It’s not that this book is a bad book that led me to rate this at 3.5 stars: it’s that this book is just as frustratingly blaReal Rating: 3.5 /5 Stars
It’s not that this book is a bad book that led me to rate this at 3.5 stars: it’s that this book is just as frustratingly blah and has that paint-by-numbers feel to it as just about every wedding-centered rom-com it references. And while I can respect this book may please a great many people just the same as those sorts of movies please a great deal of people, it took me a great deal of patience and actively trying to focus to even finish it.
It didn’t help matters that I didn’t really like any of the characters much, either.
To me, the best parts of this book were the parts in which our main character, Amy, is doing her new job she invented for herself. Those scenes are the ones I looked forward to, mainly because it’s where I related to her the most. I’ve played crisis manager at more than one big event (including stepping in as a bridesmaid at a wedding as a replacement, even), and chaos is where I thrive best. I loved those scenes and really identified with Amy’s conflicting emotions regarding whether or not she was doing the right thing by donning a different persona with every wedding instead of being her authentic self. I may live in a blue state, but you never know where discrimination and prejudice could be hiding just behind a polite exterior.
I just wish this book had been less rote. Then maybe I wouldn’t have actively had to make myself pay attention to it in order to finish it.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Dial Press Trade Paperbacks for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review will not be tagged for either publisher or author on social media due to the nature of it. ...more
I was reading some reviews for this book after I had finished it to see what other readers and reviewers had thought of it, and I think one’s enjoymenI was reading some reviews for this book after I had finished it to see what other readers and reviewers had thought of it, and I think one’s enjoyment of this book may be related to how much one enjoys the classic book, “The Great Gatsby”. “Wild and Wicked Things” may as well be a straight-up queer gothic fantasy remix of Gatsby, for the two books have so very much in common, right down to Francesca May’s evocative prose (and a purple light instead of green).
I’m actually a fan of “The Great Gatsby” and all its overall grey morality. “Wild and Wicked Things” is in much the same vein, with a narrator that can, at times, be unreliable and a cast of characters whose moral compasses possibly don’t care which way is north. Like Gatsby, it takes place on an island seemingly segregated by class (in this book the island is called “Crow Island”, while in Gatsby East Egg and West Egg were inspired by the Hamptons) and by prejudice. There’s plenty of alcohol, a sprinkling of illicit substances, and a whole lot of charisma to be found in the mysterious Emmeline (who stands in for Gatsby in this book), a queer witch with many secrets to be kept and mysteries to unravel.
Was this book the most excellent Gatsby-inspired book I’ve read? No. Was it the most entertaining? Yes. It was a page-turner that drew me in and kept me there. I expect that if you didn’t like Gatsby you may not like this book as much as I did, but I hope I’m wrong.
Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
I'm not leaving a long review here, since I bought and read this in preparation to read book two in the series, "Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak".
It waI'm not leaving a long review here, since I bought and read this in preparation to read book two in the series, "Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak".
It was fun, but rambled and kind of ran off the rails in places. There was too large of a cast of characters with such diverse names I kept confusing who was who. And it's not the most accessible YA space opera for people who don't normally read books involving huge spaceships and alien tech. I found my eyes glazing over more than once.
But it was fun and inventive. I loved the diversity and the almost LeGuin-like devotion Anders has towards constantly being aware of the anthropological aspects of the writing.
Holy cow, wow. I just knew, when I first read the description of this book, it was going to be special. It sounded like the best kind of “Doctor Who” Holy cow, wow. I just knew, when I first read the description of this book, it was going to be special. It sounded like the best kind of “Doctor Who” episode, and it absolutely was that, but it was made even better by a heartbreaking love story, a story of found family, sociopolitical and socioeconomic commentary and barbed jabs, and slick espionage.
Let me put it to you this way: this book cost me sleep, and I love my sleep. I need my sleep. But I started this book almost right after dinner this past evening and then stayed up until almost 2:30 am reading it because I couldn’t put the thing down. I even looked at my phone for the time at about 11:00 pm and contemplated going to sleep before I just gave up and knew I wasn’t going to bed until I had finished the book.
