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blithesquesttoread's reviews
476 reviews
Out of Character by Annabeth Albert
4.0
Ahh this book has left me with one to many feels and questions and idk what to do anymore. So I'll try to make way through my confusion with this review.
Out of Character tells us the story of Jasper and Milo which is highly dependent on character development. Jasper is your neighborhood nerdy character - math genius and gamer. While Milo is your neighborhood jock - sports and weak at studies. Do you see a familiar pattern here? The book follows the trope of a nerd and a jock falling for each other but it mixes bullying and character development. Now, Milo and Jasper were childhood friends, really close to each other but due to some reason they drifted apart when they broke friendship when they were fourteen only to "meet" again when they were twenty two.
The story is told with alternate narration of Jasper and Milo and dare I say it does provide a good reading experience. Milo's character I guess can be considered morally grey as he has committed one too many mistakes - the biggest one would be not standing up for the people his apparent "friends" bullied. Actually that's the only thing I am most confused about. Should Milo be given another chance with someone who went through shit in school maybe not directly because of him but definitely where his friends were concerned.
What made it easier to forgive Milo was the character development and narration from his perspective because it portrayed how confident he was to change. He fully took into account the mistakes he had committed and while his frustration with Jasper not trusting him was sometimes apparent, he still gave Jasper time about it. So, that is actually pretty good. And it also focuses on how in case of Milo, his responses were mainly driving by his surroundings. While it did focus on his past, how he was brought up and the struggles he had to face, I don't think it was used as a blatant excuse for Milo.
And Jasper didn't forgive him just "out of love". He had history with Milo and he was willing to see progress and change in him in order to believe in him. You won't see me holding a banner or saying always yes to second chances, but Milo's narration definitely made it easier to believe in him. To be honest, I am still not sure how to process this book but one thing is certain - I was rooting for Jasper and Milo. I especially liked how their relationship wasn't the usual lovey-dovey then break up and then make up. They had struggles being with one another - not understanding one another - but they always ended up communicating with one another which I was really glad about.
I actually quite enjoyed this book because the plot itself had one too many elements in it for me to ponder. Also, if any one of you have read this book, I will love to have a conversation about it!
Trigger Warnings: mentions of bullying, strict parent, domestic mental abuse, mentions of accident, alcohol influence discussed, homophobia, coming out narration, frequent visits to hospital
I was provided with an arc of the book in exchange for an honest review
Out of Character tells us the story of Jasper and Milo which is highly dependent on character development. Jasper is your neighborhood nerdy character - math genius and gamer. While Milo is your neighborhood jock - sports and weak at studies. Do you see a familiar pattern here? The book follows the trope of a nerd and a jock falling for each other but it mixes bullying and character development. Now, Milo and Jasper were childhood friends, really close to each other but due to some reason they drifted apart when they broke friendship when they were fourteen only to "meet" again when they were twenty two.
The story is told with alternate narration of Jasper and Milo and dare I say it does provide a good reading experience. Milo's character I guess can be considered morally grey as he has committed one too many mistakes - the biggest one would be not standing up for the people his apparent "friends" bullied. Actually that's the only thing I am most confused about. Should Milo be given another chance with someone who went through shit in school maybe not directly because of him but definitely where his friends were concerned.
What made it easier to forgive Milo was the character development and narration from his perspective because it portrayed how confident he was to change. He fully took into account the mistakes he had committed and while his frustration with Jasper not trusting him was sometimes apparent, he still gave Jasper time about it. So, that is actually pretty good. And it also focuses on how in case of Milo, his responses were mainly driving by his surroundings. While it did focus on his past, how he was brought up and the struggles he had to face, I don't think it was used as a blatant excuse for Milo.
And Jasper didn't forgive him just "out of love". He had history with Milo and he was willing to see progress and change in him in order to believe in him. You won't see me holding a banner or saying always yes to second chances, but Milo's narration definitely made it easier to believe in him. To be honest, I am still not sure how to process this book but one thing is certain - I was rooting for Jasper and Milo. I especially liked how their relationship wasn't the usual lovey-dovey then break up and then make up. They had struggles being with one another - not understanding one another - but they always ended up communicating with one another which I was really glad about.
Spoiler
There was just few troubling things to, one of them being how Jasper was ready to let go of his dream for Milo. Like I understand that he is an adult and he knows what he wants but apparently he had confirmed in his head that big sacrifices on his part made him a big hero. And while did protest against it, he didn't emphasize on how it wasn't fair on Jasper, not because Milo wasn't worthy but rather because it wasn't what Jasper had to do - especially if the scenario wasn't that dire. Furthermore, I am actually not sure whether Jasper realized this. Like he did realize that he didn't have to be too bent towards "saving" people but I am not sure if he realize that large sacrifices weren't required from him in order to become a "hero".I actually quite enjoyed this book because the plot itself had one too many elements in it for me to ponder. Also, if any one of you have read this book, I will love to have a conversation about it!
