically painful. But every alternative comes with its own set of problems, and I'm not ready to face any of them." I suppose it’s good the author is aware that her characters are teens that do stupid things because otherwise this concept wouldn’t work that well. But I get it. You need your MCs to do stupid, reckless things while they try to solve a murder mystery in order to make it suspenseful for the reader. So this part of McManus books is always, the point where I turn a blind eye to the character’s antics because it does a good job at moving the plot along. AND the storyline in “You’ll Be the Death of Me” moves fast because the entire plot plays in the limited timeframe of just one day. As does the romance between Mateo and Ivy. ;-P ”Full disclosure: Mateo was my first crush. I spent half of eight grade desperately mooning over him while pretending not to, positive that he couldn't possibly feel the same." Of course, he was. XD When it comes to romance the author always follows the same concept too because we once again have Mateo, the seemingly bad boy who tries to get by and therefore skips school and Ivy the perfect student who always tries to make everything right, but fails somehow. I knew Ivy and Mateo would be each other’s love interest right from the moment they were introduced. As I said, predictable characters. Cal however was a little different. Yes, he’s a rather insecure MC that has no friends and tries to find his place in the world, but there’s a lot more to him than initially meets the eye. From all those three characters, he definitely was my favourite because he was able to surprise me. ”Ivy,” I say as gently as I can. “I’m not sure we can fix this.” She doesn’t reply, and I add, “We’re in way over our heads.” Not to mention despite Ivy being the brains of the group he certainly had more common sense and knew that their situation was dire. What I really liked about the story and what eventually caused me to give this book a rating of 3,5 stars rounded up to 4 was the fact that I was thoroughly entertained. There happened so many things during those 24 hours and many secrets were discovered and revealed! Even among our three friends and yes, those are quite the life altering secrets that are all kinda connected with each other. I mean one of my updates for this book was legit: “Oh wow! This is like all the skeletons in the closet decided to come out of it because they want to air their dirty laundry.” Which is to say, it were a lot of revelations that hit quite hard and in staccato. ;-) My inner gossip girl was thriving. *lol* "He's standing with his back to us, shoulders hunched, and there's something so defeated about his posture that I feel a surge of protectiveness for the guy. Back when we used to hang out, Cal was this really open, friendly, carefree kid. I don't know who he's meeting, but if she's making him look like this, I already don't like her. In addition, I really liked the close friendships of our main characters. They might have lost contact for a while but they still cared about each other and this was just lovely to see. As was the fact that Cal had two dads – Wes & Henry - and that you could feel their love for their son on every page on which they were mentioned. I love queer representation like this and it’s still so rare in books! So I was happy to see that we got one in this story. =) Conclusion: All told, “You’ll Be the Death of Me” was a fun read that kept me engaged until the very last page. All the small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book cumulated into a great ending and made the story interesting. For a McManus book this felt slightly different and I found myself enjoying those little changes. I dunno about you, but I’m ready for whatever Karen M. McManus throws at us next. ;-) ______________________________ Okay, to be honest the characters were pretty predictable. For some reason this story worked, though. I think it were all those small and big secrets that surfaced throughout the book and made the plot so interesting. XD I had a great time! Full review to come soon! Stay tuned! ;-) _______________________________ What’s a sure sign I’m in a reading slump? I have 7 books on my “currently reading” but I’m adding an eight one that’s a Karen M. McManus book to the list. *lol* I honestly dread the day I’ll be through all of Karen’s books because for some reason they always get me out of my slumps. XD Anyway! This one sounds promising because we have three friends that skip class and accidentally stumble upon a murder scene. Nice! Let’s see if the McManus formula will work for me. ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 28, 2024
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Jun 22, 2024
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May 28, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0316539880
| 9780316539883
| 0316539880
| 4.22
| 54,382
| May 04, 2021
| May 04, 2021
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I’m on BookTube now! =) It might have taken me a couple of months to finish this book, but boy, this story was good! I so rarely read epic fantasy but w I’m on BookTube now! =) It might have taken me a couple of months to finish this book, but boy, this story was good! I so rarely read epic fantasy but whenever I do I find myself enjoying it immensely! The 3 POVs, the Nordic mythology vibes and the strong family bonds and friendships in this were great. <3 Full RTC soon! This is going to be a high rating! _____________________________ I think it’s been about a year I last read some epic fantasy so I guess it’s about time I finally pick up another one! “The Shadow of the Gods” has been on my radar for ages and so many of my BookTube friends raved about this story, I just had to pick it up too. I’m very curious if this will live up to my very high expectations but judging by the cover it has dragons and I’m always down for a good dragon story. ;-) Also the gods drove themselves into extinction and it’s mayhem after their reign? 3 different POVs? Sounds like the right book for me! =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 22, 2024
