_soraya_pl's reviews
312 reviews

The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky by Josh Galarza

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I’m not the target audience for YA but I was fighting tears. I think the concepts discussed are important but I didn’t enjoy the writing style. It felt like “How do you do fellow kids?” trying to guess what a high schooler would say. 
The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America by Aaron Robertson

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hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

Two quotes that stuck with me:

I am not God, but what I am saying is that I see God in us. 
God is in me. God who creates also inhabits, especially if invited to reside. It is peculiar that men, women, and children were enslaved, mistreated, and tortured to come and work for free in the United States of America, but the peculiar can be unraveled.

I had known the smells of churches as a child-sweet and nauseating potpourri, colognes and perfumes, and Wednesday night Bible study chalkboards. Some of my past churches had names that sounded like flowers: Bethany, Elim, Merriman. A thousand mothers and fathers raised me.
An Orphan in History: Retrieving a Jewish Legacy by Paul Cowan, Paul Cowan

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hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.0

The 2 parts of the book made sense as a separation to his family’s story then his own story. It is written in a “this happened then this happened then this happened” fashion so it does get boring to read. But it’s a good story of Cowan finding himself. 
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I gave “The Reckless Oath We Made” 2 stars because it was horrific. I had no idea this was by the same author but the amount of 5 star reviews I read calling this an “age gap romance” saying it’s not pedophilia because Wavy “consented”…. I am very scared for the children in your lives. Nevertheless, this book was so realistic of stories of childhood abuse and trauma I had to take a few breaks reading. The rape and subsequent sex scenes are explicit.
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Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Redwood Court by DéLana R.A. Dameron

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hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose

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funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The previous books in the series were more tense than this one. I had been wanting a look at Flora’s life growing up and we finally got it in this book. A few rogue periods and commas in the ARC. No one dies in the end! Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own! #TheMaidsSecret #NetGalley
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This book had me laughing for much of the beginning half. It’s such a sweet story you wouldn’t expect from sci fi and fantasy. 
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

We'll Never Tell by Wendy Heard

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0