bandysbooks's reviews
180 reviews

Going into this book I was really excited. A coming-of-age, a controversial relationship, the struggle of being stuck between two cultures, and the beautiful Turkish seaside are all elements of books that I love. Somehow, in Holiday Coutry it does not work at all.

The best part of this book is the descriptive prose. I could vividly imagine the small town along the Aegean Sea. I could feel the sticker summer heat and smell the harbor. The setting definitely came to life in a very visceral way. 

I also appreciate the discussion of being trapped between two cultures. Ada is too American to be Turkish and too Turkish to be American. It makes sense that she finds herself so anxious to fit in in her mother’s homeland. 

That said, the MC, ADA, is absolutely detestable. It isn’t just that she makes bad decisions. It’s that she ms intentionally cruel for no reason at all. I never come to understand her reasoning for doing the things she does. It seems like she just wants to be a jerk to everyone who cares about her. 

Secondly, the illicit romance in this is completely unbelievable. There is zero chemistry between the two characters and it was about as exciting as watching paint dry. iIt was red flag after red flag so obvious that our MC must've has to blindfold herself to not notice them. 

All in all, this book was just not for me. I gave it three stars because the writing is technically proficient and the prose is beautiful, but I struggle to imagine most people enjoying it. 

Is there anything better than picking up a book by an author that you’ve never read before and falling absolutely head-over-heels for their writing? That is my exact experience with Bury Your Gays. I cannot express how glad I am that I picked up this book.

To start, Bury Your Gays follows a character named Misha who works in film/tv production and has been asked to suddenly kill off his two gay lead characters. He’s struggling with whether or not to follow this request when he begins to be attacked by characters from some of his previous movies. 

Now where to start with the actual review?

Thematically, this book is extremely rich. It touches on such a wide variety of topics. It discusses why representation matters, queer-baiting, theft with AI, corporatization of Pride, post-METOO Hollywood, and more. The thing is it doesn’t just touch briefly on these topics, but instead incorporates them in meaningful ways into the storyline.

Misha, our MC is also fantastic. It’s weird to say because this book is brutal and dark, but he was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed being inside of his head. 

One other really important thing for me is that this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I did not want to put it down. It is satire and horror blended together, but it reads like a thriller. It just takes the best of each of those genres to make something that is a compulsive read. 

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with Bury Your Gays. I’ve already checked out a copy of his previous book Camp Damascus to see if I love it just as much. I would recommend this book for fans of horror and thrillers who want a thematically complex read that sharply critiques the film industry. 

Thank you to Netgalley, Chuck Tingle, and Tor Nightfire for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

As someone who is part Lebanese, I am a sucker for books featuring Middle Eastern folklore/mythology, so I was very much looking forward to reading The Jinn Daughter. It follows a Hakawati Jinn who shepherds the souls of the dead into the afterlife. One day, she wakes to find that there are no souls and it thrusts her whole world into collapse. 

I thought the MC was a pretty compelling character. Her emotions, especially regarding her family were very realistic and portrayed well. I love that she was so loving and protective of her daughter, but was also in some ways a morally grey character due to the lies she tells to keep her child safe. It definitely made her more complex than I initially thought she was. 

I also really enjoyed the incorporation of stories within this book. As our MC eats pomegranate seeds to release souls to the afterlife, she tells their stories. These little stories within the main story were a nice touch. 

The descriptive prose was also lovely and I always had a clear visual of what was going on or where a scene was taking place. It created a really vivid, lovely reading experience. It also helped really bring some of the fantasy elements to life. 

Unfortunately, I felt that this book struggled with its editing. I will try not to be overly critical as this is an Indie publisher, but there were some fairly significant structural issues that affected the reading experience. 

In my opinion, this book has far too many plot lines and not enough space to explore them. I felt a bit like I had whiplash as on one page our MC would say she was going to do something and then on the next page she would do the exact opposite without any time for the reader to understand why she’d changed her mind. This left me feeling emotionally detached and disconnected from the characters for most of the book. 

I also felt like a couple of the plot points (Ex: the whole situation with the grandfather) were included for no reason. The outcomes did not affect the conclusion of the story nor did they enhance the story. Had these unnecessary plot points been trimmed out, the story would have been much more streamlined and effective. 

