I listened to this on audiobook, which ended up being a great way to consume it because the author’s style is so approachable and conversational. The central thesis of this book is connecting spiritualism (mediumship, healing crystals, etc) with a way for women to have more agency in moments in time where that feels impossible or at least fraught. Carter weaves the historical research with personal experiences in an engaging and relatable way that kept me listening.

Where I think this one falls short is in arguing for the impact of her thesis. She certainly does a good job of creating parallels to the past and present, and makes good arguments around how women’s agency is often tied to moments where science and systems fail them. But the core point doesn’t quite stick the landing. However, I would happily read more of Carter’s work because it was an enjoyable listen and I did learn a lot about historical practices of spiritualism that I thought were fascinating

The Freaky Friday style premise is so interesting when you have to swap places with your crush. I liked how the light magical realism wasn’t interrogated by the characters, and how much character growth you get to see overall. I felt like the emotional driven ending was a little too rushed to be satisfying, but it’s a graphic novel that’s reflecting on some serious themes.

If you enjoyed Ukazu’s Check Please! duet this is worth a read!

For a novel called The Dirty Version, this book is more sensual than sexy. The descriptions of Florida and the fictional worlds FMC Tasha is building are striking and vivid. The way attraction and intimacy happens in this book is almost seen through a muggy haze rather than in crisp detail, and while that seems to fit the main character’s sensibilities, as a reader, I was left craving more.

I do think Tasha goes through some personal growth and has to confront a lot of her own assumptions about people throughout the novel, but I found the supporting cast to be so much more dynamic and interesting. Not every novel needs a dual POV but I found myself really interested in Caleb’s potential perspective. He loses some of his depth as Tash gains hers and their relationship constantly feels a little off kilter. At the end, I’m left a little unsatisfied. 🤷🏼‍♀️