Trigger Warnings: mentions of bullying, strict parent, domestic mental abuse, mentions of accident, alcohol influence discussed, homophobia, coming out narration, frequent visits to hospital
I was provided with an arc of the book in exchange for an honest review
Freaking Romance Season 2 by Snailords
If I finished this season while it was ongoing.... I would have cried and not slept
What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohhhhhh.... Are you kidding me??? I'm going to spend the next few hours (which I can sooo not) thinking how this book was a wonderful piece of cake. I really have to clear out my thoughts first of all.
Okay, seeing that I am ready (surprising how this happens in seconds), initially, I wasn't interested . I mean it's very rare that I read a blurb before starting a novel, and it's even rare that I remember it. So I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it or not. But boy, I was curious.
I liked the way this book is written, the first thing, apart from the cover. Though at first I couldn't see the point because it was actually pointless cause I felt that the main character was only whining the whole time but then it actually got pretty interesting. I know it's impossible to remember word to word conversation, but it still went amazingly well! And I guess that was the point about this book, you know? To be able to relate to the characters
It all made sense at the end. The fact that Maisie Martin finally got to the point where she could cherish herself, the fact that the she stopped running away and the fact well everything went right (well, not everything but I'm not going to say everything right?)
So yes, I actually loved this book at the end!!!!!!!
(don't take this seriously, it's me ranting after just finishing a book and ignore any typos, you see my keypad doesn't support me always)
RTC
Ohhhhhh.... Are you kidding me??? I'm going to spend the next few hours (which I can sooo not) thinking how this book was a wonderful piece of cake. I really have to clear out my thoughts first of all.
Okay, seeing that I am ready (surprising how this happens in seconds), initially, I wasn't interested . I mean it's very rare that I read a blurb before starting a novel, and it's even rare that I remember it. So I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it or not. But boy, I was curious.
I liked the way this book is written, the first thing, apart from the cover. Though at first I couldn't see the point because it was actually pointless cause I felt that the main character was only whining the whole time but then it actually got pretty interesting. I know it's impossible to remember word to word conversation, but it still went amazingly well! And I guess that was the point about this book, you know? To be able to relate to the characters
It all made sense at the end. The fact that Maisie Martin finally got to the point where she could cherish herself, the fact that the she stopped running away and the fact well everything went right (well, not everything but I'm not going to say everything right?)
So yes, I actually loved this book at the end!!!!!!!
(don't take this seriously, it's me ranting after just finishing a book and ignore any typos, you see my keypad doesn't support me always)
RTC
A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon
4.0
A quick and Easy Guide to Asexuality can be considered to be a really basic guide to understand Asexuality, useful to both Allos as well as questioning Asexuals, as mentioned in the beginning as well. I really loved reading through the book - the illustrations were very cute!
I really liked how it dealt with the basic and most important things about asexuality - explanation, different sexual orientation, how it is an orientation which is as present as any other sexual orientation like heterosexual or bisexual, the common "questions" and "stereotypes" around asexuality, the grey area existing in the asexuality spectrum and also discussion around how sexual orientation is different from romantic orientation and yes these are separate things!
But I do have a problem with this book - the "A" in the LGBTQIAP+ doesn't stand for Ally in any way. I understand that the book was written primarily based on personal experiences and research but that shouldn't erase ace people from queer spaces. Defining the "A" properly is important because honestly there is no grey area as to whether asexuals belong in queer spaces. The basic explanation for the same is that it is a "sexual orientation" which isn't heterosexual even though there might be aces who experience other kinds of attraction in a hetero manner. And there's no point in defining the "A" for Allies because what is even the rationale behind it?
The "A" in LGBTQIAP+ refers to AGENDER, AROMANTIC and ASEXUAL as umbrella terms encompassing tonnes of different identities. Understanding this is important because the feeling of alienation from the cishet spaces as well as queer spaces isn't uncommon and even though one can argue that you have to find your own space wherein you are comfortable, the feeling of being separate. So yes, there isn’t any doubt whether or not asexuals belong in the “A”. Apart from that I would really like to pass on this book to people…!!!!
Note: I was provided with an arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
I really liked how it dealt with the basic and most important things about asexuality - explanation, different sexual orientation, how it is an orientation which is as present as any other sexual orientation like heterosexual or bisexual, the common "questions" and "stereotypes" around asexuality, the grey area existing in the asexuality spectrum and also discussion around how sexual orientation is different from romantic orientation and yes these are separate things!
But I do have a problem with this book - the "A" in the LGBTQIAP+ doesn't stand for Ally in any way. I understand that the book was written primarily based on personal experiences and research but that shouldn't erase ace people from queer spaces. Defining the "A" properly is important because honestly there is no grey area as to whether asexuals belong in queer spaces. The basic explanation for the same is that it is a "sexual orientation" which isn't heterosexual even though there might be aces who experience other kinds of attraction in a hetero manner. And there's no point in defining the "A" for Allies because what is even the rationale behind it?