That said, I did enjoy this book. I think it is an ambitious debut novel that clearly shows Hanna’s talent. I look forward to seeing how her writing grows with her next book. If you enjoy a fast read with Jinn, Ghouls, and other Middle Eastern folklore, you may enjoy this book. 

*Thank you to the author, Rania Hanna, for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. 

I was initially drawn into this book due to the setting on a fictional Welsh island. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book set in Wales prior, so that alone was of interest. If I’m honest, the setting remained the most compelling part of the book. It had me dreaming of little islands off the coast of the UK.

Our MC was pretty well done as well. At the start of the story, she is a clever young woman, but very sheltered and as the story progresses we see her begin to grow. It isn’t always easy watching her make her way through life, but I thought it was realistic.

Another thing that struck me as accurate is the way that modern society portrays old-fashioned cultures. The culture on the island is farming and fishing based, but the researchers following them treat the population as if they are all naive and childlike. Our MC witnesses it upon occasion and we have time to see through her eyes how humiliating it is to be portrayed as this backwards society. 

That said, I did occasionally feel that the book was emotionally detached. It is a relatively short book and at points it felt like it needed more space to grow. 

All in all, if you like books that are character focused, deal with heavy themes, and take a look at life on a remote island, you may enjoy this one. 

I was recommended Grown Ups at a bookstore and it was sold to me as a lighthearted, hilarious, quick read. While it was a quick read, it was definitely not lighthearted or hilarious. 

My main issue with this book was the main character. She is borderline detestable, which can work when handled right. Unfortunately, I also could not relate, empathize, or connect with her or really anyone else in the book. The things that she says and does that are supposed to be quirky and funny really just come across as cruel and insensitive. I know that this was translated from Norwegian, so maybe something was lost in translation?

I will say that the actual writing quality was very good. The story flowed at a steady pace and it was a relatively quick read. The dialogue was handled well and there was enough description to create strong images. The emotional impact was there too. I definitely felt myself feeling discomfort at several points which means it provoked a reaction.

All in all, this want what I expected, but it wasn’t a bad read. If you enjoy difficult characters, messy family relationships, and character driven stories, you may enjoy this one. 

Do you ever come across a book simply because the cover is so bright and lovely? Well, that's exactly how I came across Lucky Girl. While scanning the upcoming releases on Netgalley, I was really drawn in by the cover design. Then I read the summary and I knew this was a book that I'd enjoy. 

Lucky Girl follows a young, sheltered Kenyan woman named Soila as she attends school in the US. She's mostly been raised by her very conservative mother and aunties. As she explores life in the US, she finds things are quite a bit different than she imagined. There is a bit of conflict between her new life and the one she left behind in Kenya.

Soila was great main character because she was relatable in a lot of ways. We see her dealing with the pressures of school, relationships, and family. It all makes sense with who she is supposed to be and where she is coming from. Her reactions to some of the trauma she's experienced were relatable as well. 

I loved the inclusion of Kenyan culture. There were a couple parts that explained Maasai wedding traditions and how they differ from other cultures. I thought this was particularly interesting. And though I didn't always agree with her mother's desire to control things, I did think it was interesting to see what was expected of her as a daughter.

I also really liked that love and romance is a part of this story, but it isn't all rainbows and sunshine. We see difficulties because of cultural expectations on both sides of the relationship, but ultimately the two characters work through them. This struck me as really authentic.

All in all, if you are a fan of Maame by Jessica George, A Daughter In Exile by Bisi Adjabon, or American Street by Ibi Zoboi, you will likely enjoy this book too. It has similar themes and delves deeply into the struggles that come with immigration.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu, and Dial Press for the E-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review. 

I really struggled with this book. The concept sounded very interesting, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The history Mamie shares of fleeing Austria to come to the United States was interesting, but it was such a miniscule part of the story. Most of the page time was spent with Mamie name dropping celebrities, alluding to a secret relationship with Greta Garbo, and arguing with her roommate/caregiver Agatha. The rest of the page time was dedicated to Julian, her grandson, who was honestly an incredibly frustrating character (and not in an endearing way). The level of privilege and entitlement that he has makes him incredibly hard to relate to in any way. He whines endlessly about being trapped in Los Angeles during the pandemic, which like the pandemic sucked, but I don't think it sucked more in Los Angeles than it did anywhere else. 