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Oct 19, 2024
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May 22, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1529099439
| 9781529099430
| 1529099439
| 3.88
| 93,522
| May 03, 2022
| Nov 2023
|
really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Who you are here doesn’t have to be the same as who you are out there. And if the person you feel like you have to be in this I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Who you are here doesn’t have to be the same as who you are out there. And if the person you feel like you have to be in this town doesn’t feel right to you, you’re allowed to leave. You’re allowed to exist. Even if it means existing somewhere else.” Every single time I think: “Oh, this might turn out to be a short review!” I look through all the quotes I saved and realize that “no” this is most definitely not going to be one of my short reviews. *lol* I had every intention to keep this short and simple but the truth is, there are just too many things I need to address and talk about. And because I’m nothing but thorough and because this book left me with a lot of mixed feelings, I just have to go into more detail. You should always voice your opinion when it differs from the general tenor of other people’s perceptions. Maybe, just maybe, someone else sees it the same way I do?! You never know. ;-) This said: Casey McQuiston wrote an interesting and enjoyable book that tackled many different topics. Despite the Christian Academy setting of a small town in Alabama there were a lot of queer (non-binary, gay, lesbian, etc.) and diverse characters and I absolutely loved that about the book. Not everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community grows up at a place that is nourishing and accepting and some of us still have to be the first ones to bring about change. Even if that means to thrive in secret and to know who you are even if no one else does. In some environments, this is already an act of defiance and it was intriguing to see how living at a place like Willowgrove shaped its students. I guess you might say that religion was a huge part of the book and ran through it like a common thread. Also the scavenger hunt aspect of finding Shara reminded me a lot of John Green’s “Paper Towns” and I found it funny that even the author referred to it during the book. But that’s actually where the similarities end because “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” is going in an entirely different direction and tackles completely different topics. Still, McQuiston lost me at the romance part because I never truly shipped the main couple and this is kinda sad. Anyway! I’m going to take a deep dive into everything in the spoilery part of my review now so here goes nothing! ;-) The characters: ”All around them, the rest of Willowgrove is filtering into first hour, and every single one of them takes a second to stare as they pass. Chloe Green, the one who scored a 35 on the ACT. Smith Parker, the saint who led Willowgrove to the state champ title two years in a row. And Rory Heron, best known for flooding the bio lab on purpose. The three of them occupying the same spot is ripping a hole in the Willowgrove space-time continuum.” Okay, this is the moment when I tell you that the rest of this review is going to have a couple of spoilers. If you’ve already read the book: Be my guest! If you haven’t: Well, it’s up to you! I can only give you a fair warning, you’re old enough to decide for yourself. *lol* Chloe: ”She still has something on Shara: herself. She can make Shara chase her. She can be smart about it – let her think she might have a chance and then give her the first bottom-of-the-heart rejection of her entire charmed life. Chloe’s spent four years trying to keep one thing out of Shara’s hands. Now she can be that.” Chloe… Boy, this girl was a piece of work. *lol* No, seriously! I honestly dunno if I liked her or not because for a main character Chloe was quite flawed and I usually like that about my MCs but in this particular case it just annoyed me?! There was something about Chloe that made it really hard to warm up to her and whenever she did something really nice for her friends, she had the most obnoxious thoughts about Shara and this kinda ruined everything for me again. Her holier-than-thou attitude got on my nerves big time and I expected more compassion from her? I mean how thick in the head do you have to be not to notice that Shara’s disappearance was a cry for help?! Her lack of sympathy for Shara was such a red flag and it wouldn’t have hurt if she’d have reflected on her actions and thoughts a little bit more. I get that Chloe didn’t have it easy, but you’d think that this would have made her more aware of other people’s problems, but nope, for a long time she was completely blind to the struggles of her class mates. There was some character development near the ending but for me personally, it came a little too late. Still, her taking the fall for Georgia was a great gesture and it showed that there is potential for change. I just wish we had gotten that character arc during the book and not at the end of it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ " ”I, uh. Okay. I actually have to go.” She turns for the door, then pauses. “Um. Not because of you. You’re doing great, with all the, um. Identity stuff. Also pronouns?” Smith bites his lip. He looks like he might smile. “Same for now.” "Before they moved here, she never felt anything about Alabama, and she certainly never imagined it could make her feel anything about herself. But Alabama is in her, no matter how much she pretends it's not." She exhales. It really