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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I’m giving this 4 stars because it was so enjoyable, not because it’s such a genius book. There are issues with the writing and the narrative structure but it’s a really fun read.
*TW* This book contains sexual assault & gun violence descriptions.
3.5 ⭐️ An absolutely wild ride that takes you inside the mind of someone who has experienced horrible tragedy - but who is not a sympathetic character. Ani experiences horrible treatment from her fellow students, intense bullying, treatment no 14-year-old should ever have to deal with, and two pretty terrible parents - all while she grapples with males taking advantage of her and a horrific crime she gets partially blamed for.
The thing I found most interesting was that… she’s not likable. She is not the perfect victim. She’s not the person you identify with, or see yourself or your friend or loved one in, that would make her a more sympathetic character. She’s cold, brazen, cruel and calculating. Being inside her mind is more akin to being inside the mind of the villain, not the victim. At the end of the day though, she’s a human being who is imperfect and has suffered tragedy - and you find yourself rooting for her to save herself.
3.5 ⭐️ An absolutely wild ride that takes you inside the mind of someone who has experienced horrible tragedy - but who is not a sympathetic character. Ani experiences horrible treatment from her fellow students, intense bullying, treatment no 14-year-old should ever have to deal with, and two pretty terrible parents - all while she grapples with males taking advantage of her and a horrific crime she gets partially blamed for.
The thing I found most interesting was that… she’s not likable. She is not the perfect victim. She’s not the person you identify with, or see yourself or your friend or loved one in, that would make her a more sympathetic character. She’s cold, brazen, cruel and calculating. Being inside her mind is more akin to being inside the mind of the villain, not the victim. At the end of the day though, she’s a human being who is imperfect and has suffered tragedy - and you find yourself rooting for her to save herself.
I HATED this book at first. I could not STAND the main character, and thought she was a stuck up, pretentious, rich bitch. About 1/4 of the way through I was going to stop reading, I hated her THAT MUCH. But the further I read, the more intrigued I became, and I began to understand her. If you choose to read this, don't give up on it. keep going. It's worth it in the end.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
So I finished this book last night, gave it a 4-star rating, but I kept coming back to the story and couldn't stop thinking about it. This morning, I had to change that 4 to a 5.
This book tells the story of Ani (formerly known as TifAni), a have-it-all writer whose claim to fame is oral sex articles in a fiction women's magazine that bears super similarity to the author's own previous workplace - Cosmopolitan. You kind hate Ani. You're meant to hate her. She's a bitchy, narcissistic, rude person who you don't want to cheer for. You want to slap her across the face. From the geto-go, you know that Ani has a secret - something dark in her past that is being stirred up again via a anniversary documentary all set for interviews and filming. As present-day narrative weaves with that of a 14-year old Ani, secrets become exposed and we learn the reasons for her hardness - shocking, raw, and brutal.
There's parts of Ani that I could identify with - the 14-year old girl desperate to fit in, scared of rejection and lacking in self-worth. I could also identify with adult Ani, as shameful as that may be, preoccupied with meaningless measures of worth so as not to be perceived as the scared, traumatized person that she is. Above all, Ani is a survivor, and when you look at the story with that lens, it becomes hard to just think of her on the surface.
I absolutely loved this book and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to my female friends who don't mind a little grittiness with their adult lit - and can stick with a difficult character long enough for them to find redemption. It's worth it in the end.
This book tells the story of Ani (formerly known as TifAni), a have-it-all writer whose claim to fame is oral sex articles in a fiction women's magazine that bears super similarity to the author's own previous workplace - Cosmopolitan. You kind hate Ani. You're meant to hate her. She's a bitchy, narcissistic, rude person who you don't want to cheer for. You want to slap her across the face. From the geto-go, you know that Ani has a secret - something dark in her past that is being stirred up again via a anniversary documentary all set for interviews and filming. As present-day narrative weaves with that of a 14-year old Ani, secrets become exposed and we learn the reasons for her hardness - shocking, raw, and brutal.
There's parts of Ani that I could identify with - the 14-year old girl desperate to fit in, scared of rejection and lacking in self-worth. I could also identify with adult Ani, as shameful as that may be, preoccupied with meaningless measures of worth so as not to be perceived as the scared, traumatized person that she is. Above all, Ani is a survivor, and when you look at the story with that lens, it becomes hard to just think of her on the surface.
I absolutely loved this book and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to my female friends who don't mind a little grittiness with their adult lit - and can stick with a difficult character long enough for them to find redemption. It's worth it in the end.
The connection to Gone Girl is weak - completely different story. I don't know how I feel about it. There were moments I loved and elements about the protagonist I hated. I need to think about it.
I couldn't put this book down! At first, I thought the main character was vapid but was the story began to develop, I saw the hurt and want for healing she craved. I truly enjoyed how the author approached this subject.
I listened to the audiobook, and I enjoyed the narration. That's what kept me going at the beginning, since I did feel the writing took forever to make a point. There is SO MUCH going on in this book -- too much, in my opinion -- but the main character kept me engaged. Honestly this is a pretty weak 3 stars, but I listened to Pretty Baby right before this & really didn't enjoy that one, so this got a boost in the rating for NOT being that book. Not how I normally rate my reads, but it was impossible not to compare them.