dhatislandbookworm's reviews
225 reviews

Don’t let the dark content fool you, this is actually a VERY sweet story about discovering who you are, being free to express yourself, and not letting your past define you.

Saint and Knight’s dynamic was beautiful. They had insane chemistry and never wanted the other to change and conform to societal norms. Their banter? Elite. The yearning??? MY GOD THE YEARNING. From Knight especially! I was on the floor 😭

I am always in awe of the remarkable way Oniomoh is able to write such tender characters with complex stories and development and fit it into less than 250 pages.

I was so excited for this follow up in the Sweet Demons series and I’m glad it’s just as amazing as the first! I can’t wait for the next installment.

Content Warnings

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Was this book creepy? Meh. Scary? Not at all. But was it entertaining? Ironically, HELL THE FUCK YEAH 😂

Look, this book is peak WPS™ (iykyk 💀)

WHY WOULD YOU LET A CREEPY FAMILY INTO YOUR HOME? WHY WOULD YOU INVITE THEM TO STAY FOR DINNER? WHY WOULD YOU LET THEM STAY THE NIGHT DURING A STORM AND THEN LET THEM GASLIGHT YOU THE ENTIRE TIME!

I’m an admitted people pleaser too, but I’m not that naïve. You and your family would have to stay outside in the snow 🤷🏾‍♀️

The main couple broke every single horror movie rule within the first 30-45 minutes of this book. By then, my husband and I decided to just go along for the ride and provide hilarious commentary.

The book was admittedly atmospheric and did include articles, Reddit threads, police reports, and morse code that you have to solve, which were fun! However, the morse loses impact in audio format, especially if you don’t listen in 1x, so I ended up purchasing the e-book to decode. The last 20% or so is the best part of the book, but there were also so many unanswered questions and plot holes that I was still left unsatisfied.

Overall, I could see why this was optioned by Netflix! This does work as a fantastic screenplay and I would definitely read more work from Kliewer! However, We Used To Live Here is much stronger as a shorter body of work in my opinion. It also does not live up to the Get Out/Parasite tagline. (Publishers, I AM BEGGING to please be better about your comparison marketing!)

Maybe this would be perfect for some, personally though, I would read the OG r/nosleep thread or just wait for the film adaptation.

Content Warnings

Bi-Partisan by Dallas Smith

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Is this mic on? *ahem* DALLAS SMITH HAS DONE IT AGAIN 🗣️

Queried Sick, Smith’s debut, was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Because of this, I knew that Bi-Partisan would be a hit. I mean, fake dating? A political subplot? Found family? It was basically made for me. Well, I’m happy to report that I was correct 😌

Jamie and Adrian were so damn cute! Jamie is the perfect Southern gentleman, Adrian is the ultimate consent king, and their story was a perfectly paced journey to an open, trusting relationship. And y’all: they communicated for most of their conflicts. I literally shouted “THANK YOU DALLAS” for making emotionally mature characters. I also enjoyed the side characters! I always love when SCs have unique personalities and Smith is great at making me excited to see them on page again.

The mental health aspect of Adrian and Jamie’s story was also executed well. As someone who also has anxiety, I admired seeing it discussed so candidly. There were important conversations about normalizing therapy, medication, burnout, and taking care of yourself — even when it feels like the world is crumbling around you.

Bi-Partisan had me giggling every few minutes and every scene between the two felt like a warm hug. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys fake dating, swoon worthy MCs, a supportive friend group, and adorable cats 🫶🏾

But How Are You, Really by Ella Dawson

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

Not capturing my interest anymore 🤷🏾‍♀️

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dhatislandbookworm's reviews 225 reviews

dhatislandbookworm's reviews
225 reviews