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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
While I did enjoy the first half of this book thouroughly, I found the second half to drag.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored Adrian. I had always wondered what happened to "The Goblin" so getting to hear his part of the story was so rewarding! As someone who struggles with generalized anxiety as well as OCD, I found his to be incredibly relatable. At some points of this book, I could nearly see myself in the pages.
Perhaps it's just because this is a YA novel, but I did find this book to be a little too cheesey for my tastes. The sibling dynamics were enjoyable at first, but towards the end many interactions felt forced. If it wasn't for the last 1/4 of the book, I think that my rating may have been slightly higher. On top of this, some of Adrian's ramblings went a little too long. Yes, I understand that anxiety can cause a long strand of both rational and irrational worries, but to read it over the course of nearly 600 pages is drawn out.
I don't know. Not my best review, but wanted to share my thoughts.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored Adrian. I had always wondered what happened to "The Goblin" so getting to hear his part of the story was so rewarding! As someone who struggles with generalized anxiety as well as OCD, I found his to be incredibly relatable. At some points of this book, I could nearly see myself in the pages.
Perhaps it's just because this is a YA novel, but I did find this book to be a little too cheesey for my tastes. The sibling dynamics were enjoyable at first, but towards the end many interactions felt forced. If it wasn't for the last 1/4 of the book, I think that my rating may have been slightly higher. On top of this, some of Adrian's ramblings went a little too long. Yes, I understand that anxiety can cause a long strand of both rational and irrational worries, but to read it over the course of nearly 600 pages is drawn out.
I don't know. Not my best review, but wanted to share my thoughts.
THIS BOOK!!! Oh my god. I'm literally a crying mess right now and have been throughout this entire read.
The Montague Siblings series means so much to me and I'm heartbroken to see it come to an end. But what an end it is! This book focuses on Adrian, the sibling that we knew the absolute least about. Monty is my favorite out of them all, but Adrian has to be a close second. I fell in love with him immediately.
While I adore Adrian, reading from his POV was hard. Not because I hated being in his head— because so many of his thoughts mirrored my own. Mental illness is a huge part of this book and something that Adrian struggles with. Some parts had me in tears just because they reflected my own experiences and it was so validating to see my thoughts on the page. Reading about Adrian's inner battles was difficult. Yet, it was also beautiful and hopeful and so so so real.
Besides Adrian's own development and the great mental illness representation, my favorite part of this book was the growing relationship between Adrian, Monty, and Felicity. I am a sucker for sibling dynamics, and seeing the three of them get to bond and grow together made me extremely happy. Although, throughout a good portion of this book I wanted to scream JUST SHOW THAT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY, OH MY GOD. Gaaah.
And we cannot ever ever ever forget, the reason why I initially fell in love with these books in the first place— MONTY AND PERCY. They are so adorable. Every time they were on page I was screaming, both internally and externally (but I was home alone, so it's okay). AND THE ENDING!!!!! I am obsessed with them and their happiness means the world to me.
This review is a mess and not structured or written well but I don't care. It's messy because my thoughts are, as well. Maybe there are some issues within this book, but they do not matter to me. Life is too short to be picky about star ratings. I loved this book and my rating reflects it. All I have to say at the end of it all is: read this.
The Montague Siblings series means so much to me and I'm heartbroken to see it come to an end. But what an end it is! This book focuses on Adrian, the sibling that we knew the absolute least about. Monty is my favorite out of them all, but Adrian has to be a close second. I fell in love with him immediately.
While I adore Adrian, reading from his POV was hard. Not because I hated being in his head— because so many of his thoughts mirrored my own. Mental illness is a huge part of this book and something that Adrian struggles with. Some parts had me in tears just because they reflected my own experiences and it was so validating to see my thoughts on the page. Reading about Adrian's inner battles was difficult. Yet, it was also beautiful and hopeful and so so so real.
I want to belong to myself. I want to stop feeling worthless and pointless and hopeless and less, less, less than everyone else around me. I want to live, not just survive, and fill myself up with all the people who have loved me into this moment and this man. I want to believe I am good and kind and clever and worthy with as much conviction as I have believed the opposites. I want to stop picking at life like it's a meal I don't want to eat, because I want to. I want to taste it all. I want life to be a feast, even if I have to eat it raw and bloody and burned some days. I will pick bones from my teeth. I will let the juice drip down my chin.
