skudiklier's reviews
617 reviews

I love all of Salem's work, and this is no exception. I was surprised by this book because I was expecting their "usual" poetry, but it was a very specific type of their work. The poems in this book are focused on creativity and writing, and it's super interesting getting to see into Salem's "third self," even just a bit. This is a great book for writers, poets, and anyone interested in creativity's paradoxes and challenges.

This was the last of Jane Austen's major works for me to read, and it was super interesting! You could definitely tell it was her first novel, and it seems somewhat different from the others in a few ways. I liked it but there were sections I found odd/slower so it took me longer than expected to get through it. I wish I were reading it with someone else so I could react to it with them--I didn't know anything about it ahead of time so all of it was surprising to me.

Idk. On the one hand, this book was fascinating and informative and well-written, and I went into it expecting to like it. On the other hand, the ableism (especially towards autistic people) and fatphobia was a big turn-off. I know some would argue that he was trying to be objective, but I think talking about autism and "obesity" as if they're inherently problems to be solved is not objective. If it had just been the sections focusing on those things it might not have colored my impression of the book so much, but he referenced those things so frequently throughout the book that I was always on guard to hear about some awful things parents had done to their autistic children. So while I think overall this book was good and I would want to recommend it, I just can't say I liked it or would encourage anyone to read it. It's a shame. 

And truly, to anyone wondering, that wasn't a *huge* part of the book. Just too much of a factor for me personally. If you're not worried about discussions of those things impacting your experience of reading the book, then I'd say go for it. There's a lot to learn and it's written in a very approachable way (which I'm saying as someone not from a science background at all). 

10/10 alys is great and so is nerdfighteria

I really liked this collection! I wasn't maybe quite as captivated with it as I could be, but I made a lot of notes of poems and lines that I loved, and found it inspiring. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the description! My favorite line was "Forgive. / I swear, the word has feathers."

I love Sam's work in general, and it was so nice getting to finally read his first collection! This is so sweet and honest and I love the artwork that goes along with it. <3

Okay, so, I literally just finished this thirty seconds ago, and maybe I should take longer before I write a review. I want to say I really liked this and I was super invested and I think it was written well. I love a good fake dating romance and this one was peak fake dating I feel like.

(spoilers below for the ending, but not really if you know that all romances end with HEAs, there's nothing specific I guess)

But also.....what I'm feeling right in this moment after finishing it is a little frustrated. Everything was wrapped up and the ending was nice and all that, but with the final confession/getting back together scene, and them being happy together at the end, I just feel like it was missing something? I didn't get that final release really, it felt too fast or too fake and I just wanted to see Caz's reaction to her confession, have all that tension go away. The ending just felt weird despite all the boxes being ticked, and that was disappointing after how invested I felt in everything.

Okay but. Now that I said that, for real, I really liked this. I did feel a couple times like there was stuff they were glossing over (like, in relation to her becoming famous suddenly, or stuff with his show, sometimes it felt like they could have spent a lot more time on the effects of that on her life), but overall I liked it and think it was written well. I definitely like Liang's romances and will happily read more if she keeps writing them.

I'm really enjoying this series, and I'm excited another one is coming out soon! I like how each mystery is theoretically readable on its own, but if you read them all in order you get more out of the characters and their evolving relationships. 

This book is so full of beautiful poems. It's incredible how much queer love shines through the words, and how real the emotions are. Alannah Radburn is a gorgeous writer and this book is absolutely proof of that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

I got so swept up in this book. I couldn't put it down! I love it when romances are so in the head is the main character, and they're not 100% likeable but they feel very human and flawed in a real way.

My only complaint is that the word "gastronomic" was used way too many times. But other than that I really enjoyed this! I'd definitely recommend it to romance fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orsay Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.