The "A" in LGBTQIAP+ refers to AGENDER, AROMANTIC and ASEXUAL as umbrella terms encompassing tonnes of different identities. Understanding this is important because the feeling of alienation from the cishet spaces as well as queer spaces isn't uncommon and even though one can argue that you have to find your own space wherein you are comfortable, the feeling of being separate. So yes, there isn’t any doubt whether or not asexuals belong in the “A”. Apart from that I would really like to pass on this book to people…!!!!
Note: I was provided with an arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
The Wingman by A. Poland
5.0
Not me stressing over the love triangle when I started the book, having freak out convo about the characters with friends before finishing 80% of the book and seeing the very important and direct line written on the cover.
In my defense, everyone has their moments.
Moving further, I really got to say that this book was splendid in so many amazing ways, I cannot handle it. Listing a few things I absolutely loved - the queer representation. We have gay and bisexual MCs, a trans woman SC and a non-binary guest appearance!
The pacing and character development was truly well served to the readers - on many occasions I couldn't believe that I was already through with the so much of the content provided to me. I won't comment about the love story here though, because it will be a spoiler BUT istg you'll be shipping a lot of people. There were little things that made this book more endearing - the friendship of Nathan and Lorcan, the family moments that we saw with all the characters, but especially Nathan and Miles. Furthermore, I appreciated the deaf representation and how conversation carried around with them. It will be truly amazing to see this book adapted.
Nathan's character was one I loved a lot. He was considerate, joyful and there was this quality about him that made me looking forward to his story. The book is narrated through Nathan's perspective, fyi. Miles was - oh my what do I say about him - this cute fluffy human being that I would certainly want to have in my life. You need to know only few things about him: he's a musician, he's beautiful and he's like a person you definitely need to have in your life. About Lorcan, I have okay okay feelings about him because while he did appear as a douchebag on multiple fronts, he eventually redeemed himself.
The other characters in this book were equally wow, especially Nathan's father and Miles's sisters. Oh boy, do I want to meet them once. The book was also able to decode some important topics - starting with queer representation, disability access, toxic relationships, abuse, adoption, foster care, friendship etc. In some cases it ventured deeper but most of all, it was just mentioned as a fact. I really wish to read more of the author's work <33
Trigger Warnings: mention of death of a loved one, divorce, mention of transphobia, an instance of almost drowning, mention of toxic and abusive relationships
*Note - I was provided with a review copy of the book in exchange of an honest review
In my defense, everyone has their moments.
Moving further, I really got to say that this book was splendid in so many amazing ways, I cannot handle it. Listing a few things I absolutely loved - the queer representation. We have gay and bisexual MCs, a trans woman SC and a non-binary guest appearance!
The pacing and character development was truly well served to the readers - on many occasions I couldn't believe that I was already through with the so much of the content provided to me. I won't comment about the love story here though, because it will be a spoiler BUT istg you'll be shipping a lot of people. There were little things that made this book more endearing - the friendship of Nathan and Lorcan, the family moments that we saw with all the characters, but especially Nathan and Miles. Furthermore, I appreciated the deaf representation and how conversation carried around with them. It will be truly amazing to see this book adapted.
Nathan's character was one I loved a lot. He was considerate, joyful and there was this quality about him that made me looking forward to his story. The book is narrated through Nathan's perspective, fyi. Miles was - oh my what do I say about him - this cute fluffy human being that I would certainly want to have in my life. You need to know only few things about him: he's a musician, he's beautiful and he's like a person you definitely need to have in your life. About Lorcan, I have okay okay feelings about him because while he did appear as a douchebag on multiple fronts, he eventually redeemed himself.
The other characters in this book were equally wow, especially Nathan's father and Miles's sisters. Oh boy, do I want to meet them once. The book was also able to decode some important topics - starting with queer representation, disability access, toxic relationships, abuse, adoption, foster care, friendship etc. In some cases it ventured deeper but most of all, it was just mentioned as a fact. I really wish to read more of the author's work <33
Trigger Warnings: mention of death of a loved one, divorce, mention of transphobia, an instance of almost drowning, mention of toxic and abusive relationships
*Note - I was provided with a review copy of the book in exchange of an honest review
Passport by Sophia Glock
I honestly don't know how to go about reviewing a memoir, mainly because the author is sharing their own experiences.
Passport is a graphic novel so one thing I want to share is that the art is really good! I liked how it was easy to navigate through the story and I especially liked to see how the character's expressions changed minusculely yet evidently. A YA read at its peak, it discussed a few really important themes - of family bonding, friendships, relationships, romance and sex, identifying oneself and how basically everything around you affects you massively.
Trigger warnings: suicide, mention of hurricane, mention of gun violence,
I received an arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Passport is a graphic novel so one thing I want to share is that the art is really good! I liked how it was easy to navigate through the story and I especially liked to see how the character's expressions changed minusculely yet evidently. A YA read at its peak, it discussed a few really important themes - of family bonding, friendships, relationships, romance and sex, identifying oneself and how basically everything around you affects you massively.
Trigger warnings: suicide, mention of hurricane, mention of gun violence,
I received an arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review