fanboyriot's reviews
791 reviews

The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Afterlife

♡ Sapphic

♡ Chaotic Angel

This book was way better than I anticipated, definitely worth the hype I had for it. I really enjoyed the character development and how everything came together. The setting of this book was so good, all the details were amazing—from the tampon in the motel pool or the slimy mushrooms at breakfast, it was literally so well detailed!

The story was a good mix of humor and heartbreak, touching on more depressing moments as the main character coming to terms with being dead, that her heaven was a place she had some of the worst memories.

Also Zelda was amazing, I loved her so much.

This book talks about some heavy topics as well such as abandonment issues and neglect, failed friendships and childhood crushes, and of course death.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (5/5)

POV: First Person

Release Date: 14, May 2024

Rep: Lesbian (Main Character), Lesbian (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Character)

Content Warnings

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Cute Ending

♡ Queer Sports Romance

♡ Cheerleader x Quarterback (sapphic edition)

I really enjoyed this book. I mean it’s a gay sports romance, of course I’m going to like it. The characters were cute and the ending was absolutely adorable. While yes, the characters decisions at some points get a little bit frustrating, I think it plays well with the YA vibe of the book.

There was a lot of talk about homophobia and dealing with people like that in a small town and not wanting to come out of the closet to the public in fear of losing friendships. However, both main characters are out at home and one even having a bisexual mom, which was a cool addition.

Overall, it was a quick read with a sapphic take on the cheerleader x quarterback trope.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)

Angst Level: n/a

POV: Duel, First Person

Release Date: 07, June 2022

Rep: Lesbian (Main Character), Polysexual (Main Character), Gay (Side Character), Bisexual (Side Character)

Content Warnings

All Hail the Underdogs by E.L. Massey

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Found Family

♡ Wholesome Friendships

♡ Queer Hockey Romance

I loved this book since chapter one, the characters and plot were so good! It was so easy to fall in love with the characters and be cheering for them the whole time.

The character development was everything. I can’t get over the friendships and relationships in this book, it was so good. It was so easy to love all the characters—they were all literally so amazing!

The sense of humor in this book was so great as always and while this book was super wholesome and cute it also touched on some topics like: white privilege, racism and discrimination. There are mentions to child neglect and abuse that leads the one main character to get emancipated.

This gives the grumpy x sunshine vibe all the while both characters are a bit broken. The sunshine needing just as much comfort as the grumpy one. Rome dealing with a bad home life growing up with years of abuse from a parent. They both do a good job at comforting the other even if it starts out as a slight enemies to lovers moment. And Damien dealing with abandonment issues that only get worse with misunderstandings with his parents until he finally says something.

This lived up to the hype I had for it! I could talk about this for hours, I adored this so much. Rome and Damien had such a trusting relationship and it had a nice slow burn vibe at the beginning. And can I just say all the hand holding—and the not being allowed to talk about the hand holding was absolutely amazing. The level of vulnerability they let each other see was so good! Being able to see them trust each other, Rome especially.

And don’t get me started on the whole Finley thing, especially in the epilogue. It was so wholesome it nearly took me out.

Safe to say I adored this book.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 26, August 2023

Rep: Bisexual (Main Character), Gay (Main Character), Transfem (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), BIPOC (Main and Side Characters)

Content Warnings

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

♡ Small Town

♡ Rivals to Lovers

♡ Workplace Romance

Such a cozy entertaining read. The rivals to lovers was done nicely and the workplace romance did not disappoint.

Ava being turned down after suggesting they start a bowling team at the school then things get worse when she meets the new AP Science Teacher. Grace moving back to the small town and learning the history between them was just as awkward as expected.

The only thing I felt lacking was the reveal as to why they didn’t work out in college. It fell a bit flat for me. I did really enjoy this book though, this really played into the slow burn trope, and the ending was great.

Thank you to the author, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)

Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 21, May 2024

Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), Gay (Side Characters)

Content Warnings

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

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adventurous emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Road Trip

♡ Hurt/Comfort

♡ Amazing English Teacher

I don’t know what gave me the audacity to read this. Oh my god, I’m sobbing. This book was so good—this was the kind of book that makes you take a look at your life and go do the spontaneous thing, to live life to the fullest.

This book was amazing, funny, and so very heartbreaking no matter how much you try to prepare for it. This book hurt, but wow was this written so beautifully.

The characters were immaculate and so detailed, so filled with personality and felt so real to read. The adventure and humor of this book was endearing and I loved all the detours they made along the way. I loved how sassy Joe could be, all the while stubbornly living his life to the fullest.

Highly recommend this book, five starts all the way. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to continue crying my eyes out.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧💧 (5/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 02, April 2024

Rep: Lesbian ADHD (Main Characters), Gay (Side Characters), Non-binary (Character Mention), Transwoman (Character Mention)

Content Warnings

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Trans Rights

♡ Family History

♡ Angst with a Happy Ending

First off, the aesthetic of this book was to die for, it fit the vibe of the story perfectly! I loved the blacked out pages at the start of each chapter. I loved this book so much, the writing was amazing, the plot was tense and thrilling and dark, the characters were well thought through. Miles and Dallas being in a queerplatonic partnership made me so happy to read.

