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literarycherub's reviews
80 reviews
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Melissa Broder isn’t for everyone, but she is definitely for me. I devoured her previous books and was excited to get a review copy for Milk Fed. Broder knows how to write about such difficult topics while staying sexy, comical, and thought-provoking. This novel is filled with food, sex, and religion.
“Did anyone genuinely like anything? Most art was bad. I preferred the work of dead people. At least the dead weren’t on Twitter.”
Please stop here if you get triggered with eating disorders. We follow Rachel, who we are instantly shown to have a bad relationship with food and her mother. She has a daily ritual at a fro-yo shop where she fills her cup just to the brim with plain yogurt. One day, a new girl at the shop assists her and convinces her to get toppings, causing Rachel to binge and become obsessed with the new girl’s lifestyle. Rachel is hungry to find motherly love since her own mother has never shown her the unconditional love she seeks.
“Maybe that’s all that prayer was anyway—a cosmic google. In that case, any iPhone could be a synagogue.”
I loved the bisexuality representation and I always relate to Broder’s writing having spent the majority of my twenties living in Los Angeles. The dating culture Melissa writes isn’t that unrealistic. If you are a fan of Ottessa Moshfegh or Daisy Buchanan, then you will love Milk Fed!
Thank you to Bloomsbury Circus and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released March 4, 2021.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I desperately have been waiting for a book like this! The discussion around bisexuality and biphobia was so refreshing and validating to read. It is honestly so exhausting being bisexual. You never feel you belong in any community. Watching Darcy navigating this and unpacking her feelings about her sexuality was emotional for me and I finally felt seen. I know this might be a heavy way to start a review, but I just had to get that off my chest. Wednesday Books have been so amazing in the representation they are providing to young readers.
While this has a great message, Perfect on Paper is also an adorable read! I love how it balanced real problems while still being a great escape. I loved seeing Darcy work out the problems of her peers and her advice has actually made me think more on my love language. Sounds silly for a 28 year old to learn so much from a fictional high school student, but it’s true! The writer, Sophie Gonzales, has done such great research into all of this and I can only imagine how fun it was to dive into.
The “love interests” were both so lovable and I honestly enjoyed every character. I feel most young bi girls have a Brooke in their lives. It gave me such a flashback to when I had a crush on my best girl friend. This made the choices Darcy had to make very relatable.
Now I wish we all had a Brougham. He was so adorable and I couldn’t help but root for him. I loved the way he challenged and discussed sexism, genders, and sexuality while being respectful and open to learning. I loved every conversation he had with Darcy.
Also, would like to mention the fun Disney trip! So this doesn’t really need to be mentioned, but I grew up in Anaheim and totally related to the references and understood how everyone either worked there or had a Disney pass. It was fun to think back to that time.
I really urge all bisexual women to read this. It is quick, intelligent, adorable, and refreshing. Also, if you enjoyed Netflix’s The Half of It, then you will love this!
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released March 9, 2021.
No Regrets by Tabitha Webb
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
No Regrets was a fun and light read about love, friendship, and identity. Set in the United Kingdom, we follow three best friends (Stella, Ana, and Dixie) throughout the book. While I enjoyed their friendship and was invested in each of their storylines, I found the writing to be a bit of a stretch at times.
Stella is a stay-at-home mother with a husband who is always gone, yet she can always conveniently meet up with new and old friends. Sometimes even other outings. A couple times there is a mention of her mother watching her kids, but sometimes the husband does and I don’t understand how easy it is when they are having issues and he has his secrets. She even goes to a last minute trip to New York! While I enjoyed her search for her identity and purpose, this made it a little unbelievable.
Ana is trying for a baby and as someone who has issues conceiving as well, I really related to her. Her dilemma is wanting to be a mother with a man she doesn’t love because her body is against the clock. She is always thinking about her ex (who happens to be a famous musician) and has to workout if she can be happy with her partner. Besides the famous ex, it was a realistic situation and I was very invested. I did have a problem that I will reveal after Dixie.
Dixie is the glamorous one of the bunch. She is always traveling and hooking up with men to then toss aside. She has a carefree life, but soon she meets her match. I loved watching her fall in love, but it was obvious the man she was falling for had something he wasn’t telling her.
My problem with all three of the women is that despite all these conflicts, they had a convenient happy ending. Everything came together at the same time and everyone got what they wanted. While I am happy for them, it was just too easy. That was my main issue but other than that, I did enjoy the ride. Just wasn’t a memorable ride.
I would like to mention that there is sapphic representation and I really enjoyed it! Don’t want to spoil who it is.
I still recommend to fans of romantic comedies and Sex and the City. This is also perfect for reading slumps!
Thank you to HQ and Edelweiss for the arc! This title was released March 2, 2021.
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft
Down Comes the Night was atmospheric, emotional, and romantic. We are quickly introduced to Wren who is seen as being weak for her empathetic ways. She is always trying to do the right thing, even if it gets her in trouble with the queen, who is also her aunt. This was a running theme throughout and I loved how Wren constantly stayed true to herself and her ways. I got very emotional at the end of chapter 28, where Wren reflects on the way she is and how she needs to be seen and cared for.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but yes this lives up to the hype. The writing is gorgeous and the atmosphere is eerie. This has been marketed as Crimson Peak if it were a young adult novel and I definitely agree!
