tayahmarie's reviews
91 reviews

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.0

This book has left me stunned, speechless, and absolutely defeated. I had to laugh at the majority of hateful quotes and statements collected in here to keep from crying or getting irate! Bates breaks down the dangerous and lethal affects of extreme misogyny and how it needs to be taken seriously by the world. She does this by deep diving into the internet, and finding the most vile and inhumane posts that stem from the i***l community. As you can imagine, it was difficult to read these comments and know that there is nothing you can do about it. I will never, for the life of me, understand how some people have that much hate and poison in their heart to speak of other human beings in such a hateful way?

Moving on, I mentioned that this book left me feeling defeated. I already knew that misogyny would only be eradicated in a perfect world, but after reading this, as well as Bates’ solutions, it made it even more evident that Femicide and violence against women will always be an issue because those who can destroy it are the same ones benefitting from it. So why would you want to get rid of something that helps you out? Once this was reiterated and made strikingly clear, it felt like I was hit with a bucket of ice cold water.

The one thing that really bothered me about this book is that it only scratched the surface of how misogyny affects women of color, specifically Black women. Misogynoir is a real, complex issue. So it would’ve been nice to have quotes and statements from Black feminist leaders included. We still have a ways to go in regards to intersectionality, too. Sigh.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I think this is an important read. Extreme misogyny is a form of t*rrorism, and it needs to be talked about more and recognized as such.

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Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring 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 can’t believe I slept on Talia Hibbert for this long. Whenever I find a new (to me) Black romance author and I end up liking their stories, I feel like I hit the jackpot. I don’t recall ever reading a romance where the MCs are Black and Middle Eastern, so I adored the representation here.

Starting with Dani, I loved her. She was hilarious, unapologetically herself, and smart as hell. Yes, she was flawed, but she recognized that and tried her best to navigate love and life, which, to me, is pretty relatable. Also, I’m starting to realize that I enjoy stories that focus on a character in a Ph.D. program! I think it’s important that we continue to shed light on how stressful, difficult, and draining those programs can be, especially for women and minorities who have to deal with additional layers of hardships.

As for Zafir, I don’t play into the whole ‘book boyfriend’ thing, but if I did, Zafir would be IT for me. He was so sweet, kind (to Dani, lol), and supported Dani every step of the way. I’ll never get tired of the ‘i hate everyone else, but her’ trope.

In conclusion, I’m obsessed. Besides the romance aspect, I loved how Hibbert handled grief, depression, fear, anxiety, impostor syndrome, and trying to come to terms with giving love and feeling worthy to receive it. I will think about this story and these two lovable characters for a long time!

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The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

I’ll start by saying that I would give this 10 stars if I could. Carlo did a stellar job at giving the reader a disturbing, depraved, and downright chilling deep dive into the mind of Richard Ramirez - aka The Night Stalker, who terrorized California during the summer of 1985.

This book was a wild ride. I’m not even going to lie to y’all, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since I finished it. I can’t even put into words how wicked this information was. My heart was pumping and, I was terrified to go to sleep after reading Part One which, details Ramirez’s gruesome and vile crimes. It's difficult to imagine individuals like this who have walked and currently walk amongst us. You never really know someone, and what’s swirling around in their head. I also wanted to say that I was really interested in Part X that outlines Ramirez’s childhood and provided context on how he turned into the real-life boogeyman.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I have to shout out Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno for doing everything in their power to put an end to Ramirez’s reign of terror. If it wasn’t for them, who knows what the outcome would’ve been…and that’s a scary pill to swallow.

Content Warnings

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

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dark emotional sad 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

3.5

What an odd, interesting, and dark comical fever dream that is this book! I like how Moshfegh explored the complexities of depression and how sleep is truly a coping mechanism and a sort of medication for some. I think this ongoing theme really resonated with me seeing as though most of us, myself included, have been experiencing ebbs and flows when it comes to mental health in light of the pandemic. I personally think the MC wanting to simply sleep her problems away and not wanting to do anything that required even an ounce of energy felt real. Like I get it, girl.

That aside, I obviously didn’t agree with 90% of her other coping mechanisms, lol. But everyone deals with situations differently, so who am I to judge at the end of the day? Our MC’s therapist, however, I am judging because ma’am… 😐

Overall, I strangely enjoyed this. It wasn’t perfect, but I like to think that I understood what Moshfegh was trying to do. It was interesting to read about someone who, on the outside, may have it all, only to be disturbingly mistaken. I also have to say #Justice4Reena! I’ve been thinking about the ending ever since I finished this. Ugh.

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Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Once again, Tessa Bailey is a queen and one of my favorite romance authors. Talk about auto-buy! I’m not surprised that I ended up loving this, seeing as though It Happened One Summer is my favorite romance book of the year.

Bailey’s way of writing characters - giving them depth, and allowing them to have the most wittiest and clever banter out there cannot go unnoticed. She also has a great way of incorporating real-life/world themes into her books. Her stories are about more than just the romance, characters have to get lost, find themselves again, and stumble upon love along the way. I also think this delivered on the Christmas vibes and atmospheric tone. I truly felt like I was in NYC during the holidays and I loved it!

I also think it’s safe to say that we need more reversed grumpy/sunshine tropes in books. I loved that Stella was NOT with the sh*ts. She was pretty standoffish and tried her hardest not to accept handouts and earn her spot. But I loved that Aiden was a big romantic sap and helped Stella break down those barriers. And those steamy scenes? WHEW!

An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

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The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

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emotional inspiring reflective relaxing 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

This important novel is a true ode to Black personhood, and despite some of the infuriating and heartbreaking moments, this story and the characters made my heart swell with so much warmth and joy.

Content Warnings

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

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dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.0

I typically don’t read stories that focus on domestic violence because of how irate I genuinely get. It stirs up so many emotions in me that I often can’t find myself to power through them, but B.A. Paris’ writing style is gripping and addictive to the point where I couldn’t put this book down! I know this debuted years ago, but I’m glad I finally felt ready to dip my toe into this subgenre of Thrillers.

My heart ached for Grace so much; it was unbelievable. To know the personal hell, she was living and not being able to do anything about it was gut-wrenching. Every time we kept flashing back to the past, or if there was even a sliver of hope for Grace and then it was tauntingly and abruptly ripped away, I found myself cursing, shaking my head, and just saying “omg” repeatedly. It’s really disheartening (and so effing scary) that people can live double-lives and walk around as if they’re an “Angel” only to be the opposite in disguise.

Content Warnings

The Roughest Draft by Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberley

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emotional funny reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this story, and I'm sad it's over! Which is crazy since I don't typically care for slow-burn books, but this one might've changed my mind.

Starting with the plot itself, I thought it was beautifully executed. Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka's writing style is amazing; I fell in love with it. They also did a phenomenal job of making the reader care for our main characters, Katrina and Nathan. I felt like I went on this journey of fear, growth, love, heartbreak, resentment, and acceptance right along with them. With that, I definitely got frustrated with both of them as if they were my real friends (shout out to Harriet b/c she is me and I am her!), but as an ode to Nathan and Katrina's ongoing debate, Fiction and real life often intertwine, lol.

I hate to compare books, but I genuinely think if you enjoyed both Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, then you'll love this one. I think this book is going to be a hit across Bookstagram, BookTok, and social media as a whole and I can't wait to see the love it'll get!

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

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tayahmarie's reviews 91 reviews

tayahmarie's reviews
91 reviews