Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the gifted, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
TW: sexual assault/rape, loss of family members, alcohol related death, underage drinking/drug use, drinking to excess
When I read the description of this book and saw that it was being billed as Jane Austen and Mean Girls, I was already sold on it. Truthfully, I was so excited to read this book that I was a little bit worried that it would disappoint me, especially after seeing some of my friends posting kind of a mixed bag of reviews about it. But it really lived up to that for me, and I found that I really, thoroughly enjoyed the read. It was Emma and Mean Girls and Bridgerton all kind of rolled into one, and I really loved it!
I will say that you have to enjoy flawed characters for this particular read, because there are really only the smallest handful of characters that I would classify as innocent in this story it’s basically Betty and a few (but not all) of the adults, and that’s about it. But all of the characters truly believe that they are in the right and that they are faultless, which made it very believable for me and gave the characters room to reflect and grow. Everyone thinks they’re the hero in the story, at least on some level, right?
Also I was swooning over Thomas a few times. Quiet and brooding but really in touch with and open about his feelings, and ready to shout his love from the rooftops? Yes please.
The story starts off a bit slow – a fairly normal pace for a regency, with a ball here and there but not much else happening, but definitely taking the pace more from the Jane Austen-side versus the Mean Girls-side – but it really picked up by the halfway point. This didn’t bother me because I do tend to read my fair share of regency, so I’m used to a bit slower pace especially before the scandals of the stories really get going, but be prepared for it if you aren’t.
I would say that this book definitely wouldn’t be for everyone, but it was absolutely for me. I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy regency and want a fun twist on a familiar type of story. I would also recommend it to friends who enjoy more contemporary stories that are wanting to dip their toes into regency, because with the ties to Mean Girls (there’s literally a take on the classic “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping” line) would make it a pretty accessible introduction to the genre. I think that the best way to read this book would be lounging in the comfort and safety of your bed with a rather large glass of wine.
Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted, advanced physical copy, as well as NetGalley for the e-copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
TW: murder, sexual assault/rape, domestic abuse/violence, miscarriage/anembryonic pregnancy, loss of parents, dementia/Alzheimer’s, addiction (alcoholism, kleptomania, binge eating), gaslighting, and COVID-19
I was so excited to be receiving an early copy of this book, because I have really loved books by Sally Hepworth in the past. And I really and truly wanted to love this book. For the first third or so I really was enjoying it – it was suspenseful at times and messing with my brain a little bit, in the way you expect a book with potentially unreliable narrators to. But by the end I really couldn’t get behind this book.
For the most part the characters were interesting and flawed and felt realistic and human. I will say that I had a hard time relating to or sympathizing too much with Tully, but I’ve never dealt with kleptomania or any related addictions, so maybe she would be a perfectly written and relatable character to someone with more of those shared experiences. I found myself liking and relating to Rachel the most, though. She seemed to be the audience surrogate to a certain extent – she was the one putting some of the pieces together and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, so I enjoyed her chapters the most.
Now let’s get into what I didn’t like about this book – I feel like there is a fine line between an unreliable narrator and gaslighting all of the characters (and therefore the audience) to the point that even by the last page nobody trusts or believes their own memories or understanding. A book can have an ending that is left up to interpretation without making it seem like all of the women in the book are out of their minds, you know? By the end of this book it felt a bit like the takeaway was that women, and particularly abused women, can’t be trusted to know their own minds or to understand what is happening to and around them. I know that that couldn’t have been what the author was trying to get across, but from an outside perspective, that was how it felt after closing the book, and it felt a bit gross.
I will say that I have heard through the grapevine that there is an added portion in the final copy of the book that completely changes the outcome of the story. Both of my gifted copies were the advanced, unfinalized version, so I have not seen this new addition. While I would be interested in picking up a final copy and reading this added paragraph to see if it changes my feelings towards the book, unfortunately at this time I can only review based on what I have read.
