dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

loved this so much would recommend to any formerly (?) or currently (?) codependent lesbian
medium-paced
emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Unfortunately, I found The Dry Season to be somewhat dull.

As I was reading (and listening), I began to realize that memoirs might not be the right genre for me. I was most engaged during the nonfiction-style sections or when Febos focused on her friends. In contrast, her self-reflective passages often caused my mind to wander.

That’s my main critique of the book- it just didn’t hold my attention. I struggled to stay invested in the narrative, and I think the book could have benefited from trimming some of the repetitive introspection.

That said, I do believe Febos has meaningful insights to share. One moment that stood out to me was at the beginning of Part 3, when she reflects on “[letting] go of being sexually desirable to men.” Her exploration of what it means to enjoy life for oneself-rather than trying to meet the expectations of a heterosexual, patriarchal society-was powerful and thought-provoking.

Overall, I enjoyed the third section the most, and I’m disappointed that the rest of the book didn’t resonate with me in the same way.
inspiring reflective medium-paced
dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

This is not what I thought it was going to be, which was a bummer to me. I found myself turning the page and not remembering what I just read. Also- there is an Appendix and Notes section at the end, yet nothing throughout the book referenced these, and I feel like having them to reference throughout would have helped. But power to Melissa!

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informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
challenging reflective medium-paced

I'm always impressed with Melissa Febos' ability to write essentially a self-help narrative at such a higher level. Her blending of memoir, theory, and literary criticism provokes so much thoughtful reflection. I especially enjoyed her musings on spirituality and religious celibacy as a form of early feminism. Her self awareness and willingness to admit to faults is refreshing in this kind of memoir. I certainly took a lot from this and will continue to reflect on it as I work to approach my own life with as a high a level of intentionality as she does.
emotional informative reflective slow-paced
adventurous challenging informative

Still love the author but other works hit better