readtomea97's reviews
53 reviews

The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, Death, Cursing, Alcohol, and Addiction

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

It’s boring and too confusing to follow what’s going on

Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

So Out of Office is a cute romance about two Afro-Caribbean characters named Adrian and Genevieve. Gen goes on a business trip where she doesn’t realize she and her driver have been secretly crushing on each other. After her assignment ends, Adrian convinces Gen to come stay with him for two weeks at his family’s hotel where he whisks her off on a sensual and relaxing time to take her mind off work and all her other stresses. After one night with Adrian, they both knew this would be a romance that would be difficult to let end. Adrian was laid back and focused on family, while Genevieve is a workaholic who has a plan for everything. This causes a little friction between them, while also experiencing some family drama as well. This a great love story with LGBTQ+ representation, strong black women, and Afro-Latina representation. Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC!

I Think I Might Love You by Christina C. Jones

challenging funny reflective tense 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

4.0

Can't Resist Her by Kianna Alexander

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3.5

Loved the story but I hate the narrator’s voice. It made the story sound so cringe at times.

Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown

emotional funny reflective tense slow-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

3.5

3.5 ⭐️ I’m still on the fence about this story mainly because it was not at all what I expected. I was hoping for something like a mix of Eve’s Bayou and Charmed, but I was sadly mistaken. This story is a beautiful tale following the generational pain and love of the Montrose women and a curse that has caused them great strife, and how they ultimately find a solution to it after the youngest Montrose woman, Nikki brings home a new friend. 

I got bored plenty of times because there wasn’t really anything going on that excited me about this story, but I wanted to see it through. This is really about healing, forgiveness and learning to be honest with yourself. How black women communicate and hold on to pain. How desire can cause you to do things you’d never expect yourself to do. I just wanted more excitement from this book but overall it was okay

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Outdrawn by Deanna Grey

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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

4.0

I really liked this story, and the characters’ journeys throughout the book. They both had their own challenges and tried so hard to act like they didn’t like each other, but when they finally gave it, I loved how they communicated and committed to supporting each other. A lot of topics were hit like biphobia, mental health, injury management, career struggles, burnout and family support. This was really cute take on the topics

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0