Overall I’m not sure that I would recommend this book to my friends, and if I did I would make my feelings stated above very clear in the same breath as the recommendation. I think that the book is well written and I’m sure that there are people who would love it. And like I said, maybe if I read that added bit in the final copy then it would change my opinion a bit as well. But at this time I don’t see myself returning to this book or recommending it very highly, without knowing outright that the person I’m talking to would love it.
If you or anyone you know is the victim of domestic violence, please don’t wait. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
Thanks so much to the author, Mickey Rowe, for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
My name is Mickey Rowe. I am an actor, a theatre director, a father, and a husband. I am also a man with autism. You think those things don’t go together? Let me show you that they do. Growing up, Mickey Rowe was told that he couldn’t enter the mainstream world. He was iced out by classmates and colleagues, infantilized by well-meaning theatre directors, barred from even earning a minimum wage. Why? Because he is autistic. Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor’s Journey to Broadway’s Biggest Stage is Mickey Rowe’s story of growing up autistic and pushing beyond the restrictions of a special education classroom to shine on Broadway. As an autistic and legally blind person, living in a society designed by and for non-disabled people, it was always made clear to Mickey the many things he was apparently incapable of doing. But Mickey did them all anyway–and he succeeded because of, not in spite of, his autism. He became the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landed the title role in the play Amadeus, co-created the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront, and founded the National Disability Theatre. Mickey faced untold obstacles along the way, but his story ends in triumph. Many people feel they are locked out of the world of autism–that it’s impossible to even begin to understand. In Fearlessly Different, Mickey guides readers to that world while also helping those with autism to feel seen and understood. And he shows all people–autistic and non-autistic alike–that the things that make us different are often our biggest strengths.
Review (5 Stars):
TW: in-depth discussion of ableism, discussion of sexism/racism, statistics related to death/murder, physical/mental abuse of children by family, police violence, postpartum depression, bullying
I always want to start off reviews for biographies and memoirs and the like by saying that I don’t necessarily like rating them because the stories in them are so personal to the author, and just because I might not see myself in it or relate to it doesn’t mean that someone else won’t. That being said, this was an easy 5 stars for me.
This book. I read this book once when I first received the galley at the end of 2021, and then just reread it again in order to write a review for the publication date, and I found myself flying through it both times. And while I am good friends with the author, and am so freaking proud of my friend for this thing that he has created, I don’t think that that is the reason I was able to read through this so quickly both times. Sometimes I struggle with nonfiction and memoirs because they can tend to lean into statistics and be a bit dry, but not this one.
Even the parts of this book that do lean more factual with statistics and mentions of news stories felt narrative, and that’s all thanks to the way Mickey wrote them. Instead of feeling like a text book or a school lecture during these parts, it really did feel like chatting with a friend about these issues. And that’s how the whole book felt. I really believe that anyone picking up this book, even if they have never heard of Mickey Rowe before that moment, could feel like they really know and connect with him by the end of the story. And to be able to say that and that you learned something from the same book is really special, I think.
Obviously, looking at the trigger warnings at the beginning of this review, there are a couple of parts that can be a little bit difficult to read just because of the content that is being discussed. But I think that it is absolutely worth pushing through those parts if you’re able to, because they are so important. So much of our communities are facing these same issues every single day that Mickey is talking about in Fearlessly Different. It would be easier if we could think that these are isolated incidents, but they aren’t. So I think that this book is really important as a tool to really make those experiences visible to those of us that aren’t experiencing them.
I would recommend anyone read this book. Whether they are autistic or neurotypical or somewhere in between, I think that this is a story and a point of view that we don’t see nearly enough of coming from the people whose stories they are. And hey, I read an electronic version, but if you are a fan of audiobooks I would recommend it for this book as well. Mickey reads his story for the audiobook, and I can only imagine the way he is able to bring everything to life through that medium. I think the best way to read or listen to this book would be on a slow Sunday morning with a cup of tea, while you are able to really take in the information in a calm and comfortable setting.