is a long list. “And I’m really, really sorry I didn’t apologize to you until now. I would jump on a gay grenade for you every day of my life, and it sucks that I wasn’t acting like it.” ”So if she’s the only one in the class of ’22 who’s really out for now, if her existence can provide cover for half her graduating class to stand up for something without saying things about themselves they can’t yet say, that’s enough. That’s plenty.” ”I learned that a lot of us – a lot more than I thought – are doing whatever it takes to survive in a place that doesn’t feel like it wants us. I learned that survival is heavy on so many of us. And on a personal level, I realized I’d gotten so used to that weight, I stopped noticing how much of myself I’d dedicated to carrying it.” Smith: ”He’s one of the few athletes Chloe considers good-looking instead of thick-necked hot-ugly: high cheekbones, striking brown eyes with sharp inner corners and arched brows, dark brown skin that somehow remains clear during football season. He’s tall, even taller than Rory.” Smith my ray of pure sunshine! <333 I absolutely loved and adored Smith, which shouldn’t have surprised me because at the end of the book was his character sheet and Smith has the same MBTI as me. *lol* Still, Smith turned out to be my favourite character and I shipped them so much with Rory. It was so nice to follow Smith’s journey and to see how he figured out himself. And yes, I’m using he/him as well as they/them pronouns because I think even though Smith might choose they/them pronouns eventually, he still went with he/him during the book. It’s a process and I’m sure Smith will figure it out at some point in the future. I really liked that Casey left this open and didn’t rush Smith’s character development. It was a slow progress and it was perfect that way! Also the fact that they didn’t want frogs to get hurt. Aww Smith was so damn precious! He’s a person you just can’t help but adore. <3 ”Smith leans on one of the six leather barstools lining the island, thinking. The more time she spends with him, the more she notices that he doesn’t carry himself like all the other football players out in the yard. He’s big, but he’s graceful. He doesn’t walk from room to room as much as he flows through them.” ”I like my body, because it’s fast and strong and good at football. But it also has to be a dude’s body, because I play football. So like, maybe sometimes I wish it was smaller or softer or … different … but I don’t really have a choice. And I can wear stuff like my letterman jacket and feel better because I could be shaped like anything under that, and I can imagine that maybe I’m not shaped like a dude sometimes.” ”It’s fucked up. It’s fucked up how they makes us feel about ourselves, and we put up with it because we don’t think there’s anything we can do about it. We put up with it for so long that we don’t even know who we are, only what they want us to be. And I don’t want to put up with it anymore.” ”At his request, Chloe smudges a hint of gold eyeliner around the corners of his eyes. By the time they’re done, he looks like a god of the forest in white Air Forces. Rory stares at him from across the room with wide eyes, like he’s never seen anything quite like him before. None of them have, really. There’s nobody like Smith Parker.” Rory: ”Dark curly hair with caramel highlights, light brown skin, long and straight nose, a jawline both square and delicate like fishbone. Rory Heron. Willowgrove’s answer to every brooding bad boy from every late ‘90s teen drama.” This boy was amazing! Rory brought so much fun to the trio and I loved how he was always up for mischief but also extremely observant. He was one of the few people Willowgrove wasn’t able to bend to its will and I think that was mostly due to him knowing who he was and accepting himself. Plus of all three of them he was the most serious and got things no one else did. Which was in odd contrast to him being the embodiment of the bad boy who was known for his pranks. I really appreciated that he was always honest and didn’t beat about the bush. Even when he got aware of why he was jealous whenever he saw Shara with Smith he was completely honest about it and didn’t try to hide it from Chloe. And he was basically the only one who told Chloe the truth about her being as mean as Shara sometimes which was extremely refreshing! She totally needed to hear that and Rory made sure she did. XD Loved that boy! ”Rory tilts his head back, settling it against the tree so his curls crumple up at his crown and his jawline goes all model-y, his eyes slipping closed like visions of perfectly executed pranks are dancing in his head. He answers, in the wistful voice of someone announcing a long-awaited fantasy: “The air ducts.” ”She’s mean.” “Sometimes,” Rory says, returning to her. “Sometimes you are too. I still think you’re cool though.” That strikes Chloe momentarily speechless. Rory shrugs, pats Chloe once on the shoulder, and rises to his feet. Shara: ”This whole thing was pretty distracting, right?” Shara says. “I turned in my assignments for the last nine weeks ahead of time, but you’ve probably missed a couple deadlines, right? Dropped a percentage point or two?” “You did this to – to sabotage my chances at valedictorian?” Shara rolls her eyes. “Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing if you’d thought of it.” I honestly don’t know what to say about Shara because we really didn’t get a lot of her in the book. Since she was mostly absent and pulled the strings in the background, we only got a glimpse of her character once she reappeared again. From the little I saw she was a very intelligent and manipulative character that learned how to act the part at a young age. Despite her being such a conniving and rather mean person I still felt sorry for her because it couldn’t have been easy to be the daughter of the principal. And this without even adding her