btwnprintedpgs's reviews
1302 reviews

I finished it, so there's that.

This was not my cup of tea. It might've worked better if it was RH, but then other things would've been just as awkward and mildly awful. I feel like this book tried to give power to women, but in a way that feels anti feminist and it's odd. The dichotomy doesn't sit well with me, I don't know. I don't think I'll read anything else from Penelope Douglas, no matter the crazy hype around their books.

TW: sexual content, violence, alcohol, suicidal ideation, adult/minor relations, blood; mentions suicide, death of a parent, pregnancy, cancer, domestic abuse, drugs

eARC gifted by Penguin Random House Canada via the Indigo Employee Program in exchange for an honest review.

Carolyn Huynh is the master of flawed, messy characters coming back home to contend with their past.

We have a strong cast of characters: Duc, the father and the immigrant who achieved the American Dream through his chain of banh mi shops; Huey Ngo, Duc's best friend and constant companion; Evelyn, the mother, who left her family over a decade ago; Connie, Duc's second wife; and the five kids - Jude, Jane, Bingo, Patricia, and Georgia.

This family is a mess. Duc has always been a distant father, made more distant by the disappearance of Evelyn. Because of this, the siblings are also plagued with problems - kids who had to grow up too fast, some who were burdened with too much and others with too little, and they all return to Houston, Texas when Duc issues an inheritance challenge. The challenge for the eldest son, Jude, is to get married before year end. In contrast, the sisters are challenged to make one of Duc's banh mi shops successful again. As a result, Jude and Jane end up in Houston, Bingo in Philly, Patricia in San Jose, and Georgia in New Orleans.

I loved the challenge and how they all kind of lean on each kid's area of weakness or vulnerability. I say kids as if they're literal children, but they range from 22 (Georgia, the youngest) to 34 (Jude, the oldest). Each one has their own traumas to contend with and had something to reckon with in their assigned city as they worked through and beyond the challenge given to them. I also found the POV swapping interesting and who got first-person voice. It's hard to really get into it without spoilers, but know that each element lent itself to the wider picture in some way and it was masterfully done.

The book also explored the history of Vietnamese immigrants in Houston, Texas during/after the war in Vietnam. From the racism they experience, to the involvement of the KKK, and the fear and determination of that generation to get to each new day, the storytelling of Duc, Huey, and Evelyn's past was painful and full of trauma, but also showed their grit as they found their way through the chaos to the other side, though they weren't left unscathed by their past.

At the end, we see how these nine characters' lives loop through and impact each other and perfectly put together the puzzle of the Tran family. I adored how everything fell into place and the way it all came together in a mix of hilarity and meddling machinations.

Carolyn Huynh is now an auto-buy author for me. This book was fantastic in the way it dealt with generational trauma, the question of legacy, family strife, and being a child of the diaspora. All the stars, this is one to read in 2025!

TW: alcohol, racism, white supremacy, death, gun violence, depression, panic attack, fire; mentions infidelity, pregnancy 

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, but I felt like the world building and the character building fell fairly flat. 

The world building was interesting at the start. There are multiple planets introduced and an interesting hierarchy of wards, and the complexes and towers were very cool to start, where our main character would traverse to and from their family complex. We continue to see a bit of the technology and how elements of Earth come into play with this futuristic society. However, as we got into the plot, much of that world building was forgotten and it became very plain. The places that characters would meet would be generic, we lost some of the wonder that the MC feels when she is exploring, and it became a little bit more mundane despite the high stakes heist.

One thing I did love about the world building was the inclusion of Hawaiian Pigin. It gave a greater sense of family and community as it continuously appeared through the story. It was also cool to see some code switching depending on who our characters were speaking with. This was a big part of why I continued and enjoyed this book. 