Want to learn more?
Check out these amazing resources (along with many more listed in the back of the book) for more information!
Mickey Rowe (he/him) has had a prolific and varied career as an actor, director, consultant, and public speaker; now highly sought after both nationally and internationally. He was the first autistic actor to play Christopher Boone, the lead role in the Tony Award-winning play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has also appeared as the title role in the Tony Award-winning play Amadeus and more. Mickey has been featured in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, PBS, Vogue, Playbill, NPR, CNN, Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Forbes, and has keynoted at organizations including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Kennedy Center, Yale University, Columbia University, Disability Rights Washington, The Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, the DAC of the South Korean government, and more. Mickey was the founding Artistic Director of National Disability Theatre, which works in partnership with Tony Award-winning companies such as La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He is the Author of Fearlessly Different – In bookstores everywhere March 2022. Mickey Rowe is in Seattle on the land of the Duwamish people past, present, and future.
Thanks so much to the author, Netgalley, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the gifted advanced e-copy of this collection in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
TW (from the book): eating disorders, mental illness, self-harm, sexism, queerphobia, death, grief, trauma, and possibly more
It should not be any surprise at this point that I loved this collection. While sometimes difficult to read based on the subject matter, Amanda Lovelace’s collections are my favorite for this type of poetry. It isn’t the more traditional sweeping, lyrical poetry that people might think of first when thinking of the genre, but it’s just as meaningful and a bit more approachable as a read.
This might be my favorite of Amanda’s collections that I’ve read so far. And I’ve read all but one or two of the collections that have already been published. The Women Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy helped me a lot when I was younger and needing help getting through some of the emotional baggage that I wasn’t quite ready to unpack yet, and it helped me when I was a bit more ready to go through it all as well. And the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale series really feels like what I have needed each time I’m reading them.
The stories in this collection really felt like they touched my heart while I was reading them. While there are, as always, some pretty major trigger warnings for this collection, I would say that if you are able to read it without being in an unhealthy place emotionally, then I would absolutely recommend it. I think it is a great read. And again, if you’ve been wanting to dip your toe into more poetry but you’re maybe intimidated or don’t know where to start, this could be a really easy and approachable way to try it out.
More collections from Amanda Lovelace:
the Women Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy
The Princess Saves Herself in This One
The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One
The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One
the Things that H(a)unt duology
To Make Monsters out of Girls
To Drink Coffee with a Ghost
the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale trilogy
Break Your Glass Slippers (check out my review here!)
Thanks so much to the author and Valentine PR for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts, and participation in this blog tour! { partner } All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
Genre: Romance, COntemporary Romance, Adult
Description from Goodreads:
From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.
Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.
The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man.
Or so she thinks.
While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.
Review (5 Stars):
TW: death, death during childbirth, loss of child & miscarriage, death/injury of animals, pregnancy
I need to just start this off immediately by saying that anyone who has been feeling unsure about this book because it’s Marie’s story rather than Calla’s has absolutely no reason to. This book had all of the heart and soul of the rest of the Wild series, and we still see plenty of those characters and places that we’ve grown to love throughout the series while having just enough new to set Marie’s story apart from the rest.
And okay I know, you might be saying “no but wait, she’s the one that was trying to get in between Jonah and Calla, so we don’t like her because they are relationship goals.” I get it. Nothing can ever come between Calla and Jonah, or I may give up on love entirely (so sorry to my husband). But she is such a sweet and strong character, and such a good friend to Jonah, and I am honestly thrilled that she finally has a real moment to shine!
I really enjoyed the direction that this story went as well. When it was announced that this would be Marie’s story, I was curious just how Kathleen would make the story and the settings just different enough to not feel like it was reliving The Simple Wild or Wild at Heart, while still making it obvious that it was the same place and moment, and I think that including so much of the sport and setting part of the book on the Iditarod trail was a really fun way to do just that! It felt separate from Trapper’s Crossing, but still left plenty of room for Marie to head back to the places and characters that we already know and love.