liking girls to it. That girl was never allowed to be her true self and always had to be the picture perfect daughter everyone expected her to be. There must have come a point when she just couldn’t play her role any longer and I think that was the moment she came up with that elaborate scavenger hunt for Chloe and the others. Despite everything I just said Shara wasn’t really a nice person and that made it hard to ship her with Chloe. ”I mean I feel more comfortable around her than I do around almost anyone,” Smith says. “I’m not thinking about what everyone expects me to be. Sometimes we don’t even have to talk. It’s just like, an understanding. But at the same time, there’s always more going on in her head than you can ever guess, and she’ll never tell you exactly what it is. You still have to figure her out.” ”That was my plan. This wasn’t ever part of it, but that was back when I thought I knew what all of my lies were and why I had to tell them. It hadn’t really occurred to me that I was lying to myself too. I didn’t know that part until two nights ago, and that’s why I decided to tell y’all everything. I think maybe I needed so many secrets to keep this one locked up, and now that it’s not locked up anymore, I don’t need the rest.” ”Shara slips the necklace under the neckline of her dress and straightens her shoulders, and Chloe realizes this is Shara when nobody’s looking. Born so smart and so curious and so fucking proud that not even Jesus could convince her she was wrong. Saved by God first and her God complex second. Going through hell and painting pink nail polish over it.” The relationships & ships: Chloe & Shara: "Even if Chloe doesn't want Shara back, she does want to be a sharp-beaked little bird making a nest in that pretty head. If the next note is anything like the last, she needs it. Like, for entertainment purposes." Those two. There’s so much to unpack here. >_< First of all, I didn’t ship them. Not even at the ending when they became a couple and everything was resolved. They just didn’t have any chemistry and I think McQuiston waited too long with their first meeting. If I remember it correctly, we were already over the halfway mark when Chloe found Shara and then they continued to fight each other tooth and nail up until the last 20% of the book. There was so much animosity between those two and after being in Chloe’s head for so long and seeing how much she despised Shara the change from “I hate her” to “I love her” felt too extreme. They shared like two kisses and both were hate-kisses with an ulterior motive. I didn’t buy their sudden realisation that they were in love with each other because there was really no indication that they actually were. Truth be told their entire relationship felt kinda toxic to me and even though they might have been obsessed with each other I didn’t feel it click?! All their interactions just felt too aloof and both of them could be extremely egoistic and mean. So yeah, I didn’t ship them at all and I’d really like to know if anyone else felt the same way about them. I can’t be the only one, right?! ”Shara’s the one who Gone Girl’d herself because she’s in love with Chloe. How is Chloe the crazy one?” Instead, she breaks off, abrupt enough that Shara’s left blinking and dazed, and God, finally Chloe isn’t the one doing the embarrassing leaning. She’s getting embarrassingly leaned at. Amazing. Top five Chloe moment. “Told you,” Chloe says. And with one solid shove, she pushes Shara – prom dress and all –over the railing and into Lake Martin. ”God, I thought I’d won. But it didn’t feel the way it was supposed to. And that pissed me off. And I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t enough, and then I read your last card and I realized that I didn’t just want you to see me. I wanted someone who sees me, and I wanted it to be you, because I think I always knew you were the only one it could be.” Rory & Smith: ”It’s hard to explain,” Smith says. His brow pinches. “I haven’t talked to him since we were fourteen, but I haven’t been able to get rid of him either. It’s like he was always gonna come back to mess things up for me, and now he has.” I ADORED those two! You hear me?! I know I should have been on the Chloe/Shara ship but those two definitely stole the show! I was more invested in what was going on with Rory and Smith than I was curious about what would happen with Shara and Chloe. Their chemistry was off the charts and their lingering looks and how they always wondered about what the other would say was a dead giveaway! Also Rory gets the title of best and most observant boyfriend ever because even when they weren’t together he made sure to give Smith the moon and the stars! <3 This boy got Smith his favourite food without asking, always knew about his classes and legit flooded the bio lab because he knew Smith cares about frogs and didn’t want to dissect them in class. I honestly have no words for how precious Rory is and I’m so happy him and Smith got together in the end. They were so damn adorable! <333 Most shippable couple in the entire book! I screamed when they finally kissed and I’d do it again! *lol* “Spanish," Rory says. "What?" "Smith's in Spanish right now." Chloe squints at him. Rory squints back. The speed with which he recited Smith's schedule goes unaddressed but not unnoticed. ”Like what? That you’re meant for each other?” In her periphery, Rory is shaking his head. “No, like … like maybe I talked myself into her, because when I looked at her and Smith together, I was so jealous, and she seemed like the right place to put it.” “She’s not a place,” Chloe points out. “Or an idea. She’s a person.” “Yeah,” Rory says. “But an idea can’t want you back. And I’m starting to think that was kind of the whole point.” ”Can I hear one sometime?” Smith asks. “One of your new songs?” “That depends,” Rory says. “Depends on what?” And with all the courage in his noodle-y body, Rory