skudiklier's reviews
602 reviews

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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funny reflective tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

I have been looking forward to this book since I found it about it, and it didn't disappoint in the slightest. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio has such a way with words, and this story and its characters were real and heartbreaking and funny and beautiful. The abandonment/daddy issues hit me especially hard.

I feel like I can't explain my favorite things about this book without spoiling it, but just know that it does some unique things really well and I'm so grateful I got to read it when I did.

Thank you to Random House One World and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC. 
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Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

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  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

I waited way too long to write a review so I kind of forget exactly how I felt about this, but I definitely liked it! I loved having a nonbinary character, and the romance, and the premise. It was very engaging.
Better by Far by Hazel Hayes

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It took me a bit to get into this book, but in the end I really liked it! It focuses on grief, with both a romantic breakup and the death of a parent. I liked the writing and the characters, and the conclusions it comes to. I'll definitely read anything Hazel Hayes writes in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and  Dutton for the chance to read and review this ARC.
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Gay Girl Prayers by Emily Austin

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

God I loved this. Emily Austin's novels are some of my absolute favorites, and as a poet I was extra excited for this. It wasn't what I was expecting but in the best possible way. I loved this. It was brilliant and simple and necessary and funny and fucked up and joyful and healing. 
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Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

Okay wow, this was great. Super engaging and fascinating--I couldn't stop thinking about it. I told my partner all about it, and I can't wait for the sequel. Even with how wild everything is, the characters feel so grounded and complicated. And I'm not one for violence and gore, so I'm really glad I read this as a book rather than seeing it on TV or something, but even that felt worth it in context. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the premise.
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American Primitive by Mary Oliver

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Good god that was incredible. Mary Oliver is truly one of the best poets of all time. I feel so lucky to read her work.

Some notes I took while reading:

i need to reread this one day and take more time with it. i need to read a mary oliver poem every morning while watching the sunrise

nothing fills me with life like mary oliver poetry. with appreciation and wonder and energy and awe. with the motivation to spend my time wisely and to do whatever makes me feel alive

god any time mary oliver says "listen" i sit the FUCK down and listen!!!!! 
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It took me a while to get through. I didn't actively dislike it but I didn't really like it either. I took a lot of notes for my book club, and it had lots of things to discuss, but I also was never super engaged. I don't think I would have DNFed it if I hadn't been reading it for a book club, but I might have.

The plot twist at the end was very predictable but also still interesting. The writing was good and there were definitely things I liked about it. Idk. I just feel mostly neutral about the book I guess. 
A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

I loved this, both as its own book and as a sequel!! I wasn't expecting a lot of that but I love where it went. Definitely recommend it to fans of the first book, regardless of if you're more interested in the mystery or the romance, as this has a lot of both.
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

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4.75

Wow this whole book felt like the end of a book. Wild.

I'm honestly writing this review weeks after finishing it so I don't have a lot to say. I'm glad I reread the series. It held up but I do think it's definitely written for kids. The books are better than the show (or the movie but that's a given). I love the things that make this ending different from the Harry Potter ending (iykyk). I'm looking forward to reading the other spinoffs and such soon. 
Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land

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challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

I read this based on Hank Green's recommendation and definitely liked it. It was an interesting perspective and I appreciated being able to hear it. I didn't read Land's first book so finding out at the end that this was a sequel of sorts was interesting. I feel like it holds up 100% as a standalone book. I don't think I'll read her other one but I think this was written well and I was engaged the whole time.