Now let’s talk about the new characters that we get in this book. We really get to deep dive into Marie’s family, and I loved some of them more than others (looking at you, Liz. You know what you did.) but the dynamic of all of them together was so fun, and so relatable to me! I have a few older brothers, and it’s always been a bit overwhelming for guests when you get all of us in the same room, so the weekly family dinner scenes were honestly some of my favorites. And Tyler Brady. Obviously swoon worthy. Not much to say except wow and that I will read more about him, thank you. I also fell in love with Marie’s friend/office mate Cory. She was so playful and sassy, and she really stood out to me!
Overall I loved this book. I devoured this book. If stupid things like eating and sleeping and going to work hadn’t gotten in the way, then I would have just sat down and read the entire thing in a single sitting. And I would absolutely recommend it to friends. I would say that the best way to read this book would be curled up under a blanket on a snowy afternoon with a glass of wine or a hot toddy. But no light beer. Sorry Marie, Tyler might not be judging your drink of choice, but I sure will.
Meet Kathleen:
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto.
Thanks so much to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog
TW: death, murder, some violence/gore, mention of cannibalism, drunk driving, drug use, heavy drinking, misogyny
Oh my gosh, this book got WILD! It started a bit slower than I had expected – I listened to The Wife Upstairs on audio last year, and I seemed to remember it getting a bit of a quicker start into the thriller portion of the story, so that’s a bit more what I was expecting from this one as well. But the slow start really gave me time to deep dive into the characters (and get in my early predictions for who I think the guilty party or parties were going to be), and gave it a very Agatha Christie-on a deserted island vibe!
Let’s jump in to the characters. I do like Lux as a main character, I thought that she was written in an interesting way, and I found her a bit more relatable than heroines in thrillers often seem, but I didn’t want to jump head first into a story just about her and fully inside of her own head – so I was really glad there were so many other characters to get a taste of too! Even from the word go, I think the characters that intrigued me the most were Brittany and Eliza, because they were the ones that I was looking forward to getting more back story from in the Before chapters. I also liked Nico in a “love to hate him” type of way, which is always really fun to read! I would say that the characters are interesting and well written, and I love the diverse cast of characters on the island, but I think that it definitely benefits from having a good number of them instead of really focusing on one single person.
Story-wise this felt very reminiscent of And Then There Were None, and I am a sucker for a good Christie mystery! It didn’t really feel like it started leaning in to the thriller side of the story until about 2/3 of the way through the book, but it did have a few minutes of good suspense before then too, so I didn’t mind too much. However, I also really love a character-driven novel and the lack of concrete thriller or suspense meant I could lean heavily on those characters, so if that isn’t necessarily your jam maybe take that with a grain of salt.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to friends and fellow readers, and honestly already have once or twice and it only came out today! Definitely a worthy first read of 2022 for me. I think that the perfect place to read this book would be sunbathing on a beach with a tropical drink (or two) in your hands! But, ya know, maybe a beach full of other people. Better not to feel like you’re too far into the world of a book sometimes, right?
Thanks so much to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All of my opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog.
TW: death (accidental death, murder), theft
Oh my gosh, this book was such a delight! I mean, let’s be honest, I LOVE a cozy mystery, so I am pretty easy to please in that sense. Honestly it’s kind of hard for a cozy mystery to go wrong, in my eyes. So I had no doubt that I would really enjoy this read, and I am glad to say that I was right.
Let’s start with what really might be the most important part – the FOOD! Jules, our main character in this story, runs a bakeshop, a winery, and an ice cream parlor, so it comes as no surprise that there are some really tasty sounding recipes mentioned throughout the story. Talking about and thinking about the food basically dominated my 20% review for this book, that’s how much it was on my mind as I was reading. And I’ve got to be honest, part of me is crushed that this isn’t one of the many cozies that includes a handful of it’s recipes in the back of the book. This is a story where the setting is definitely it’s own character, but the food is really playing a character as well in a really delicious way. And now I want to eat my weight in baked goods.
