caseythereader's reviews
1759 reviews

We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0


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Small Game by Blair Braverman

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-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


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Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

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dark emotional tense fast-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? No

4.0


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The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.

 - THE PERFECT GUY DOESN’T EXIST is a very fun read. This book revels in romance tropes and is very silly while also touching on some tough friendship feelings.
- I love a prickly girl character, and both Ivy and Mack bring that vibe while they try to sort out how they feel about each other.
- Something about the dual timeline structure made it feel like arguments got rehashed a few times too many. But aside from that, I had a great time with this book. 
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.

 - What’s there to say about Abdurraqib’s writing that hasn’t been said already? THERE’S ALWAYS THIS YEAR showcases him at his best, writing about basketball and about literally everything else at the same time.
- To be totally clear, I don’t even like basketball and I was entranced by this book. I adore the way Abdurraqib can seem like he’s meandered far off topic, and then suddenly, it all locks together.
- Reading this book feels like watching an underdog sports movie while also having a heart to heart with a lifelong friend. 
The Prospects by KT Hoffman

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Thanks to The Dial Press for the free copy of this book.

 - You’ve seen endless great reviews for this book, and let me tell you, they are all absolutely correct. What a gift of a book THE PROSPECTS is!
- Gene and Luis have my whole heart. What beautiful, soft men, learning to let themselves have what they dream of.
- The supporting cast is wonderful, too. I would gladly read whole books about Vince, Baker, or the Kyles.
- If you’re worried about the baseball, don’t. It’s a sport I feel neutral about and I was still swept along with the story. 

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Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.5


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The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thanks to Harlequin for the free copy of this book.

 - I found THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE to be a gorgeous and frustrating book. The concept is fantastic and romantic, but the execution left something to be desired.
- I loved this conception of fated mates, weaving in ancient mythology, welding this magic with the glitter of modern circuit parties.
- However, we jumped so quickly between timelines that the relationship didn’t actually have much space to grow beyond us just being told that they were drawn together. Any actual reasons or chemistry were absent.
- Some plot threads kind of disappeared, side characters reappeared or didn’t without much logic, and I’m honestly not sure what was happening in the final scenes.
- Side note: I see so many reviews hating on the euphemism “my influence,” but I thought it was funny, lol. 

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Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.25

Thanks to PRH Audio for the free copy of this book.

 - Ooohhh, DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING was so fun. It’s You’ve Got Mail with half a dozen other romance genres gleefully mashed in there and I adored it.
- I loved that this book was so fun, but had at its heart an issue important to teenage girls. Sutanto showed the many ways sexism and misogyny can show up in daily life, from adults and peers, in big ways and small.
- I’ve read a couple Sutanto books now and can’t wait to get my hands on the rest. I adore her brand of joyous chaos! 

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Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75


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