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This book is going to stay with me for quite a while I think. The first few days after reading it I really got a bit of anxiety looking at mirrors and I think that says something about the book! I really really enjoyed this! It was dark and twisty and felt a bit like a fever dream the entire time. There were so many moments when I thought I knew what was going to happen and then was completely wrong and shocked. I did not want to put this book down the entire time I was reading it. I cannot wait until this is out in the world so I can pick up a physical copy and recommend it to everyone around me!

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy!

This was an incredibly fun book! The art style was very captivating and bright which made it extra engaging to read. It was a very typical alien invasion story with the element of an underdog human teaming up with an alien. I had a really great time reading this and would definitely recommend!

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Books, Book Influencers and Samantha Shannon for sending me a copy of this book!

I was deeply invested in every single one of the characters. Even the characters we only got a handful of interactions with intrigued me and made me want to learn more about them and hope they’d show up again. The main characters like Paige, Warden, Liss, Julian, Nick, etc all grabbed my heart almost immediately. I’m so invested in all their storylines and where things will go from here. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface for everyone. The villain characters also did a good job of making me feel intimidated while also just straight up hating their guts every time they were on the page.

I was pleasantly surprised when there wasn’t much romance at all so far. I somewhat went into it thinking we’d get romance fairly quickly and when that didn’t happen it kind of felt like a breath of fresh air. I’m intrigued to see how things will develop in the next books but for now I’m glad it wasn’t really an element here.

The plot, I think, had a good balance of necessary world building and getting to know the characters and actual plot that we’re following. There were so many moments in this that had me catching myself reading ahead because I was so anxious to get to the end of the scene. It kept me fully invested and interested throughout the entire thing. It was fun to have that anxiety of wondering when or if Paige would take things to far or be caught when she was doing things she shouldn’t.

The setting felt very immersive to me. I loved the element of a hidden city right under the general population’s noses. Everything that was described really made me feel like I was there with Paige and walking through these environments. I was able to really picture them in my head which enhanced the reading experience for me.

I’m a sucker for multiple POVs so I kind of wish we got to see someone else’s POV at some point whether that was Warden, Liss, or even Nick. But I also think only seeing everything through Paige’s eyes really added to the mystery of everything that was going on and coming to realizations at the same time as her I think was a good element of the story. I didn’t mind the pacing, it felt like we had a lot of fast parts that were broken up by slower, more mundane parts which I enjoy. It had a good balance.

The conflicts throughout this book had me very anxious and stressed for Paige and, later on, for other characters as well. The last few chapters of the conflict all coming to a head had me on the edge of my seat and had me fully crying at multiple points. I am extremely eager to continue reading this series to see what happens from here.

Overall, I very strongly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more!

Hearts That Cut is a thrilling sequel to Threads That Bind, which was one of my top reads of 2023! To say that this was my most anticipated read for this year would be an understatement and I'm very happy to say it lived up to my expectations!

This sequel truly was non-stop anxiety for me. Things were constantly happening and it was a really exciting read! The plot took so many turns that caught me off guard and by the last quarter of the book I was gasping and on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The characters only got better in this one! Io is such an interesting character, in my opinion. She feels so real and her reactions / actions never felt completely out of left field. I really liked her time spent with Bianca and watching their relationship develop! The new characters were also great! I would've loved to see more of them. My only complaint is not enough Nico but that's because he was my favourite in the last book.

Overall, this was a really satisfying and fun sequel! I had a great time reading it and I'm thrilled it was as good as the first book for me! Would 100% recommend both of these books.

I absolutely adored this book! It had the perfect balance of serious topics and cute, fluffy moments. I loved both Gabby and Neesha so much! Seeing disability representation in graphic novels in general, but especially sapphic ones, made me very happy! While I don’t have the same condition as Neesha, it made me feel seen as a disabled sapphic person myself! I thought the mental health aspect with Gabby was also great and handled well. Overall, this was a fantastic book and I would definitely recommend!

Blood & Fury is a fantastic follow up to Chaos & Flame and conclusion to this duology. This was one of my most highly anticipated releases for the year and I am very happy to say it did not disappoint whatsoever.

