Search
Hazel (1853 KP) rated What We Left Behind in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Gretchen and Toni are high school sweethearts who believe they will be together forever, but will they cope being apart at different universities? Toni is off to Harvard and Gretchen to New York where they plan to meet up every weekend however things get in the way, and not just coursework.
The main theme of<i> What We Left Behind</i> is sexual orientation and gender. Both Gretchen and Toni are attracted to girls, however Toni identifies as genderqueer. Throughout school, this never bothered Gretchen, though when Toni begins feeling a connection with a group of transgender students, Gretchen begins to question her position in Toni’s life.
Unlike Talley’s previous novel <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, which deals with ethnic minorities and homosexuality during a time when it was seen as completely unacceptable, <i>What We Left Behind</i> is set in the present day where peoples’ sexual preferences are accepted in society – mostly. What Talley is attempting to prove with this novel is that everyone, regardless of gender, can experience love, and that long distance relationships can be difficult for everyone. Most importantly this story expresses how difficult it is to understand trans sexuality, genderqueer, gender nonconforming etc. There are characters that are horrified by the idea, comfortable with it, or, like Gretchen, confused about how it effects themselves and their relationship. And then there is Toni. Toni is probably the most confused of all: who is s/he really?
Talley tries to make the reader experience the difficulties the main characters face with the use, or lack of pronouns. For someone who identifies as neither he nor she, Toni has a very hard time trying to find a label Toni feels comfortable with.
I did not enjoy <i>What We Left Behind</i> as much as <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, not because it was not good – it was – but I am not that into romance novels. After a while the story began to feel boring and repetitive, particularly in terms of Gretchen and Toni’s relationship. It is, however, worth a read. There are not many novels that focus on transgender issues, especially in such a positive way. Therefore I am sure this young adult novel is going to interest a large amount of readers.
Gretchen and Toni are high school sweethearts who believe they will be together forever, but will they cope being apart at different universities? Toni is off to Harvard and Gretchen to New York where they plan to meet up every weekend however things get in the way, and not just coursework.
The main theme of<i> What We Left Behind</i> is sexual orientation and gender. Both Gretchen and Toni are attracted to girls, however Toni identifies as genderqueer. Throughout school, this never bothered Gretchen, though when Toni begins feeling a connection with a group of transgender students, Gretchen begins to question her position in Toni’s life.
Unlike Talley’s previous novel <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, which deals with ethnic minorities and homosexuality during a time when it was seen as completely unacceptable, <i>What We Left Behind</i> is set in the present day where peoples’ sexual preferences are accepted in society – mostly. What Talley is attempting to prove with this novel is that everyone, regardless of gender, can experience love, and that long distance relationships can be difficult for everyone. Most importantly this story expresses how difficult it is to understand trans sexuality, genderqueer, gender nonconforming etc. There are characters that are horrified by the idea, comfortable with it, or, like Gretchen, confused about how it effects themselves and their relationship. And then there is Toni. Toni is probably the most confused of all: who is s/he really?
Talley tries to make the reader experience the difficulties the main characters face with the use, or lack of pronouns. For someone who identifies as neither he nor she, Toni has a very hard time trying to find a label Toni feels comfortable with.
I did not enjoy <i>What We Left Behind</i> as much as <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, not because it was not good – it was – but I am not that into romance novels. After a while the story began to feel boring and repetitive, particularly in terms of Gretchen and Toni’s relationship. It is, however, worth a read. There are not many novels that focus on transgender issues, especially in such a positive way. Therefore I am sure this young adult novel is going to interest a large amount of readers.
Midge (525 KP) rated If You're Not The One in Books
Feb 25, 2019
A Fun, Fabulous Book All About Friendship And Love!
What a treat this pleasant and delightful romance was, from the best-seller author, Laura Briggs. I have read a couple of Briggs’ novels before, so I knew when I chose to read this that I would be in for a treat.
