October 2021 Wrap-Up

Hey guys! October was . . . busy, to say the least. I read a lot of good books (including a 5 star read that I’m so excited about) but had a lot of stuff going on.

Fiction

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

This was meh, I guess. I feel like the romance went too fast and the characters were just boring. I didn’t care about the main character or her love interest (what were their names again?) But it was entertaining, I guess.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

TEAM GRAYSON ALL THE WAY. I like Jameson but Grayson is superior.

But, other than that, this sequel was pretty disappointing. Grayson became a background character. Xander and Nash didn’t do anything. Jameson became annoying. Avery became annoying. Even Libby became annoying.

The author is literally adding a new family member to the already complicated family tree every 5 seconds and it was fun in the beginning but now I’m just confused.

So overall, I didn’t love this one.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzoles

I loved this. Everything about it from the characters to the plot to locker 89 was so sweet and fun.

Darcy was such a good character. She was the perfect balance of sweet and confident, and she just radiates kindness. I thought Brougham was gonna be the typical “Bad boy” but he was just a nice guy and I love the progression of his and Darcy’s relationship.

I love the messages of finding yourself and understanding your identity as well as tackling internalized biphobia, which may be relatable for a lot of people.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

This was so beautiful. Kiko is so strong for going through what she did, and I love Jamie for helping her get through it.

I personally couldn’t relate to this, but I’ve read a lot of reviews in which people could. Kiko had social anxiety and a narcissistic mother who is so horrible. Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading this one.

But plot wise, there wasn’t much. If you’re looking for something really fast paced, I don’t recommend this one. This is a story of finding yourself and how to be brave.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

I really liked this one. I still haven’t read The Hate U Give but hopefully soon.

But also, the raps. Thomas wrote them beautifully. I don’t even listen to rap, but I loved it. They were so powerful and raw.

The family and friendship aspects in this were everything. All the characters, from Bri to Curtis to Sonny and Malik were really complex and lovable. Their dynamic was just perfect.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

I love this so freaking much. It has strong female characters, an LGBTQ+ protagonist and relationship, feminism (the normalization of periods is everything), morally grey characters, criminals and con artists, friendship between exes, and gorgeous quotes and writing.

What more do I need in a book?

Nora is literally so strong, and her relationship with Iris is the sweetest, and Wes agh I love him. I loved the mix of flashbacks and the present and how Nora learnt things from every girl she’s been.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Watch Us Rise by by Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I loved the representation and the feminism and the poetry and blog posts. But on the other, Chelsea. God, I hated her. She was so problematic. She hates gender stereotypes (which I get, to a certain extent though), and when girls want to do “feminine” things, she judges them fo rit. She doesn’t think that boys also have toxic standards enforced onto them. She uses the term womanist to describe herself, which is about black women (Chelsea is white). And also, I learnt about this while reading another review, that Chelsea uses the word “womyn”, which is actually a terf term.

But other than one of the two main characters, I liked this one. Jasmine was a great character and I liked the side characters.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

This was so freaking good. I had high expectations and Ace of Spades exceeded all of them. The characters were so unique, so distinct from each other, and they were just so realistic. They weren’t flawless, they made mistakes, and that’s what made them so amazing. I also love the lgbtq+ rep, the relationships were just so good. But also, THE MYSTERY. Literally flawless. There was amazing foreshadowing and it was just so well written.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I really liked this one. The writing was really beautiful, and the characters were really complex. I liked the exploration of grief and loneliness, and the complexness of it.

As I mentioned above, with Starfish, this isn’t very fast paced. It’s more about character development than an adventure, or honestly, a plot.

But overall, I enjoyed this. Rumi was an interesting character and I really liked Kai.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Currently Reading

N/A

Here are the posts of the month:

~October Goals~

• Read at least 6 books ✅
• Do more blog-hopping ✅
• Post at least 4 times ❌
• Exercise more ❌

November Goals

• Read at least 7 books
• Do more blog-hopping
• Post at least 4 times
• Exercise more
• Focus on school more

Life Updates

• I feel like I’m finally getting back into the groove of school. I got some of my grades back and I actually did better than expected (but math is still my worst subject, much to my parent’s dislike).
• Around the middle of the month, my family drove to another state to see the fall colors. Why, I don’t know, but we have nice pictures now. It really was gorgeous.
• For Halloween, I actually put some effort into my costume. I was a boba tea and I actually really liked how it looked. It was a tan dress I ordered online and my grandma helped me sew some balls of black fabric, or “bobas” onto the bottom and I had a headband with a painted paper towel roll stuck on it.

Movies/Documentaries

• Guardians of the Galaxy | This movie is literally hilarious. It reminds me a lot of Thor: Ragnorok just because of it. I’ve watched this multiple times but I still haven’t gotten sick of it.
• The Nanny Diaries | Again, this was just so freaking funny. I loved Scarlett Johannson’s acting and the characters and relationships were just so sweet.

Music

• Gorgeous by Taylor Swift
• No Body, No Crime by Taylor Swift
• Levitating by Dua Lipa

• Maria celebrated hitting 100 followers!
• Ashmita recommended poetry collections for people who don’t read poetry!
• Rachel shared her favorite diverse books and some on her TBR!
• Anoushka reviewed City of Shattered Light!
• Phoenix shared 5 reasons why she’s grateful for blogging!
• Amanda discussed representation in fantasy with Lea Falls!
• Emily shared some creepy books to read in October!
• Cherelle celebrated her 1 year blogiversary and her blogging reflections!
• Kaya wrote about her latest book haul!
• Sam celebrated 1 year of blogging and also shared some books with heists!
• Marie talked about self care and taking care of your mental health as a blogger!
• April connected things she’s been told in the drive thru to books!
• Siya did the #PowerfulFemales tag!

How was your October? Read any good books? Leave your thoughts on this post in the comments below!