I came into this book already deeply attached to the characters and this sequel only intensified those attachments. With the cliffhanger of Chaos & Flame, I was eager to see where our characters ended up and how things were going to evolve from those events in book one. Talon was a character that I liked a lot in the first book but in this one he really become one of my favourites. I loved his relationship with Darling but also how dedicated to everything he put his mind to in this book. Darling took on a whole new level of power and purpose in this and I really enjoyed watching her evolve with that added responsibility. Caspian got on my last nerve but it made sense still. Vivian was a new favourite for me and I really loved seeing more of her.

There were multiple moments in this where I physically felt my heart pounding while reading and could not put it down. The action really sucks you in once things start to really pick up. Overall, I think this was an excellent conclusion and I'm sad to no longer be in this world. Highly recommend.

this was a really sweet but simple manga. there wasn’t anything super special about it but it still was an enjoyable read! the pairing was very cute and their interactions were funny sometimes too

I received this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review!

Hearts Still Beating is a very interesting and entertaining take on a zombie apocalypse. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The premise of a zombie, or in this books case "tick", being medicated to no longer be a tick is so such an interesting take.

It reminded me a lot of "Warm Bodies" which I also absolutely love! There's the added bonus of this also being a sapphic story! I loved the tension between Mara and Rory. There were so many points where I found myself so strongly rooting for them to cross that invisible line in the sand they had. There was also Rory's family who, while I wished we saw a bit more of, I really enjoyed! The element of a sort of found family is always something I look for in books!

The action scenes were also very exciting to read! I felt myself holding my breath and being on the edge of my seat wanting to read as fast as I could to see what happened next! It was the perfect balance of being action packed but you still have slower, deeper moments to really get to know the characters and their stories.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

arthie casimir runs spindrift, a tearoom that transforms into a blood house for vampires at night. her business is threatened and as a result, her and a ragtag group of outcasts have to set out on a heist.

this novel has:

a heist

high stakes

vampires

talks of colonialism and racism

found family

and a set of diverse characters

i think this book really shines when it comes to the characters and all the complex dynamics between them. i especially loved the dynamics between arthie and jin. there is always something special about found / chosen family in fantasy books for me. i liked that it had multiple POVs as well. it really helped get to know the characters since we do follow quite a few in this book.

the romance was always super fun to read. the tension and slow burn was a very enjoyable aspect. i liked the push and pull that was going on that made me want to yell at the characters at times (in the best way).

the action scenes were very well written, in my opinion, and kept me on the edge of my seat. i find in books like this, the action scenes can really make or break the book and thankfully they made it in this case. there was also plenty of twists and surprises thrown in that added a lot of fun to the reading experience.

the audiobook narrator captured the characters personalities very well and kept me engaged the whole time. there were rarely times that mind wandered while listening.

overall, i had a really fun time reading this book and, especially with the ending, i cannot wait to read the next book! would highly recommend this one.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this book was a hit for me. The art style? Stunning. The plot? So interesting. The characters? Intriguing. It truly hit every mark for me when it comes to graphic novels.

The moment I saw the cover for this it went straight to my most anticipated releases list for the year and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint. I’m very excited to see where the story goes in the next volume as it did feel like this first one was mostly setting up the story.

I’m especially excited to learn more about Sunny and why the demons are hunting him. I’m very intrigued by every character we’ve met so far, honestly! I hope we get more back story on each of the characters and get to know them more in the future. They all are designed in the coolest way possible, I want to be all of them.

PS I have a crush on Samson.

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book to review! 

I enjoyed this a decent amount! Jerry was an intriguing character who I would love to learn more about. The same goes for the other characters! I think the combo of ships, lesbians and zombies is really fun and I haven't seen it done before! I am looking forward to reading the next book to see where all of this leads these characters.

I received this book from NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review!

This was exactly what I was looking for! I loved that it was spooky and mysterious without being over the top. I thought the story was super interesting and I liked that there was folklore in there as well. It really added to the whole atmosphere of the book.

My favourite part of the book was the characters though. I am a very character driven reader and I thoroughly was invested in these characters as whole. I thought Linden was very likeable and I was really invested in all her relationships and what happened to her. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the whole James family as well. Especially with the sisters! I'm not going to lie, the sisters could've been a bit more diverse in personalities but otherwise, I loved them! The parents, aunt and grandma were also great characters I could really feel. Cole was okay. I didn't love him as a love interest but I feel like that was because we didn't really see a TON of him. Linden and Cole's scenes together were a bit dominated by Linden, which is fine because I loved Linden, but it did make me not care as much about Cole. 

