ashliesydel's reviews
1193 reviews

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

 

This was a blend of poetry and story. Similar to the works of Safia Elhillo and Elizabeth Acevado. I'm learning that I'm a bit obsessed with this writing style.  

 I can like a book but NOT the FMC. I don't' know if I'm just really stuck up or what but it's rare that I immediately like an FMC. But I loved this ENTIRE book and the FMC. I loved her, my heart hurt for her. I wanted to beat her ex best friend's ass.

I was soo proud of her. This is a fantastic read. I listened on audio and got excited when I heard The Simone Biles was an executive producer on it! 

Highly Recommend 

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

 Fathers, Ike and Buddy Lee are on a quest to find the responsible party for the contracted murder of their sons.

While on this violent journey both men are bonding and processing their mistakes of not accepting their boy's "lifestyle". Now that their sons are gone, they both hold so much hurt for what was said and what wasn't. 

This is a tearjerker but also super entertaining. I confirmed last night that the movie rights have been sold.  So, non-readers are going to have the pleasure of sharing this story one day and trust it will be an award-winning performance. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND 

You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation by Julissa Arce

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

 I loved every moment of this book. I had to stop a few times so I could fact check/google specific historical events I had never learned. But as the author pointed out Mexican History is not taught and the events, she mentioned are usually only available to Graduate and Ph.D. candidates.

As an Afro Latina, I felt like this book was written for me. The author spoke of forced assimilation, the need to fit in, having our identity constantly questions, relationships between parents, the path to citizenship, and the discrimination we are faced with every single fkin day. She focused on ALL Mexicans, Hispanics, and South Americans. Not just her own lived experiences.

This was so educational, inspirational, and empowering. I will be reading more by her and seeking out all the recommendations she gave. 

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Not gonna lie the first 80% of this book draggged. The story line and writing was good. The characters are likable and funny. But there is a lot of nothing going on. 

Our FMC Charity works at a horror simulation camp. Similar to those extreme horror houses that make people sign waivers then go and kidnap them. This is her third year and not only is she in charge but she's this season's Final Girl. 

The camp has a few weeks left and a few employes go missing. She assumes they just bailed and calls friends to come up and help out. 

There was a lot of unbelievable logic in this.  There was a decent body count but a lot of the bodies were found so as a horror fan that was disappointing. Also there are fucking birds! Like ya'll know I don't like birds. 

The LAST 20% and the epilogue were perfection. I had goosebumps. It basically made up for the beginning being uneventful. 

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

3.0

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Yes.. Just YES, this was everything. There were jump scares, funny deaths, sad deaths, a heroic animal, and a random animal like what? Annoying rich girls, finance bros, hypocrisy, a likable killer clown, big reveals, and just overall a good time.

Favorite Quote - "You killed her because she's white? NO, I killed her because ketchup on tacos is a hate crime."

I fucking needed this. Rich entitled teen influencers with large followings, attend an exclusive Fright Night party. Get drunk, take some edibles, then get chased down and murdered. It's fast paced, bloody, and hilarious. I'm cheering for the killer clown and get excited every time I see a horror movie reference.

The bad guy is playing games with them and being creative in his deaths. This is teen horror gold.

I'd love for this to be made into a movie. It would fit right in next to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. This could easily become a franchise. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

 First things first, was I entertained?? YES. I felt like this story had a lot of potential and the author could have gone much darker with it. I had several theories throughout but in the end sadly my very first theory ended up being the "big reveal" which was disappointing.

The ending, those final pages were a shock. I am NOT mad at that.

I liked this enough to do character castings, a few online reading updates, and a reaction video. However, I struggled with the slow pace. But that's a me issue not necessarily a flaw in the book. 

Recitatif: A Story by Toni Morrison

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 I could talk about this book for a few hours. This could be used as the base for educational curriculum. If anyone else wants to read it and talk, hit me up. There is just soo much.

This is a must read for every person who believes in human rights.