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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
dark
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Self harm, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
I have never before in my life read a book that represented my lived experiences with my mental health, socializing, and other things. It was almost eerie how accurately and vividly the author managed to portray so many aspects of how my inner mind works! The characters felt so real, authentic, and amazingly written. I’m so grateful to have read this book!
A couple of years ago I read the book ‘Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead’ and I absolutely loved it. I happened to come across this book in a bookstore, realized it was by the same author, and immediately bought it.
I understand why not everyone will enjoy Emily Austin’s writing. It is a very specific kind of voice and cadence with a very specific type of flow, and while at times it felt slightly too juvenile, overall it really clicks with me for some reason. I think a large portion of people who do not resonate with Austin’s style have never had experiences or thoughts like the characters that she writes, and for the rest it is just a subjective opinion on the matter.
Without further ado, here are The Things:
The Apps Thing: I’m strictly against dating apps, and I don’t think that this book has changed my mind whatsoever.
The Unreliable Narrator Thing: This book is the perfect example of how to create an unreliable narrator. There is a fine line between having a main character who is perceiving things incorrectly and a book that is just straight up lying, the former being interesting, the second being off-putting. Throughout the entire story you have Enid continuously come to conclusions or have thoughts that are casually but unequivocally countered through the words or actions of others, and it makes for some amazing character development in Enid’s perspective.
The ‘Wow I Cried’ Thing: It’s not common for me to cry when reading books just because I tend to have a degree of detachment subconsciously, but the end of this book got to me, I won’t lie. Don’t expect full on tears, but you might feel your heartstrings tugged at in a feel-good way.
The Juvenile Thing: Like I said, I do realize why some people might not enjoy Austin’s writing style, but to me it works for the type of books that she writes and the sorts of characters she invents. I think that’s where knowing what you want out of a book before you read it is important. I would never reach for this book or her other works if someone asked me for a prose-heavy story that will teach them new vocabulary words and require 5 weeks to get through a single chapter, but this would absolutely be up on the list for someone who wanted to read about human experience and discussions on behavior.
The People Thing: Austin’s talent lies primarily in her ability to craft people that feel like real humans. From the things they say to the actions they take to the thoughts they think, even the smallest characters in the story I felt like I understood enough to invent total backstories for them.
The Humor Thing: Despite the heavy material involved, I found this book extremely funny, and those who know me will probably not find that to be very surprising. Expect to chuckle out loud several times.
5 stars, but I’ll allow that it’s possible I’m just desperate to rate a book highly after a string of mediocre reads.
I understand why not everyone will enjoy Emily Austin’s writing. It is a very specific kind of voice and cadence with a very specific type of flow, and while at times it felt slightly too juvenile, overall it really clicks with me for some reason. I think a large portion of people who do not resonate with Austin’s style have never had experiences or thoughts like the characters that she writes, and for the rest it is just a subjective opinion on the matter.
Without further ado, here are The Things:
The Apps Thing: I’m strictly against dating apps, and I don’t think that this book has changed my mind whatsoever.
The Unreliable Narrator Thing: This book is the perfect example of how to create an unreliable narrator. There is a fine line between having a main character who is perceiving things incorrectly and a book that is just straight up lying, the former being interesting, the second being off-putting. Throughout the entire story you have Enid continuously come to conclusions or have thoughts that are casually but unequivocally countered through the words or actions of others, and it makes for some amazing character development in Enid’s perspective.
The ‘Wow I Cried’ Thing: It’s not common for me to cry when reading books just because I tend to have a degree of detachment subconsciously, but the end of this book got to me, I won’t lie. Don’t expect full on tears, but you might feel your heartstrings tugged at in a feel-good way.
The Juvenile Thing: Like I said, I do realize why some people might not enjoy Austin’s writing style, but to me it works for the type of books that she writes and the sorts of characters she invents. I think that’s where knowing what you want out of a book before you read it is important. I would never reach for this book or her other works if someone asked me for a prose-heavy story that will teach them new vocabulary words and require 5 weeks to get through a single chapter, but this would absolutely be up on the list for someone who wanted to read about human experience and discussions on behavior.
The People Thing: Austin’s talent lies primarily in her ability to craft people that feel like real humans. From the things they say to the actions they take to the thoughts they think, even the smallest characters in the story I felt like I understood enough to invent total backstories for them.
The Humor Thing: Despite the heavy material involved, I found this book extremely funny, and those who know me will probably not find that to be very surprising. Expect to chuckle out loud several times.
5 stars, but I’ll allow that it’s possible I’m just desperate to rate a book highly after a string of mediocre reads.
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
When I started this book I thought it might be a bit much for me, in these dark times, but it ended up being such a balm. I’m definitely different from Enid, but I’ve also never felt so seen by fictional character. All of the characters in this book are so loving and kind, even if they sometimes make bad choices. This is the second Emily Austin book that I’ve read and loved. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Rape, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-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
I honestly didn’t think a contemporary book would get a 5 star from me but I really loved this. I see a lot of myself in Enid and I really enjoyed seeing her thought processes and internal journey
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
dark
funny
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
Emily Austin did such a great job letting us peek into Enid’s neurodivergent brain and experience thoughts, feelings and fears along with her. The pace was slow at times for me but I devoured the end in laughter and tears. Austin created such a relatable cast of characters dealing with an array of challenges and unfolded Enid’s story in both a realistic and “suspenseful” way. By chance I read this alongside Joan is Okay (fiction.) and How to Keep House While Drowning (nonfiction). Both involve neurodivergence and pair nicely with this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I would rather forge on, leaving every stone unturned.”
I don't read this kind of genre often, so I had a bit of an hard time getting into this book, but I did end up enjoying it for the most part! I think the writing style did a good job at getting across what it's like to be in Enid's head, and I found her really relatable.
The best part of the book in my opinion was her relationship with her mom, I found it very touching and well-written. I also enjoyed that her half-sisters were actually nice and not villains. The romance was odd, but in a cute and interesting way.
I can't say why this didn't go beyond a three stars for me, I just didn't fully love it, but regardless I think it's a good book.
I don't read this kind of genre often, so I had a bit of an hard time getting into this book, but I did end up enjoying it for the most part! I think the writing style did a good job at getting across what it's like to be in Enid's head, and I found her really relatable.
The best part of the book in my opinion was her relationship with her mom, I found it very touching and well-written. I also enjoyed that her half-sisters were actually nice and not villains. The romance was odd, but in a cute and interesting way.
I can't say why this didn't go beyond a three stars for me, I just didn't fully love it, but regardless I think it's a good book.