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caseythereader's reviews
1744 reviews
4.0
- BOTTOMS UP AND THE DEVIL LAUGHS is an exploration of the sort of secondary government hiding under the one we know - the organizations and people that are tracking everything that happens electronically here and overseas.
- Howley makes the topic easy to understand. Even if you have only a cursory knowledge of people like Edward Snowden, she writes so clearly and engagingly that it isn’t hard to follow her down the rabbit hole.
- I did find the ending of the book to be abrupt. We jumped very quickly from Reality Winner to Q, without much discussion of how everyday people went from reading news of the whistleblowers to storming the Capitol.
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Antisemitism and Pregnancy
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Homophobia and Rape
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Mass/school shootings
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
- SOMETHING KINDRED is like Jas Hammonds x Courtney Gould, and I loved it.
- This is a book about relationships between women and how generational trauma can affect them. I loved all the women in this book, and watching them grapple with the choices they had made in their lives.
- These relationships dovetailed so beautifully with the exploration of small town life; how something can feel like home and be stifling at the same time. The imagery and feelings it evoked will stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
- OMG, this book 😭😭❤️ I very NEARLY cried reading this book, which is high praise because books never make me cry.
- You wouldn’t think this book, which you know is going to end in a death, would be so hilarious, but it is. I loved the road trip shenanigans and the bickering and the joy and beauty found in the bleakest of times.
- Then, of course, this book is also filled with thorny questions of how to live your life and what are the most important things in that life. Just a treat, all around.
- I also loved how Logan’s ADHD and Rosemary’s anxiety are not problems to be fixed, but integral parts of who they are. (Not that I expected anything less from Cochrun!)
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Alcohol
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- THE PERFECT GUY DOESN’T EXIST is a very fun read. This book revels in romance tropes and is very silly while also touching on some tough friendship feelings.
- I love a prickly girl character, and both Ivy and Mack bring that vibe while they try to sort out how they feel about each other.
- Something about the dual timeline structure made it feel like arguments got rehashed a few times too many. But aside from that, I had a great time with this book.
5.0
- What’s there to say about Abdurraqib’s writing that hasn’t been said already? THERE’S ALWAYS THIS YEAR showcases him at his best, writing about basketball and about literally everything else at the same time.
- To be totally clear, I don’t even like basketball and I was entranced by this book. I adore the way Abdurraqib can seem like he’s meandered far off topic, and then suddenly, it all locks together.
- Reading this book feels like watching an underdog sports movie while also having a heart to heart with a lifelong friend.