caseythereader's reviews
1744 reviews

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
I don’t think I can hang with the chaotic stream of consciousness. 
State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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His Name was Death by Rafael Bernal

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dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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You Get What You Pay For by Morgan Parker

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0


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Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0


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Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

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challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0


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First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream by Jessica Hoppe

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free copy of this book.

 - It’s surprisingly (not so surprisingly) hard to find an addiction and recovery memoir that isn’t written by a white person, and FIRST IN THE FAMILY gets into the many reasons why that is.
- Hoppe blends memoir with facts and figures about how addiction was treated in her family and among people of color more broadly; specifically, how BIPOC experiences are purposefully erased from the mainstream frameworks of recovery.
- Hoppe reads the audiobook, and is such an engrossing and emotive narrator. 

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It's Elementary by Elise Bryant

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emotional funny hopeful medium-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

3.75

Thanks to Berkley for the free copy of this book.

 - IT’S ELEMENTARY is just how I like my cozy mysteries - smart, sharp, funny and fast paced.
- I adored Mavis and her inner monologue as she tried to keep up with everything on her plate as a single Black mom in a wealthy neighborhood.
- I do think there was a lot of time spent spinning wheels in the middle of the book, when nothing new was really being discovered. And even though I figured out whodunnit before Mavis, I still very much enjoyed my time spent with these characters and would absolutely read more mysteries by Bryant. 

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Thea and the Mischief Makers by Tracy Badua

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free copy of this book.

 - THEA AND THE MISCHIEF MAKERS has me questioning why I don’t read more middle grade books, because this was so fun.
- I loved that this book is both a magical adventure and a lesson to look out for others instead of just yourself. Evan doesn’t have a stated diagnosis, but he’s clearly neurodivergent and Thea learns that someone’s awkwardness isn’t worth losing a great friendship over.
- There’s also a great thread of the plot that’s about the unexpected ways grief can manifest itself that’s done so well for younger kids to grasp.
- The duwendes were great too, also a perfect mix of silly and serious.
 

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