And Agatha...She is a supporting character. Sort of a friend and caregiver to Mamie. While I at times enjoyed their relationship, I also disliked parts of how Agatha was written. This could partially be due to the person narrating the audiobook, but she felt like she had no real identity. We don't know where she's from. She speaks with a vague accent. She uses snippets from various languages. It felt a bit stereotype-y and uncomfortable. 

Cobalt Red is a book on a subject that I was vaguely aware of, but definitely should know more about. This is one of those books that is horrifically depressing due to the subject matter and at the same time extremely well researched and written. I wish that this could be made required reading when purchasing a smart device. The DRC has been brutalized by colonialism and civil war, so to see it further exploited by Cobalt and Coltan mining is just heartbreaking. 

I did listen to this book on audiobook and I felt that the audio was very well done. Sometimes non-fiction can be a bit dry, but this was narrated well, super compelling, and kept me interested in learning more. 

The Collected Regrets Of Clover was a book that I was hearing a lot of buzz about coming into May 2023. I saw lots of predictions that it would be featured by Book of The Month (which it was) and generally a lot of good feedback. I'm here to add to the chorus. 

This book centers around Clover, a socially isolated woman who works as a Death Doula. As someone who is chronically stoic around death, I found Clover to be a refreshing character. She isn't overly emotional or full of flat platitudes about the next chapter in life. Instead, she is a real person focused on providing real comfort to people as they live out their last days. I also really found myself relating to her in a social sense. While I am not quite as isolated as she is in the start of the book, the segments of this book relating to her childhood and not understanding why people don't like her really hit home in a deep way. I'm sure most people relate to those moments to some degree as we all experience rejection in life. 

As someone who is not at all a romance reader, I was a bit nervous when this book started to verge into the romance territory, especially the love at first sight trope. There was no need to worry though, as the romance was tastefully done and only a minor part of a much larger picture.

The main portion of the plot revolves around wish resolution for a dying client and while I did at times find myself a bit worried that it would delve into cliches, the book thankfully avoided most major tropes. Clover isn't magical and able to fix every wound. She doesn't snap her fingers and cause a dysfunctional family to start behaving in a more functional way. She just provides comfort and safety for the people who allow her to and I really liked that.

 All in all, if you like contemporary fiction with a very relatable character, a sprinkle of romance and a lot of meaning, I think you'll enjoy this book.

The audiobook narration was well done. I found the narrator's voice to fit the story she was telling. She read very smoothly and was easy to understand. 

* Thank you to Netgalley, Mikki Brammer, and St. Martin's Press for the Audio-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

I am admittedly not the biggest reader of middle grade books, but the over and the description sparked my interest. After reading a few really amazing middle grade books for middle grade march, I thought I'd give this one a try. We have a young girl named Uriko/Melony who is first generation American and is finding herself torn between her desires to be more American and her parent's conservative Japanese views. After a birthday wish for things to change, Amanjaku, a mischievous Japanese mythical character arrives. All is fun and games initially, but soon there are serious consequences because of his presence and Melony must make some tough choices.

The thing that I think this book does best is illustrate what it is like to be a first generation child and be torn between the culture you were born into and the one that your parents grew up with. Melony's desire for more freedom and to be more like her American classmates really resonated with me. I grew up in a community of mostly immigrant families and I saw this exact scenario play out quite often. Her desire for independence and trust really butts up against her parents' expectation that she be obedient and passive.

The Amanjaku was an interesting character, but I did find myself wishing the book had delved into his myth a bit more. He sort of arrives suddenly and Melony accepts him without much question. I know she's feeling rebellious and he feeds into that, but she's also a clever and thoughtful girl, so I'm surprised she didn't question things a bit more. I also was a bit confused by some of the things that happened toward the end. Perhaps, as an adult I see some holes that a younger reader might not pick up on as much?

I did really enjoy the exploration of Japanese culture and mythology. I loved the inclusion of social norms, expectations, foods, sayings, etc. It really helped me to understand who this family was and where the parents were coming from in restricting Melony.

All in all, if you are a big fan of middle grade books or have a middle grade reader who enjoys myths, I think this would be a fun read. I think it might be particularly poignant for children who are the kids of immigrants as they may relate to some of Melony's struggles.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Waka T Brown, and Quill Tree Books for this E-ARC. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.