My Best Friend’s Sister by Eden Burgess
***Thank you to BookSprout for an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
WARNING: Book is an Erotica, LGBTQ Romance. This is more for those who just don’t want to read about sex in general. It’s Erotica folks, so things are going to get freaky!
Seriously though, I’m not about to defend the fact that I went out of my way to request this book from BookSprout. Aside from wanting to expose myself to more LGBTQ stories, I also wanted to dip my toes into something a little risque so as to maybe influence my own writing. No, I am not writing an erotica, but it never hurts to look at love scenes from these novels. Though most read as a cheesy porno, it can be helpful. This is what I was going for and I’ll admit that My Best Friend’s Sister by Eden Burgess didn’t disappoint.
To Laugh Well A Novel by JC Alaimo
**Thank you to Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review**
WARNING: Book contains underage drinking, drug use, sexual content, and suicidal imagery.
A good chunk of time has passed since I have had the privilege to read a Young Adult novel (though if one is so inclined an argument could be made that this falls into the New Adult genre) that could very well be considered in the drama sub-category. My usual go-to is fantasy or sci-fi, but in order to understand and implement true angst into my own YA WIP, I wanted a little refresher. The synopsis was interesting and I was pretty much hooked right away.
It’s hard to describe the feelings I had as I read To Laugh Well by JC Alaimo. What I thought would play out as a sensitive and informative read on mental illness was really just a book about a boy’s first year in college away from home. Granted there are trials and tribulations that ultimately come to a not so pleasant ending, but on the whole I felt that maybe this book was 60% college experience 30% depression and other mental health concerns.
