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blithesquesttoread's Reviews (480)
I am at a loss of words to describe this book. When I read the blurb, I wasn’t expecting anything, I was totally blank as to which direction the book was going to take, but when I started reading the book, I was hooked from the page one. I wanted to stop reading, think and analyze whatever was going on but at the same time I couldn’t actually make myself do that.
The story starts with Frankie waiting for his scholarship letter and everything feels bright and good. There’s hope given to the readers that things will turn out well for him but slowly and gradually we see the realities of a third world countries being introduced to us. There were instances of street fights, gang wars, random shooting, domestic physical beatings, colorism, class divide and so much more. I didn’t know much about the posse system in Jamaica but the story described it in such a way that it seemed as if I already knew all the customs and everything. Every new mission or chapter made me think and anticipate what would happen next.
The best thing about this book was the character development. One could clearly see Frankie’s struggles and the way he dealt with them was no joke. No child deserves to make such rash, no choice decisions that he had to make on a whim. He sacrificed a lot. Through all of this I really liked how he came with terms to him understanding himself and his decisions much more wisely. Somehow there was no way I was able to sympathize with his uncle. Like seriously why in the world would he make his nephew give up full scholarship to join in posse where his life was almost always at stake? All in all, I totally loved the book and would honestly highly recommend it!
** Trigger Warnings: Death of a loved one, Colorism, Fights and violence, Gun firing, Domestic physical abuse (beatings with belt)
** I was provided with an advance review copy via netgalley for this tour in exchange for an honest review!
The story starts with Frankie waiting for his scholarship letter and everything feels bright and good. There’s hope given to the readers that things will turn out well for him but slowly and gradually we see the realities of a third world countries being introduced to us. There were instances of street fights, gang wars, random shooting, domestic physical beatings, colorism, class divide and so much more. I didn’t know much about the posse system in Jamaica but the story described it in such a way that it seemed as if I already knew all the customs and everything. Every new mission or chapter made me think and anticipate what would happen next.
The best thing about this book was the character development. One could clearly see Frankie’s struggles and the way he dealt with them was no joke. No child deserves to make such rash, no choice decisions that he had to make on a whim. He sacrificed a lot. Through all of this I really liked how he came with terms to him understanding himself and his decisions much more wisely. Somehow there was no way I was able to sympathize with his uncle. Like seriously why in the world would he make his nephew give up full scholarship to join in posse where his life was almost always at stake? All in all, I totally loved the book and would honestly highly recommend it!
** Trigger Warnings: Death of a loved one, Colorism, Fights and violence, Gun firing, Domestic physical abuse (beatings with belt)
** I was provided with an advance review copy via netgalley for this tour in exchange for an honest review!
You know this is one of those times when I want to say a lot but at the same time I can’t say a lot. Sometimes I find it difficult to write spoiler free reviews but here I am, giving it a go. Because, y’all, you should definitely add Like Home to your TBR, its really amazing to read!
A ya contemporary novel, it has its all the teen charm, angst, gossips, jealousy, miscommunication and quite a lot of stuff for the readers! Set in Toronto, it talks about Ginger East and how life is in actuality in neighborhood. The novel greatly focuses on gentrification and people’s experience surrounding it. I didn’t grew up in a neighborhood but my mother grew up in what we called ‘colony’ which was greatly similar in description what I found in this novel. I am not talking about gangs, but the community, people living together in harmony and knowing everything there is to know, people supporting each other and much more. It’s not easy to see such drastic changes taking place and similarly for Nelo, it was difficult and frankly confusing to see the vast amount of changes that her neigborhood was going through. It talks about displacement, urbanisation of sorts and people moving out to fairly ‘better’ neighborhoods.
Another thing that was amazing about this book was its take on diversity. I loved how smoothly it flowed, allowing the readers to enjoy and varied cast and hence varied culture. It also dealt with changes in friendships, the lost ones which you eventually find again, the ones you find yourself uncertain in and the ones which seem everything but nothing together. It was all the cast, especially Kate and Nelo which made me read the novel with so much vigor. Had this book been written in multiple POV, it would have been soo amazing but I like how the author decided to give voice to the character she could most connect to and give a genuine representation. Nelo was stubborn, quick on her decisions and full of opinions to bring about good change. One more thing amazing thing about this book was it’s continuous and glaring representation of social media and internet influenced so much of what was happening around!
Honestly, it was just too great to read this novel and I am soo happy that I got a chance to read this one! It was definitely like that last piece of cake which you savor till the end but still can’t get enough of!
