Exhausting in a way that only the trans experience can be. Well done.

Thank You Kodansha and NetGalley for the ARC!

A soft and sweet friends-to-lovers BL.

I appreciate that this book leans into romance manga tropes without being over the top about it. Great art. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes - our leads have such distinct personalities, but I can tell there is so much more to be uncovered about both of them. A great setup and a pleasant read. Looking forward to volume 2.

Thank you NetGalley / Little, Brown, and Company for the ARC!

While the book spends surprisingly little time on the reality TV aspect it promotes, I was completely engrossed in Linli and Fanny's story by that point.

This book made me reassess how I think about the people in my life. There are some people that I (shamefully and subconsciously) categorized as needy, irresponsible, toxic, or pest-like, similar to how we view Fanny at the start of the book. But there is more to Fanny's story, and she is much more competent at navigating the world than we give her credit for. Could this be true of the Fannys in my life?

You do not know everything about everyone's situation. Extend grace, but never enable.

Well executed but personally I found it to be a bit of a slog

Thank You to Macmillan Audio, Tor, NetGalley and Isabel J. Kim for the advanced listener copy!

I always enjoy a doppelgänger story.

Characters in sublimation don't have to wonder "what if i never emigrated" because their doppelgangers are left behind. The book is as much about how this "instantiation" would impact government, business, and lore as it is about the characters -- perhaps more. Written at times in first, second, and third person, the reader is forced to reconcile the self and the other while managing the implications of each individuals actions, and what it means to be an individual at all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the careful consideration for how the characters respond to and digest the concept of "reintegration" throughout the book. Sometimes it means becoming whole, other times it means death for one or both parties. Truly a fascinating thought experiment, but that is also why the book fell a bit short for me. By the end, I still didn't feel like I knew all the characters as deeply as I should have. I also feel like the book didn't examine cultural differences and missed some opportunities for some impactful moments.

Overall, a solid read -- the audio edition's mixing in that last stretch - WOW - very well done. I also enjoyed the dual narration.

ARC via NetGalley

Short and unsweet. Grief Eater is a story of queer rage and deep longing for love and acceptance. More than anything it reflects the human desire to /know/ the hearts of others.

When our protag gains the ability to taste and understand the thoughts and feelings of her prey, they are immediately on a mission to validate the feelings of their loved one and those that rejected them for their queerness.

I feel like the trauma inflicted in this book could have been used more effectively. I didn't feel like the reader was brought along for the ride on how this desire for vengeance developed holistically. We never truly get to know the protag as person beyond their trauma.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the Advanced Listener Copy!

Moon and Stevie are a mother-daughter duo surviving LA in the aftermath of Moon's run as a main character of a TV show called Wabi-sabi. When Moon's on-screen son re-enter's Moon and Stevie's lives, they are forced to reconsider their relationship and the meaning of family.

What really stood out to me about this book was Adam's insecurity and the havoc it wreaks on both Moon and Stevie's lives. He osscilates between being a father figure, a son figure, a lover, a groomer. All the while Stevie walkes a fine line of love and hate Moon. This is one of those books where it can feel like not a lot is happening. It requires you to give it care, and attention. I often found myself drifting, worrying if the book was stale. But I found if I paused, went back, and /really/ listened, I enjoyed it.

That said, I think modern readers expect a good book to demand their attention, and this book does not sufficiently do that.

Thank you, Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!

Dr. Elizabeth Gwinn has been captured to serve as an OBGYN and GP for a cult in the northern midwest. One of my favorite things about this character is that she wants to spiteful toward her captors, but she can't help doing her best to treat her patients anyway.

This book is true horror. It reminds me of one of those dreams where you are contained, yet still being chased. Dr. Gwinn can do very little about her situation without risking not just her own health and safety, but the health and safety of all women and allies on the compound. She is constantly fighting with herself, feeling like she should do more, while also showing exemplary strategic restraint. Despite a fair amount of this book being her internal monologue, I was absolutely captivated. I teared up during the climax of the book, but what really impressed me were the final pages. The horror continues.

Readers who enjoyed Women Talking and This is Going to Hurt will enjoy this read, as will anyone who grew up in the northern midwest.

On a personal note, I found Dr. Gwinn to be one of the most relatable protags ever.