Some books are just worth losing some sleep. This is one of those books. The ones worth a quiet evening staying up and turning pages.
The plot is clever, tight, and so dang interesting. It’s hard to make time travel digestible without plot holes a’ plenty, but the plot devices woven into the narrative account for it! That’s some clever writing and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. The main character, January, is probably one of my favorite FMCs I’ve read in a novel so far this year, and her AI sidekick, Ruby, is so freaking sassy it makes me want one. The writing is sharp, witty, and bright. The narrative is crisp and clear. The prose is beautiful. I even cried toward the end and I’m not one to tear up easily.
If you like time travel, queer love stories, time heist stories, and a whole lot of crazy, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review! ...more
I don’t think I’ve been this hyped for a novel and then not only let down but let down hard in a long time. It hit me even harder because being bisexuI don’t think I’ve been this hyped for a novel and then not only let down but let down hard in a long time. It hit me even harder because being bisexual, I was saddened that I disliked the main character (a female bisexual) as much as I did. You’d think that if there was one character I could relate to in a book it’d be a cishet bisexual female, but nope. I guess that just goes to show not all bisexuals are the same, because I just about couldn’t stand Maggie.
This book was just about everything I dislike about almost any book, but especially YA romances: it was too long and it had too much filler.
This book would’ve been rated lower if I didn’t actually feel some genuine emotions here and there at points during the book, mostly during scenes involving Maggie and her family. Those scenes felt like some of the most genuine and sincere scenes in the book, with warmth and familial intimacy practically wafting off the page.
Now, if only the rest of the book felt the same. Then maybe we could’ve gotten somewhere.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. Due to personal policy, this review will not appear on social media or bookseller websites due to the 3 star rating. ...more
If there’s one retelling or remixing I wish I never saw again, it would be the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s one of my least-favorite plot devices.If there’s one retelling or remixing I wish I never saw again, it would be the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s one of my least-favorite plot devices. I don’t like it, because in the end, everyone gets hurt. And that’s exactly what keeps “Love Somebody” from getting a full five stars from me.
On the flip side, think about that: I hate this plot device so much, yet it only cost this book one star. Why is that? It’s because this book, despite the Cyrano element, is very good. The characters are complex and fully-developed, the writing is engaging, the subplots are well thought out and don’t detract from the main plot (as a matter of fact, they support and affirm the main plot, which is what a good subplot should do), and the supporting cast helps to shore up the formation of the main characters (which is what supporting characters should be doing!).
This definitely isn’t one of those YA novels that wouldn’t be understood by teenagers and young adults. It was a solid and emotional read for me, and I’m 43. I even shed a tear or two toward the end. I highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for something a little bittersweet and emotionally complex with some LGBTQ+ themes and strong compulsion about what it means to love. It gave me strong Rainbow Rowell vibes, with a dollop of Casey McQuiston. And as those ladies are two of my favorite authors I guess you could say that’s a pretty high compliment. I look forward to seeing what Roasek has for us in the future. ...more
This is the final book in Kerick’s age-gap, hurt/comfort series, and it’s a satisfying conclusion to Cole and Timmy’s story. We’ve seen them grow togeThis is the final book in Kerick’s age-gap, hurt/comfort series, and it’s a satisfying conclusion to Cole and Timmy’s story. We’ve seen them grow together from the meet-cute in the series/ first book, and in this book we pick up with Timmy and Cole trying to decide on when the happy day is going to be. But before the happy day, Timmy wants to try and make sure Cole and his son are back to being happy again. And as for his own family? Well… they decide to drop his 18-YO abandoned niece on his doorstep because they don’t want to care for her anymore.
This book follows the previous two books in terms of formula and feel, but it fortunately doesn’t get as dark as the previous book in the series (in my opinion).