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher to provide me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
A ya contemporary novel, it has its all the teen charm, angst, gossips, jealousy, miscommunication and quite a lot of stuff for the readers! Set in Toronto, it talks about Ginger East and how life is in actuality in neighborhood. The novel greatly focuses on gentrification and people’s experience surrounding it. I didn’t grew up in a neighborhood but my mother grew up in what we called ‘colony’ which was greatly similar in description what I found in this novel. I am not talking about gangs, but the community, people living together in harmony and knowing everything there is to know, people supporting each other and much more. It’s not easy to see such drastic changes taking place and similarly for Nelo, it was difficult and frankly confusing to see the vast amount of changes that her neigborhood was going through. It talks about displacement, urbanisation of sorts and people moving out to fairly ‘better’ neighborhoods.
Another thing that was amazing about this book was its take on diversity. I loved how smoothly it flowed, allowing the readers to enjoy and varied cast and hence varied culture. It also dealt with changes in friendships, the lost ones which you eventually find again, the ones you find yourself uncertain in and the ones which seem everything but nothing together. It was all the cast, especially Kate and Nelo which made me read the novel with so much vigor. Had this book been written in multiple POV, it would have been soo amazing but I like how the author decided to give voice to the character she could most connect to and give a genuine representation. Nelo was stubborn, quick on her decisions and full of opinions to bring about good change. One more thing amazing thing about this book was it’s continuous and glaring representation of social media and internet influenced so much of what was happening around!
Honestly, it was just too great to read this novel and I am soo happy that I got a chance to read this one! It was definitely like that last piece of cake which you savor till the end but still can’t get enough of!
*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher to provide me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This one was a short and sweet read! I had forgotten for a while how amazing novellas can be!
Holly and Cameron have been best friends since ages. They understand each other in ways that only they know. But here's the thing, Holly has had a crush on Cameron since high school and when the perfect opportunity to get out of friendzone with Cameron strikes up, she can't refuse. There's no going back to the way things were before.
As it was a novella, I don't really know how to describe this book. The only thing that comes to my mind is reading it after a long day and getting lost for a few hours in its goodness!
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Holly and Cameron have been best friends since ages. They understand each other in ways that only they know. But here's the thing, Holly has had a crush on Cameron since high school and when the perfect opportunity to get out of friendzone with Cameron strikes up, she can't refuse. There's no going back to the way things were before.
As it was a novella, I don't really know how to describe this book. The only thing that comes to my mind is reading it after a long day and getting lost for a few hours in its goodness!
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The only thing that makes utmost sense is me saying that Butcher was a read that is hard to describe in words. Was it sad? Yes. Was it angry? Yes. Was it painful? Yes. Did it feel like the poems were breathing alive? Definitely. Talking and writing about your own loss and grief is never pristine, it is raw, rough, scary and painful and Butcher was extremely raw.
The book itself was based upon the author losing their brother but the book didn't start with talking about the brother first. It started with talking about the grief that the other people faced, their mother, their father and themselves. It talked about the difficulty and hate that people face by being a black queer woman. It talked about racism, misogyny, lgbtq+ hate crime and much more. Will I go back to it? Maybe yes.
Trigger Warnings: alcoholism, death, fighting, trauma, grieving, homophobia, racism, mention of r*pe, killing, violence, misogyny, suicide, murder...
*Thank you to Netgalley and Button Poetry to provide me with a copy of this book!
The book itself was based upon the author losing their brother but the book didn't start with talking about the brother first. It started with talking about the grief that the other people faced, their mother, their father and themselves. It talked about the difficulty and hate that people face by being a black queer woman. It talked about racism, misogyny, lgbtq+ hate crime and much more. Will I go back to it? Maybe yes.
Trigger Warnings: alcoholism, death, fighting, trauma, grieving, homophobia, racism, mention of r*pe, killing, violence, misogyny, suicide, murder...
*Thank you to Netgalley and Button Poetry to provide me with a copy of this book!
Okay I am kind of still processing what I read and I am pretty sure I will keep processing it even when I should stop. It is that kind of novel which makes you think, question, think, question and keep on going on in that loop until you finish it. It is hard to put it down, and a sort of hunger possess you to read the book and see where the plot is going.
I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t read thrillers frequently. They unnaturally make me think a lot and a point comes where I kind of spoil the book for me (Pro Tip: Don’t flip the pages of the book you are reading especially if it mystery or thriller) but not this time. This time I was completely enraptured by the characters, the plot, the writing style and the build up. The story is a slow burn thriller so naturally the build up was slowly progressing. And as I mentioned before, a slow burn thriller can be a bit frustrating. BUT, NOT THIS ONE. I don’t remember when I was last this desperate to see where the story was headed. Part of the reason could be that the book is heavily character driven while reading, with a plot at its base. The narration shifts in POV, with Evelyn the main protagonist and Reid being a reflection from the past. Evelyn is trying to survive McNair Falls while Reid wasn’t able to. And then there is Ashton who is even more complicated.
