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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
The last two books I read were final books, and I ended up dnfing both… This book looked like it was going on the same path; the start is really slow… the first half of the book was mainly spent inside Adrian's head… But I kept going, and I have to say… I was pleasantly surprised.
I liked that this is set 15-20 years after the last book, I also liked the exploration of mental illness in an historical setting.
The story isn't all that interesting, to be honest. It's as much a journey story as the other two; they definitely got around to some interesting places (even Portugal, yeah!), but this one is also more of a personal journey of finding oneself and loving the person that you are.
I really liked the relationship that blossomed between the siblings, and it was wonderful revisiting familiar characters.
This book still contains the level of whip-smart humour and sensitive social commentary as the other two. But as much as I love Monty's personality, I did hope he'd be depicted as a bit more mature, sometimes he still felt like a kid; I would have liked to see him make better choices and to be a less dramatic. Still, Monty still cracked me up a few times.
Overall, this was a solid ending to the series, a good wrap up.
I liked that this is set 15-20 years after the last book, I also liked the exploration of mental illness in an historical setting.
The story isn't all that interesting, to be honest. It's as much a journey story as the other two; they definitely got around to some interesting places (even Portugal, yeah!), but this one is also more of a personal journey of finding oneself and loving the person that you are.
I really liked the relationship that blossomed between the siblings, and it was wonderful revisiting familiar characters.
This book still contains the level of whip-smart humour and sensitive social commentary as the other two. But as much as I love Monty's personality, I did hope he'd be depicted as a bit more mature, sometimes he still felt like a kid; I would have liked to see him make better choices and to be a less dramatic. Still, Monty still cracked me up a few times.
Overall, this was a solid ending to the series, a good wrap up.
I'm honestly over the moon with this book! I love the way it's written, how it ties a bunch of threads together, and the way it resolves the series as a whole. The internal narrative on Generalized Anxiety Disorder is incredibly accurate to my own experience, and it was refreshing to see a book display it so accurately. I will always recommend these books to anyone who loves adventure, historical fiction, LGBTQ characters, or stories involving mental health. 10/10 good book!!!!
An absolutely lovely end to a trilogy. The Montague siblings are complex, dramatic, a MESS, and absolutely true to and full of life. May they always breath in the light-soaked days.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
God, Lee has done it again. Amazing writing, amazing characters, amazing everything.
I imagine Adrian could be a very heavy character to read for some people, mostly because a huge part of the book is his internal monologue, but I am sure it's totally worth it!
Also, the ending? Chef kiss. Made me cry. An amazing closure to an already amazing series. The only bad thing is that this is the final book, and maybe we won't be seeing that much of the Montagues, but it's fine! :)
2nd read:
I think this book still holds up to my standards of what I call a "good" book. However, there was some stuff that I noticed and didn't love, like Monty and Felicity acting somewhat like teens despite being around 4o years old. It is still a heavy book to read given it's mostly Adrian's internal monologue, but he's got a pretty good character development.
I imagine Adrian could be a very heavy character to read for some people, mostly because a huge part of the book is his internal monologue, but I am sure it's totally worth it!
Also, the ending? Chef kiss. Made me cry. An amazing closure to an already amazing series. The only bad thing is that this is the final book, and maybe we won't be seeing that much of the Montagues, but it's fine! :)
2nd read:
I think this book still holds up to my standards of what I call a "good" book. However, there was some stuff that I noticed and didn't love, like Monty and Felicity acting somewhat like teens despite being around 4o years old. It is still a heavy book to read given it's mostly Adrian's internal monologue, but he's got a pretty good character development.
Who would've thought Adrian would become my favourite Montague sibling... but here were are.
Absolutely loved the family dynamic in this one. I did wish we could see more of Louisa on the page, but I understand why that wasn't the case. Adored the story nevertheless.
Absolutely loved the family dynamic in this one. I did wish we could see more of Louisa on the page, but I understand why that wasn't the case. Adored the story nevertheless.
This series has been great fun from beginning to end and I highly recommend it to everyone.
That being said, this might have been my least favorite of the series. Partially because I just didn't care about their mother, and partly because of how much the book spiraled. The narration of the book can get frustrating, because we are in Adrian's head and he definitely suffers from an anxiety disorder and his narration accurately reflects that. It was just hard for me to get into sometimes.
I do like Adrian though. He reminds me of the summer I was diagnosed with acquired hemophilia. The combination of the diagnosis and the drugs I was put on to combat it made my mind spiral very similarly to Adrian's. I would start thinking about going down the stairs to go to work and then imagining falling down the stairs and bleeding internally and not stopping and no one finding me. No amount of rational thinking could convince me that I wasn't going to die falling down the stairs or crossing the street or cutting chicken for dinner. Having had that experience, I really felt for Adrian. Especially since I was able to come out of it, and he doesn't have that luxury.
I love seeing all the siblings together as well. Even when he is being a jerk Monty is my favorite. I often found myself wishing I were reading Monty's version of events instead of Adrian's but that was probably just because I imprinted on him like a baby duck. His story is still my favorite, and he is my favorite character and I am so beyond happy that the story ended where it began. With Monty and Percy.