Although this book is the third in a series of stories about three women running a wedding planning business together, I thought this story worked fine as a standalone. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Wedding Belles - the three friends with their wedding planning business. Tessa is the planner, Natalie the designer, and Ama the caterer. Each have their own, unique voice and different opinions on love.
The protagonist in this third book is Natalie, the wedding dress designer. Natalie isn’t particularly romantic, herself. She doesn’t believe in true love, or destiny and she thinks that people are just plain lucky if they happen to find that certain someone. It’s coincidence and nothing more.
As a wedding dress designer though, she knows she has to keep these feelings under wraps. Even if she’s suspicious that Harper, the bride she’s currently working with, might secretly agree with her. However, Natalie’s own love life is not straight-forward. Her family and friends are so keen for Natalie to ‘settle down’ that she comes to an agreement with her casual boyfriend, Chad, to call a halt on their constant speculation. But what of boy-next-door, Brayden, who has been smitten with Natalie since they were at High School together?
For me, the greatest part of IF YOU’RE NOT THE ONE is the friendship between these three young women. These are girl-friends with whom you want to share your innermost secrets, to be there for you, or to party or have lunch with.
I love that Laura Briggs writes with flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be highly enjoyable for anyone who loves a good romance. Overall, it’s been an incredibly entertaining story and I very much recommend it.
[Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Briggs for my free ARC, in exchange for my voluntary review.]
Although this book is the third in a series of stories about three women running a wedding planning business together, I thought this story worked fine as a standalone. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Wedding Belles - the three friends with their wedding planning business. Tessa is the planner, Natalie the designer, and Ama the caterer. Each have their own, unique voice and different opinions on love.
The protagonist in this third book is Natalie, the wedding dress designer. Natalie isn’t particularly romantic, herself. She doesn’t believe in true love, or destiny and she thinks that people are just plain lucky if they happen to find that certain someone. It’s coincidence and nothing more.
As a wedding dress designer though, she knows she has to keep these feelings under wraps. Even if she’s suspicious that Harper, the bride she’s currently working with, might secretly agree with her. However, Natalie’s own love life is not straight-forward. Her family and friends are so keen for Natalie to ‘settle down’ that she comes to an agreement with her casual boyfriend, Chad, to call a halt on their constant speculation. But what of boy-next-door, Brayden, who has been smitten with Natalie since they were at High School together?
For me, the greatest part of IF YOU’RE NOT THE ONE is the friendship between these three young women. These are girl-friends with whom you want to share your innermost secrets, to be there for you, or to party or have lunch with.
I love that Laura Briggs writes with flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be highly enjoyable for anyone who loves a good romance. Overall, it’s been an incredibly entertaining story and I very much recommend it.
[Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Briggs for my free ARC, in exchange for my voluntary review.]
War of Gods Box Set (War of Gods #1-4)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Box set featuring all four novels in the bestselling War of Gods paranormal romance series. ...
Paranormal Romance
Vanished in the Sun (Carlos & Mia #2)
4.0
Rate It
Book
VANISHED in the SUN, second edition of this exhilarating romance thriller series by powerfully...
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Fifty Shades of Grey in Books
Jan 15, 2018
So I debated for quite awhile about reading this book. All the reviews are so mixed...you love it or you hate it. It is all over the place from internet to radio to CNN, but it was both of my former college roommates & best friends that finally talked me into it, through Facebook no less!
In an interview on CNN with some female members of a book club, I heard 50 Shades described as a Disney prince fairy tale for grown-ups. I couldn't agree more...of course I can't see old Walt even fantasizing about some of the things that take place in this tale!
I am by no means a fan of erotic literature. Hell, I don't even like trashy romance novels, but this one, DAMN! I was hooked from the get. Now don't get me wrong, it was not the steamy, unbelievable, hot sex scenes that got to me(yes, I am human!) Mr. Grey & Miss Steele are intriguing characters. They are so well developed & in some strange way easy to relate to...not that I know much about bondage or billionaires!
I found myself HATING Christian with a passion & in the next sentence wishing I knew him. He is such a conundrum. I found myself identifying with Ana, yet at the same time not getting her motivation at all. It was a heady mix of confusing & normal all at the same time.
