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gojack's reviews
95 reviews
Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i was hesitant to give this 5 stars at first, but what i wanted to take off points for isnt a reflection of the quality of the book. i love the author’s style, and how this is a queer YA novel that is actually beautiful and not cringey. I like how she developed the characters and made a realistic friend group. I think I wanted to take off points for the characters I disliked and the decisions those characters made, but they add to the story, and make it what it is. good coming of age novel for any queer kid or any queer adult looking for hope for lgbt youth
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thoroughly enjoyed the first half… second half felt like a different book but i understand it was imperative to the story… last few chapters felt like a cheap ending… but understandably things needed to be tied together considering the future of our main character. overall interesting to learn more HG lore and see more world building through suzanne collins’ strong narrative voice
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
3.75
laugh out loud funny but with some minor plot holes
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
absolutely adored this book, learned a lot about Japanese/Korean history and fell in love with the characters. was not a fan of how women were sometimes depicted or certain word choices that felt out of pocket considering the author’s typical rhetoric. lmao i sound like a prude but it was just jolting when the author would say fuck after the most beautiful sentence hahah
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
unnecessary ending for shock value
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
5.0
this is arguably my favorite sally rooney book, the characters jump off the page in such a dynamic and realistic fashion. i adore bobbi and frances and have developed a love hate relationship for both nick and melissa. i didn’t particularly *like* the ending of the book, but i understand why it happened the way it did, old habits die hard.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
it was really really good, i enjoyed how she wrote at the age of her memories and expressed her perspective of others through how they made her feel rather than through thoughtless defamation. early in the book, little jennette wanted to become a writer, it is easy to say she became much more than that. her memoir will forever be acclaimed, but for me it was just missing something at some points which motivated me less to pick it up i found her relationship with her mother (enmeshment) and food (eating disorder) jarringly similar to my own and perhaps that is why at some points i found it difficult to be drawn to the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Vomit