The plot is highly driven towards how people are trying to make it, to survive the shitty world which they have contributed to make it the way it is. They have their own methods and through the narration we see what everyone was doing. The town itself is dying, its toxicity highly reflecting through the writing. If I haven’t mentioned before, I would really say that the book is amazingly written – it is one of those book which compelled me to read the ending after experiencing the whole story. I don’t want to give much away because there can be endless spoilers here in this book.
At last I would just say this – when you plan to read this book, and haven’t read contemporary books set in real world with such heavy themes, don’t pick up the book at night. I mean it is your choice but while reading this I wished I would get more room during day to ponder upon my thoughts rather than dreaming them lol. It was really refreshing to read this book, intrigue and mystery blended together amazingly!
*Note: I was provided with a review copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review for this tour.
**Trigger Warnings: Toxic Relationships, manipulation, arson, sexual assault, domestic violence, abuse, alcoholism, murder, intimate partner violence, child abuse, suicide, mental health.
I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t read thrillers frequently. They unnaturally make me think a lot and a point comes where I kind of spoil the book for me (Pro Tip: Don’t flip the pages of the book you are reading especially if it mystery or thriller) but not this time. This time I was completely enraptured by the characters, the plot, the writing style and the build up. The story is a slow burn thriller so naturally the build up was slowly progressing. And as I mentioned before, a slow burn thriller can be a bit frustrating. BUT, NOT THIS ONE. I don’t remember when I was last this desperate to see where the story was headed. Part of the reason could be that the book is heavily character driven while reading, with a plot at its base. The narration shifts in POV, with Evelyn the main protagonist and Reid being a reflection from the past. Evelyn is trying to survive McNair Falls while Reid wasn’t able to. And then there is Ashton who is even more complicated.
The plot is highly driven towards how people are trying to make it, to survive the shitty world which they have contributed to make it the way it is. They have their own methods and through the narration we see what everyone was doing. The town itself is dying, its toxicity highly reflecting through the writing. If I haven’t mentioned before, I would really say that the book is amazingly written – it is one of those book which compelled me to read the ending after experiencing the whole story. I don’t want to give much away because there can be endless spoilers here in this book.
At last I would just say this – when you plan to read this book, and haven’t read contemporary books set in real world with such heavy themes, don’t pick up the book at night. I mean it is your choice but while reading this I wished I would get more room during day to ponder upon my thoughts rather than dreaming them lol. It was really refreshing to read this book, intrigue and mystery blended together amazingly!
*Note: I was provided with a review copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review for this tour.
**Trigger Warnings: Toxic Relationships, manipulation, arson, sexual assault, domestic violence, abuse, alcoholism, murder, intimate partner violence, child abuse, suicide, mental health.
Okay first of all, I highly recommend people to check this book out. It is definitely centered around resources available in US but apart from that the things that have been discussed in this book are really essential for the target audience, mainly teenagers.
The first thing I really liked about this book was the fact that the author mentioned trigger warnings at every point, wherever it was necessary. The book started off with heavy stuff - ranging from sexual assault and the different terminologies that people should know about and understand them. It talked about boundaries and consent in such a sensitive and important way that it got me to start to think about my boundaries wherever necessary and the aspect of consent became for me and those around me. These topics were covered in a very broad aspect, take consent for an example - the author made sure to include every possible scenario that comes with consent, be it in your personal relationship, friends, family etc.
Other thing about this book is that it contains a lot of resources - links to them and mentions about where to find them. Yes, it was mainly focused on US only but it at least made me search available resources for my country. Conversations around Sexual assault, Consent, Boundaries etc. very limited amongst the teenagers, especially in school. I honestly hope that it changes a bit with coming years and these topics are included more in the conversation and professional knowledge and discussion is given to the students.
Although the author mentions TW before every section and story, here are some: Sexual Assault, R*pe, Bullying, Cyber Bullying, Kidnapping, etc.
I was provided with an arc in exchange for an honest review via netgalley
The first thing I really liked about this book was the fact that the author mentioned trigger warnings at every point, wherever it was necessary. The book started off with heavy stuff - ranging from sexual assault and the different terminologies that people should know about and understand them. It talked about boundaries and consent in such a sensitive and important way that it got me to start to think about my boundaries wherever necessary and the aspect of consent became for me and those around me. These topics were covered in a very broad aspect, take consent for an example - the author made sure to include every possible scenario that comes with consent, be it in your personal relationship, friends, family etc.
