I've looked through the first two pages and it definitely sounds like the author had an idea and tried to write it with an Al. Or they're just terrible with words.

"i wear a pink dress, the kind that promises softness and delivers none."

What do you mean? Pink is a colour, soft is a texture. How does a dress promises softness? Is it soft in itself or does it make its owner look cute or something? Either way what has pink to do with it?

"he bows on my pigtails pull too tight, yanking the skin and stretching my head into something neat, into something pleasing, a quiet violence made beautiful." What the hell is quiet violence? And how could it be made beautiful? Okay I could see someone using quiet violence as in Violence you don't see, but I have no idea what it has to do with yanking the skin and stretching the head.

In his hands is a cake, gleaming, its pink frosting too smooth, like plastic dipped in sugar, like something that belongs on a screen, too perfect to hold." Why would someone dip plastic in sugar? And why is a plastic cake too perfect to hold?

I need you all lovely people's thoughts on something in a book, please.

But before, fair warnings : I will be talking about something that might be considered a spoiler but won't mention the book's title. And 2, I'll be talking about infertility, so if that's a sensitive topic for you, please take care of yourself and proceed with awareness.

Here's my issue. I think the book I'm currently reading might be problematic but I'm not sure if it is or if it's me. It really puts a damper on what should be a fun read. So I would like your opinion. In the book in question, which is marketed as a silly erotica novella between the Easter Bunny and a couple, the couple is struggling with infertility. It's devastating to them and puts a strain on their marriage. It's heavily implied from the start that they won't be able to try any more fertility treatements in the future either and had many miscarriages in the past. But then Easter Bunny shows up and tells them that in exchange for 1 wild night, he'll give them a baby. He can make the wife pregnant and assure she'll carry the baby to term. Which I'm having issues with?

It feels very "magic dick fixes you" vibe and it feels offensive to me, but I'm also not dealing with infertility myself. I think if it was magic dick allows someone in a wheelchair to walk again, it would be really offensive, and isn't it the same here with infertility?

I'm really conflicted about this and it makes it hard to actually read the book. Because either it is offensive and I read the book knowing that, or it's not offensive and I get to enjoy the complete silliness of the scenario. Right now, I just feel slightly icky and I don't like it. The mix of a very heavy topic with a completely bonker erotic scenario was already weird enough.

EDIT : added for context, this is in the blurb " Book Title is the third installment of Series, a series of humorous, spicy standalone novellas featuring some of your favorite holidays (and holiday figures). For mature audiences only." It's definitely advertised as erotica

Give me your silliest, nitpickiest reason you stopped reading a book!

My pettiest reason has to be when a woman living in Arthurian times took note of another woman not wearing a corset, when corsets wouldn't be invented until literally a thousand years later (and not even called corsets until the Victorian era). I was about four chapters in I think and I put that book right down.

Wow! This is literally sooooo poorly written. It’s kind of astounding. DNFing it. 😬😬

hello fellow readers, white person here ! i’m on a mission to better educate myself on racism. i’m working through the feminism without exception and justice for all quests for books that touch on racism, but i wanted to see if anyone had any specific suggestions. i’m looking for literally any book, any genre that will help me understand what it’s like to be a poc/woc and/or how i can be a better ally—anything that will better educate me (:

I’m really trying to get into romance but I’m having so much trouble. I want something serious, not too tragic but a little tragic wouldn’t hurt! The romance doesn’t even have to be the main point of the book really, I do enjoy a slow burn. I’m okay with series and stand alones. Thanks so much in advance 🥲

Sorry if someone has already made this post since I know its been talked about on other platforms! How do you all feel about predictable twists in books? Not so much like uninspired twists that are common in genres (think "the bad guy is really the good guy") but plot twists that are well foreshadowed and the reader is able to put together what might happen based on clues in the book. I feel like so many people criticize books for having 'predictable' plot twists when the whole point is to tell a story that has enough clues and hints so the reader can try to guess what's going to happen. Otherwise the twists just feels like it comes out of nowhere, at least to me.

Does anyone have any book recs to read for when someone is struggling with their mental health? Specifically books that you can relate to and give you a feeling of hope, comfort and inspiration rather than self help instructional books? What kind of books do you pick up when you are struggling etc?

I love to discuss names in books. Why they are chosen, which ones stick in your mind forever, associated with that book, and which one's you can barely remember. Which ones fit the person, which ones don't (I am still mad that a mighty mystical creature in "Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe" was named Ana 👀).

The reason I post today is because, this time, I find myself in a different dilemma. I am currently reading "Tartufo" by Kira Jane Buxton, which has been a delight so far. However, there is a character in there who carries the name of a past abuser of mine. I am listening to the audiobook, so I do not even see it coming. And the worst of all is that this book character has passed away, always being remembered as this loving, perfect, kind person. There is constantly "Oh, my lovely X, my sweet X, he would have held me" (etc) and I flinch every single time. 😩

So I am curious - how do you handle character names that remind you of people that have hurt you? Exes, abusers, people that broke your heart, terrible bosses, bullies, etc? Can you just skip over it? Do you DNF books because of it? Does it affect your rating? And, maybe, to lighten the mood, also tell me what your FAVORITE name has been in a book and why? 😊

I am curious on your thoughts. Sending love into the bookish world xx

This is such a specific nitpick but the musical notation on the cover is all donked up 😭 Like why does the staff only have 4 lines? Why are the stems… like that? Is this how nurses feel when they read a bunch of inaccurate medical stuff in a book?!