Speaking of the setting, Ashland, OR made such a lovely setting for this story! Like I said earlier, the small town feel really plays an important role in the story. Plus, as a PNW girl myself, I always enjoy getting to read books set along the west coast! And something about finishing up this story about the snowy little west coast town while I’m sitting in Seattle and looking out the window at all of the snow falling, it felt like I was really a part of it for a little bit. Like I could go across the street and get one of Andy’s cups of coffee.
Now getting back to more important things, like the colorful cast of characters. There were so many characters that played their roles in the story, that in the beginning I did have some trouble keeping everything and everyone straight in my head while reading. Now to be fair, this is book #14 in a serious of cozies. I always say that reading a series in order doesn’t tend to matter quite as much with a series of cozies as much as it might for a different genre, but I’m betting that had I read the other books that lead up to this one then I wouldn’t have had as many issues with remembering which character was which. So, you know, take that with a grain of salt. But overall I really loved the characters. Some of them were fairly cartoon-y, especially the two more villainous men who Jules is butting heads with throughout the story, but I didn’t mind that too much. The almost campy aspects felt like they belonged in a really fun way. Maybe that comes from the very theatrical town of Ashland (home of the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival), but either way it worked for me.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to my friends! I think that everyone needs a genre that they can read through easily without having to necessarily put their entire heart and soul into it, and (especially when it gets cold out) I think that a cozy mystery fits the bill perfectly! I think that the best way to read this book would be inside and under a blanket while you’re listening to the rain, or watching the snow outside your window. And also with lots of baked goods. Obviously. No, seriously. Give me the cakes, the hand pies, the cookies, the pastries, everything!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are entirely my own. My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog.
Publication Date: December 28, 2021
TW: death, orphaned children, infidelity
Oh my gosh, this book was so much fun! I go through phases in my reading life and I am DEFINITELY in a big regency phase right now, where I just can’t get enough of it. So this book was everything that I was wanting, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
I really loved Hazel as a character – and while it did take me a little while to come around to Blade the girls of Bellehaven Academy really made up for that lost time! The girls were so fun and sweet and I wanted to adopt every one of them, honestly. I thought that the setting of a finishing school was a fun way to differentiate this story from the other enemies-to-lovers regency novels out there (not that I ever seem to get tired of those anyway) by having such fun characters in the girls but also having the school acting as a character in itself. It almost feels like the true third in Hazel and Blade’s love triangle, and I really loved it!
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to my friends who are looking for a fairly fast (and quite steamy!) read. But I’m not kidding, if you’re picking this one up you need to be prepared for the steam. Do not read at work. Do not read in company. Maybe try reading it in a bubble bath with a large glass of wine and nobody around to ask you why you’re still in the bath. You’ll thank me later.
Thanks so much to the author, Valentine PR, and Netgalley for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. { partner } All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
From the author of Boyfriend Material and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake comes a cozy mystery that revisits the Golden Age of detective fiction, starring a heroine who’s more podcaster than private eye and topped with a lethal dose of parody — perfect for fans of Clue, Knives Out, and Only Murders in the Building!
When up-and-coming true crime podcaster Liza and her corporate financier wife Hanna head to a luxurious hotel in the Scottish Highlands, they’re hoping for a chance to rekindle their marriage – not to find themselves trapped in the middle of an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with no way home. But who better to take on the case than someone whose entire profession relies on an obsession with all things mysterious and macabre? Though some of her fellow guests may consider her an interfering new media hack, Liza knows a thing or two about crime and – despite Hanna’s preference for waiting out the chaos behind a locked door – might be the only one capable of discovering the killer. As the bodies rack up and the stakes rise, can they save their marriage — and their lives?
Review (5 Stars) :
Thanks so much to the author, Kobo Books, Netgalley, and Valentine PR for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in the blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews nd blog tours can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and my blog tacklingtbr.home.blog.
