Short AF Book Review | Spoops: The Little Spirits Of Halloween | ARC Received By Netgalley

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Spoops: The Little Spirits Of Halloween" by A.J. Locascio. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers to please keep that in mind!) 

"Young Holly Hollowell loves Halloween more than anything, but her dentist parents are totally against any event that promotes tooth - rotting sweets. While other kids trick - or - treat, Holly watches sadly from her window... until the Spoops arrive to turn things around! With their magical help, Holly can finally show her parents the true spirit of Halloween: not the candy, but the joy of expressing yourself, unleashing your imagination, and letting your spooky side soar!

Presented in rhyming verse that recalls Dr. Seuss and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' along with nostalgic illustrations in black, white, and orange, Spoops is an instantly timeless classic that places Halloween right alongside other beloved holidays."

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this is honestly because I saw it on Netgalley and thought it looked super cute, plus I love Halloween, so I thought I would apply for it. Friends, I'm so happy I got to read this one. First of all the artwork throughout this story is super cute and really gives me the nostalgia of childhood books I read as a kid. As a 31 year old woman reading this book, I adored it and loved that it showed that Holly's uniqueness is what made her special and that her love for spooky/halloween things as a child was not weird and in fact should be encouraged. This book would've been so perfect for me as the odd one out Halloween loving girly growing up. For such a short story with a LOT of illustrations it sure does pack a mighty punch. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a cute little halloween read, even if you're not a child. And I will FOR SURE be picking up a copy of this for my niece when it comes out.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book comes out on the 12th August 2025!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Uncover

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Uncover" by Faith Fawcett. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Faith Fawcett's latest YA release! The perfect coming - of - age with a sapphic twist!

"It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks. What matters is that I love you and you love me" Ellie - Mae, sixteen and nervous after moving schools in exam year, becomes fast friends with boy - obsessed Sasha. She can be a little bit crazy and hectic but there's just something about her... Something different.

As the two girls become closer, caught up in a three - hundred year old mystery, feelings begin to blossom. But 'hanging out' doesn't feel so simple anymore, not when mere touches sends flickers of butterflies into Ellie's stomach.

But she's never liked a girl before, let alone been in love."

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I follow Faith on tiktok and saw her advertise this story and thought this would absolutely be right up my alley. Friends, I'm not going to lie, I'm a little 50/50 with this book. First let's talk about the good. This book is incredibly stinking cute. As y'all know I love a queer book with good female friendship, and the friendship dynamic between these characters is so good most of the time. The mystery that they were trying to solve really kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book, and I was rooting for them to get the answers that they deserved. The characters were very fun and relatable, and were so easy to empathise with. Now for the downside, as much as the friendship dynamic between the characters was good most of the time, the lack of communication in some chapters did not make sense considering they were actually so good at communicating with each other in other chapters. I left the book feeling slightly disappointed that we didn't have all the answers and truly felt like the girls would not have stopped there considering the momentum of the rest of the book. Do I think this was a cute light queer YA mystery to get into? Yes. Do I also wish there was more answers and depth to the story than there was? Also yes. Will this stop me reading any more of Faith's books? Absolutely not, I will be picking up another the moment I'm back up to date with my ARCs. I just think I went into this book expecting more than I should have, and that's honestly on me.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe! 

Short AF Book Review | Here And Queer

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Here And Queer" by Rowan Ellis. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Here and Queer is a helpful, friendly guide full of support and advice about living your best queer life, written for girls.

This vibrant, inclusive guide, designed for all kinds of girls, is designed to help you be the strongest, proudest, happiest version of yourself! A celebration of the gift of queerness, it's packed full of heartfelt advice, comforting stories, and stylish illustrations, and will give you the tools you need to explore your own identity, on your own terms.

Author and YouTuber Rowan Ellis uses her personal experience to take you through queer life, from coming out and dealing with tough stuff, right through to finding friendships and celebrating Pride. There are also brilliant guest essays from contributors across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

This book opens with guidance on understanding how you feel as a queer girl. From choosing your pronouns to navigating different labels and identities, Ellis helps girls understand that they are in control of their own identity, and that it's ok to not be sure straight away.

Moving onto a glossary of queer terms, Here and Queer helps introduce girls to the rainbow of definition and terms which help queer people understand who they are and how they feel. The book then moves onto advice on coming out, for many one of the hardest steps to take on their journey to truly living their best lives.

Following are chapters on sex and romance, including helpful advice about your first time, as well as guides on consent and knowing how to make sure you build a healthy and supportive relationship with your partner.

There are also sections on dealing with bullies and stigma, finding your community, and looking after your mental health, including advice on how to help you find extra support if you need it. The book also has more information on queer ladies in history, and on the fight for equality undertaken by brave activists throughout history and today.

Stylishly designed with cool illustrations, this helpful, friendly guide will help all queer girls navigate the challenges of discovering and embracing their identities and flourishing in their own skins!"

So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because I saw this book across the room in my local YMCA Charity shop and knew I had to pick it up.  What a book to start pride month off with. Friends, this book is incredible. I genuinely didn't feel as a 31 year old queer woman I had much left to learn but this book sure proved me wrong. This book was beautiful from the way that it was set out to the illustrations and stories. It is a shorter book and I genuinely read this in one sitting but it is PACKED full of information around queerness in general {even if it says it focuses on queer girls}. I honestly believe if I have had this book as a teenager the world would have made so much more sense. This book goes through so many important topics such as consent, sex ed, queer history, resources for queer people, just everything and anything you could think of is in this book. I love the way that it handled these topics in a way which was simple and easy to understand but also expressed how important they were. The little essays from other queer people were beautiful to read and genuinely made me tear up. I would recommend this to any queer person of any age to read this book as there's so much information even I didn't know and would've been perfect to have as a younger person. 

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe! 

Short AF Book Review | Unfamiliar Vol. 1

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Unfamiliar Vol. 1" by Haley Newsome. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Meet Planchette.

A lonely young kitchen witch, she has high hopes for her new home, a place where she can be herself and maybe even make friends. Unfortunately, she discovers that her perfect house is haunted... really haunted. Ghosts live in the paintings, they crawl on the ceiling, and they pour out of the faucets! While Planchette can whip up a perfect pizza potion, getting these supernatural guests to leave is more than her magic can handle. To get out of her paranormal predicament, Planchette befriends a cursed girl, an introverted siren, and the worst witch in town. Together they struggle to put these spirits to rest and find their own sense of belonging.

Unfamiliar, a debut graphic novel based on the popular webcomic series by Haley Newsome {AKA Lavender Towne}, is bursting with offbeat charm, a vibrant cast of wee witches, and hilarious sidekicks."

So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because I got a Kindle Unlimited email which showed this graphic novel as part of it and I thought it looked cute so I downloaded it. Friends, I'm really glad that I did. I had just DNF'd 3 books and caught up with my ARCs so I REALLY needed a palette cleanser and this graphic novel hit the spot. The artwork throughout this is so cute, and unique, and really brought the story to life. As y'all know I LOVE books with good, strong female friendships and we truly seem to be getting that straight off the bat. All the characters were so perfectly unique and different in their own ways but absolutely in ways that help them compliment each other and make the story whole. I really loved the little nods to the horror movies that definitely inspired some of the characters in this book as they were very obvious but also so very much Haley's own. This currently has two volumes out and I will 100% be picking up a physical copy of both books on payday. I recommend this to anyone who wants a cute spooky little graphic novel to break up their heavier hitting books. To be honest, just anyone who enjoys graphic novels in general.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!