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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
Full review to come once I’ve had some fucking therapy or something to recover.
Okay… I’m going in. This is one of the most immaculately written books I’ve ready in a very long time. The descriptions were vivid and I even found myself highlighting exceptional metaphors. The prose was beautiful without becoming purple.
I had to read this quickly because it gave me a stomach ache. There’s this underlying sense of dread to every single page because even in the good moments you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and rip your heart right back out again. It was actually agonising to read at points.
All the characters were incredibly well developed, including all the side characters.
This book hurt my heart and I’ll probably never read it again because it made me anxious but I’m glad I read it. Phenomenal writing and a brilliant retelling of a classic.
I feel like I need something light to recover now though
Okay… I’m going in. This is one of the most immaculately written books I’ve ready in a very long time. The descriptions were vivid and I even found myself highlighting exceptional metaphors. The prose was beautiful without becoming purple.
I had to read this quickly because it gave me a stomach ache. There’s this underlying sense of dread to every single page because even in the good moments you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and rip your heart right back out again. It was actually agonising to read at points.
All the characters were incredibly well developed, including all the side characters.
This book hurt my heart and I’ll probably never read it again because it made me anxious but I’m glad I read it. Phenomenal writing and a brilliant retelling of a classic.
I feel like I need something light to recover now though
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5⭐️
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I’m so very overwhelmed from all the feelings this made me feel. Its an epic love story written so beautifully. Its raw, its gut wrenching, its intense, it yanks your heart out and stomps on it…. but it puts it all back together so poetically. Its an incredible read and I highly recommend it.
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I’m so very overwhelmed from all the feelings this made me feel. Its an epic love story written so beautifully. Its raw, its gut wrenching, its intense, it yanks your heart out and stomps on it…. but it puts it all back together so poetically. Its an incredible read and I highly recommend it.
This book is on another level. I honestly cannot write much about it. I will say there are some TW I will list below...
A beautiful, heart-wrenching story - a coming of age, re-telling of Great Expectations. It has so much ANGST. It HURTS.
“What was one more battle scar on my heart when the war was this glorious?”
“There were so many sides to him. He was a kaleidoscope, one that I couldn’t look away from. I was entranced.”
**TWs**
A beautiful, heart-wrenching story - a coming of age, re-telling of Great Expectations. It has so much ANGST. It HURTS.
“What was one more battle scar on my heart when the war was this glorious?”
“There were so many sides to him. He was a kaleidoscope, one that I couldn’t look away from. I was entranced.”
**TWs**
Spoiler
Grooming of a minor, abusive relationship, cheating, severe depression, drug usage, taboo relationship, child neglect**
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
"because if Jude could love me, Jude who was perfect, Jude who was the sun, then it meant I was worth loving.
Jude had just loved. Tender and sweet. No matter who or what I came to him as, he’d loved me. Every version of me. And I felt like myself only when he saw me. He looked at me the same way he looked at the world, with warmth and wonder and curiosity. Jude gave life to everything around him, and I felt truly alive because he loved me"
OH GOD, I wish I could give it more than just 5 stars cuz this book really deserve it
Jude had just loved. Tender and sweet. No matter who or what I came to him as, he’d loved me. Every version of me. And I felt like myself only when he saw me. He looked at me the same way he looked at the world, with warmth and wonder and curiosity. Jude gave life to everything around him, and I felt truly alive because he loved me"
OH GOD, I wish I could give it more than just 5 stars cuz this book really deserve it
it was sort of confusing getting into this book. the way it's written/the language used, i immediately thought it was a period piece. it is not. it took me a while to understand why it was written that way, the language so intricate when the story unfolds from the POV of a 15 year old until i realized it's jude retelling the story. i still think cas talked way too properly for a 15 year old but i digress. i also did not enjoy how many explicit sexual scenes we got between cas and jude while they were still minors. it was weird.
i really warred with how i wanted to rate this book. honestly still teetering between 3.75 stars and 4 stars, i wish i could give it something more in between, but for now i’ll give it 4.it hurt me SO BAD in a way that was so good and i just couldn't stand cas. i HATED him and found him irredeemable and when i got towards the ending, i found that i still hated him. when i finished it though, i really began to think about it and started to understand why he did what he did. without giving any major spoilers (possible minor spoilers), i can see why cas did not choose jude. i can see why he left. however, i do not understand why he would force himself back into jude's life just to hurt him all over again knowing that he was not going to stick around. i also do not like in the end how easily jude forgave cas. i still dont think i really wanted them to get back together.
when i first opened it, i was shocked by how long the book is but honestly, it flowed so nicely. i was never bored. this book had me completely engrossed, had actual tears in my eyes, and i've never felt this angry at fictional characters in so long. the book was really quite beautiful despite my few criticisms. i can see why this book is so popular in MM spaces.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a hard book for me to review because, to be quite honest, for the majority of the time I was reading it I wasn't really sure I was enjoying it.
I do, however, think that's much more due to my own personal preferences rather than any comment on the quality of the novel. This is a good book! And if you are a fan of literary fiction you'll probably love it.
However I did find it quite slow and meandering and frustrating at points.
The story is broadly focused around the on again-off again (mostly off again) romance between two characters over the course of a decade but to be honest I spent much more time pleading for the protagonist to just get over this guy and move on with his life rather than yearning for them to reunite.
I do, however, think that's much more due to my own personal preferences rather than any comment on the quality of the novel. This is a good book! And if you are a fan of literary fiction you'll probably love it.
However I did find it quite slow and meandering and frustrating at points.
The story is broadly focused around the on again-off again (mostly off again) romance between two characters over the course of a decade but to be honest I spent much more time pleading for the protagonist to just get over this guy and move on with his life rather than yearning for them to reunite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced