Following the events of Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, Margot is the only single person left in her tight-knit friend group. So, even though she’s not interested in a romantic relationship, Margot is starting to feel lonely and like an afterthought. That is, until her childhood best friend (who Margot was also head over heels for and had her heart broken by) drops back into her life—and her apartment. Recently divorced from … Continue reading Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur →
Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed by Saraciea J. Fennell (ed.) is tough for me to grade. As many of the other reviewers have mentioned in the past, anthologies can be a struggle to evaluate because invariably some stories are going to resonate more than others. But also I struggled because, despite being Latina, I did not feel like the target audience for this book. The primary aim of this anthology of essays is breaking down … Continue reading Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell →
Bluebird is science fiction that includes the following: a female protagonist, two love stories of which one is f/f and one f/m, a spaceship, smuggling, a bar fight, political intrigue, badass librarians, secret identities, found and biological family, rebellion, a heist, major angst, chase scenes, and jewelry. I could not one-click this thing fast enough, and presumably most of you will not actually read this review because you have also one-clicked and are already reading … Continue reading Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot →
I so very much enjoyed The Astronaut and the Star, a romance novel with ADHD representation, bisexual representation, and a lot of happy nerd things. It wasn’t a perfect book, but it was a fun romance with great characters. The problems with the book are easier to describe than the charm of the character interactions. Suffice to say that watching these people talk to each other and navigate various interactions was a treat. Reggie is … Continue reading The Astronaut and the Star by Jen Comfort →
Oh wow, you guys, The Kaiju Preservation Society is an absolute blast – so much so that it provided me with oodles of entertainment and happiness on a recent drive with my husband, my mother, and 2 teens, the latter of which were crammed into the backseat of the car with me. Believe me when I say that there can be no higher tribute to this book than the fact that I did not murder … Continue reading The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi →
Mary Bennet is my favorite of the sisters in Pride and Prejudice. Her great sin is that she has no sense of humility and no sense of humor, but I’ve always believed that over time she might develop those qualities and just be an awesome nerd who likes reading in the corner. Being Mary Bennet is a modern-day story in which a high school senior at a San Francisco boarding school comes to accept the … Continue reading Being Mary Bennet by J.C. Peterson →
Based on the amount of Carrie’s Personal Catnip content alone, One for All should have been a SQUEE grade book. Set during the reign of Louis XIV, it features found family, multiple kickass women, and a heroine whose chronic illness doesn’t prevent her from being an accomplished fencer. And yet, Dear Bitches, it pains me so much to say that I found the book to be, for the most part, deeply boring. Our heroine, Tania, … Continue reading One for All by Lillie Lainoff →
TW: violence, death from burning, both explicit and implicit threats of sexual assault, ego and stupidity Where has this book been all my life? Burning Bright takes place in a slightly alternate Regency England in which some people are born with special abilities, called talents. If you ever wanted to read a feminist story about superheroes on Royal Navy ships fighting pirates then rejoice, for this is your lucky day. When Elinor discovers that she … Continue reading Burning Bright by Melissa McShane →
Redwood and Wildfire is a slow book, and one steeped in trauma. The book depicts a lot of violence, including abuse of animals, a lynching, and a graphic rape scene, and although there is a love story in it, this is historical fiction/historical fantasy. If the reader approaches the book knowing what to expect, they will be rewarded by lush prose and a detailed view of America during the Great Migration in both the rural … Continue reading Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston →
I could practically hear Luisa’s song from Encanto (Surface Pressure) playing in my head as I read this book about an older sister who shoulders all of her family’s burdens. Mercy Kittinger raised her younger sister, Grace, after their mother’s death fifteen years ago. She’s managed the family farm, the household staff, and kept her family afloat even though that job was supposed to fall to her older brother, Bede. Bede is more interested in … Continue reading The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan →
a.k.a. Pandagate: A Drama In Three Acts Act One: That Bear Has Seen Some Shit Interior, day. Smart Bitches HQ. It’s a large room filled floor to ceiling with books, like the library in Beauty and the Beast. Many of them are pink. Between shelves, there is an occasional tasteful painting of nipples shaped like fruit. The Bitchery are draped across various large fluffy chairs, reading or napping. Elyse is curled up on a sofa … Continue reading The Writer’s Baby Bear by Sophie Stern →
