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sassofroses's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
michellekmartin's review against another edition
4.0
I've been wanting to read this book since it came out this summer and I vowed to myself that I would pick it up before year's end. The story takes place a Buddhist Summer Camp for Bad Girls and centers around a group of teenage girls who are seeking enlightenment through levitation.
The comparisons to Donna Tartt's The Secret History are apt for this book but imagine if you had also been getting a beginner's lesson in Buddhism. I enjoyed how Temple wove her story through with lessons from Buddhism and other popular eastern "self-help" methods that have made it to the western world to be commercialized. It is clear that Temple did her research and though I did enjoy the interludes they, at times, also detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I wanted a little more plot at moments and a little less history lesson.
Overall, though, this is a really interesting book. She managed to take the classic dark academia/teenage girl/cult story and put a new spin on it with smart commentary throughout. I definitely look forward to more from her.
The comparisons to Donna Tartt's The Secret History are apt for this book but imagine if you had also been getting a beginner's lesson in Buddhism. I enjoyed how Temple wove her story through with lessons from Buddhism and other popular eastern "self-help" methods that have made it to the western world to be commercialized. It is clear that Temple did her research and though I did enjoy the interludes they, at times, also detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I wanted a little more plot at moments and a little less history lesson.
Overall, though, this is a really interesting book. She managed to take the classic dark academia/teenage girl/cult story and put a new spin on it with smart commentary throughout. I definitely look forward to more from her.
bethanie22's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh. I felt so indifferent to this book, parts of it I liked parts of it I didn't. Overall I was bored. It was like a weird mean girls at a Buddhist camp for bad girls but they oddly employed a bad boy. And the sex, and the eating period blood and the levitation. Idk, it just didn't hit for me.
suhanamahabal's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lexmcgnns's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. It has everything I enjoy and I cannot recommend it enough.
Rtc
Rtc
ave_reviews's review against another edition
3.0
"Death was for goldfish and grandmothers, disappearance was for fathers and fortunes. Girls like us would only go on forever."
In search of her runaway father, narrator Olivia finds herself enrolled in the "Buddhist Boot Camp for Bad Girls," a summer program at the Levitation Center (the last place her father was seen). She falls in with some of the camp's most mysterious and beautiful participants, and soon realizes they will go to extreme lengths in their quest to learn how to levitate.
The premise of this book was made for me - teen girls up to no good, with a touch of magical realism - but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It definitely had echoes of "The Secret History," but with less dynamic characters. I couldn't fully understand the point of Janet and Laurel, and neither of their histories were fleshed out enough for me to appreciate them as standalone characters.
That being said, Emily Temple's writing is gorgeous, and I truly loved the narration style, interspersed with folktales and myths from a variety of Eastern religions and traditions. I think there were a lot of potentially moving plot-lines and moments that were hinted at, but I wish she had given them more attention.
I'm giving it 3 stars for the story, but 5 for the prose - I am looking forward to reading whatever comes next from this author.
In search of her runaway father, narrator Olivia finds herself enrolled in the "Buddhist Boot Camp for Bad Girls," a summer program at the Levitation Center (the last place her father was seen). She falls in with some of the camp's most mysterious and beautiful participants, and soon realizes they will go to extreme lengths in their quest to learn how to levitate.
The premise of this book was made for me - teen girls up to no good, with a touch of magical realism - but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It definitely had echoes of "The Secret History," but with less dynamic characters. I couldn't fully understand the point of Janet and Laurel, and neither of their histories were fleshed out enough for me to appreciate them as standalone characters.
That being said, Emily Temple's writing is gorgeous, and I truly loved the narration style, interspersed with folktales and myths from a variety of Eastern religions and traditions. I think there were a lot of potentially moving plot-lines and moments that were hinted at, but I wish she had given them more attention.
I'm giving it 3 stars for the story, but 5 for the prose - I am looking forward to reading whatever comes next from this author.
vdokk1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
cait_henry56's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is like the feminine Fight Club, which I mean as both a compliment and an insult. It reminds me of a line from Lucy Corin that paraphrased claimed that men explode outward to kill others while women explode inward, killing themselves. The book is full of angst, transporting the reader back to being 15 and hating everything about yourself and the world around you. This was so close to a five star read for me, but the book meandered for too long between time jumps and slathering page after page with vague foreshadowing. It also doesn't have much warmth or hearth, but them again, what tale of feminine rage does?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
Multiple adult/minor relationships.