dylanlouise's reviews
184 reviews

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

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lighthearted 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

3.75

 People said this book had "perfect wlm bi rep" and I don't know if I agree with that, but the premise was awesome and the character arc was clear and well-developed. I found the romance a bit predictable, but I thought the setting was realistic and enjoyed it overall. 
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I love books in verse, but this one felt a bit disconnected and hard to understand. Learning all the names and seeing the secrets play out in real-time was cool, but confusing and I found myself flipping back and forth to figure out what was happening. It was a cool culture deep-dive though and the family dynamics were interesting. 
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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

5.0

Loved this. So touching especially if you are connected to/the child of immigrants. The queer love was such an honest, amazing, touch and the sections from the author's childhood were immersive and important. The writing was obviously beautiful and I really enjoyed that he never strayed from the letter format. I talked to a friend who brought up that a lot of it wasn't very direct, but I don't think you can be direct when writing to an immigrant mom about trauma and childhood. I see parallels in my own life with an immigrant mom and would recommend this to almost anyone. 
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Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Solid finale to a solid series. I liked the reveals and the plot didn't feel repetitive or drawn out. Don't have specific complaints really, but the sex scenes were odd and this series overall for me is good, but not INCREDIBLE. 
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.25

The dystopian nature of this book was well-explored and cool.
Having said that, I was looking forward to having a black ace MC and her falling for a robot/alien fell short for me.
So the romance was only okay for me. I liked the themes of the power of art/music and the casual nonbinary representation, I feel like this could be a duology, to be honest. 
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Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

This graphic novel is brilliant. I loved the discussion of family in relation to queer identity and the exploration of the author's childhood was well done. The illustrations are SO COOL and it was a quick and lovable read. 
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Honestly, I loved this book. It romanticized teenagehood in California in all the right ways while also tackling transphobia brilliantly. The characters weren't one-dimensional and the romance made me smile. The ending felt rushed, but otherwise, I liked how interwoven the world-building was. Highly recommend. 
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

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adventurous emotional 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

3.25

Did not expect this book to be about a love addict, but that was almost the sole purpose, in my view. We see our MC going from lover to lover almost the entire book and although there is some reconciliation with other characters, she hurts a lot of people without quite seeing the error of her ways. If you want to read about a morally grey-black character and memories of a childhood in Palestine, go for it but for me it was a frustrating read. 
72 Reasons to Go Vegan: Why Plant-Based. Why Now. by Gene Stone, Kathy Freston

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challenging informative

3.0

Marginally preachy but still a quick read on the benefits of veganism. Would recommend it for people who want to learn more about the health benefits+who can tune out the graphic fear-mongering. 
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Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

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challenging hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.5

This book has a lot of hype surrounding it and I agree that it is pretty revolutionary in that a deep dive into the problems of white feminism hasn't been done before. In its validation of activism and apt criticisms of white feminism today, it was great. It fell short for me on writing. A lot of the same words were used and I couldn't take away a revelation from each chapter. Felt inspiring, but I don't know exactly what I'm inspired to do, other than seeing the downfalls of white feminism in everyday life. Still. an interesting perspective.