I very much look forward to finding out what happens in the next part!!
In an interview on CNN with some female members of a book club, I heard 50 Shades described as a Disney prince fairy tale for grown-ups. I couldn't agree more...of course I can't see old Walt even fantasizing about some of the things that take place in this tale!
I am by no means a fan of erotic literature. Hell, I don't even like trashy romance novels, but this one, DAMN! I was hooked from the get. Now don't get me wrong, it was not the steamy, unbelievable, hot sex scenes that got to me(yes, I am human!) Mr. Grey & Miss Steele are intriguing characters. They are so well developed & in some strange way easy to relate to...not that I know much about bondage or billionaires!
I found myself HATING Christian with a passion & in the next sentence wishing I knew him. He is such a conundrum. I found myself identifying with Ana, yet at the same time not getting her motivation at all. It was a heady mix of confusing & normal all at the same time.
I very much look forward to finding out what happens in the next part!!
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Like Water in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I'm always interested in queer young adult books, and this one especially caught my eye with its mention of "performing mermaids." Because y'all know I love my mermaid books! So Savannah isn't a real mermaid, she just plays one at a water park. But it was enough to make me pick up the book, and it's a good book. Young adult books about discovering your identity are always needed, and this book is about Savannah realizing she's bisexual.
Much of the angst in this book comes from Savannah not knowing if she has the same disease her father does, and she's not sure if she wants to know. Altogether, in this book we have chronic illness, hispanic teens, bisexual, lesbian, and genderqueer teens, small-town angst....there's really a LOT of demographics covered in this book.
I like Savannah, but I don't like her love interest, Leigh, very much. Leigh does NOT have her shit together, and between drinking and doing drugs, all while underage, she poses a very real threat to Savannah's well-being.
I'm a little nonplussed by the ending of the book. It leaves a few questions unanswered, but not in a cliff-hanger-y way. It's more of a possibilities-left-open kind of way. Which makes sense for a "first love" romance. It's not necessarily a "true love" story. It reminds me of John Green novels in that way.
So - it's a great book for representation, but don't expect a tidy, wrapped-up ending. You won't find that here.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Much of the angst in this book comes from Savannah not knowing if she has the same disease her father does, and she's not sure if she wants to know. Altogether, in this book we have chronic illness, hispanic teens, bisexual, lesbian, and genderqueer teens, small-town angst....there's really a LOT of demographics covered in this book.
I like Savannah, but I don't like her love interest, Leigh, very much. Leigh does NOT have her shit together, and between drinking and doing drugs, all while underage, she poses a very real threat to Savannah's well-being.
I'm a little nonplussed by the ending of the book. It leaves a few questions unanswered, but not in a cliff-hanger-y way. It's more of a possibilities-left-open kind of way. Which makes sense for a "first love" romance. It's not necessarily a "true love" story. It reminds me of John Green novels in that way.
So - it's a great book for representation, but don't expect a tidy, wrapped-up ending. You won't find that here.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Dashiell Hammett and the Movies
Book
As the father of the hardboiled detective genre, Dashiell Hammett had a huge influence on Hollywood....
Crazy Days of Christmas
6.0
Rate It
Book
Lucy Stephenson is facing a Christmas nightmare. Her bistro, 'The Town Mouse', is in a bad...
Brutal Reign (Shadow Heirs #5)
6.0
Rate It
Book
Both of us loved River Jacobsen, and both of us were bound to lose everything if we acted on it. So,...
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Imperfect Chemistry (Imperfect, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> might be one of those few New Adult romance novels that I actually really enjoyed...</b>
In the first of Mary Frame's <i>Imperfect</i> series, Lucy London has to come up with an experiment testing how emotions work as a pathogen a nearly impossible feat since she never had a normal childhood in the first place. She's an absolute genius in college since thirteen and has a doctorate at twenty or twenty-one.