Besides Adrian's own development and the great mental illness representation, my favorite part of this book was the growing relationship between Adrian, Monty, and Felicity. I am a sucker for sibling dynamics, and seeing the three of them get to bond and grow together made me extremely happy. Although, throughout a good portion of this book I wanted to scream JUST SHOW THAT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY, OH MY GOD. Gaaah.
And we cannot ever ever ever forget, the reason why I initially fell in love with these books in the first place— MONTY AND PERCY. They are so adorable. Every time they were on page I was screaming, both internally and externally (but I was home alone, so it's okay). AND THE ENDING!!!!! I am obsessed with them and their happiness means the world to me.
This review is a mess and not structured or written well but I don't care. It's messy because my thoughts are, as well. Maybe there are some issues within this book, but they do not matter to me. Life is too short to be picky about star ratings. I loved this book and my rating reflects it. All I have to say at the end of it all is: read this.
It's been a few years since I read the other "Montague Siblings" books, and I was slightly worried that I wouldn't like this series as much as I used to. Not that anything changed in the books, but I was afraid that my own tastes have altered enough over the years so that maybe revisiting this series would knock it off the pedestal I've put it on.
Luckily, I was immediately reminded of why I enjoy these characters and this writing style. Within a single chapter, I was hooked on the story and enamored with Adrian. Monty was relatable to me in the first book, because he was such a hopeless romantic. Felicity was relatable to me in her sequel, because she is aroace. Yet somehow Adrian resonated with me most of all, because his anxiety is so similar to my own. Unlike other depictions of anxiety, which often make me MORE anxious by allowing me to dwell on those negative emotions, there was enough humor and lightheartedness in this novel to ensure that I was never spiraling along with Adrian. In fact, the slightly exaggerated nature of his personality meant that I was able to recognize how most situations did not warrant such a dramatic reaction on his part (which he was often acknowledged, as well). It was like, by seeing such a dramatic account of generalized anxiety, I was able to laugh at and learn more about myself. It also helped that the moral of the story wasn't, "Get over your anxieties," but rather, "Do the best you can with what you were given, and know that there is hope for a brighter future."
Another of my concerns going into this book was that I didn't remember the details of the prequels enough. But that actually played out in my favor, because I was in the same boat as Adrian trying to figure out what happened with his family, and it worked out for both of us, because by the end, everything had been made clear or jogged my memory.
I'm rating this novel so highly (even though I rarely give out five stars), because each installment in this series has quickly made it to my list of favorite books, and just as I cannot choose which one out of the three is my favorite, I think that they should all get the same score on GoodReads, too! Also, "The Nobleman's Guide" had the perfect mix of nostalgia (old characters reappearing and past plot-lines being mentioned) and new content (not just new characters but also new themes, settings, and mythologies). I borrowed this book from a friend, but I will be sure to secure my own copy in the future so that the entire trio can be complete on my bookshelf! Also, I need to be able to access this top-tier Saint Bernard content at a moment's notice. My mental health depends on it. (Not really, but also, I am only somewhat joking here. I have never encountered fictional dogs that speak to my heart so effectively. Johanna is my idol.)
Luckily, I was immediately reminded of why I enjoy these characters and this writing style. Within a single chapter, I was hooked on the story and enamored with Adrian. Monty was relatable to me in the first book, because he was such a hopeless romantic. Felicity was relatable to me in her sequel, because she is aroace. Yet somehow Adrian resonated with me most of all, because his anxiety is so similar to my own. Unlike other depictions of anxiety, which often make me MORE anxious by allowing me to dwell on those negative emotions, there was enough humor and lightheartedness in this novel to ensure that I was never spiraling along with Adrian. In fact, the slightly exaggerated nature of his personality meant that I was able to recognize how most situations did not warrant such a dramatic reaction on his part (which he was often acknowledged, as well). It was like, by seeing such a dramatic account of generalized anxiety, I was able to laugh at and learn more about myself. It also helped that the moral of the story wasn't, "Get over your anxieties," but rather, "Do the best you can with what you were given, and know that there is hope for a brighter future."
