Monthly Wrap Up: August 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Excellent mystery, great characters, cool format – more details in my Goodreads review here!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just as good as the first one. Great mystery, pacing, appreciate the portrayal of emotions and cool formatting once again.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not as good as the Good Girl series, still a really solid YA mystery with good plot twists and characters (except for one who was really unbearable). The pacing is a bit worse than in Jackon’s other books. Full Goodreads review here.

⭐⭐
Ruined by my own expectations. I was expecting a more varied POVs and characters when it comes to reacting to obtaining this superpower overnight. Didn’t really fancy reading about only power-hungry women.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this so much, one of my favourite books of this year. Layered and lovable main character, amazing setting of a North Carolina swamp, a mystery well weaved into the main coming-of-age story. ♥

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A lovely story. One of the main characters is an octopus and there are chapters written from his POV. It’s worth a read for that reason alone.

⭐⭐⭐
A bit of a mess, but has some interesting characters and the “woman against the society” part is pretty well done.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosy and comforting fantasy. More vibes than story, found family, cute little love story, sweet as a cinnamon roll icing. Read if you want to just tune off and enjoy a story without any heavy topics.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cosy fantasy. A bit too much romance for me, but the characters are amazing and diverse, very nice writing and I think an ideal pick for this autumn!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Full review here!
Solid spooky story with way too much violence for me, but if you like cursed objects and some troubled family themes with good plot twists and pacing, this is for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
A lot of emotional and depressive introspection, but it still grabbed me by the heart, even though I might’ve enjoyed it more like 10 years back. Full Goodreads review here.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Classics vibe, very interesting setting, gorgeous language and likeable protagonist.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another “woman against the system” book. Slow beginning, but excellent characters and super nice writing, where nothing felt like fluff. More in my goodreads review here.

⭐⭐⭐
I kinda got what this book was trying to do, by the formatting and language at least. But it didn’t land for me and I was really struggling to finish it even though it’s really short.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amazing sex ed book for children around the age of 10. Goes into the themes of body autonomy, consent, touches, being in love, bodies in general. Very inclusive of different genders, sexualities and disabilities. Big love ♥

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fascinating, raw read that gives great insight into dysfunctional families (here specifically tainted by religious fundamentalism) without painting the characters as black and white. Power of education.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
A classic collection of essays, a lot of food for thought about intersectional feminism and the experience of Black women and people in general.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Behind the scenes of being a therapist. Full review here!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description of queer behaviour in animal kingdom – very accessible and funny, includes little illustartions and comics and interviews with queer biologists.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A book about genitals and how to treat them to have a good ol’ time! Inclusive, genitals are not gendered. Super funny as well, loved it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Czech graphic novel about the author’s journey with alopecia. Short, but emotional and informative read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Super cute queer magical comics, ideal for autumn. I really want a sequel!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Liv Stromquist, my beloved. A graphic novel about the cult of beauty full of philosophy and humour.