This series is out of the norm for me in terms of what I usually read, so I’ve been trying to read and review it from the viewpoint of someone who enjoys steamy but not spicy mm romances and a high amount of angst. There is a lot of angst in these books, but that does make the HEA that much sweeter. Cole and Timmy are both great characters, even if I don’t fully understand or identify with either of them. But Kerick’s writing is solid and the books are well-plotted. The series, as a whole, is a solid read. ...more
I can see from reading other’s reviews that I'm in the majority when I say I did not like this novel. I had an extremely hard time staying interested I can see from reading other’s reviews that I'm in the majority when I say I did not like this novel. I had an extremely hard time staying interested and invested in it due to the combination of its verse format (the entire novel is done is verse) combined with the length. I love briefer stories in verse form, but I’ve never read a book this long done in verse and it became more and more burdensome to read as the boom continued. I need some sort of narrative flow to enjoy a novel this long and there was no flow to be seen. I’m sure that for some it’s a perfectly lovely novel–it just simply wasn’t for me, which is a shame, because I had been looking forward to reading it very much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for early access to this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. As per personal policy, this review will not be posted on any bookseller or social media sites due to its review rating of 3 stars or lower. ...more
My love of this book series never stops. Maybe it’s my dirty mind or my love of flipping off organized religion… maybe it’s both. Combine that with myMy love of this book series never stops. Maybe it’s my dirty mind or my love of flipping off organized religion… maybe it’s both. Combine that with my love of gay romance and I’m just all in. Lynn writes these stories of men coming to terms with their sexuality, their love for one another, and how their religion has let them down so well I can’t help but be utterly sucked in every time.
This is the third story, and I find with every book in this series I love each book in a different way. With this one, I was deeply struck with sadness for both main characters and fully invested with what they were going through and what would become of them. This book isn’t light and fluffy. It’s deep, thoughtful, sad, and angst-heavy. There’s no levity to it, and for once I think that’s the correct tone to take. I usually strike out at books that don’t attempt at least some levity, because not all days are cloudy and grey and lonely, but considering the subject matters dealt with in this book and the events that happen both during and before this book there is very good reason for there to be so much anger and sadness. Of course, there is a HEA. That’s the payoff. That, and all the spicy scenes (once you get there).
This is a little slower of a burn than the previous two books, but for good reasons. A little slower than I like, but some appreciate that slow burn. I think I would’ve loved this book even better had it leaned into a Daddy dynamic of some type, but I can understand why Lynn made the choices she did with her characters, because their motivations were coming from different places than my gutter brain does (gutter brain loves a good Daddy).
Overall, it was another superb entry in this series. I’m looking forward to #4! ...more
I signed up to read this title based on a very short description alone, owing to the fact I’m new to E. M. Lindsey’s work. I don’t quite remember whatI signed up to read this title based on a very short description alone, owing to the fact I’m new to E. M. Lindsey’s work. I don’t quite remember what that description was, in its entirety, but I’m always both happy and eager to have the opportunity to read and review the first book in a new LGBTQ+ romance series. After reading this book, I’m even happier to have grabbed the opportunity, because whatever the description for this book was, it definitely wasn’t even close to preparing me for what this book actually is, and for how touching it turned out to be among the hotess.
I’m not a huge fan of high-angst. It’s just, well, my whole life revolves around high angst. I really don’t need to read about it. It just bores me in books. If I want to angst, I can look around me and angst plenty. If I wanna cry, I can take in the state of my own life. The characters in this book have definitely been hurt and raked over the coal by life, but their at a point in their lives when they’ve gotten help for their issues or have learned to live with them, so any personal issues they might have are not exactly a non-issue, but they’re something both MCs know how to treat or cope with, to a certain point. To me, this was a smart move on Lindsey’s part, because it made MC1 look even more competent and sexier than he already was, and it made MC2 even more sweet for how much he had been through in his life and how much he continued to try and find ways to engage with the world around him in the face of his mental illness.
I had hoped we’d get more steam in this book, or at least spicier steam, but there simply didn’t seem to be room in the book for that with all that character development that needed to be done involving the supporting cast that will lay some of the groundwork for the rest of the series. I also felt the last 10% of the book was really rushed and led to a rather abrupt ending. We got all this lovely relationship development for the first 90% of the book, and then it seemed there was this pressing need to cram as much last-minute activity and emotional wrap-up as possible into that last 10%. It could’ve either been longer or handled more gracefully. That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to the rest of the series, though. ...more
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