booktribe's reviews
577 reviews

Maybe one day I’ll give this another try, but the pacing is just way too slow for me.

DNF at chapter 25

I was hesitant to pick this one up do to the cover looking like it’s AI generated, but the synopsis sounded so intriguing that I had to give it a try! But, sadly I couldn’t get into this one.

This just can’t catch my attention. I’m simultaneously bored and confused. I found so many of the descriptions confusing to the point where I couldn’t keep up with what was going on. The time jumps, switching POVs, and non-linear storytelling also added to that confusion. And It definitely doesn’t feel like horror, but more of a character driven science-fiction novella. And by character driven, I mean nothing sci-fi or horror is happening, it’s just the characters interacting with each other in ways that don’t feel like they’re particularly pushing the story forward.

This was such a great premise. I found the concept of The Gray to be very intriguing. But, I have no desire to pick it back up. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys character driven sci-fi though, just don’t go in expecting horror or any action right away.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

"Black queer kids deserve to know they have heroes."

This was such a great read! It was so informative. As someone who is familiar with the Harlem Renaissance, (I'm not an expert, but I am familiar) I even learned a lot! There were several people mentioned that l've never heard of and several people that I do know, but that I had no idea were queer! And it's great to see knowledge about these Black, queer icons made accessible for young adults! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more Black history! It was a very short book that didn't go too in depth abou each person's biography, however it definitely gives enough to make you want to research and learn even more. Also, the illustrations in this novel were absolutely beautiful! Straight up breathtaking! I'm obsessed!🥰

I love the titles of Eric LaRocca’s work, the book covers, the flow of the writing style. The packaging is beautiful. But the stories themselves are lacking for me.

~ You Follow Wherever They Go: ⭐️⭐️✨

~ Bodies Are For Burning: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ The Strange Thing We Become: ⭐️⭐️✨ (I don’t get it…)

~ The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: ⭐️✨

~ You’re Not Supposed to Be Here: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass: DNF

~ I’ll be Gone by Then: ⭐️⭐️✨

~ Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You: ⭐️ (tf was that??)

avg. rating: 2.4 stars

overall rating: 2 stars

If you’re looking for an adorable, funny, coming of age story, then you’ll love this one! I absolutely LOVE the bucket list trope, and this story did not disappoint! Everything about this was fun, from the chapter titles to Aisha’s inner monologue. Aisha and Quentin had amazing chemistry, funny banter, and so many cute moments! I also loved the self love message of this novel that teens (as well as adults honestly) can really relate to.

If you enjoyed the bucket-list aspect of Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, but are looking for a fluffy young adult version, this book is perfect for you!

This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year! I am a huge fan of vampires and dark academia, so taking those two elements and making it Black, I KNEW I would love this, and it didn’t disappoint! 

The mystery in this story kept me intrigued the whole time. It was slow burn mystery done right. From the first chapter all the way to the end I was hooked. I loved the characters so much! They were morally grey characters done perfectly! I’m not usually an enemies to lovers girl, and it did take me a minute to get into the romance, the transition from hate to attraction seemed abrupt to me, but by the end of the book I loved Kidan & Susenyos together! And I had so much love for both the main & side characters!

The story had so many great elements such as gothic vibes & a sentient house. The ending perfectly tied up everything we needed in this book, whilst simultaneously setting up for an exciting sequel! I can see this becoming a tv series one day👀 I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

CWs: parental abuse, death, gore, murder, sexual content, strong language, suicide ideation, and violence.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024! I love Black romance and I am definitely a science girl, so I was so excited to read a Black, STEM-centered romance! However, this book fell flat for me. I stopped reading at 59% in.

I did enjoy all the talk about marine biology. I liked all the shark facts sprinkled throughout the story. And I loved seeing positive blerd (Black nerd) representation! I also enjoyed the characters separately as people and the little sweet things that they’d do that showed that they still cared for each other.

However, the story felt incredibly repetitive to me. I felt like we were going around in circles with constant miscommunication from the characters. All the miscommunication made the characters feel very juvenile. Literally every problem in this novel could’ve been avoided if they’d just been honest with each other, from the initial breakup to the awkward workplace interactions. But, these grown adults were incapable of having a conversation. The scenes were too long and repetitive. I feel like the same things kept happening over and over again. And so many scenes was unnecessarily long, like chaptersss long. That just made the book start to drag for me, so I won’t be continuing the story. 

But, if you’re someone who enjoys more slow burn romances and isn’t bothered by the constant miscommunication trope, you may enjoy this one! It had a really sweet vibe, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

I was incredibly excited for this book! I love the idea of two spies falling in love whilst pulling off a heist! However, this fell flat for me. I stopped reading at 38% in.

Firstly, there were a couple of things that I did enjoy. I liked that the characters were older, in their forties. It’s always refreshing to see older protagonists in romance. I also enjoyed the spy/heist aspect of the book! However, the romance couldn’t keep me interested. The characters lacked chemistry. I didn’t enjoy seeing them together, and the male love interest was just bland to me. I also felt that the pacing was off and the scenes were too long. It was one of those reading experiences where I felt like I had read wayyy more than I actually had because the story was dragging.

This one just wasn’t for me. While reading, I had put it on pause to focus on other books, and then I just realized that I had no desire to continue. But, I am still interested in checking out other books by Charish Reid and hopefully I’ll enjoy another one better!

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

P.S. even though this book wasn’t for me, I absolutely loved that a cuddling scene was included! I feel like I don’t see them enough of them in romances, which is shocking, so romance authors, write in more cuddling scenes please🥰