This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never lost my interest throughout. I would definitely recommend it! 

Ps. the subtle little queer rep at the end made my heart happy.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Andrew Joseph White did it again. The Spirit Bares It's Teeth is an incredibly heart wrenching book while somehow also heart warming. It held the balance of being very hard to read due to graphic gorey scenes and then intimate scenes around friendship and identity and love. 

I'm not going to lie, my two gore topics I avoid are eyes and pregnancy and this book hit both of them and yet I didn't ever want to stop reading. Andrew's writing is so captivating and poetic it's hard to put down. Even though this took me almost a month to read, it wasn't ever because I got bored or didn't want to be reading it. It was constantly on my mind and I already wish I could keep reading it. 

The characters really embedded themselves in my heart. I was so deeply invested in their stories and what would happen to them. Silas felt very special to me as a person both in the trans community and neurodivergent. I related to the struggles he faced and how his mind worked. All the girls were also so well written and I wanted to know more about all of them, just like Silas. I was also so attached to the groundskeeper even if he wasn't in a ton of scenes. The element of spirits and the veil were both scary and intriguing at the same time. I really enjoyed that. 

I am still fairly new to the horror genre but this is the first book that I've physically felt my heart pounding and my eyes trying to skip ahead to find out what happens and if the characters are okay. I was in such a state of anxiety but for once, it was enjoyable. It was a really intense reading experience. 

This book has made me much more interested in looking into the history of forced institutionalizations of women / minorities. Horror based in history and real life hits so much harder and really opens my eyes to things I didn't put much thought into previously. Even if it isn't a completely accurate representation. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!! I would especially recommend it to my fellow queer and neurodivergent readers because this just felt so special and I want more people to experience that! Thank you Andrew Joseph White for writing such incredible books and I can't wait for more! 

CWs : graphic violence, sexual assault (both implied and on page), medical gore, on page c-section, abortion, transphobia, ableism, medical / psychiatric abuse, gaslighting, physical / emotional / verbal abuse, forced institutionalizations, body horror, dysphoria, torture, confinement, death of parent, murder, adult/minor relationship, self harm

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was great little intro to gender kind of book. It had a lot of really great and interesting information but didn't go super in depth due to how short it is. I would love to see a longer version! Overall, I thought it would be a good book for people who don't know much on the topic or want to learn more. Would definitely recommend.

This book was sooo cute! There wasn't much I didn't like about this one. I adored all the characters (especially Terri and Dylan). It was nice that they had realistic flaws but were still incredibly likeable characters I was fully rooting for the entire time. The message of the importance of family and following your heart were really special. I loved the relationship between Dylan and Aunt Jade. It was sweet and heartwarming. I also really enjoyed Theo and Terri's relationship and how much they supported each other.

I've always really liked the fake dating trope and this one did not let me down! The tension and mutual pining was so sweet and cute! It may have been a bit insta lovey but I don't mind that too much. I think when it comes to teenagers, that's not super unrealistic. I loved how much they cared about each other and the way they supported each other throughout this book, even when circumstances were difficult. They had a pretty healthy relationship in my opinion!

As a Kpop fan myself, I always laughed a little bit at how many times Blackpink were mentioned. I would definitely be friends with Megan. All the cultural references and explanations of the food were really great as well! It really made you feel involved in the story and made me want to eat all of it. I've never had a mooncake before, but this made me want one so bad!!

Overall, I thought this was a really heartwarming story that I would highly recommend!

Trigger Warnings: death of parent (mother x2), grief, parental abandonment, drowning (not fatal), alcohol, alcoholism/addiction, rehab, DUI, car accident, blackmail, emotional abuse, flooding, classism, cancer, toxic friendship, dementia

Rep: M/M, Chinese and Singaporean MCs

I received this book from NetGalley and Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one of the most interesting stories I've read in a while.

Io was a complex and interesting character I really enjoyed reading about. She felt like a real person who had complicated emotions and relationships. All the other characters as well had enough depth and info in the books that I was invested in their stories and wanted to see more of them. I really liked the main pairing especially for “ships” but I'm also interested in some side pairings and am intrigued to see where things go from here.

