Eira Grey

DNF at 35%. I can't manage to get into the author's style at all. It's like he intentionally leaves out important details but provides a lot of random ones that don't feel necessary, and it was driving me crazy. Not my cup of tea, but I can see how others might like it.

Devastating, sweet, cathartic, and a liiiil bit horny. I'm amazed by this debut! Marowe handles grief and recovery masterfully, and I loved every single character. Exactly what I look for in M/M romance!

I genuinely do not get the review-bombing hate on this novella. I don't pretend to have great taste and I'm not really a snob about a lot of the issues other reviewers are complaining about, but I know what I like, and I really liked Automatic Noodle. This is probably an unhelpful review, because I have zero notes. If you want a "cozy", fun, quick read, and are actually willing to let your disbelief be suspended instead of nitpicking themes or judging the author on her Goodreads bio (really guys?), then I'd recommend checking this one out. :)

I had some misgivings at the start of this book, I'll be honest. I struggled with how Nina's character was written, and didn't love Big Eddie throwing the word "tr*nny" around, but once I realized this was one of Klune's earlier works, it was easier to cut him some slack as I kept reading. I'm really glad I did, honestly! This book handles grief expertly and intimately, and seemed to come along right when I needed it the most. I went into this one with the expectation "gay angel romance, this should be fun" and came away from it in tears that wouldn't stop. All of Klune's books have a lot of heart, but there's something special about this one, a depth that is alluring and strange and beautiful. It's unpolished, a bit rough around the edges, but that ended up making me love it even more. Overall, I'm just delighted to have read this book. I highly recommend if you're struggling with the loss of a loved one, or with grief in general.

The world was bigger than anyone could ever know. Maybe that was hardly a bad thing.

Palaver was the first audiobook I've listened to in a while, and the narration was flawless. I usually hate it when narrators do "voices" for the characters (part of why I usually avoid audiobooks), but André Santana did a phenomenal job bringing each character to life. I highly recommend listening to this book, rather than reading it!

This book is a great example of what I crave in queer fiction. Washington's characters and the setting were both so vivid! I feel like I've been to Tokyo now, and I already miss the main character's beautiful queer friend group. The evolution of the MC's difficult relationship with his mother was spellbinding in kind of a voyeuristic way, and genuinely made me hopeful for reconciliation with some of my own estranged family members someday.

In short: Washington nailed it. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Palaver. Definitely one of my top books this year-I have been ranting about it to anyone who will listen!

I have zero valid complaints about this book. A queernorm m/m fantasy based on Welsh folklore and history sounds like it was written specifically for me, so I had to get into it as quickly as possible. I don't usually read the first in a series unless there's at least another book out, so I was really cranky with the cliffhanger ending here, but that's on me for not paying attention! While reading Princeweaver, my only gripe was that I just found it difficult to really care about the characters until the second half of the book, but I think the series is headed in a great direction! Excited for book two. 🦊

I have zero valid complaints about this book. A queernorm m/m fantasy based on Welsh folklore and history sounds like it was written specifically for me, so I had to get into it as quickly as possible. I don't usually read the first in a series unless there's at least another book out, so I was really cranky with the cliffhanger ending here, but that's on me for not paying attention! While reading Princeweaver, my only gripe was that I just found it difficult to really care about the characters until the second half of the book, but I think the series is headed in a great direction! Excited for book two. 🦊

Concise, clear defense of peer support work as a profession. The writing style is very hypey, with some serious self-help vibes sprinkled in, but overall extremely affirming of a difficult role and chock-full of relevant wisdom.