From the very beginning, <b>Lucy is introduced to us as someone who sounds like a textbook and speaks in tones that are formal.</b> The whole <a title="Out of the Cave by Cotton E. Davis" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-out-of-the-cave-by-cotton-e-davis/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">textbook aspect doesn't backfire</a> here it's pretty much expected from someone who's been in college for awhile. In the process of trying to come up with a hypothesis for her experiment, Lucy tries to become as normal as possible. I personally thought <b>Lucy is absolutely adorable in her attempts to become "normal."</b> She has a desire to run away around those who cry because she has no clue what to do and the whole "solve heartbreak with PJs and ice cream" experience she has with Taylor Swift quotes mixed in with her usual technicalities.
She's <b>very much like David in <i><a title="The Sorcerer's Apprentice" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/movie-review-the-sorcerers-apprentice/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Sorcerer's Apprentice</a></i></b> they're both socially awkward, and Lucy definitely has her <b>moments in the book where her extremely awkward side comes out.</b> Lucy just has other moments where <b>her attempt to become normal is cute, hilarious, and funny</b> it's just a lot of fun reading how she becomes more social, experiences emotions, and makes some friends at her university instead of wallowing away in loneliness.
<b>The romance in <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> went hand in hand with the overall plot of the story</b> Lucy's experiment isn't exactly on love, but <b>Frame factors in the romance nicely.</b> Jensen and Lucy certainly don't banter or have a <a title="Read Sophia's Confessions of a Queen B* review" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-confessions-of-a-queen-b-by-crista-mchugh-review-and-giveaway/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">very entertaining relationship like Alexis and Brett do</a>, but they have an <b>in-depth relationship rather than the whole "finally notice each other and think the other is hot, have sex, live happily ever after" or the whole emotional baggage consisting of running away from the past.</b>
I think it's just Lucy in general she's simply too adorable for words.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfect-chemistry-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
In the first of Mary Frame's <i>Imperfect</i> series, Lucy London has to come up with an experiment testing how emotions work as a pathogen a nearly impossible feat since she never had a normal childhood in the first place. She's an absolute genius in college since thirteen and has a doctorate at twenty or twenty-one.
From the very beginning, <b>Lucy is introduced to us as someone who sounds like a textbook and speaks in tones that are formal.</b> The whole <a title="Out of the Cave by Cotton E. Davis" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-out-of-the-cave-by-cotton-e-davis/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">textbook aspect doesn't backfire</a> here it's pretty much expected from someone who's been in college for awhile. In the process of trying to come up with a hypothesis for her experiment, Lucy tries to become as normal as possible. I personally thought <b>Lucy is absolutely adorable in her attempts to become "normal."</b> She has a desire to run away around those who cry because she has no clue what to do and the whole "solve heartbreak with PJs and ice cream" experience she has with Taylor Swift quotes mixed in with her usual technicalities.
She's <b>very much like David in <i><a title="The Sorcerer's Apprentice" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/movie-review-the-sorcerers-apprentice/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Sorcerer's Apprentice</a></i></b> they're both socially awkward, and Lucy definitely has her <b>moments in the book where her extremely awkward side comes out.</b> Lucy just has other moments where <b>her attempt to become normal is cute, hilarious, and funny</b> it's just a lot of fun reading how she becomes more social, experiences emotions, and makes some friends at her university instead of wallowing away in loneliness.
<b>The romance in <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> went hand in hand with the overall plot of the story</b> Lucy's experiment isn't exactly on love, but <b>Frame factors in the romance nicely.</b> Jensen and Lucy certainly don't banter or have a <a title="Read Sophia's Confessions of a Queen B* review" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-confessions-of-a-queen-b-by-crista-mchugh-review-and-giveaway/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">very entertaining relationship like Alexis and Brett do</a>, but they have an <b>in-depth relationship rather than the whole "finally notice each other and think the other is hot, have sex, live happily ever after" or the whole emotional baggage consisting of running away from the past.</b>
I think it's just Lucy in general she's simply too adorable for words.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfect-chemistry-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>