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caseythereader's reviews
1745 reviews
Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thanks to Atria Books for the free copy of this book.
- I love absolutely everything about SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN. Queer exploration and discovery! Second chances! Funny and serious! Older main characters!
- I loved that Eli and Nick are almost 40 - they have lived whole lives before finding their way back to each other. I loved that they both discovered the queer parts of themselves "later" in life, and that it's treated as perfectly fine and normal.
- This book is so funny and tender, but it also doesn't brush away the reality of being a queer person in a state like Florida.
- I love absolutely everything about SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN. Queer exploration and discovery! Second chances! Funny and serious! Older main characters!
- I loved that Eli and Nick are almost 40 - they have lived whole lives before finding their way back to each other. I loved that they both discovered the queer parts of themselves "later" in life, and that it's treated as perfectly fine and normal.
- This book is so funny and tender, but it also doesn't brush away the reality of being a queer person in a state like Florida.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Car accident, and Death of parent
Witch King by Martha Wells
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Having a hard time following what’s going on and who everyone is.
The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to Avon Book for the free copy of this book.
- THE DUKE GETS DESPERATE was my first Diana Quincy and it won’t be my last! I loved this enemies to lovers, competence is hot, are we fated mates story.
- I am not usually a big enemies to lovers fan, but this book does it right. It’s not “oh we had a misunderstanding and therefore hate each other forever,” it’s they legitimately have reasons to be pitted against each other and also legitimately keep pissing each other off but also they love how smart and stubborn and capable the other is and simply can’t keep away from each other.
- I also love that Raya is a Palestinian American heroine who is proud of her heritage. She belongs in this time period and in this book, an era and genre that often ignore women like her.
- THE DUKE GETS DESPERATE was my first Diana Quincy and it won’t be my last! I loved this enemies to lovers, competence is hot, are we fated mates story.
- I am not usually a big enemies to lovers fan, but this book does it right. It’s not “oh we had a misunderstanding and therefore hate each other forever,” it’s they legitimately have reasons to be pitted against each other and also legitimately keep pissing each other off but also they love how smart and stubborn and capable the other is and simply can’t keep away from each other.
- I also love that Raya is a Palestinian American heroine who is proud of her heritage. She belongs in this time period and in this book, an era and genre that often ignore women like her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Racism and Alcohol
Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence and Car accident
After World by Debbie Urbanski
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.
- I sit here trying to write a review of AFTER WORLD and find myself just making sad, overwhelmed noises. This is one of the most devastating, inventive, and beautiful books I've ever read.
- This book is an exploration into the best and worst of humanity, and a harsh vision of a potential future. (The content warnings are extremely real here, friends.) Amid that, it's also a loving look at our planet and its many possibilities.
- To be honest, I'm not sure this book fully stuck the landing at the end, but I'll be turning the rest of it over in my mind for months to come.
- I sit here trying to write a review of AFTER WORLD and find myself just making sad, overwhelmed noises. This is one of the most devastating, inventive, and beautiful books I've ever read.
- This book is an exploration into the best and worst of humanity, and a harsh vision of a potential future. (The content warnings are extremely real here, friends.) Amid that, it's also a loving look at our planet and its many possibilities.
- To be honest, I'm not sure this book fully stuck the landing at the end, but I'll be turning the rest of it over in my mind for months to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Rape
Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet by Taylor Lorenz
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Stalking, and Murder
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything I hoped it would be. Queerness and silliness and strong personalities and deep emotions, what else could you want?
- I loved that both Arthur and Gwen got to have unlikable characteristics but were still granted full humanity by the others.
- For all the shenanigans in this book, there is still a layer of darkness as well. The crown weighs heavy on all of them in different ways, and each character needs to figure out how they will approach the life they've been dealt.
- GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything I hoped it would be. Queerness and silliness and strong personalities and deep emotions, what else could you want?
- I loved that both Arthur and Gwen got to have unlikable characteristics but were still granted full humanity by the others.
- For all the shenanigans in this book, there is still a layer of darkness as well. The crown weighs heavy on all of them in different ways, and each character needs to figure out how they will approach the life they've been dealt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- Whew, THE HURRICANE WARS is ITTTT for lovers of romantasy! Magic! Secrets! Sworn enemies! Undeniable attraction!
- This book absolutely powers through the intial scene setting and background information, cramming a book or two’s worth of action in the first hundred or so pages. Then, when we reach the point where Talasyn and Alaric are thrown together, we downshift to a delicious slow burn.
- I really liked the world Guanzon has built here. It feels entirely new, even when she’s playing with well-worn tropes.
- Just as a warning, I absolutely thought this was a standalone novel and it! is! not! I need book two now!
- This book absolutely powers through the intial scene setting and background information, cramming a book or two’s worth of action in the first hundred or so pages. Then, when we reach the point where Talasyn and Alaric are thrown together, we downshift to a delicious slow burn.
- I really liked the world Guanzon has built here. It feels entirely new, even when she’s playing with well-worn tropes.
- Just as a warning, I absolutely thought this was a standalone novel and it! is! not! I need book two now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.
- Fans of literary sci-fi, gather round, because THE OTHER VALLEY is made for you.
- The quiet, spare prose calls to mind NEVER LET ME GO, which is then layered with multifaceted, unanswerable questions about morality, grief, and the road not taken.
- This book takes several unexpected turns and kept me guessing, and also trying to sort out what I would do in Odile’s place.
- The logistics of this society and how the Conseil structure came to be are never really explained, but I kind of enjoyed how the details were waved away and this book was just allowed to be a character study and extended thought experiment.
- Fans of literary sci-fi, gather round, because THE OTHER VALLEY is made for you.
- The quiet, spare prose calls to mind NEVER LET ME GO, which is then layered with multifaceted, unanswerable questions about morality, grief, and the road not taken.
- This book takes several unexpected turns and kept me guessing, and also trying to sort out what I would do in Odile’s place.
- The logistics of this society and how the Conseil structure came to be are never really explained, but I kind of enjoyed how the details were waved away and this book was just allowed to be a character study and extended thought experiment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail