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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story that glaringly parallels what I thought it was going to be. I wanted a good magical realism story with strong, capable characters. And while the book was arguably good, the aspects I wanted in it, the things from the synopsis that I was led to believe it would have, were just not there.
Instead, our main protagonist, Cara is the kind of female lead that I just don’t like. Blinded by a love that never seemed fully plausible in the first place.
I wanted more of a sci-fi plot. I wanted it to unapologetically go there… it wasn’t what I was hoping for but I do love when books can mix mental health and magical realism in this abstract way in which both are kind of represented without giving you a clear and definitive answer.
This synopsis was absolutely for me… the book itself was not.
Instead, our main protagonist, Cara is the kind of female lead that I just don’t like. Blinded by a love that never seemed fully plausible in the first place.
I wanted more of a sci-fi plot. I wanted it to unapologetically go there… it wasn’t what I was hoping for but I do love when books can mix mental health and magical realism in this abstract way in which both are kind of represented without giving you a clear and definitive answer.
This synopsis was absolutely for me… the book itself was not.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this book.
The synopsis sounded super interesting, but I felt a but unsatisfied when I finished the book.
There were too many unanswered questions at the end of the book and I feel like certain parts of the dual timeline were rushed.
The story had a lot of potential and it was an easy read but not one of my favorites.
The synopsis sounded super interesting, but I felt a but unsatisfied when I finished the book.
There were too many unanswered questions at the end of the book and I feel like certain parts of the dual timeline were rushed.
The story had a lot of potential and it was an easy read but not one of my favorites.
I greatly appreciate that this didn't end in a "I don't know, YOU tell me what you think happens." Like it's mostly clear that the author plans to do something with it, which I like after the haphazard twists and turns of the latter half of the book. For the record, I very much dig the latter half of the book. The ending picked up in pacing and was every bit as gripping as the early pages weren't. It had ME flipping back and forth on how I thought it would end, which I loved, because at times, it seemed to be heading in a very predictable way. So I appreciate that. And the writing was well-done. It wasn't annoying to read in any respect. You could tell the author put a lot of effort into it and it's very uniquely done for it, which I dig.
I mostly had trouble with the main character, and I think it overshadowed the rest a bit. Granted, it's still miles better than anything I could write, let's be honest. The beginning, however, was a lot of me cringing inwardly at how goddamn stupid our main character is. Like come on? I'm not even close to the most well versed in the dating scene and even I know there were some very heavy red flags being put out by Brendan. Like even if you do mean well or not, no woman should ever stick around to find out because dear god you're doing it in all the wrong ways. It's not sexy and a rush of thrill-seeking adventure; it's just creepy and terrifying. Getting into her house in the middle of the night, sopping wet?
Also at one point, she's like "are you homeless?" and he just assures her they wouldn't have to worry about money, but does not choose to divulge any of said reasons why she should just take his word on it. And she's okay with that. Come on, honey, you've gotta at least do a basic Google search on the guy. I'm only like 12% paranoid when it comes to any strangers ever (an argument can be made for 15), but even I would run a damn search. Or better yet, I'd let my sister run one, because she'll weed out ALL the details. Maybe I'm just too cynical when it comes to this kind of thing, because this is a book we're talking about, but still I feel like I'm a little warranted.
Unrelated, I do wish we got to learn more about the super secret side of the story. Like if that's going to take up a good portion of the book, I want to come away with more answers. But then again, it might be a lead-up to a sequel, so I'm willing to overlook that.
I mostly had trouble with the main character, and I think it overshadowed the rest a bit. Granted, it's still miles better than anything I could write, let's be honest. The beginning, however, was a lot of me cringing inwardly at how goddamn stupid our main character is. Like come on? I'm not even close to the most well versed in the dating scene and even I know there were some very heavy red flags being put out by Brendan. Like even if you do mean well or not, no woman should ever stick around to find out because dear god you're doing it in all the wrong ways. It's not sexy and a rush of thrill-seeking adventure; it's just creepy and terrifying. Getting into her house in the middle of the night, sopping wet?
Also at one point, she's like "are you homeless?" and he just assures her they wouldn't have to worry about money, but does not choose to divulge any of said reasons why she should just take his word on it. And she's okay with that. Come on, honey, you've gotta at least do a basic Google search on the guy. I'm only like 12% paranoid when it comes to any strangers ever (an argument can be made for 15), but even I would run a damn search. Or better yet, I'd let my sister run one, because she'll weed out ALL the details. Maybe I'm just too cynical when it comes to this kind of thing, because this is a book we're talking about, but still I feel like I'm a little warranted.
Unrelated, I do wish we got to learn more about the super secret side of the story. Like if that's going to take up a good portion of the book, I want to come away with more answers. But then again, it might be a lead-up to a sequel, so I'm willing to overlook that.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
medium-paced
I had a hard time with this one. It's got a fascinating premise. And at first I really identified with Cara. I remember being twenty-two, just out of college, more than a little insecure and unsure of where my life might be heading. Meeting a confident, handsome, magnetic guy who turns his magnetism on her...yeah, it's almost irresistible. Even as things got a little weird, it still made sense. Then things got a lot weird.
Maybe it's because the book is set so firmly in the real world that the bad choices that make room for what might be a bit magical seem forced. Or maybe it's simply that I identified so strongly at first and then Cara simply lost me. I'm not really sure. But there were times I wanted to throw the book across the room. I give it 3.5 stars.
That said, Emma Fedor is a talented writer at the beginning of her career. Whatever she writes next, sign me up.
Thank you to Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced reading copy.
Maybe it's because the book is set so firmly in the real world that the bad choices that make room for what might be a bit magical seem forced. Or maybe it's simply that I identified so strongly at first and then Cara simply lost me. I'm not really sure. But there were times I wanted to throw the book across the room. I give it 3.5 stars.
That said, Emma Fedor is a talented writer at the beginning of her career. Whatever she writes next, sign me up.
Thank you to Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced reading copy.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No