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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
The writing was gorgeous but this book was so frustrating. It's horrible at building up its first half but the second part is a lot more enjoyable however without the perfect emotional pay off it would have had with a decently paced second half. I think this book should have been longer for what the author wanted to do. The main relationship is not well built-up, I had no reason to believe Juliette was in love (by the way Juliette is a pretty plain main character who could have used more personality than her one thing at the very beginning. I actually preferred her bitter self in the last part).
Listen i get that the premise is a good one and the second and third part are the meat of the story, however that means nothing if the main relationship is actually built up. Also I hated the author chickened out on Katarina's agency over anything. Besides the fact that she's not an ice queen (again that fucking first part needs work) it made the resolution so unsatisfying.
Listen i get that the premise is a good one and the second and third part are the meat of the story, however that means nothing if the main relationship is actually built up. Also I hated the author chickened out on Katarina's agency over anything. Besides the fact that she's not an ice queen (again that fucking first part needs work) it made the resolution so unsatisfying.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.50
Okay usually I go through books with such quickness but this one took me until the middle to really want to pick it up and transfer myself into the story.
Voicing that, there was some beautiful words and statements in this read that I enjoyed. McKay is a gorgeous writer that I will be reading some more of her works eventually.
Moving forward. I do wish there was a word/phrase bank to define some terms so I wouldn’t have to keep googling them as I know very little of ballet, especially old ballet set in different countries lol..
Breaks my heart that Juliette— in my mind— seemed to want to injure herself? She’s such a lover and everything she did for said love that she yearned just turned sour. And gosh while I do hate third act breakups, this one was HEAVY!
I know this is a rivals to lovers, but I never felt as if it was such. Jett literally was putty from first in person meet, Katarina never really did anything— until after they were an item— but be “cold”. The love between our mains wasn’t really felt mutually strong to me until after the accident. Yet I did feel the brewing during the closet scene and when Katarina opened up but the exchange of I love you didn’t feel real or convincing till after. Can say though that once everything came to light regarding to intentions between everything Katarina did and how she felt after the time jump, is when I felt the mutually strong love that I wasn’t really feeling in the first moments.
Side note I loved Francesca so much like that diva! But after what she did, I don’t know. Broke my heart and I don’t know how I feel, even though I know it was in what she thought ’good fate’.
Also fuck Theory and his weird and inconsiderate ass! Why tf would he do that to our Gabe!!!
**SPOIL**
AND GABE OH MY GABEEE WHYYY MUST ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS—- A TRUCK!? Author really played us like a fiddle with that BS! Ugh!!!
**SPOIL CONCLUDED**
The ending was oh so beautiful. The light staying on. The confessions. Being each other’s home. And also the inside look of a lesbian couple procreating in such a time!
To end my review. I love the care put into the story. The mention of HIV and the history of it, Deflecting, sexuality, the gross ways people were treated in other countries and how women were looked at and treated as well.
Okay usually I go through books with such quickness but this one took me until the middle to really want to pick it up and transfer myself into the story.
Voicing that, there was some beautiful words and statements in this read that I enjoyed. McKay is a gorgeous writer that I will be reading some more of her works eventually.
Moving forward. I do wish there was a word/phrase bank to define some terms so I wouldn’t have to keep googling them as I know very little of ballet, especially old ballet set in different countries lol..
Breaks my heart that Juliette— in my mind— seemed to want to injure herself? She’s such a lover and everything she did for said love that she yearned just turned sour. And gosh while I do hate third act breakups, this one was HEAVY!
I know this is a rivals to lovers, but I never felt as if it was such. Jett literally was putty from first in person meet, Katarina never really did anything— until after they were an item— but be “cold”. The love between our mains wasn’t really felt mutually strong to me until after the accident. Yet I did feel the brewing during the closet scene and when Katarina opened up but the exchange of I love you didn’t feel real or convincing till after. Can say though that once everything came to light regarding to intentions between everything Katarina did and how she felt after the time jump, is when I felt the mutually strong love that I wasn’t really feeling in the first moments.
Side note I loved Francesca so much like that diva! But after what she did, I don’t know. Broke my heart and I don’t know how I feel, even though I know it was in what she thought ’good fate’.
Also fuck Theory and his weird and inconsiderate ass! Why tf would he do that to our Gabe!!!
**SPOIL**
AND GABE OH MY GABEEE WHYYY MUST ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS—- A TRUCK!? Author really played us like a fiddle with that BS! Ugh!!!
**SPOIL CONCLUDED**
The ending was oh so beautiful. The light staying on. The confessions. Being each other’s home. And also the inside look of a lesbian couple procreating in such a time!
To end my review. I love the care put into the story. The mention of HIV and the history of it, Deflecting, sexuality, the gross ways people were treated in other countries and how women were looked at and treated as well.
this book quite literally felt like death by a thousand cuts
the angst and pain and tension and betrayal and wanting and love that was in this book could be felt on every page. juliette and katarina were the epitome of odette and odile from the black swan, dancing around each other and their feelings, both bad and good.
i loved this book with every fiber of my being and it will take me a long while to move on from it. so don’t be surprised if you’re friends with me and i spend most of our time trying to convince you to read
the angst and pain and tension and betrayal and wanting and love that was in this book could be felt on every page. juliette and katarina were the epitome of odette and odile from the black swan, dancing around each other and their feelings, both bad and good.
i loved this book with every fiber of my being and it will take me a long while to move on from it. so don’t be surprised if you’re friends with me and i spend most of our time trying to convince you to read
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
There may come a day when I don’t five stars a Milena McKay book. Today is not that day.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What an emotional rollercoaster of a read!
The tension between Juliette and Katarina was excellent and what they went through in their lives and time together really made me feel overwhelmed with emotions. Near the end of the book I was almost in tears and I had sickly feeling in my tummy, not many books captivate me this much.
I do not know a thing about ballet but the author explains it well. I really appreciated the setting of 1980s Paris during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Cold War stories of the Soviet Union. This really added to the turmoil and gave more substance to Juliette and Katarina's story.
Overall the writing in this book was beautiful.
The tension between Juliette and Katarina was excellent and what they went through in their lives and time together really made me feel overwhelmed with emotions. Near the end of the book I was almost in tears and I had sickly feeling in my tummy, not many books captivate me this much.
I do not know a thing about ballet but the author explains it well. I really appreciated the setting of 1980s Paris during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Cold War stories of the Soviet Union. This really added to the turmoil and gave more substance to Juliette and Katarina's story.
Overall the writing in this book was beautiful.