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anjh's reviews
67 reviews
Autism for Adults: An Approachable Guide to Living Excellently on the Spectrum by Daniel Jones
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
this book was good. to be honest i don’t have much to say about it other than i gave it a lower rating just because i felt even though its a memoir it represented autistic people in quite a narrow way, when in actual fact its a broad spectrum and were very different individuals to one another. there were however some good points and takeaways in this that i appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Both Can Be True by Jules Machias
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
ngl this was really hard to decide on a rating for, as it was a good book with some excellent rep but for some reason reading it just felt neverending and like it was taking forever??
anyway i loved the way Ash was portrayed as a genderfluid character and the lgbtq+ rep in general. bonus points for them being a synesthete, i’ve never read a fiction book with a character with synaesthesia before!!
also could heavily relate to Daniel’s anxiety around feeling “too much” about things and having too much empathy. i feel that this book touched on gendered stereotypes around emotions really well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Violence, and Medical content
Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
even tho i’m not a fan of sci fi i enjoyed this as much as Illuminae, though i found this more confusing than i did the first book, and even that was hard to understand imo. i found myself having to constantly check the Illuminae wiki to check and verify details and confirm who people were and what things were as not much was really explained well in the book. one of those things where you kind of just have to figure it out for yourself.
aside from the confusion of the book, i absolutely loved the artworks and visuals and paired with listening to the audiobook while reading this was like reading a sci fi movie. the graphics are so creative and continue throughout the whole book making it really immersive and massively contributing to the reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Cancer and Chronic illness
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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
3.75
as are all of Alice Oseman’s books this was a very easy read, the short chapters are just *chefs kiss*. the characters were also very likeable and diverse which is always rly nice to see. bonus points for having a trans character, multiple lgbt characters and a hijabi Muslim! such a diverse cast is so rare in books these days i feel.
to be honest i found myself not being able to really really get into it because the band and fandom theme wasn’t really my thing but it was still good nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
honestly this book was so easy to read and so comforting, especially with being able to relate to strongly to Steffi with shyness and anxiety.
i really liked the d/Deaf representation in this book especially with the d/Deaf x SM relationship and how this encouraged the discussion around how much we really need to use verbal communication and how other modes of communication can be just as meaningful if not more, including BSL.
a lot of the plot points in this book were quite predictable which i guess was a kind of downside but honestly i would still give it 5 stars, it was so unique in its representation of differences and so beautiful.
i don’t normally like romance books but something about the romance in this one was just different and unique and i really did like it. the 🌶️ scenes tho not so much lol
would def recommend to anyone who enjoys YA with disability rep and a touch of romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
something about Alice Oseman’s writing omg. it’s so good and poetic and makes you wanting more and it’s so easy to read.
i really liked this book, i think it had a good element of mystery while also representing the chaos and disorganisation of teenage relationships, high school and choices around future and expectations.
also had good anxiety rep and was interesting to see what happens behind closed doors in a household (fuck Carol Last)
to be honest i couldn’t really find myself getting into or really interested in the whole universe city stuff but the book was still good.
would recommend to any Alice Oseman fans who haven’t yet read it or anyone who is into YA fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
too sad for me rn
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oh my god wow. this book shocked me. it was a real page turner, one of the quickest books i’ve read this year. it was one of those books where you are kept on your feet and kept guessing thinking “is it this person?” “no it can’t be”, until one possiblity is ruled out and you form another theory but all the time there is a hidden clue (that the book is written to make you miss) and there is a plot twist and ahshdhdhhd
i think too there were some pretty interesting themes in this book - such as not only the devastating and shocking effects of untreated trauma and what it can do to people but also when this is combined with the power of love in the strongest of relationships the lengths people will go to to make things seemingly “right”. honestly this all probably makes no sense unless you read the book but ahhh it’s so good and just,,, thrilling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail