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sydneysreads__'s reviews
342 reviews
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
5.0
REVIEW: HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE DARK BY KATHLEEN GLASGOW
RATING: 5/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: Looking for socks in the dresser in her mom’s bedroom, sixteen-year-old Tiger Tolliver finds a pile of envelopes marked URGENT. Her and her mom have always been a team, but suddenly Tiger starts to wonder if their well-oiled machine is really so well-oiled after all. Because, come to think of it, her mom needs to control everything. The songs on the radio. The truth about the dad she’s never met. Whether or not she goes to school dances. She can never just be on her own.
And this doesn’t even cover the rest of the sixteen million nerve-wracking, day-killing OTHER things she’s got going on. Lupe Hidalgo at school for instance, who’s only mission in life seems to be making hers a living hell. Band practice with Broken Cradle. The fact that dreamy Kai from Bio is moving to Deutschland for the whole. summer.
But then something terrible happens. And Tiger realises that being on her own isn’t something she really wants. Not at all. And so begins her quest. To find her dad. To find herself. And a whole heap of others along the way.
wowowowow. i knew this book would crush my soul, as all of KG’s books do, but i actually didn’t have dry eyes at any point in time during this story. from page 1, i was in tears. definitely recommend reading TW !! but 100/10 would recommend. i still think about this book so often & it still makes me emotional to this day lol
RATING: 5/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: Looking for socks in the dresser in her mom’s bedroom, sixteen-year-old Tiger Tolliver finds a pile of envelopes marked URGENT. Her and her mom have always been a team, but suddenly Tiger starts to wonder if their well-oiled machine is really so well-oiled after all. Because, come to think of it, her mom needs to control everything. The songs on the radio. The truth about the dad she’s never met. Whether or not she goes to school dances. She can never just be on her own.
And this doesn’t even cover the rest of the sixteen million nerve-wracking, day-killing OTHER things she’s got going on. Lupe Hidalgo at school for instance, who’s only mission in life seems to be making hers a living hell. Band practice with Broken Cradle. The fact that dreamy Kai from Bio is moving to Deutschland for the whole. summer.
But then something terrible happens. And Tiger realises that being on her own isn’t something she really wants. Not at all. And so begins her quest. To find her dad. To find herself. And a whole heap of others along the way.
wowowowow. i knew this book would crush my soul, as all of KG’s books do, but i actually didn’t have dry eyes at any point in time during this story. from page 1, i was in tears. definitely recommend reading TW !! but 100/10 would recommend. i still think about this book so often & it still makes me emotional to this day lol
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
3.75
REVIEW: FULL DISCLOSURE BY CAMRYN GARRETT
RATING: 4/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.
Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real—shy kisses escalating into much more—she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.
Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on...
i don’t remember where i heard about this one, but i’m glad i added it to my tbr! it was a bit of a random book to start after something that was a hard hitter, and it was exactly what i needed. it is YA, so it’s not SUPER intense, but i wanted to shout it out as it does touch on some really important topics! i don’t see it discussed within our community, and maybe that’s because it’s a bit of an older book, but it was a GREAT debut novel
RATING: 4/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.
Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real—shy kisses escalating into much more—she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.
Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on...
i don’t remember where i heard about this one, but i’m glad i added it to my tbr! it was a bit of a random book to start after something that was a hard hitter, and it was exactly what i needed. it is YA, so it’s not SUPER intense, but i wanted to shout it out as it does touch on some really important topics! i don’t see it discussed within our community, and maybe that’s because it’s a bit of an older book, but it was a GREAT debut novel
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
4.5
REVIEW: THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END BY ADAM SILVERA
RATING: 4/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
this has been on my tbr for quite a bit, and it was my last book of my monthly tbr because I just knew it would destroy me, and SURE ENOUGH! IT DID !!! the title literally tells you what is going to happen so don't go into it thinking its a trick lol but from page 1, this story drew me in & by the end, i was sobbing crying weeping
would love to read the prequel soon!
RATING: 4/5 ⭐️
SYNOPSIS: On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
this has been on my tbr for quite a bit, and it was my last book of my monthly tbr because I just knew it would destroy me, and SURE ENOUGH! IT DID !!! the title literally tells you what is going to happen so don't go into it thinking its a trick lol but from page 1, this story drew me in & by the end, i was sobbing crying weeping
would love to read the prequel soon!
Anger Banger by S.M. Shade
3.75
REVIEW: ANGER BANGER BY S M SHADE
RATING: 4/5 STAR
SYNOPSIS: The residents of Happy Haven Trailer park have been waiting for this for a long time. The slumlord who abandoned this place and let our homes deteriorate has been court ordered to live here while making repairs. Imagine our surprise when the guy who shows up to move in to the dilapidated trailer across the street isn't the sixty year old man we expected, but his son. With a teasing smile and unshakeable positive attitude, Cooper Addington Junior pushes every one of my buttons. It doesn't help that he also looks like he stepped off a fitness magazine cover. The women who live here are all over him, but for some reason he's focused on me. Too bad I see through his good guy act and I'm not falling for some spoiled rich boy. What I am going to do is keep my eye on him and make sure he's doing his job. I'm the one who took his father to court in the first place and he can't put anything over on me.
another short, easy, funny read that I was using as a palette cleanser in the middle of my fantasy reads. I will say I didn't like this one *as much* as the first, but it was still very entertaining! I did end up skimming most of the spice scenes just bc they came a little repetitive, but the actual story was a fun time
RATING: 4/5 STAR
SYNOPSIS: The residents of Happy Haven Trailer park have been waiting for this for a long time. The slumlord who abandoned this place and let our homes deteriorate has been court ordered to live here while making repairs. Imagine our surprise when the guy who shows up to move in to the dilapidated trailer across the street isn't the sixty year old man we expected, but his son. With a teasing smile and unshakeable positive attitude, Cooper Addington Junior pushes every one of my buttons. It doesn't help that he also looks like he stepped off a fitness magazine cover. The women who live here are all over him, but for some reason he's focused on me. Too bad I see through his good guy act and I'm not falling for some spoiled rich boy. What I am going to do is keep my eye on him and make sure he's doing his job. I'm the one who took his father to court in the first place and he can't put anything over on me.
another short, easy, funny read that I was using as a palette cleanser in the middle of my fantasy reads. I will say I didn't like this one *as much* as the first, but it was still very entertaining! I did end up skimming most of the spice scenes just bc they came a little repetitive, but the actual story was a fun time