In terms of character development, I feel like we only skim the surface with a lot of the characters. I think the author expected us to be more invested in the characters based on how the story ended, but I feel like I never really got to know anyone well enough or deeply enough through Edie's eyes to truly feel like this was a found family. The depth just wasn't there for me, especially with Edie's relationship with Angel. Although they have 20 years of history, I didn't feel like the relationship ran deep. This was also affected by some formulaic writing, where each character had a small moment when things were getting set up but it never felt organic. Thisbwas most noticeable whenever they were in the hideout. Something would get set up and it'd be like, "I sat here, Malia was there. Duke and Nakano approached. Sara showed interest, Cy pulled up a chair, and Tatiana scowled. Angel walked in." I didn't need a roll call every time something happened, or every time something needed to be agreed upon by the crew. It felt like wasted words and it felt more stilted as a result.

Lastly, the pacing of the plot was odd. Back to the roll call aspect, we spend the first 50% of the book with Edie and Angel bringing together the crew. In movies, this can feel exciting, but it's often helped along by montage. We didn't get that here, and instead we slog through each meeting and don't get the reveal of the actual plan until they're executing it at around the 80% point. The book was slow because of this choice.

I wanted to love this book so badly, but it really missed the mark the for me. Just a little too clunky and not enough depth for my liking.

Rep: Hawaiian agender butch lesbian MC, East-Asian lesbian LI, Hawaiian transmasc side character, transfem femme lesbian secondary character, butch lesbian secondary character

TW: incarceration, attempted drugging; mentions violence, sexual content, alcohol, human experiments, death of a parent, blackmail

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

eARC gifted via Edelweiss by Harper Voyager via Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

Immediately, the writing got my attention. It flowed so easily and had me flying through the first third of the book. The short chapters, the world-building, and the character development told through flashbacks, it was all so easy to digest and imagine.

However, the middle got bogged down by certain choices and an instalove romance that felt like it was forced into the story. There are reveals that make those two elements so much more interesting later on, but the logic didn't feel right as I was living it and it affected my interest in the story greatly.

That being said, the twists were insane and I loved how everything came together and fell apart in the end. It surprised me and really redeemed the story for me.

The fantasy elements of the story were very Ghibli-esque and I loved the little magics of Hana's world. As we get to see more and more of it, the ways of travel, the elements of magic, all feel so beautiful and fantastical. I think this would make for a cool animated film and I think the audiobook will add so much atmosphere and cool vibes to this story.

All in all, a solid fantasy, but the romance really pulled me out and I wish some other choices were made (despite the outcomes and twists).

TW: child death, murder, injury detail, blood, gore, violence, death; mentions pregnancy, abortion

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5

ACR gifted by Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked The Holiday (movie), you'll enjoy this book!

Holly and Ivy are best friends, and when Holly's fiance cancels their wedding the night before to go explore a relationship with his coworker, they decide to switch vacations. Holly gets Ivy's wintery artist retreat in an off-the-grid cabin, while Ivy gets Holly's honeymoon trip to Hawaii.

I found this was an easy, fun read. It's a bit insta-lovey, as the relationships develop over the course of a week, but I appreciated the warm holiday vibes of it. We get to celebrate Christmas with the MCs and see how they fit within the little found families they quickly build.

I haven't read Marissa Stapley before, but based on her repertoire, I was surprised by the writing in this book. The prose was often repetitive (I get it, she's a Senior Graphic Designer at a magazine), the dialogue a bit clunky at times (the amount of disappointment I had in those confrontations), the epilogue was dialogue that would never exist in real life ("we did this, we did that," but they're saying it to each other when they well know what they've done and why). The writing felt rough and gave the book an unrealistic sheen that would take me out of the world at times. That, mixed with the insta-love, had me raising an eyebrow.

As a whole, a fun holiday book, but not something I'll probably think of again after this review.

TW: alcohol, infidelity; mentions sexual content

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 3/5

Finished copy gifted by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a wild ride. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. It was twisted in so many ways and I love an unreliable narrator.