The trans rep was absolutely stunning as usual, it showed the raw and ugly sides of being trans and living in the world right now but it also showed the good. The friendships and even the sense of family even if they didn’t quite understand it at first. All the mentions of Miles grandfather being trans was almost healing to read, comforting to see the of it even if this book is fiction. The about of trans people to exist in that time should always be mentioned more. The autism rep was also written so well. The road of discovery with it and realizing things along the way. Looking back and thinking about all the things that finally make sense now that there is a word to describe it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Peachtree Teen, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to buy the physical copy!!

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧💧 (5/5)

POV: First Person

Release Date: 03, September 2024

Rep: Autistic Transmasc (Main Character), ADHD Non-Binary (Side Character), Asexual/Aromantic (Main and Side Characters), Queer (Main and Side Characters)

Content Warnings

Outcast by Giancarlo Vanzzini

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dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

♡ Creepy Town

♡ Super Weird Teacher

♡ Riverdale/Eye Witness Vibes

This lowkey gave off the first few seasons of Riverdale if it was mashed together with Eye Witness. It was dark and kinda of depressing to read but there was a lingering sense of horror that kept you guessing.

The plot was a bit confusing to me while I liked the setting and some of the characters it was a bit difficult to understand what was happening. The ending kinda left me wondering what was going to happen next, a slightly open for interpretation ending but not necessarily a bad one. Just a bit depressing. With multiple point of views everything seemed to work out well, usually if there are more than three it gets confusing but this seemed to be written out rather well and balanced each persons point of view out really nicely.

Overall, this was an entertaining read with some queer horror/mystery vibes that covers some darker themes. I am definitely interested for more to come with this series. Also just look how gorgeous this cover is!

A big thank you to Book Sprouts, Windmill Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for a review!

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧 (4/5)

POV: A Mix of First and Third Person with Switching Point of Views

Release Date: 01, October 2024

Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)

Content Warnings

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

♡ Jean Healing

♡ So Many Queer Characters

♡ Jeremy Being an Absolute Sweetheart

Everything about this book was fucking amazing!! And the fact Nora had her sister design the cover again was so awesome. While yes, a lot of this book was sad and filled with all the things Jean had to deal with—or at least most of the things he had to deal with, there was healing, a glimpse of hope for him and oh my god, if he doesn’t get the happiest of endings I will riot.

Jeremy, the sunshine court himself was so wholesome. His patients with Jean was written so lovely. Their friendship (that hopefully is something more later) is so wonderful. Jeremy doesn’t push Jean but doesn’t let him get away with his old methods of self-comfort. There is a lot of work for Jean to do as far as getting fid of the Raven mentality/lifestyle but it’s so nice to see the start of healing with the shit hand of life he was dealt. All the moments were Cat was teaching Jean how to cook and the forehead kisses were everything. And Wymack being the stubborn person he can be, helping Jean while he recovers, like bro—I love Wymack so much 😭 he treated Jean as if he were one of his foxes.

Kevin being called out for his fanboy behavior for the USC Trojans had be laughing so much. Neil being an absolute icon with his attitude problem still intact, and his ability to be a little shit to all authority figures was hilarious to read. I was also really happy about Jean and Renee’s friendship, it was perfect.

Overall, I adored this book. Reading about all the old characters again was so nice and the new characters were wonderful (a few got what they deserved, they know who they are) but USC is going to be a wonderful place to Jean to get the life he finally deserves. And I’m so happy for him.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧💧💧💧💧 (5/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 13, April 2024

Rep: Bisexual(Main Character), Gay, Queer (Main and Side Characters), Lesbian (Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), Non-Binary (Side Character), Poly (Side Characters), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters, BIPOC (Side Characters)

Content Warnings

Good-Bye Valentine by River Gardner

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dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

♡ Revenge

♡ Violence

♡ Feminine Rage

I can’t really say I enjoyed this book but it was definitely an entertaining read. The inner rage taking over Mel and getting the justice deserved was satisfying in its own dark way. The feminine rage was very strong in this book. A short but satisfying read for any of those who love the darker more gruesome parts of fiction. Anyone who dreamed about letting their rage take over, destroying the people who hurt you, this book turns that into reality. While some of the dialogue came off a bit stiff or unnecessary, the overall book had some nicely written moments too. The last chapter was great, it ended on a good note that fit the vibe of the rest of the book.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)

POV: First Person

Release Date: 06, March 2024

Content Warnings

The Spells We Cast by Jason June

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

♡ Soulmates

♡ Enemies to Lovers

♡ Cowboy/Fantasy Vibes

Read this in a buddy read and it was so much fun. It had great adventure and world building; and in my opinion this definitely lived up to the fantasy/cowboy vibes, it was so cute.

The first two chapters slightly had a bit of an info dump about the magic world and setting, but after that everything was pretty easy to understand and better paced out. The enemies to lovers with a soulmate vibe made things even more interesting! While I didn’t love all the characters (they know who they are) I did love the ones that mattered. Nigel and Orion being my favorites for sure.

This did end on a cliffhanger it wasn’t anything too bad or frustrating. Though I’m definitely excited to continue this series!

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧

POV: First Person

Release Date: 03, October 2023

Rep: Gay (Main and Side Characters), Lesbian (Side Characters), Transmasc (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)

Content Warnings

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fanboyriot's reviews 791 reviews

fanboyriot's reviews
791 reviews