Another of my concerns going into this book was that I didn't remember the details of the prequels enough. But that actually played out in my favor, because I was in the same boat as Adrian trying to figure out what happened with his family, and it worked out for both of us, because by the end, everything had been made clear or jogged my memory.
I'm rating this novel so highly (even though I rarely give out five stars), because each installment in this series has quickly made it to my list of favorite books, and just as I cannot choose which one out of the three is my favorite, I think that they should all get the same score on GoodReads, too! Also, "The Nobleman's Guide" had the perfect mix of nostalgia (old characters reappearing and past plot-lines being mentioned) and new content (not just new characters but also new themes, settings, and mythologies). I borrowed this book from a friend, but I will be sure to secure my own copy in the future so that the entire trio can be complete on my bookshelf! Also, I need to be able to access this top-tier Saint Bernard content at a moment's notice. My mental health depends on it. (Not really, but also, I am only somewhat joking here. I have never encountered fictional dogs that speak to my heart so effectively. Johanna is my idol.)
it was a solid 3 because same adrian same, but then? i got hit with the nostalgia and of how i finished monty and percy's book exactly 3 years ago and then came the 4th star. I've been delaying this for a while, but all good things must come to an end and that means this series. not commenting on the plot or characters because they were very well crafted and others probably already did that. thank you for these<3
“I have become so accustomed to living on the edge of hysteria that this sudden calm is almost more frightening.” the ending almost made me cry. they’re cool siblings
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I can't believe how quickly I zoomed through this book, which I think is a testament to both the readability and my enjoyment of it.
At first I thought I was going to hate it; in the first 50 pages Adrian's constant inner monologue about everybody hating him and following up almost all dialogue with a rebuttal just grew tedious - and yes, I know the point was to drive home his anxiety, but it just felt like being hit over the head repeatedly.
Luckily once we settled into the story, either the constant mentions got toned down a bit, or else it felt like Adrian was worrying about things that felt more fleshed out, because it stopped bothering me once he and Henry set sail to Portugal.
And from then on it was just an absolute joy to read. At that point I started feeling like the intrusive thoughts and anxiety that Adrian felt were being really well handled, and there was one scene in particular between the three siblings where Felicity and Henry are talking to Adrian about not curing his "illness", but rather learning to deal with it, that almost brought me to tears.
I also really liked the fantastical elements, and I liked that this one kept a much more ambiguous stance about whether any of this was real or just purely imagined as a metaphor for mental illness.
I thought the epilogue was a little cheesy for my liking, but I guess it was a nice way to send off the siblings and the series.
Overall apart from a heavyhanded opening I thought this was fantastic!
At first I thought I was going to hate it; in the first 50 pages Adrian's constant inner monologue about everybody hating him and following up almost all dialogue with a rebuttal just grew tedious - and yes, I know the point was to drive home his anxiety, but it just felt like being hit over the head repeatedly.
Luckily once we settled into the story, either the constant mentions got toned down a bit, or else it felt like Adrian was worrying about things that felt more fleshed out, because it stopped bothering me once he and Henry set sail to Portugal.
And from then on it was just an absolute joy to read. At that point I started feeling like the intrusive thoughts and anxiety that Adrian felt were being really well handled, and there was one scene in particular between the three siblings where Felicity and Henry are talking to Adrian about not curing his "illness", but rather learning to deal with it, that almost brought me to tears.
I also really liked the fantastical elements, and I liked that this one kept a much more ambiguous stance about whether any of this was real or just purely imagined as a metaphor for mental illness.
I thought the epilogue was a little cheesy for my liking, but I guess it was a nice way to send off the siblings and the series.
Overall apart from a heavyhanded opening I thought this was fantastic!
Arguably the weakest in the series probably, but still a solid five stars. We get all the Montague siblings and a bunch of the cast from the past books. Again, immaculate. I will continue to read everything Lee has and will ever publish. I am in love.
I really, really enjoyed this !! However, I am sad Percy's scheduling conflicts meant he couldn't be in it much