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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
A very enjoyable read, that really makes you think. I'm quite introverted, and doing what Celeste does (completely alone for 3/4 years) is something I would have genuinely considered doing, lol. Before I met my wife, of course. I like how her thoughts and actions were portrayed, and how little earworms stuck in her brain, and Hug Tree (aww, Hug Tree broke my little heart, lol) and I liked how she realised that her feelings towards Olivia could have just been because she's been alone for so long... She wasn't crazy, and I believed the love story more for it. The connection they had was something special, and I loved the epilogue and their next steps. This was the first book I've read by this author, and I would look to read another. Maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's only a - stop.
My first book by popular lesbian romance author E.J. Noyes. I'd been meaning to read something of hers for awhile, and was glad that one of my libraries finally acquired something of hers. The exploration of what solitude does to your mental health was interesting, and the writing was decent enough. However, I seem to be losing interest in reading romances lately.
I enjoyed E.J. Noyes' [b:Turbulence|36280337|Turbulence|E.J. Noyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506016300l/36280337._SX50_.jpg|57940665] and readers recommended this one as well, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was an interesting premise and I was enjoying it, until I got to the part I seem to be the only one here who got hung up on that, but from there on out I was fuming.
Spoiler
about the psychiatrist. The ethics violation - contract or no contract - was just too humongous for me to set aside, and I couldn't see the protagonist realistically setting aside that level of betrayal, either.
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
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
Hug Tree
dark
emotional
Damn, this was such a good book. The way it is described… I felt all of the feelings.
Absolutely great.
Absolutely great.
I swallow, like I could be nourished by her name.
I went into this book thinking that it would be more of a mystery/thriller than it actually was. And if I have a 'disappointment', that would be it. Around 20% in I made a note like 'I bet this is going to happen' and then around 50% in I was convinced that said thing was the case, and I was totally right. The setup of the book being what it was, I figured there had to be a twist, and that was the most obvious one. And usually I'm pretty bummed out about figuring out major plot points early on in books I read. But here, I didn't really care because I loved this romance so much!!
My favourite thing about this book is... what Olivia did was deeply fucked up, and we got to see how sorry she was, see her explain herself and atone, but what made it good was that it was so believable and so real. After having two girlfriends cheat on her, and one commit suicide, and for all of them to fully or partially blame Liv for being emotionally distant, too much in her own head, not connected to them... I fully understand that after falling in love with Celeste from afar, watching her on those screens and reading her logs (which btw is painfully romantic to me, lol, even if I can admit to it being slightly weird) that she would insert herself into the experiment, do everything in her power to hold on to Celeste, and fall for her even harder. The description of that helpless kind of love, how weak she was to resist it: gah, I loved it so much. Seeing her logs at the end of the book made me so emotional!!
The resolution didn't come quickly either, which I enjoyed. Celeste needed time and distance to work through the ways she was hurt. I didn't really enjoy the fact that she blamed herself for being "naive and stupid enough" to not realise who Olivia was, and I kinda wish Olivia had done more to assure her that it wasn't her fault? But other than that, I loved how it was all wrapped up, and the ending lines filled me with so much... idk peace and happiness?? Man, I really liked this book.
I'm too lazy to become the type of person who makes up playlists for books, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this Hozier song was playing in my head all through the epilogue.
Honey, when you kill the lights and kiss my eyes
I feel like a person for a moment of my life
I went into this book thinking that it would be more of a mystery/thriller than it actually was. And if I have a 'disappointment', that would be it. Around 20% in I made a note like 'I bet this is going to happen' and then around 50% in I was convinced that said thing was the case, and I was totally right. The setup of the book being what it was, I figured there had to be a twist, and that was the most obvious one. And usually I'm pretty bummed out about figuring out major plot points early on in books I read. But here, I didn't really care because I loved this romance so much!!
Spoiler
Noyes has lovely writing that was easy to get into, and I'm already halfway married to Abby Craden's voice so that was a good match off the bat. She cemented that feeling of isolation and loneliness, and when Olivia was introduced, the desperation that Celeste felt, to keep hold of her, to keep her secret from the controllers, to not let her leave, was so good and so real and so visceral. (The only thing I DIDN'T get was why she was so determined to see the experiment through even after she became attached to Liv, but, eh.) Celeste and Olivia are practically the only two characters that we get to see on page, in action but Natalie, Riley, Joanne, Heather... their presence was DEEPLY felt.My favourite thing about this book is... what Olivia did was deeply fucked up, and we got to see how sorry she was, see her explain herself and atone, but what made it good was that it was so believable and so real. After having two girlfriends cheat on her, and one commit suicide, and for all of them to fully or partially blame Liv for being emotionally distant, too much in her own head, not connected to them... I fully understand that after falling in love with Celeste from afar, watching her on those screens and reading her logs (which btw is painfully romantic to me, lol, even if I can admit to it being slightly weird) that she would insert herself into the experiment, do everything in her power to hold on to Celeste, and fall for her even harder. The description of that helpless kind of love, how weak she was to resist it: gah, I loved it so much. Seeing her logs at the end of the book made me so emotional!!
The resolution didn't come quickly either, which I enjoyed. Celeste needed time and distance to work through the ways she was hurt. I didn't really enjoy the fact that she blamed herself for being "naive and stupid enough" to not realise who Olivia was, and I kinda wish Olivia had done more to assure her that it wasn't her fault? But other than that, I loved how it was all wrapped up, and the ending lines filled me with so much... idk peace and happiness?? Man, I really liked this book.
I'm too lazy to become the type of person who makes up playlists for books, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this Hozier song was playing in my head all through the epilogue.
Honey, when you kill the lights and kiss my eyes
I feel like a person for a moment of my life