Claire wakes up in the woods by herself, not knowing how she got there or what happened to her two best friends, Jesse and Kat. We get glimpses into the 72 hours leading up to their camping trip, but everything else for Claire is a blank. I loved getting to see her view of her friends - Kat's steady determination and Jesse's quiet kindness. I think she paints a solid picture of who she understands them to be. At times, I found her POV a bit repetitive - same questions, no answers, but it fueled the mystery, and various events propel us further into the story.

I found the POV switch very interesting. I had so many questions as to where the story would go, and that was unexpected. The machinations behind everything was so interesting and the climax of it all had me absolutely shaken. What do you MEAN???? I was wilding by the end, and the fact that Claire still stands apart from some of the secrets revealed is just like WHAT DO YOU MEAN??

I do agree with some reviews regarding the end. We got all the mystery answers, but I wanted a bit more of the aftermath to see where the characters landed.

This book was such a wild ride and I flew through it in a day. Kara Thomas has a way of sucking you into her stories and lulling you into her shocking twists, and I love it.

TW: injury detail, medical trauma, blood, depression, suicidal ideation, racism, domestic abuse, incest, alcohol, alcoholism, drugs, death, violence; mentions infidelity, kidnapping, car accident, rape

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Delacorte Press via Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.

Despite numerous character speaking like they were reading from a psych textbook, this whole cast felt like they could use an enormous amount of therapy. Whenever the two MCs talked to each other, I wanted to head-desk.

I found Hannah very contrary. Hannah saw the world with her parents as a kid and came back to her favourite place to make a career and life. Levi was stuck in that place as kid and left to make his career and life. And while Levi is proud of Hannah, Hannah only resents Levi. Hannah says at one point that she thought Levi was too worldly for her, but at the same time was mad that she built up a life she was proud of and that he shouldn't ruin it for her, which he never does, by the way. She had all this pent up something and he resented the childhood he had, full of bullies and emotional abuse that no one took seriously (and when they do, it felt so disingenuous??). I don't know, they felt like an absolute mess, and Hannah especially felt like she just wasn't open to seeing other people's perspectives, as if they'd tarnish her own views and memories. It all felt fairly toxic. And like, it seemed like no one really noticed Levi's suffering?? Which also seems wild to me. I understand the children, but the adults being totally aware of how Levi was being treated just ignoring it and staying felt so wrong.

As a whole, there is a big cast. It took a second to adjust, since I haven't read the first book, but I adjusted eventually. I feel like if you're making companion novels that are marketed to be read as stand alones with cameos, those cameos shouldn't have such a big impact on the reading experience. There are a bunch of characters and some inside jokes that I assume are pulled from book one, but dumping it all on readers, especially new ones, at the very beginning of the book makes the barrier to entry a bit higher.

I loved the Jewish rep in this book. I think that it was so interesting that this Jewish family owned a Christmas tree farm, but still held true a lot of their own beliefs, and I liked that. The presence of Jewish culture, especially noticeable in their food and Levi's foody dreams, was very strong and educational. I loved that aspect of the story.

All in all, this one wasn't for me. I don't think it's because it's a sequel, but because Hannah and Levi don't seem good for each other at all. I feel like they ended up together because that's how they believed their HEA should be rather than what's actually best for them. I need all of them to go to way more therapy though. The therapy speak isn't enough to save them.

Rep: pansexual, demi MMC; FMC with anxiety

TW: grief, anxiety, emotional abuse (flashback), toxic relationship; mentions homophobia, death of a family member

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Pacing: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Forever via Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Did I have a good time reading this? Kind of. Would I recommend it? No.

I loved books about books (though I wish authors would stop putting in the line, "This isn't one of your books, this is real life." - this author put in a line ADJACENT to it, but I'll give it a pass). This book in particular, I loved how much it screamed at people to stop making people feel bad or lesser for loving romance books. It was a very organic narrative that truly showed why it's hard to be a romance reader, lover, and sometimes writer. There is more side eye given to romance writers, as if writing a romance book is any easier than writing any other book. I loved that message. 