The representation in these books is so good. I cannot recommend them enough to everyone.
That being said, this might have been my least favorite of the series. Partially because I just didn't care about their mother, and partly because of how much the book spiraled. The narration of the book can get frustrating, because we are in Adrian's head and he definitely suffers from an anxiety disorder and his narration accurately reflects that. It was just hard for me to get into sometimes.
I do like Adrian though. He reminds me of the summer I was diagnosed with acquired hemophilia. The combination of the diagnosis and the drugs I was put on to combat it made my mind spiral very similarly to Adrian's. I would start thinking about going down the stairs to go to work and then imagining falling down the stairs and bleeding internally and not stopping and no one finding me. No amount of rational thinking could convince me that I wasn't going to die falling down the stairs or crossing the street or cutting chicken for dinner. Having had that experience, I really felt for Adrian. Especially since I was able to come out of it, and he doesn't have that luxury.
I love seeing all the siblings together as well. Even when he is being a jerk Monty is my favorite. I often found myself wishing I were reading Monty's version of events instead of Adrian's but that was probably just because I imprinted on him like a baby duck. His story is still my favorite, and he is my favorite character and I am so beyond happy that the story ended where it began. With Monty and Percy.
The representation in these books is so good. I cannot recommend them enough to everyone.
4.5 stars. I very much enjoyed this conclusion to this series.
I liked this more than Felicity's book and felt like Lee wrote Adrian's character way better than Felicity. Felicity felt like a side character forced into her own novel without knowing what to do with her. On the other hand, Adrian's writing felt more comfortable and like Lee knew what to do with him. Adrian's struggle with extreme anxiety was felt throughout the book. It almost was too hard to read at points because you felt like you were also experiencing the same anxiety. The writing in the whole book was very well done despite this reflection of anxiety in the reader. Lee's handling of the characters' mental health was well done, especially for that time and place. The diverse cast in sexualities and race is always nice to see, and it felt unforced. I loved Adrian's growing relationship with his siblings and his wonderful romance with his fiance. His easy acceptance of the quirks of his siblings made my heart warm.
It was also nice to revisit the 2 older Montagues and see where they ended up. They are still their messy selves but did come together as adults when they needed to. The plot felt similar to the previous ones with a grand adventure going all over Europe and some of Africa with just the hint of magic (is there magic, is it science, who knows!) Unlike the second book. This one did not seem to linger on the journey too much, and instead, the journey felt like the book's point. I also enjoyed the ending and epilogue a lot and felt like it ended on an excellent note, and it pleased me to see characters I like being happy.
Overall, this is a great last book in the series that could give you second-hand anxiety but left on a satisfying and pleasing note.
I liked this more than Felicity's book and felt like Lee wrote Adrian's character way better than Felicity. Felicity felt like a side character forced into her own novel without knowing what to do with her. On the other hand, Adrian's writing felt more comfortable and like Lee knew what to do with him. Adrian's struggle with extreme anxiety was felt throughout the book. It almost was too hard to read at points because you felt like you were also experiencing the same anxiety. The writing in the whole book was very well done despite this reflection of anxiety in the reader. Lee's handling of the characters' mental health was well done, especially for that time and place. The diverse cast in sexualities and race is always nice to see, and it felt unforced. I loved Adrian's growing relationship with his siblings and his wonderful romance with his fiance. His easy acceptance of the quirks of his siblings made my heart warm.
It was also nice to revisit the 2 older Montagues and see where they ended up. They are still their messy selves but did come together as adults when they needed to. The plot felt similar to the previous ones with a grand adventure going all over Europe and some of Africa with just the hint of magic (is there magic, is it science, who knows!) Unlike the second book. This one did not seem to linger on the journey too much, and instead, the journey felt like the book's point. I also enjoyed the ending and epilogue a lot and felt like it ended on an excellent note, and it pleased me to see characters I like being happy.
Overall, this is a great last book in the series that could give you second-hand anxiety but left on a satisfying and pleasing note.
I love Mackenzie Lee so much and I can’t believe I have to say goodbye to the Montague siblings. This is the perfect ending to their saga, though.
“Do you ever want to not be yourself? Just for a night?”
I laugh faintly. “All the bloody time.”
“No, no,” he sits up. “Don’t say it like that. You’ve got to say, ‘abso-bloody-lutely I do.’”
“Abso-bloody-lutely,” I say, my voice breaking into a laugh on the final syllable.
Monty grins. “See? Then it’s not tragic-it’s just funny.”
“It’s still quite tragic.”
“I know. We are goddamn tragic, aren’t we? Bloody operas, we Montagues.”
I laugh faintly. “All the bloody time.”
“No, no,” he sits up. “Don’t say it like that. You’ve got to say, ‘abso-bloody-lutely I do.’”
“Abso-bloody-lutely,” I say, my voice breaking into a laugh on the final syllable.
Monty grins. “See? Then it’s not tragic-it’s just funny.”
“It’s still quite tragic.”
“I know. We are goddamn tragic, aren’t we? Bloody operas, we Montagues.”