TW: death/murder, description of violence, description of crime scenes
This book was seriously so much fun! I didn’t want to put it down while I was reading, and I was very mad any time I actually had to. Darn work and life getting in the way of my reading!
If you like Clue then you’ll enjoy this book. The big mansion where people keep mysteriously passing away, the kooky and colorful cast of characters, the sense of humor of a serious story that isn’t taking itself too seriously (although we can mostly thank Ruby for that mindset), it really had it all for me. And wrap it all up with an adorable queer couple bow? Yes please.
I will say that I guessed some bits of the ending before we got to it, but there were still some fun surprises for me along the way, so I wasn’t too mad about the few things I saw coming. And I think using Liza’s podcast as the reasoning for the detective work brought a fun, modern twist. Plus, sassy podcaster solving a crime with her adorable wife playing Watson? It was just so much fun.
I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and family – in fact, my mom has already tried to steal my kindle so that she can read it next! I think that the perfect setting for reading this book would be inside in bed or on the couch under a couple of blankets with snow falling outside. And in honor of Murder Most Actual, the podcast within the book, a glass of wine is a necessity!
Connect with the Author:
Alexis Hall is an English author of urban fantasy, science fiction, and m/m romance. His novels include Murder Most Actual, Boyfriend Material, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, For Real, Glitterland, Iron & Velvet, Looking for Group, and Pansies.
His work has been nominated for to the 26th Lambda Literary Awards, 28th Lambda Literary Awards, and 29th Lambda Literary Awards in the category of Gay Romance.
Thanks so much to the author, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for the complimentary advanced copy of this e-book. All opinions are entirely my own. { #giftedbook } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Day: October 5, 2021
TW (from the book): “This book contains sensitive material relating to: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire, & possibly more. Remember to practice self-care before, during & after reading.”
I, like so many others, fell in love with Amanda Lovelace reading her Woman Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy a few years ago. I’ve read all but two of her collections since then, and to this day I’ve yet to be disappointed in any of them. They are quick (although not light) reading, and I always love setting aside an afternoon to make myself a cup of tea, read one of her collections, and reflect on it.
I understand that her writing style might not be for everyone, as most of the poems are no more than a sentence or two, but I’ve always found it to be a really nice breather in between reading longer, more verbose novels.
This particular collection was taking a look at femininity and feminism through the story of Persephone, and using wildflowers and wild fires to show the soft, delicate sides versus the hard, fierce sides. This might just be the teen-girl-obsessed-with-mythology in me, but I loved that aspect of this collection.
I will say that there are two small things keeping this from a 5 star collection for me. Part of me missed the small bit of narrative flow that so many other of Amanda’s collections seem to weave through the various poems. There was a little bit of it with the story of Persephone, but I wish that it had leaned just a tiny bit more into that, since it always feels like it just ties the collections together with a perfect bow. And one of the best parts of her collections is always the illustrations, as silly as that sounds. They are always soft and dreamlike and lovely, and they enhance the poetry so much. The illustrations in this collection were really lovely, but I wish that there was just a little bit more variety in them, rather than having the same two alternating. I’m sure Amanda had a reason for choosing that style this time around, but I’m just not sure what it is.
Overall I would absolutely recommend this collection to any of my friends, so long as it was healthy reading for them. The trigger warnings at the beginning of these collections are really no joke, and if those triggers will not be healthy for you to read, then these books aren’t for you. But if you can do it safely, then curl up with a blanket and a pot of tea, and make this a part of your quiet, self-care day. (Note: Sounds of heavy rainfall definitely encouraged, but not required. I guess not everyone can live in the PNW.)
More Collections by Amanda Lovelace:
the Women Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy
The Princess Saves Herself in This One
The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One
The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One
the Things that H(a)unt duology
To Make Monsters out of Girls
To Drink Coffee with a Ghost
the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale trilogy
Break Your Glass Slippers (check out my review here!)
Tackling TBR 