Books by American Women – Page 2 – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee

The Kindle cover of The Idea of You, showing the very pretty kissing couple from the film adaptation, is propped up on a dining table against a woven handbag behind a wide green mug of milky coffee, next to a blue and white chinaware planter.

(You can find this book here.) I wasn’t really planning on reviewing this age-gap, popstar, Amazon Prime-adapted romance but it’s weirdly icky, so let’s discuss. It’s fine that French-American gallery owner Soléne is 20 years older than her 20-year-old lover Hayes. It’s fine that he’s a member of the world’s biggest boy band. It’s fineContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee”

[REVIEW] That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon, by Kimberly Lemming

A Black woman's hand holds the Kindle cover of That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon, featuring a pretty Black woman and a sexy elf in a passionate clinch, up in front of a lush potted basil plant.

(Buy this book here.) You’ve probably already heard of this smash-hit monster romance about a pink-haired sistah named Cinnamon and a demon (but not really?) named Fallon. While tarrying on the path home to her family’s spice farm after a drunken festival to celebrate the band of heroes sent to kill the demons threatening theContinue reading “[REVIEW] That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon, by Kimberly Lemming”

[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell

A Black woman's hand holds up the Kindle cover of The Wildest Ride, depicting a very handsome Black cowboy, in front of a weathered white wooden fence.

(Rope a copy of this book for yourself here.) This rodeo romance is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy. Lil Sorrow(that’s her real name) is a former teen rodeo champ sidelined for years by sexism and family obligation. AJ Garza is a bull riding circuit superstar trying to take home one last prize pot before retiring to focusContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell”

[REVIEW] Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder

In front of a half gallon and a gallon container of plant-based milk, the Kindle cover of Milk Fed is propped up. It depicts a dear God is that a nipple? I just realized that's an art deco nipple!

(Buy this book here.) Rachel is a non-religious queer Jewish woman in L.A. By day she works for a talent agency. By night, she’s a stand-up comedian. She dresses well, goes to therapy, is politically progressive, and is probably the coolest person a lot of her friends know–at least until you factor in her toxicContinue reading “[REVIEW] Milk Fed, by Melissa Broder”

[REVIEW] Chlorine, by Jade Song

The Kindle cover of Chlorine by Jade Song, which depicts a mermaid tail flashing out of view into the water. It's held up by a Black woman's hand in front of a grimy collegiate swimming pool.

(To buy this book, click here.) Ren Yu– daughter of Chinese immigrants, indifferent high school student, favorite pupil of her lecherous coach, unrequited love of teammate Cathy’s budding lesbian life — knows deep down that she’s really always been a mermaid. The Pennsylvania suburbs are a bit far from the beach, but Ren feeds herContinue reading “[REVIEW] Chlorine, by Jade Song”

[REVIEW]Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed, by Dashka Slater

The Kindle cover of accountable, depicting a shadowy, chaotic crowd behind the book's title, propped up next to a glass of beer and a delicious sandwich.

(If you must buy this book, buy it here.) This book reminds me that I am not the target audience for books about racism, at least not ones like this. In 2017, a bored Korean-American kid started editing pictures of Black girls in his school in alarming ways. He juxtaposed them with gorillas, photoshopped noosesContinue reading “[REVIEW]Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed, by Dashka Slater”

[REVIEW] The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty

The Kindle cover of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, depicting a sea monster eating a ship in black and white.

(Buy this book here.) This book is absolutely delightful and this review will do it no justice. You have been warned. Amina Al-Sirafi is a middle-aged single mother with bad knees who lives in a modest country house and minds her own business. She was also one of the most fearsome pirates who ever sailedContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty”

[REVIEW]Remedies for Disappearing, by Alexa Patrick

The beautiful paperback cover of Remedies for Disappearing, featuring a collage in varying shades of blue, a dark-skinned serene Black woman in the foreground, is held up by a Black woman's(my) hand in front of a late summer garden. A family of small wooden bunnies in tuxedos is in the background.

(Buy this wonderful book here.) FINALLY AND AT LAST! It’s been (rightly) noted that I can be rather hard on Black woman writers. (Apologies to Tiffany D Jackson, Tracey Deonn, Jasmine Mans, and others…) I think it’s because I’m aching for us to truly center ourselves and our experiences as our frame of reference, ratherContinue reading “[REVIEW]Remedies for Disappearing, by Alexa Patrick”

[REVIEW] The Cutting Season, by Attica Locke

The Kindle cover of The Cutting Season, depicting a plantation big house, is held up in of the panoramic green view of Boston's Peters Hill by a Black woman's(my) hand.

(Buy this book at the Equal Opportunity Bookshop) I know I keep saying that thrillers and mysteries are really #notmygenre, but books like this and Razorblade Tears are really trying to change my mind. (Notice that both of these books are blackity-Black. Representation matters!) Caren Gray is the general manager of the historic Louisiana plantationContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Cutting Season, by Attica Locke”

[BOOK REVIEW] The Call-Out, by Cat Fitzpatrick

The Kindle cover of The Call-Out, depicting two illustrated women having a fancy uptown lunch, is propped up on a table. Dining room shelves and the edge of a bowlof soup are in the blurry fore- and back- ground

(Buy this book here) This is a polite comedy of manners set in modern-day queer New York, about 6 women(5 of whom are trans), written entirely in rhyming verse, formatted like an old school LiveJournal blog. That’s a lot of concept for a 168-page book, and to its credit, it mostly works. Once you getContinue reading “[BOOK REVIEW] The Call-Out, by Cat Fitzpatrick”