Genre: Comedy

Imagine taking loose elements of Jurassic Park, bioengineer some crazy science fiction dinosaurs crossed with nuclear reactors, multiverse the research center onto an alien planet, and finally infuse the story with geeky pop culture references and endless popcorn entertainment. If that sounds wild, I’ve done a great job at recreating the feel of John Scalzi’s refreshingly fun The Kaiju Preservation Society. Light-hearted, comically giddy, and always unapologetically nerdy, for fans of the pop-cultured inspired side of science fiction, this novel is an absolute romp! Acknowledged by Scalzi himself as not being the most nuanced or mature novel of his works, The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fast-paced joyride and a breath of fresh air in a genre that can often take itself too seriously. This novel sees certified geek Jamie Gray, a recently fired marketing member whose master’s thesis was on the bioengineering in science fiction culture, recruited into a secretive international research program following an uber eats-style delivery gig at the height of the Covid19 pandemic. Yes, that intro alone should give you a good idea of how gleefully prodding and casually self-aware the story is shooting to be. Many prototype vaccines, hrs on the plane, and a crash…

Falling somewhere in the area between being creatively genius vs a festivity-induced fever dream, The Nightmare Before Kissmas is light-hearted and cute dramedy that hits all the right beats one would expect for a holiday romance novel. Personifying popular holidays as magically inclined individuals reminiscent of Rise of the Guardians paired with the familial expectations and burdens of royalty akin to Casy McQuiston’s Red White and Royal Blue, the Nightmare Before Kissmas is constantly a lot of fun and a feel-good escapism read. And while it’s frequently cheesy and often tap dances on the line between being endearing and cringy, the plot is solid, featuring surprisingly ambitious commentary on the materialism and purpose of holidays as well as holiday politics in this fantasy-leaning version of the world. Despite initially being a bit of a box office bomb, the 2012 animated film Rise of the Guardians and its source material The Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce have since become sleeper hits thanks to the creative and charming way they personified popular holidays as magical beings and culture associated with said holidays. The Nightmare Before Kissmas features a lot of similar concepts but utilizes them for an adult romantic dramedy…

Erik J. Brown’s sophomore YA novel following his heartwarming post-apocalyptic coming of age debut All That’s Left In the World, on the surface Lose You to Find Me appears to be an entirely different kind of book considering the very different genre and relationship dynamics of its main characters. I previously reviewed and loved All That’s Left In the World and while Lose You to Find Me wasn’t originally on my to-be-read radar, I was intrigued and interested to see if Brown’s excellent character work and relatable writing in a more straight-forward (get the pun) m/m coming of age story without the survival adventure angle would be as successful. To be honest, I went in with tempered expectations due to how negative some of the reviewers for this novel were, but I was relieved to find that yes, Erik J. Brown is a fantastic YA author who is far more well-rounded than I expected. Leaning more into the comedy aspect of what Brown himself dubs “Rom-Dramedy” while still having dramatic and occasionally romantic moments, this novel certainly has a different flavor and character narration voice from his first novel, along with different themes and focus. However, do not listen to…

Book no.3 in Isabel Murray’s Not That series, Not That Ridiculous delivers more or less the same light-heart and fun blend of comedic romance, spicy scenes, and a nice dose of character development and drama. I don’t know why, but I was not expecting a 3rd entry in the series considering it had been almost two years since Not That Impossible was published which felt like a perfect ending and companion novel to Not That Complicated. Yet Murray is able to somehow work a 3rd romantic couple out of the past books’ already limited side characters and base this novel around one of the most prominent Cotswolds locations previously featured. While I read and reviewed both Not That Complicated and Not That Impossible, each having their own specific strengths and weaknesses, Not That Ridiculous is definitely the most balanced of the three and will certainly satisfy fans of the previous novels (especially those that preferred the first over the second). Featuring an entertaining story and narration courtesy of Chipping Fairford’s resident caffeinated “grouch” Charlie Galloway paired off with Kevin Wallis, the famed general handyman that discovered the original dead bodies in Ray’s house, Not That Ridiculous is funny, silly, spicy…

Light-hearted, funny, yet far more ambitious that expected considering it’s a sequel to a low-stakes and silly romcom, Not That Impossible by Isabel Murray features one of the most wholesome and endearing queer romcom main character I’ve read in quite a while. Although the marketing and the book’s synopsis doesn’t really mention it, Not That Impossible is a purposeful sequel to Not That Complicated rather than a spin-off story or anthology entry. Despite being narrated by another character and obviously having a different love interest, this novel covers the same events as its predecessor and includes all of the same characters portrayed in a different light from a new perspective. Knowledge of the events and the plot of the first book are required to enjoy Not That Impossible and the more familiar one is with the existing characters and story, the stronger and more satisfying this read can be. I picked up this novel on a whim, having recently received a three month free trial of Kindle Unlimited and was curious to see where this story went after reading the rather mixed reviews it has. I went in expecting more silly romcom shenanigans similar to the first book but ended…