You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
okayyyy as a whole — HELLO i loved this book. i enjoyed the authoritative voice of the narrator at the beginning. i was SAT. but i did kind of find it grating after awhile. there were some parts of the writing that felt alienating. like some sentences felt like they were trying to hard to say ~~something instead of just SAYING it. but alas to explore the body horror that is being a woman and being a swimmer??? you know i loved. THAT scene at the end? the horror was horroring. DO IT AGAIN
ty jill for rec you continue to know me better than i know myself
ty jill for rec you continue to know me better than i know myself
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In this book, you follow high schooler Ren Yu through her life as a swimmer. The story is in first person and comes from the perspective of someone who does not believe they are human. This lead her to make very interesting and insightful comments on human nature and America from an outside perspective. The book uses direct and vitriol language to point out the faults of humans and more specifically men.
The story is told by Ren as though she is recounting her life. As the story continues, you get to see how her thought and understanding of the world changes based on the experiences she has. She learns that people hear what they want and not what’s being said.
The story touches on the deep feelings of growing up as an Asian-American woman. The FMC brings up how’s she introduced to societies expectations throughout her life and how illogical they seem to be. The author highlights how we dream, have pride, and can aspire to be something, but society will teach us to be ashamed.
a weeeeeeiiiiiird one but it reminded me of my high school track days
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Pedophilia, Racism, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Alcohol
4.5 - possibly 5 stars. i feel like i have lots to say but also nothing at all. once again, i enjoyed this more than i thought i would.
in retrospect, i feel like i think about this book a lot
in retrospect, i feel like i think about this book a lot
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character