yourbookishbff's reviews
601 reviews

A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

No one does character development better than KJC and NO ONE does it better in fewer pages. God this was fun, and endearing, and classically gray all over because no one is blameless but everyone is earnest. I loved this.
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Night Hawk by Beverly Jenkins

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

4.0

This was really fun! I loved the road trip prisoner sequence in the first half, and only felt like it lost steam for me in the second half as things settled down considerably. There isn't really a relationship conflict, and that was disappointing coming off Indigo, which had a really layered relationship conflict that I loved. I also felt like the female main character was fully developed on page one, which is fun to read sometimes (she's a great character!) but I enjoy seeing the growth on page. Recommended for those who enjoy high-stakes external plots (she's wanted for murder, he's a retired bounty hunter, she's technically his prisoner, multiple kidnappings, etc) and enjoy low-angst relationships.
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Indigo by Beverly Jenkins

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emotional hopeful informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I could eat this reformed rake arc with a GD spoon. Galen's obsessive devotion pairs so beautifully with Hester's shielded vulnerability, and I just couldn't get enough of the push and pull between these two. Like any Jenkins, the history is fascinating and deeply important to the love story. The political landslide caused by the Fugitive Slave Act shapes this late 1850s Michigan community, and we see the risks taken by Underground Railroad conductors even in "free" states. Particularly in the third act, you can see the tectonic shifts that are happening that will lead to the Civil War. 

One of my favorite elements of the romance itself is Jenkins' exploration of class differences. Hester is formerly enslaved - now free - with dark skin and permanently dyed hands and feet from her years working in indigo dyes. Galen is several-generations-free, wealthy from a family business in trading, and has very light skin. He has chosen a life working on the Underground Railroad but carries with him privilege Hester has no access to. She is constantly aware of the social gulfs that separate them, and Jenkins doesn't hesitate to show us the ripples of a union like theirs, and how classism and colorism intersect to create new challenges for their life together.

Of note, this is a 90s-era histrom, so expect heavy emphasis on virginity and gender essentialism (manhoods at every turn), and it's a Jenkins, so expect heavy use of euphemisms for intimacy (symphonic orgasms aplenty).
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Proper English by KJ Charles

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funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Classic KJC house party, ie someone ends up dead, everyone's banging, and various embezzlement plots are afoot. I was just a bit bored up until the last third or so, but it's possibly because my reading was interrupted frequently when I picked this up. 
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A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña

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emotional hopeful tense 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? Yes

4.0

So much that I loved - the nuanced depiction of ethnicity and class differences, a head-on look at gentrification, fantastic queer rep (female main character is bi and works with a neighborhood center for queer youth experiencing housing insecurity), and on-page discussion of military recruitment among marginalized populations. I also really like the premise - single dad, second-chance romance, neighborhood politics putting them at odds, etc. There was just a bit too much happening at times, with pretty big swings in tone from lighthearted and fun to extremely tense. I had whiplash? I rolled my eyes at the hot wings contest, and I am extremely skeptical of the final gesture for our female main character -
Who completes a large tattoo homage to the man they love and his daughter when they ARE NOT RECONCILED?! I cannot believe she had the tattoo done before they worked out their HEA because WOOF that would have been awkward, to say the least!
All that said, this was fun with enough meat to be memorable.
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The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The first 75% of this felt like it was perfectly crafted with every one of my favorite romance microtropes. I was effervescent. Then the final quarter happened and I rage spiraled. You can see the conflict coming from 5000 miles away, and it's a testament to Peckham that it still felt like a gut punch. This man's knees aren't nearly bloody enough by the end, and god I wanted a longer epilogue for Thais (that Rakess epilogue was just so stunning and I needed that level of assurance for our girl). But alas.
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The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh by KJ Charles

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hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a perfect teaser to the series (though I read it after completing the full-length installments) and I loved seeing how these two came together (it's heavily hinted at through the series, but seeing the start of their affair is so gratifying). Short and sweet, with classically KJC attention to character development in a handful of pages. And hot! It's hot. I almost want to reread the entire series just to fully appreciate each time Francis calls him "Gabriel." Whew!
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The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A fascinating and action-packed speculative story from NKJ, and while this didn't emotionally level me like The Fifth Season/Broken Earth, I really enjoyed this almost comic-book-esque avatar battle for the city of New York. Even as someone unfamiliar with the unique cultural histories of the boroughs (as an Ohioan who has only experienced New York in a few visits!), I could appreciate how well-drawn these characters were and how nuanced this allegory became through their comradery, competition, conflict and outright collision. Looking forward to the second book/conclusion!
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Forest of Noise: Poems by Mosab Abu Toha

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Another gutting collection of poems from Mosab Abu Toha. It's hard to describe how urgent and desperate these poems feel. Where Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear felt more reflective and processed, Forest of Noise is raw in every way.

From "For a Moment:" The girl I carry / is dead, / I know that. / The pressure of the explosion / tore apart her thin veins. / I know she is dead, / but everyone who sees us / runs after us. / You are alive / for a moment, / when living people / run after you.

From "After Allen Ginsberg:" I saw the best brains of my generation / protruding from their slashed heads.

From "Gaza Notebook (2021 - 2023):" At fifth grade, I visit the school library, / On a wall by the door, a poster claims, / "If you read books, you live more than one life." / Now I'm thirty and whenever I look at faces / around me, old or young, on each forehead I read: / "If you live in Gaza, you die several times."

His poetry speaks for itself - it's a necessary collection.

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Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

3.5

There was a lot I loved in this - Karthik, women getting writing credits they deserve, Karthik, nuanced exploration of family trauma, Karthik! But the distance between the MCs - literally, geographically - meant a lot of state hopping and time apart, and this made the pacing feel inconsistent at times. I wanted more time with the MCs together. I also loathed Seth to a degree that made that entire sub-plot a maddening experience - very intentional (he's an excellent villain), but again, more time with Karthik, less time with Seth, and I would be a happy camper. There were also a few moments that felt a bit out of character for both MCs - times they jumped to conclusions that didn't really track with their deepening friendship or their personalities. All in all, though, this was a lovely debut, and I really enjoyed Kumar's writing style.
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