What I didn't love was the instalove, the poor pacing, the fact that the FMC makes jokes after her aunt cornered the MMC in a bedroom and tries to strip for him, which is sexual harassment. There felt like there didn't have to be certain characters or subjects that the book decided to take on, such as xenophobia and Harry Potter controversy, along with a myriad of pop culture and current social justice takes. It felt randomly inserted and just a way for the author to virtue signal almost?? Despite her book doing a fine job of showing she was a feminist without all those inserts.

Anyways. I did enjoy some scenes (I really wish one character got clocked again, but I digress), and I feel like the writing as a whole made the book easy and bingeable. However, I was not a huge fan of this one and wanted to DNF it multiple times, so take from that what you will.

TW: sexual harassment, alcohol consumption, xenophobia, sexual content; mentions HP

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5

ARC gifted by HCC Frenzy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a heartwarming story that brought a community together, while also delving into the persecution and prejudice gay men experienced back in the day. Specifically focusing on Albert's experience as a boy during the 1960s to 1980s, and his repression of his identity and trauma, this showed a lesser known side of society. I loved that Albert was able to find a pocket of love, and I'm so sad for him that it was ruined by homophobia. While that is a big part of Albert's story, the book largely focuses on his journey to finding his childhood love; the community he builds in the process; and his neighbour, Nicole, who is where Albert was 50 years ago and wondering whether her current relationship is worth the trouble.

I loved the found family energy this book gives. From the start you knew that this man, who kept to himself for nearly 50 years, was coming out of his shell, and I loved seeing how his relationships progressed with his coworkers, his neighbours, and his local community. I appreciated the nuance of all these characters and how we get to see so much personality from each one despite their limited page time. I feel like I truly go to know Albert's community along with him, and it was such a lovely, open, and accepting journey.

The flashbacks to Albert's time with his childhood love were so sweet and innocent, until things went sideways. There was so much shame within Albert, about his identity, about what he did and didn't do as a child, and even his inaction in present day. I loved how we get to see Albert grow through these moments and heal slowly from the pain of the past.

Although it's not nearly the same, I loved the parallel of Nicole's relationship. Something beginning and possibly becoming more, but other people standing in the way of joy. I appreciated that Nicole got her own side story and she wasn't just brought in to mirror Albert. I loved getting to know her and her daughter, and their dream for a better future. It was a beautiful addition to the story.

This story wasn't what I thought it would be, but I definitely enjoyed it. One thing to note is that it is very British - I had to switch from the audiobook to a borrowed library copy because I had trouble catching the details. Other than that hiccup, this story was hard won, but in the end super heartwarming and full of love. A beautiful read.

TW: sexual harrassment, homophobia, death of an animal (pet), alcohol consumption, racisim, fatphobia; mentions miscarriages, suicidal ideation, familial enstrangement, violence, hate crimes

I read this for work and I will say this now, it's not worth it.

Full of political ideas and satire that ring true to this day, this story is held back by clunky writing and info dumping. The writing is like wading through big words and complex ideas with no true conclusion in sight, only for it to pop up as you're drowning in it and it's much too late for the point to matter. I like the concept and the world building and expansion of the Oz world was very interesting. However, just because you have the world building in your back pocket doesn't mean your reader needs to know every last detail of it unless it's relevant to them and the characters. The whole first part is just these two elements warring with each other for dominance.

As we switch perspective, it gets interesting. We get to see the lives of Galinda, Boq, and the going-ons of Shiz. I enjoyed this part a bit more, so that's why the story isn't a 1 star or a DNF, but it was still a lot of frills that felt unnecessary and once again all the moments of interest were bogged down by clunky prose.

At the end of the day, this was an interesting read, but I don't think I'd recommend it. Save yourself the trouble and watch the Broadway musical to get the heart of the story in a succinct 3 hour rather than suffer this book. Please note, this is not a book for kids.

TW: sexual content, violence, animal cruelty, death, infidelity, bullying, sexism, racism, murder, religious bigotry, genocide, bestiality; mentions death of a parent, rape, slavery, cannibalism