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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I liked parts of this largely set in the 1980s coming of age story about narrator Eulabee and her on and off friendship with Maria Fabiola (and her full name must always be stated which annoyed me the longer I read) and a few other teen girls from the wealthy suburb of Sea Cliff.
The conflicts between the girls never seemed well-developed and then a flash forward to 2019 didn't wrap up the plot as much as I'd have liked.
The conflicts between the girls never seemed well-developed and then a flash forward to 2019 didn't wrap up the plot as much as I'd have liked.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
i think i wanted this book to be something it just never was going to be. i really liked the narrator, eulabee, and how she was so precocious and so very 13-years-old. i thought the “coming of age” section ended somewhat abruptly and didn’t love the flash forward at the end. it was very unsatisfying to me. also the mystery fell pretty flat, it just felt so rushed and i think there’s so so soooo much content about girlhood into womanhood and young girls coming of age, and this just didn’t feel like one of the best representations of that. they’re so much to say about coming of age, this to me felt the tiniest bit…….. wrong? i understood that there was much to be said about rose colored glasses and the grip maria fabiola had on the world but idk….. just felt weird in the end. didn’t love it
i think i wanted this book to be something it just never was going to be. i really liked the narrator, eulabee, and how she was so precocious and so very 13-years-old. i thought the “coming of age” section ended somewhat abruptly and didn’t love the flash forward at the end. it was very unsatisfying to me. also the mystery fell pretty flat, it just felt so rushed and i think there’s so so soooo much content about girlhood into womanhood and young girls coming of age, and this just didn’t feel like one of the best representations of that. they’re so much to say about coming of age, this to me felt the tiniest bit…….. wrong? i understood that there was much to be said about rose colored glasses and the grip maria fabiola had on the world but idk….. just felt weird in the end. didn’t love it
Extremely immersive storytelling, I especially liked the ending.
Four stars for Vendela Vida's WE RUN THE TIDES, which reads like a hazy nostalgia dream. It's a coming of age story about Eulabee, a 13-year-old girl growing up in a wealthy neighborhood in San Francisco, and it is SPOT ON that age and all the mean-girl drama that comes with it. It is mostly set in the 1980's, which I loved, but wraps up years later when the main characters get together again as adults.
Eulabee is an unlikely teen hero we all need, she's unintentionally funny, especially in her interactions with adults - there are a few scenes where she disagrees with her English teacher on Salinger that made me laugh - and Vida's depiction of her and her friends is accurately cringe-y. The novel turns on a conflict with Eulabee's popular, beautiful friend Maria Fabiola, who it turns out is a fantastic liar. Eulabee disagrees with her version of an event, and is then ostracized among their friends. More happens, but the idea is how to figure out who you are with and without your group. It has a strange, edgy tone, which was really interesting to me - it's hard to describe, but I liked it.
I had this on my list from @bookwineclub - it was their April pick, and I had forgotten about it until it came through on my library holds. I would have never found it otherwise, which is one of the reasons I love Bookstagram. Thanks for the great recommendation!
Format: NYPL e-book, via Kindle
Read for: #12books2021
Eulabee is an unlikely teen hero we all need, she's unintentionally funny, especially in her interactions with adults - there are a few scenes where she disagrees with her English teacher on Salinger that made me laugh - and Vida's depiction of her and her friends is accurately cringe-y. The novel turns on a conflict with Eulabee's popular, beautiful friend Maria Fabiola, who it turns out is a fantastic liar. Eulabee disagrees with her version of an event, and is then ostracized among their friends. More happens, but the idea is how to figure out who you are with and without your group. It has a strange, edgy tone, which was really interesting to me - it's hard to describe, but I liked it.
I had this on my list from @bookwineclub - it was their April pick, and I had forgotten about it until it came through on my library holds. I would have never found it otherwise, which is one of the reasons I love Bookstagram. Thanks for the great recommendation!
Format: NYPL e-book, via Kindle
Read for: #12books2021
Funny perspective from a 13 year old girl in a rich part of San Francisco. Quick read.
This fascinating coming of age story set in San Francisco in the mid-80s explores the complex and excrutiately difficult terrain of adolesence. At the center of the story are four 13 year old girls, best friends for many years, whose loyalty is tested by the actions/elaborate lies of the alpha in the group. We hear the story through the eyes and mind of one of the girls, Eulabee, (not the alpha) and what a spectular character she is! And Vida gives her space to try on many different identities, so common an experience in adolesence.
It's moody, atmospheric, and darkly funny. It also contains scenes of sexual exploitation and exploration - fitting for a coming of age story but difficult to read. Be aware.
It's moody, atmospheric, and darkly funny. It also contains scenes of sexual exploitation and exploration - fitting for a coming of age story but difficult to read. Be aware.
I enjoyed the prologue and epilogue, but not much in between. I don’t know how to describe it except to say that it gave me a grody vibe
I'm kind of torn on this one. There are so many glowing reviews on here and I'm wondering if I missed out on something because I feel really underwhelmed by this story. It's nicely written and and was easy to read, the main character was witty and I enjoyed her dark humor, but it just kind of felt... weird. I think there were tons of 80s references that went over my head for someone born in the 90s, so there wasn't much I related to other than a middle school coming-of-age as the foundation. I also just felt kinda weird that Maria Fabiola ended up being a liar all her life? Idk. Maybe I was just hoping for something deeper.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It’s a story set in the 80s in a beach town. It captures the feeling of being a teenager and dealing with all the complicated things life throws at you. There is a little bit of mystery so it keeps you wondering what is next. It’s a very short and easy read. A great palette cleanser after reading a few long books lately.