Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
i do love elaine castillo's writing very much and she has such a gift for lush grounded imagery and tender painful family dynamics. however i find heterosexual yearning (especially of the woman-desiring-man variety) intensely boring and the anglophile parts of this were kind of physically embarrassing to read. "everyone looked hot and well dressed" on the tube in london? they had their final reconciliation outside a COSTA? don't piss me off
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s true, honest, well-observed. Tension built beautifully.
Very present. Very of this moment. With all the references I kept wondering how well it will age. Reading it today felt intimate, immersive.
The big fil-am family scenes … I can see my family in it vividly, and I teared up at the end. That was cathartic!
Very present. Very of this moment. With all the references I kept wondering how well it will age. Reading it today felt intimate, immersive.
The big fil-am family scenes … I can see my family in it vividly, and I teared up at the end. That was cathartic!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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 really rated the whole feel of the book. It felt very me. I’d be interested to know what others thought because I’m definitely struggling to pigeon whole the book. But I guess maybe that’s why I liked it so much. I’m a cross-genre gyrlie. If I had to, I would call it a slow burn literary romance with speculative themes. If I had to compare it to something, the closest thing would Death Made a Fool of Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, mainly due to the cross genre slow literary romance vibes.
Moderation explored culture, capitalism, VR and strong female energy. It featured and celebrated queer relationships in a normative fashion and the strong familial bonds forced by age and proximity.
It’s less mainstream and more intellectual than I thought it would be, which I love.
The MC, Girlie, is a kinda badass bitch vibe character with no shits and a hard exterior, that I would usually hate as an mc. But her inner monologue is so authentic, and there’s clear reasoning, self protection and motivation behind her character flaws, so I’m onboard. Usually this type of character is done badly, so I’m here for a really well written version of this archetype.
The blurb features love heavily as a topic, At halfway through, only the slightest hints of romance. This worked for me, I can see the breadcrumbs, I can feel the tension of the slow burn, I’m rooting for the possibility. However if someone were here for the love straight up, this is not a book for them.
What this book does offer is a deep critique and submersion into Filipino culture in America, a look at horrific scenes of content moderation, a bisexual mc, and immersive world building into a new sense of virtual reality.
There are some scenes talking about the politics of some of the history of the company or merger that are a bit confusing/ I’m unsure what it adds. But I also trust that the author knows what they are talking about.
Moderation explored culture, capitalism, VR and strong female energy. It featured and celebrated queer relationships in a normative fashion and the strong familial bonds forced by age and proximity.
It’s less mainstream and more intellectual than I thought it would be, which I love.
The MC, Girlie, is a kinda badass bitch vibe character with no shits and a hard exterior, that I would usually hate as an mc. But her inner monologue is so authentic, and there’s clear reasoning, self protection and motivation behind her character flaws, so I’m onboard. Usually this type of character is done badly, so I’m here for a really well written version of this archetype.
The blurb features love heavily as a topic, At halfway through, only the slightest hints of romance. This worked for me, I can see the breadcrumbs, I can feel the tension of the slow burn, I’m rooting for the possibility. However if someone were here for the love straight up, this is not a book for them.
What this book does offer is a deep critique and submersion into Filipino culture in America, a look at horrific scenes of content moderation, a bisexual mc, and immersive world building into a new sense of virtual reality.
There are some scenes talking about the politics of some of the history of the company or merger that are a bit confusing/ I’m unsure what it adds. But I also trust that the author knows what they are talking about.
I spent an enjoyable afternoon reading this but overall it didn’t quite work for me.
The content moderation critique was interesting but stopped being relevant half way through when the plot and the romance took over. It talked a lot about various issues with tech today but stopped short of properly critiquing it.
There were quite a few British references sprinkled throughout which went beyond cliché which was nice for a book set in vegas.
Thanks to Atlantic books and NetGalley for the arc
The content moderation critique was interesting but stopped being relevant half way through when the plot and the romance took over. It talked a lot about various issues with tech today but stopped short of properly critiquing it.
There were quite a few British references sprinkled throughout which went beyond cliché which was nice for a book set in vegas.
Thanks to Atlantic books and NetGalley for the arc
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book so much, and I was so surprised and impressed by the choices Castillo made throughout. MODERATION is immersive, so smart, and somehow deeply swoony.
Girlie is a content moderator, meaning she watches the terrible videos that abusers and murderers upload to social media sites and determines which violate community guidelines. Being immersed in the very worst of humanity doesn't seem to affect her too much--she's more annoyed by her flaky younger cousin (who she loves very much). When her parent company is purchased by a virtual reality startup, Girlie is up for a promotion that would mean big things for her family who is still struggling to recover from the subprime loan crisis of 2008. Content moderation in the virtual reality landscape poses many new challenges, but Girlie has William Chung, the company's quiet co-founder, to help her. William is full of mystery, and Girlie begins to feel things for him that she hasn't felt in years.
This book moves from stomach-churning horrors to sweet family events to a romance worth cheering for. I was completely engrossed from the first page, and I was gasping and holding back tears throughout. Castillo is a master of her craft, and this deeply human story is a testament to her skill.
Girlie is a content moderator, meaning she watches the terrible videos that abusers and murderers upload to social media sites and determines which violate community guidelines. Being immersed in the very worst of humanity doesn't seem to affect her too much--she's more annoyed by her flaky younger cousin (who she loves very much). When her parent company is purchased by a virtual reality startup, Girlie is up for a promotion that would mean big things for her family who is still struggling to recover from the subprime loan crisis of 2008. Content moderation in the virtual reality landscape poses many new challenges, but Girlie has William Chung, the company's quiet co-founder, to help her. William is full of mystery, and Girlie begins to feel things for him that she hasn't felt in years.
This book moves from stomach-churning horrors to sweet family events to a romance worth cheering for. I was completely engrossed from the first page, and I was gasping and holding back tears throughout. Castillo is a master of her craft, and this deeply human story is a testament to her skill.