dhatislandbookworm's reviews
225 reviews

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was sooooo much fun! If A League of Their Own and Sailor Moon combined to make a raunchy romcom, it would be this.

The plot is silly, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable because I couldn’t get enough of the melodrama between Mickey and Astra. There’s also such a diverse cast of characters and hilarious interactions between them. Plus we all love a good found family! And the art? *chef’s kiss* It’s beautiful.

Mickey and Astra can be unlikeable at some points in the story, but surprisingly, that’s what I liked most about them 😅

I’ve already ordered Book 2 because I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thirsty by Jas Hammonds

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dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

How far would you go to be accepted, even if it’s self-destructive? Once again, Jas Hammonds is disrupting the young adult genre with their sophomore effort, Thirsty. It’s the summer before freshman year and we’re following 18-year-old Blake (aka Big Baddie Bee) as she tries to join the exclusive Serena Society — and the limits she’s willing to push herself to do so.

Reading this was like watching a wreck in slow motion — and I mean that as a good thing.

From the jump, we understand Blake’s motivation to join the Serenas and why she drinks so heavily. Her inner monologue is characterized so effectively that you do empathize with her and all the shit she’s going through. However,Hammonds ensures you’re still aware that Blake won’t find validation and the answers she’s seeking at the bottom of a bottle. As a result, you’re rooting for Blake (and cussing her ass out at the same time tbh) to make wiser decisions, drop the toxic people around her, and get on the track to sobriety.

Blake is one of the most complex teenage protagonists I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and Hammonds did an excellent job on making her feel genuine. And not only are there poignant conversations about alcohol addiction, but classism, racism, gender, peer pressure, and emotionally abusive relationships as well, which are handled with so much care. By the end of the book, tears were shed.

I loved We Deserve Monuments, but Thirsty cemented Hammonds as an auto-buy author for me. It’s been a week since I’ve read it and it’s STILL on my mind. I also want to give my kudos to the narrator who did an excellent job at bringing this cast of characters to life.

I’m excited to see what Hammonds has up their sleeve next.

Content Warnings

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

How does an author encapsulate a story that perfectly balances the journey of three generations of women unpacking years of trauma, a murder mystery, and a love story? I have no idea, but Jas Hammonds did that and then some.

In Monuments, Avery and her family move to her mother’s hometown of Bardell, Georgia to take care of her dying grandmother, Mama Letty. While there, the women of the family must reckon with family secrets, race relations, homophobia, and more.

Avery has so much depth as a 17-year-old MC and you can feel the weight that she carries on her shoulders as a queer, biracial girl in a small town trying navigate a new normal and mend her family at the same time. We also get an intimate look at the complex mother/daughter relationships between the women in the family and how deep old scars can affect the next generation. Monuments further does an excellent job of showcasing how the past bigotry in Bardell still affects the town in the present day.

But don’t get it twisted: just because this book deals with heavy topics doesn’t mean that’s all there is to it. Despite the subject matter, Hammonds is able to weave in moments of friendship, healing, and unadulterated queer joy for Avery and her love interest, Simone, which made my heart swell.

I didn‘t know what to expect jumping into this book, but safe to say I was not disappointed. This is a book that people will be talking about for years to come and should be required reading for everyone in school and beyond.

Content Warnings

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is for the girlies who related to Beyoncé's 'Church Girt'. It's me. I am girlies.

This coming-of-age novel did a superb job at having nuanced, much needed conversations about sex, peer pressure, purity culture, and religion.

Watching Momo deconstruct everything she thought knew about sex, discovering bodily autonomy, and subsequently becoming a better her made my heart swell.

I also loved the focus on cultivating strong friendships! I loved watching Momo dismantle the preconceived notions about Reggie and reject the misogynoir against Sasha.

I honestly wish I had this book growing up because teen me needed it. (Former church kids with religious trauma stand up! 🗣️)

Can we make this book required reading? Because this should be required reading!

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller

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funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

Super fun, super queer, and surprisingly super horny 😂

This was a romp and would’ve gotten a full 4 stars if

Wendy wasn’t down so bad for Leah at the end. LIKE GIRL STAND UP LEAH AINT SHIT 😭

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

This was one of my most anticipated reads this summer, but unfortunately, this did not work for me.

Ava and Grace were ok MCs and we also get fun side characters! However, this was my main gripe: the pacing. The pacing was honestly all over the place. It took a while to get to the main conflict and when we do, it faded into the background. There were also points where I got a bit lost because there was no indication that a certain time period had passed.

There was also, sadly, not much bowling. The bowling was an element I was particularly excited for, but Ava and Grace’s will they-won’t they and constant miscommunication took up about 80% of the book and made their overall chemistry feel off.

Because of this, the last 20% feels rushed. The resolution of the main conflict falls flat and feels incomplete since the stakes felt so low throughout. There were also a few random plot points thrown in near the end that were either solved off page or not solved at all. I wish this book did more showing than telling for me because I would’ve loved this even more if certain story elements were fully fleshed out.

But just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you! You’ll definitely love this if you enjoy funny sapphic reads, slow burns, and bowling was not your main draw for this book!

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Another poly romance that was a fun time! We meet Mel, a mixologist with dreams of opening her own bar, as she begins dating and falling in love with Bebe. Bebe is in a open, poly relationship with her wife, Kade, who Mel also eventually falls for (👀), and we follow the three as they embark on this new dynamic together.

It was interesting seeing Mel navigate her first poly relationship! I loved the fast burn between Mel and Bebe while simultaneously watching the slow burn unfold between Mel and Kade. Both couple’s dynamics were drastically different, but so intriguing that I was never interested in one relationship more than the other. I also loved the emphasis on open communication, honesty, and consent within the relationships. It was so refreshing to see!

I was also surprisingly engrossed in the cocktail competition portion of the story. Even though you see the resolution coming from a mile away, the focus on the competition never felt unbalanced with the rest of the plot because Mel’s passion for mixology shines throughout.

I wish we got to explore a bit more about Kade and Bebe’s personal lives, since I really liked them as characters, so I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of these three in the future!

You can tell that Alexander really treats all of their topics with care and I’m looking forward to reading more from them!

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell

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emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Boys Run the Riot, Volume 4 by Keito Gaku

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emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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dhatislandbookworm's reviews 225 reviews

dhatislandbookworm's reviews
225 reviews