frances_frances's reviews
286 reviews

Girl Juice by Benji Nate

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funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I picked this up purely because of the title. I ended up kinda liking it 
Blue Is the Warmest Color by Jul Maroh

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

3.75

very french 
Homebody by Theo Parish

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

It was really hard to not compare this book to Gender Queer because that book is just so good. Homebody shares many of Gender Queer's great qualities but didn't feel quite as cohesive or complete. This is still an important and very heartfelt book with great insights and appealing illustrations. Especially good for teens and young adults.
Experienced by Kate Young

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I don't normally read romcom kinda books but I ended up liking this one more than I expected. Good writing, sweet portrayals of both platonic and romantic love, and some pretty hot lesbian sex. I was hesitant about a recently coming out story but this book didn't fall into the tropes I was hoping to avoid. I also liked that being gay wasn't an obstacle or big source of tension in the story, it just was. My only real complaint is just that Bette is pretty annoying and it's kinda hard to see why Ruth would put up with her nonsense.
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

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dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

I've read all of Peter Swanson's books and have enjoyed most of them. This one was fine. The writing, as always, is sharp and the relationships / connections between the characters are compelling. The actual story and plot was less impressive. It was sometimes laughably unrealistic and the plotting and overall flow of the book felt off. That being said, the quality of the writing and intricacies of the story kept me going.  
Minami's Lover by Shungiku Uchida

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emotional funny sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

I mean it made me laugh, but it's also like what??? The ending was wild.
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

2.0

I hate saying a book is boring but this reading experience was indeed boring for me. I love the idea of horror but way more often than not, I come away from horror novels feeling disappointed. This book only felt tense because I was expecting something to happen but not much did.
Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard, Lynn Lillard Jessen

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Am I Trans Enough?: How to Overcome Your Doubts and Find Your Authentic Self by Alo Johnston

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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

2.0

MINOR SPOILER AHEAD: Very underwhelming and just fell totally flat for me. There's a lot I didn't like about this book--the underdeveloped characters, the lack of tension, explaining everything in the final pages (way too much telling rather than showing in general)--but what bothers me most is the relationship between Evie and Ryan. It felt so forced and cringe. So many authors rely on the expectations of heteronormativity to do all the work rather than writing compelling characters with actual chemistry and believable reasons to like each other. Ryan and Evie are both attractive straight people and that's supposed to be enough to justify their relationship. Bleh.