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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Another book I read in one sitting because it was hard to put down. It was difficult to read at times just because of how brutal the material got. That being said, at times, it seemed to forget that it was trying to be Gone Girl and would swerve uneasily into Gossip Girl territory. All in all, a pretty good GG ripoff... although it's hard to say which GG it did a better imitation of.
I honestly didn’t remember much about this book, it was interesting, yes, but mid. Another book that reminded me why humans are complicated and weird and how wanting to fit in will be the death of us.
Really tried with this one, but got a third of the way in and there is no intrigue or curiosity about the story, and the main character is extremely unlikable. And not in a mean-girl-I-want-to-know-more-about way…just a caricature of a mean girl. DNF.
Okay full disclosure I really did enjoy this book from start to finish, BUT I couldn’t in good faith give this book a full five star review. I want to preface by saying overall I was pretty hooked and loved the main character of the book. Now with that out of the way I 100% took points away because of the laissez-faire use of a slur in this book, which I honestly failed to see how it brought any type of substance to the book or added to the reading experience, for me it actually took me out of the reading experience.
I understand the time periods it switches through and how rampant homophobia was (and still is) in America so as a queer black man I get why the f slur was used, but reading the n-word hard r (Arab version?) was pretty jarring and almost made me put the book down. However, I’m a stubborn reader and will finish a book, good or bad, just so I can give my honest full opinion so nevertheless, I kept reading. I feel like they included that slur specifically to showcase what type of people the main character was affiliated with as an adult, but I also feel there could’ve been better ways to highlight the trope of problematic rich (white) people without bombarding readers with such a harsh slur.
Outside of that specific occurrence the fat phobia and homophobia feels appropriate for the type of impact the main characters younger years are supposed to convey. I wish the previous aforementioned slur wasn’t included in the book because I did enjoy the book outside of that.
Definitely on the more harrowing side of what people are capable of doing regardless of age, with a good portrayal of the cruelty and kindness of humanity in a interesting, engaging way. I really couldn’t put the book down especially when the main character was a child in high school. I would recommend this book to friends (with a disclaimer of the slurs used) because I think the story is phenomenal in so many ways, but I can’t in good faith give a higher score due to the specific use of the first slur I mentioned above since it really doesn’t connect with the big plot line events that directly relate to the main characters story and the experience/journey told in the book.
I understand the time periods it switches through and how rampant homophobia was (and still is) in America so as a queer black man I get why the f slur was used, but reading the n-word hard r (Arab version?) was pretty jarring and almost made me put the book down. However, I’m a stubborn reader and will finish a book, good or bad, just so I can give my honest full opinion so nevertheless, I kept reading. I feel like they included that slur specifically to showcase what type of people the main character was affiliated with as an adult, but I also feel there could’ve been better ways to highlight the trope of problematic rich (white) people without bombarding readers with such a harsh slur.
Outside of that specific occurrence the fat phobia and homophobia feels appropriate for the type of impact the main characters younger years are supposed to convey. I wish the previous aforementioned slur wasn’t included in the book because I did enjoy the book outside of that.
Definitely on the more harrowing side of what people are capable of doing regardless of age, with a good portrayal of the cruelty and kindness of humanity in a interesting, engaging way. I really couldn’t put the book down especially when the main character was a child in high school. I would recommend this book to friends (with a disclaimer of the slurs used) because I think the story is phenomenal in so many ways, but I can’t in good faith give a higher score due to the specific use of the first slur I mentioned above since it really doesn’t connect with the big plot line events that directly relate to the main characters story and the experience/journey told in the book.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I remember not really enjoying this book and only finishing because I was on a plane with no other option
I attempted to read this twice and have not been able to get to whatever "secret" Ani is keeping hidden. ugh.
Such a strange book. The storyline is fine enough, but the author throws in some terribly weird details that just made me step back and be like... why? One example is how she says that her dad's teeth are black because he wasn't a fan of brushing his teeth? It literally added nothing to the story. Also there's a strange relationship between the protagonist and her teacher which is just ridiculous. Not a fan.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Mass/school shootings
Takes too long to get any bit interesting in audiobook, I got annoyed and quit