Other thing about this book is that it contains a lot of resources - links to them and mentions about where to find them. Yes, it was mainly focused on US only but it at least made me search available resources for my country. Conversations around Sexual assault, Consent, Boundaries etc. very limited amongst the teenagers, especially in school. I honestly hope that it changes a bit with coming years and these topics are included more in the conversation and professional knowledge and discussion is given to the students.
Although the author mentions TW before every section and story, here are some: Sexual Assault, R*pe, Bullying, Cyber Bullying, Kidnapping, etc.
I was provided with an arc in exchange for an honest review via netgalley
So Cuteeeeee!!
I am over the moon because of the fact that I am reading all the cute mangas out there. I am soo glad I picked up Katakoi Lamp, the characters are super amazing and lovely. There are some bits that I wish were addressed a bit differently but it was still alright how the overall scenario came out to be. Also, I cannot imagine how much of its content can be considered as a spoiler lol, so I am treading the water very carefully, I don't to accidentally spoil it for people. The best thing about this was the conversation that went around, the main characters were once aware of the social conduct they should follow, mainly consent and conversation. This aspect was very well shown in the manga and I am soo glad about it! Furthermore, the characters and the design is honestly too cute for me to handle. Go read it already, hehehe.
I am over the moon because of the fact that I am reading all the cute mangas out there. I am soo glad I picked up Katakoi Lamp, the characters are super amazing and lovely. There are some bits that I wish were addressed a bit differently but it was still alright how the overall scenario came out to be. Also, I cannot imagine how much of its content can be considered as a spoiler lol, so I am treading the water very carefully, I don't to accidentally spoil it for people. The best thing about this was the conversation that went around, the main characters were once aware of the social conduct they should follow, mainly consent and conversation. This aspect was very well shown in the manga and I am soo glad about it! Furthermore, the characters and the design is honestly too cute for me to handle. Go read it already, hehehe.
Okay wow. What just happened? Why did I choose to read this manga now?? WHYY :'(
I'm not sad because I didn't like it, quite the opposite actually. A sign of Affection is undoubtedly beautiful and cute to read. The female MC is just too cuteee! My heart was with her throughout the volume 1. The male MC is, well, weird? I mean when it comes to manga, expressions matter a lot I have come to realize and whenever he was with Yuki (MC) his facial expressions seemed weird, maybe coz he was trying to interpret things that Yuki said. It was fun really to figure out their interactions!
Yuki is a college student who is full of life. She is a curious bud as can be seen with her interactions but sometimes feel underconfident about her experiences. A chance encounter leads her to meet with Itsuomi-san, a friend of friend and things change in her life - starting with a rush of feelings. Itsuomi-san is a globetrotter and knows three languages, sign language not being one of them. When he meets Yuki, it is like he is invited to a different world to experience. And so their story begins.
The thing about this manga is that it got over too fast for me. I now need the second volume asap. Plus, I remember making a pact with myself about not starting manga which are ongoing but apparently I don't listen to myself :| Now I have to wait and I don't want to wait! But coming onto the story, as I said, it is cute and like a slice of life, leaving you to digest more of it. I loved Yuki and her friend! As for Itsuomi-san, I did like him but frankly, not as much as Yuki. I still need more content to come to a decision about him lol. Ahh, now I will just count days till I can finally read the second volume!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I'm not sad because I didn't like it, quite the opposite actually. A sign of Affection is undoubtedly beautiful and cute to read. The female MC is just too cuteee! My heart was with her throughout the volume 1. The male MC is, well, weird? I mean when it comes to manga, expressions matter a lot I have come to realize and whenever he was with Yuki (MC) his facial expressions seemed weird, maybe coz he was trying to interpret things that Yuki said. It was fun really to figure out their interactions!
Yuki is a college student who is full of life. She is a curious bud as can be seen with her interactions but sometimes feel underconfident about her experiences. A chance encounter leads her to meet with Itsuomi-san, a friend of friend and things change in her life - starting with a rush of feelings. Itsuomi-san is a globetrotter and knows three languages, sign language not being one of them. When he meets Yuki, it is like he is invited to a different world to experience. And so their story begins.
The thing about this manga is that it got over too fast for me. I now need the second volume asap. Plus, I remember making a pact with myself about not starting manga which are ongoing but apparently I don't listen to myself :| Now I have to wait and I don't want to wait! But coming onto the story, as I said, it is cute and like a slice of life, leaving you to digest more of it. I loved Yuki and her friend! As for Itsuomi-san, I did like him but frankly, not as much as Yuki. I still need more content to come to a decision about him lol. Ahh, now I will just count days till I can finally read the second volume!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!