I've never read anything like this before. The idea of gods, threads, politics, relationships, everything all together just made for an incredibly interesting and exciting plot that kept my attention the entire time. The way the setting was described worked really well for me and I could always vividly see in my mind where they were. The worldbuilding was also great as I felt like we got information spread out throughout the book and I never felt like I was just drowning in info dumping.

It did a good job of really setting the vibe. Like I said before, I could always vividly picture what was going on and there were multiple moments where there were quotes that really hit hard. I liked the POV. I liked being in Io's head and see things from her perspective and what her thought processes were. It might've been cool to get a second POV but I'm not bothered that I didn't. I thought it did a good job of keeping the pacing interesting? I didn't feel like we were going super fast the whole time but also didn't have many moment where I felt like things were slow. It had a good balance.

The conflict always held my attention and I constantly just wanted to know what was going to happen next. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing. The main conflict at the end was also very exciting and I was holding my breath trying to read as fast as I could to see what was going to happen.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes stories about gods, mythologic “powers” and political intrigue. This was a super fun read.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is based on the “Girls Like Girls” music video by Hayley as well. I, surprisingly, had never seen the music video before so I went into this book knowing nothing about the story. I had some mixed feelings, mostly about the characters. I liked Coley but I didn't like Sonya like 85% of the time so I wasn't rooting for them for much of the book. But, at the same time, I think it told a pretty realistic story of a closeted girl really seriously struggling with her identity. That's never going to be a super happy fun story or character to read about so I still liked it regardless.

I went and watched the music video after finishing the book and, not going to lie, it made me cry. I can see why it was such an iconic and important video for queer people, especially women, when it came out. As a lesbian myself, both the video and the book did touch on a lot of things that felt very relatable. The confusion of liking a girl for the first time. The way it is very intense with the first girl. It's very true to how I experienced liking a girl for the first time.

Overall, I thought it was good! It could definitely be a bit cheesy / cringey at times but I don't think it took away from the story at all. If you liked the music video, I would 100% check out the book.

(ps, I loved alex so much)

I've received this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is easily one of the best books I've read this year. I've never been super interested in pirate stories before but this one immediately grabbed my attention. The characters are well developed and they make you root for them. The story isn't something I've seen much of around. It pulls the reader in from the very start. The main character is strong and smart and knows what she wants and goes for it. But she's also human and makes mistakes. It makes it so you feel for her and want her to succeed. I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys adventure and strong female characters!

I enjoyed this reread! But I enjoyed the book for different reasons this time. 

this book made my heart so warm. the sense of community and support made me cry! as a young queer person, this hit me hard. reading about someone finding themselves and their identity and breaking out their shell is so beautiful. i loved that the characters had flaws that they worked on throughout the book. none of the drama felt unrealistic or forced, nor did the growth. i related to nima a lot, especially when she would get in her own head and convince herself that she was boring or didn't fit in. everyone needs a community like she has in this. i would highly recommend this book to other young queer people!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This graphic novel was about a young girl who finds out she was actually a spy who was being controlled. It was an alright read, but not my favourite. It felt very rushed and was confusing at times. I think a younger reader who is interested in spies and cool female main characters would enjoy this graphic novel more than I did. The art style was interesting though!

i was not prepared for how quickly i would get insanely attached the all of these characters. i grew up with a very similar family friend dynamic. my parents and their high school / college best friends all had kids around the same time. this book hit me HARD. i haven't talked to those friends in probably years at this point and this book made me realize that so it made me sad. i think that's why i got so attached so fast. but regardless, this was an incredibly cute and enjoyable holiday romance filled with a lot of emotions.

i only have one word: pain.

ok i'm gonna go cry and scream for a while now :)

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A Curse of Roses takes a portuguese legend about a queen, and makes it into something people need to read. This book tore my heart out. As a queer portuguese person myself, I felt an incredibly strong connection to the main characters and found a lot of comfort there. I, myself, am not a religious person but I grew up with very religious portuguese grandparents so I always had those thoughts at the back of my mind. This book was so hard to read but also so necessary. It gives hope to young queer youth who feel alone and are dealing with similar issues that Yzabel was dealing with. Thinking about a powerful, smart, and kind queen being queer brings so much comfort to me and many other queer youth. I would highly recommend this book to any queer youth struggling with their identity, especially if it's religion based.

Trigger Warnings:
religion-based homophobia, religion-based eating disorders, mentions of abuse, self harm