Thursday, January 16, 2020

My Dad Thinks I’m a Boy?! by Sophie Labelle


Synopsis:
'My Dad thinks I'm a boy named Stephen who likes wrestling and fishing. But that's what my Dad likes.' Stephie is 7 years old. She likes bugs, books and spaghetti. Also, she's a girl... which should be pretty easy to understand, right? Well, not for her Dad! He's been mistaking her for a boy since she was born and struggles to see her for who she is. This powerful and uplifting comic book for primary age children and their families humorously portrays a situation that is often too common, where a trans child is forced to negotiate between their true self and their parents' love. With amusing illustrations, and a useful guide for adults, it's the perfect book to help show children that no one else than ourselves gets to decide who we are.
(Synopsis from Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:
It is so hard to find LGBTQ+ books for children. Finding books for children that represent transgender people is almost unheard of. When I finally found one, My Dad Thinks I'm a Boy, I knew I had to get a copy to read. I try to keep resources in case someone I know might be transitioning, or thinking of transitioning, and needed the books to help with that. I think this is a great resource that will help people understand what it's like to be transgender.

Not only is this book a great resource for children to understand more about what it's like to be transgender. I think it's also a great resource for adults as well. The explanations are incredibly simplified, and straight to the point. The book makes things incredibly easy to understand, whether the reader is four years old, or one hundred and four. I think this would especially be a great resource for a parent that is having a hard time understanding their child being transgender, and everything that goes along with that, no matter how old their child is. The discussion guide in the back of the book could be a great tool to open up a civil discussion between a child and adult about some misunderstandings they might have.

I really enjoyed My Dad Thinks I'm a Boy. It's a transgender positive book for children and adults alike. I think it could really open up a discussion between transgender people, and those that don't quite fully comprehend what betting transgender means, whether that be family or friends. I think the book is an incredibly valuable resource that should be added to libraries everywhere.  


I give My Dad Thinks I'm a Boy?!: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: https://www.serioustransvibes.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lasophielabelle/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/assignedmale
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labellesophie/?hl=en
Tumblr: https://assignedmale.tumblr.com/

I received this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire


Synopsis:
The fifth installment in Seanan McGuire's award-winning, bestselling Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down picks up the threads left dangling by Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister--whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice--back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.

(Synopsis from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
From the moment I read Every Heart a Doorway, I have been addicted to Seanan McGuire's writing. I have read most of her books in a single sitting because I love her writing so much. I thought for some reason that her Wayward Children series had ended with the previous book that was released, In an Absent Dream. Therefore, you can imagine how excited I was to find out that there was a fifth book in the series that was recently released. As soon as I found out about Come Tumbling Down, I knew I had to read it right away. I thought it was an excellent addition to one of my favorite series.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones was definitely my favorite book in the Wayward Children series. When I found out that part of Come Tumbling Down took place within the same door, I was excited. It felt great to be reunited with some of my favorite characters that I had really missed. It almost felt like coming home after being gone a really long time. I especially loved that we got to see more of Jack. She's always been one of my favorite characters in this series.

Another thing I loved about Come Tumbling Down is that the reader gets to explore more of my favorite door. In this book, the reader sees a completely new side to this door that's never been seen before, and I loved every second of it. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but it was something that I never expected, and it added so much to the world. I hope that Seanan McGuire does that for other doors in other books in this series too.

Come Tumbling Down was an almost perfect addition to the Wayward Children series. My only complaint that I have is that I would have liked to see a little more of Jill, and her perspective on things. Otherwise, I absolutely loved this book. It held all of the magic and wonder from the previous books in the series, and was a fantastic display of Seanan McGuire's addictive writing style. I hope she continues to write even more books in this series, and expands even more on this universe that I love so much.  


I give Come Tumbling Down. 4.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.seananmcguire.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seananmcguire
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seananmcguire
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seananmcguire/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219.Seanan_McGuire

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz


Synopsis:
Trick…or wicked treat!

It was a devastating dirty trick—Joey Silvia just found out her boyfriend of two years is married. What. A. Dick. Joey knows her best chance to get over one guy is to get under another. Of course, heading home to her family's remote cabin in Oregon poses some challenges in the "available men" department…until she discovers this cabin comes with its own hot handyman!

Holy crap, Chris Steffensen. When did her brother's best friend turn into a hard-bodied pile of blond-bearded hotness? He's the perfect Halloween treat—and a surprisingly dirty rebound guy. For a couple of weeks, anyway. Except that Chris has other ideas…like proving to Joey that this blast from the past is a whole lot more than a naughty Halloween hookup.

(Synopsis from Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:
Over the last few years, I've read quite a few of Tiffany Reisz's books. I've loved every single one that I've read. I've read all of he Sinners series, and the spinoffs. Some of her Sinners series I've even read multiple times. I recently found out that she wrote a few books under the Harlequin Blaze imprint, so I decided to pick up the first book in the series, Her Halloween Treat, and read it. I thought it was an enjoyable, sexy read.

When you hear someone talking about Harlequin books, the first think you probably think about is cliches that make you wan t to roll your eyes, and a lot of fluffy, non substance writing. That wasn't the case with Her Halloween Treat at all. The book was a bit cheesey at times, but in a sarcastic fun way. I especially enjoyed the banter between the main character, Joey, and her best friend, Kira. They cracked me up together. The banter between Joey and the love interest, Chris was also great. They had incredible chemistry that just rolled off of the pages, especially during the incredibly sexy parts of the book.

Sometimes while reading romance novels, the characters can kinda feel cookie cutteresque, like they don't have much personality because the book is more about sex than the plot. That wasn't the case with this book at all. The characters all had very well fleshed out personalities and backstories. Joey's brothers backstory was absolutely heartbreaking. Even though he's only a side character, Tiffany Reisz puts so much detail and emotion behind everything that he went through as a teenager that the reader feels like they're experiencing it first hand.

All in all, I really loved Her Halloween Treat. It didn't surprise me that much that I loved the book, considering how much I've enjoyed the author's other books. However, it did make me more open minded about reading more Harlequin books in the future, as it's a genre that's not something I usually pick up. I definitely plan on binge reading the rest of the Men at Work series, and reading a few other Harlequin Blaze authors too.  


I give Her Halloween Treat: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: https://www.tiffanyreisz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleredridingcrop/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/8thcirclepress
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_reisz/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4480131.Tiffany_Reisz

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.