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
This post was delayed a day, but I just had to listen to the audiobook! I am happy to say, it was magnificent. It was just as atmospheric as I had hoped and I adored all the accents. I actually read a physical review copy as well which I won from the author’s giveaway! I am extremely grateful for that because I was anticipating this book for months!
I first heard about Down Comes the Night from my lovely friend Cossette and ever since I was itching to get my hands on it. She knows I am obsessed with gothic literature and fantasy novels. Once it arrived, I just stared at it for a long while because the cover is so beautiful. As I started to flip through, I saw the dedication and instantly I knew I would fall in love.
For all the girls who feel too much.
Down Comes the Night was atmospheric, emotional, and romantic. We are quickly introduced to Wren who is seen as being weak for her empathetic ways. She is always trying to do the right thing, even if it gets her in trouble with the queen, who is also her aunt. This was a running theme throughout and I loved how Wren constantly stayed true to herself and her ways. I got very emotional at the end of chapter 28, where Wren reflects on the way she is and how she needs to be seen and cared for.
On the topic of being seen, Wren is a bisexual character. As a bisexual myself, it was refreshing for me to see. Not only is it not a big deal in her world, but she cares for someone of the opposite sex, which usually isn’t the interest for a bisexual character. Sometimes people discredit bisexual people if you don’t end up with the same sex. I am married to a man and am constantly being seen as “choosing a side”. Seeing characters who end up with the opposite sex and not be disowned for it is what we all need more of. I am happy I am properly seen in this novel. I will move on now because this can easily be its own post.
Hal. My broken and misunderstood babe. Saft really crafted this antihero perfectly. Seeing him and Wren grow close was so beautiful to watch. Who can resist enemies to pining to lovers? Not me! They were such a delight to read and I my heart was constantly fluttering and swooning over them!
A terrible fate indeed, to be your prisoner.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but yes this lives up to the hype. The writing is gorgeous and the atmosphere is eerie. This has been marketed as Crimson Peak if it were a young adult novel and I definitely agree!
This was also a buddy read with Victoria, but really she finished immediately and I read a couple weeks later.. I’m sorry Victoria! I had some other deadlines that caused me to pushback my reading, but as soon as I hit ‘publish’ on this review, I am moving into her DMs to scream.
Thank you to Allison Saft for the arc! This title was released March 2, 2021.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Torture and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I am not much of a thriller reader but when I read this blurb and saw the main character was bi, I had to pick it up! There are two timelines. One is over the course of a day and the other is a flashback timeline of all of Nora’s identities leading up to the present.
This book really held on to me and didn’t let go until the end. I read this in one sitting which only took about three and a half hours! Nora is such an unbelievable character and the side characters really had their time to shine. I absolutely adored Iris, Wes, and Lee.
Iris is Nora’s current love interest and she is badass. She is feminine and clever and I really enjoyed reading about her. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and she really matches Nora.
Wes, my sweet boy. He is Nora’s ex-boyfriend and she calls him her “franken-friend”. They reconstructed their friendship and have an unbreakable bond. Even when Wes is upset with her. Wes has his own heartbreaking story and it was a topic I felt handled well by the writer.
Lee is Nora’s half sister and she will do anything, and I mean anything, for Nora. It was so beautiful to read about their relationship. Lee experienced the same as Nora as a child and she will do what she has to in order to protect Nora moving forward.
This was an easy five out of five stars for me. I haven’t read anything in one sitting for awhile. Maybe I will have to read more thrillers or just more of Sharpe in general.
Nora had so many intense scenes and experienced a lot of trauma in her adolescence. There are definitely dark themes such as violence, abuse, assault, and death. Please check trigger warnings. I provided a link to the list shared by the author.
Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 26, 2021.
The Ravens by Danielle Paige, Kass Morgan
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This is the type of witchy book I have been craving for! The witch coven is under the guise of a sorority and danger quickly ensues. There are two POVs, Vivi and Scarlett. Vivi is the new recruit and Scarlett is her mentor. They start off quite rocky because Vivi quickly catches the attention of Mason, Scarlett’s boyfriend. I won’t go into further detail to avoid spoilers.
While there are definitely a couple love interests, they take a back seat in this novel. This strictly focuses on The Ravens and the wicked magic they need to defeat. I personally enjoyed the magic and sisterhood to be a focus instead of romance. Maybe the second book will focus more on the love interests and I find myself actually hoping for that since there is one character I happen to want more of!
As much as I adore the paranormal elements, there are some scenes that can get a bit gorey. They don’t happen too often, but proceed with caution! I tend to not like scary things in general, but I handled this quite well. It was very enjoyable and gave just the right atmosphere.
The reason this didn’t get a full five stars from me is because of they way the past was constantly brought up but always in a vague manner. There is a death that happened that affects the coven, but they don’t give much explanation. Things are revealed towards the end, but I feel it was rushed and we still don’t see the full picture. I really hope it gets more clear in the sequel. I am definitely going to pick it up!
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 5, 2021.