jameslyons's reviews
80 reviews

Cedar Valley by Holly Throsby

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Outlawed by Anna North

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.0

Very bad.

This story promised so much, but I guess I fell for the media hype and publicity write-ups. There's nothing particularly feminist about this book, and much less queer about it. Every character is underdeveloped and shallow - in fact, there's no nuance to anything in the story, at all. Gender, sexuality, religion, and race are touched on barely at all. The prose is agony to read. I don't know how you can fuck up the concept of queer outlaws, but here we are. Absolutely abysmal. 
Devotion by Hannah Kent

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emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

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Rocket Science by K.M. Neuhold

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

3.5

Genuinely enjoyable even if the No Way beats were a little repetitive. Great character voices, no dragging b-plots, and a great HEA. A bit annoyed the best-friend was (is?) in love with Elijah, boring trope. Unlike other reviewers, I preferred Pax over Elijah - much more nuanced character development. Fun read!
The Garden of Lost and Found by Dale Peck

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

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Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

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

3.75

Babies aren't my thing, but this was fun!
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

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adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Future Feeling by Joss Lake

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-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

3.75

I keep finding great accounts of transness and gender experiences, but in books where the protagonists are straight. This one has a good amount of gay and bi content, but just not enough for me! Still, it was a very fun read, beautifully told, made me laugh out loud plenty of times, and most importantly it made me feel understood.
I found it maybe a little too ambitious - the last third felt like a too-long epilogue, as though the author wanted to cover too much territory (could have been a compelling sequel, but as it was, felt rushed to me!). I would have preferred some of the relationships left untidy, and I felt the last-minute love interest was an unnecessary and kind of forced happily ever after for Pen.

But overall, definitely recommended reading!!!
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