says, “Depends if you don’t mind that they’re all about you.” Conclusion: I really enjoyed “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” and Casey McQuiston did an amazing job at portraying the life and journey of queer teens in a very religious environment that almost leaves no room to find yourself. The diversity and representation was great but I just couldn’t connect with the MC and unfortunately the main romance fell flat for me too. Still, the story had its good parts and since I adored the side-characters this might have left me with mixed feelings about the main couple, but ultimately turned out to be a good read. Four stars. _______________________________ It’s been a while I read my last Casey McQuiston book so I thought: Why not pick up this one? XD “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” sounds like it might be a fun book. To be honest the plot kind of reminds me of John Green’s “Paper Towns” because apparently Shara disappears the same way Margot does, but I’m sure Casey will go in a completely different direction. Let’s find out where Shara Wheeler went! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 06, 2024
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May 26, 2024
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May 06, 2024
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Paperback
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Virginia Ronan
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| 4.16
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Nov 10, 2024
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Nov 01, 2024
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Oct 31, 2024
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Oct 21, 2024
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| 4.18
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Oct 20, 2024
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Sep 21, 2024
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| 3.77
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really liked it
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Nov 04, 2017
not set
not set
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Sep 12, 2024
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Jan 04, 2020
not set
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Sep 11, 2024
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| 4.00
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Sep 13, 2024
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Aug 26, 2024
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| 4.20
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Sep 29, 2024
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Aug 20, 2024
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| 3.94
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liked it
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Sep 28, 2024
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Aug 14, 2024
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| 4.17
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Sep 08, 2024
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Aug 05, 2024
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| 4.10
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it was amazing
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Aug 18, 2024
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Jul 30, 2024
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| 4.06
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Aug 17, 2024
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Jul 24, 2024
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| 4.09
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liked it
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Aug 04, 2024
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Jul 12, 2024
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| 3.67
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it was amazing
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Jul 21, 2024
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Jul 08, 2024
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| 4.31
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it was amazing
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Jul 28, 2024
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Jul 01, 2024
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| 3.82
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it was amazing
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Aug 24, 2024
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Jun 24, 2024
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| 4.27
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it was amazing
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Jul 07, 2024
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Jun 14, 2024
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| 4.39
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really liked it
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Jun 16, 2024
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Jun 03, 2024
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| 3.73
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really liked it
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Jun 22, 2024
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May 28, 2024
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| 4.22
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Oct 19, 2024
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May 22, 2024
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| 3.88
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really liked it
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May 26, 2024
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May 06, 2024
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