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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
This was a really cute romance, with quite a few major issues tackled in the process. I didn't expect so much religion involved, because I try to avoid that sort of thing, however it worked with the story. For me though, sometimes it got a bit to much. The writing is good. I don't know how it compares to other Christina Lauren books cause I haven't read any but it really reminds me of [b:Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe|12000020|Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, #1)|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328320260l/12000020._SY75_.jpg|16964419]. It didn't hit me as emotionally as I would have liked for it to be a five star book, but it still got me in the feels. Also, I think the cover's really pretty, so that's a plus.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
If I'd been writing this review any time before page 342, it would probably have four stars. I'd probably mention how the book is WAY too white and how I'm fighting to keep from finding these kind of meta 'writing about your life' stories tiring. But I would have still liked it enough. I would have found the Mormon story-line compelling (I've never read a novel that took a serious look at Mormonism before), I would have found Tanner starting off the book secure in his identity and with a supportive family pleasant and refreshing. Tanner's relationship with Autumn was realistic and complicated and no one was demonized on any counts which is so good and nice and I'm so happy women write books.
I would have found Sebastian's name choice so charming! He's a member of the Christian faith and names Sebastian? Like Saint Sebastian? The saint of notorious gay icon status? That's great! What a nice and subtle reference.
And I still do think these things! Nothing that happened after page 342 made any of these points less true.
BUT
When it switched to third person Sebastian's POV at the very end of the book I about lost my damn mind.
Nothing. I find nothing more infuriating than late stage POV changes. It feels lazy! It feels unnecessary! It feels needlessly jarring! When an entire book is from one point of view and you switch points of view over 340 pages in, I'm just going to assume you're not a good enough writer to covey what's happening within the limited parameters you've assigned yourself. It feels like cheating. I felt cheated reading it.
I know this book is a bit of a unique case: ostensibly, the first 341 pages of the book are the book within the book. And then what happens after it before the epilogue exist outside of the book within the book. I can get that. And that might be excused. I wouldn't like it, but it could be excused.
EXCEPT!!!!!!
THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT EITHER ALL SEBASTIAN OR ALL TANNER
SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH DID NOTHING. NOTHING TO HELP THE STORY.
You could have done those three chapters that exist outside the narrative or whatever from one point of view. Switching between them was so cheap and I hated it so much.
I'm trying to be objective here and that's why it has three stars. If I wasn't, I'd have dropped it down to 2. But that's too much. 2 is too mean. Because I did like it! I spent most of the book really enjoying myself!
But when I got to the Sebastian chapter I literally got so mad I wanted to stop reading.
It just throws into doubt the entire narrative. We start thinking about an unreliable narrator. Like is the third person POV just Tanner's speculation? Can it even be considered canon? WHAT IS THE GODDAMN POINT?!?!?
You could literally take out those three (or whatever I didn't actually count) chapters and I do not think it would change the story that much. Whenand it would have told us LITERALLY EVERYTHING WE GOT FROM THOSE CHAPTERS
GOD I'm still so mad about this.
I stand by my review and rating. I probably won't revisit this. I might read something else Christina Lauren writes because I really DID enjoy reading the book before we got to the end! And I even enjoyed the end! The epilogue I mean! I would enjoy reading her writing again and can't imagine she'll do something as shitty as this POV switch in any of her other books. I don't think it could be conceptually justified anywhere else.
Overall! Could have been great if it didn't piss me off!
I'm not sorry!
I would have found Sebastian's name choice so charming! He's a member of the Christian faith and names Sebastian? Like Saint Sebastian? The saint of notorious gay icon status? That's great! What a nice and subtle reference.
And I still do think these things! Nothing that happened after page 342 made any of these points less true.
BUT
When it switched to third person Sebastian's POV at the very end of the book I about lost my damn mind.
Nothing. I find nothing more infuriating than late stage POV changes. It feels lazy! It feels unnecessary! It feels needlessly jarring! When an entire book is from one point of view and you switch points of view over 340 pages in, I'm just going to assume you're not a good enough writer to covey what's happening within the limited parameters you've assigned yourself. It feels like cheating. I felt cheated reading it.
I know this book is a bit of a unique case: ostensibly, the first 341 pages of the book are the book within the book. And then what happens after it before the epilogue exist outside of the book within the book. I can get that. And that might be excused. I wouldn't like it, but it could be excused.
EXCEPT!!!!!!
THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT EITHER ALL SEBASTIAN OR ALL TANNER
SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH DID NOTHING. NOTHING TO HELP THE STORY.
You could have done those three chapters that exist outside the narrative or whatever from one point of view. Switching between them was so cheap and I hated it so much.
I'm trying to be objective here and that's why it has three stars. If I wasn't, I'd have dropped it down to 2. But that's too much. 2 is too mean. Because I did like it! I spent most of the book really enjoying myself!
But when I got to the Sebastian chapter I literally got so mad I wanted to stop reading.
It just throws into doubt the entire narrative. We start thinking about an unreliable narrator. Like is the third person POV just Tanner's speculation? Can it even be considered canon? WHAT IS THE GODDAMN POINT?!?!?
You could literally take out those three (or whatever I didn't actually count) chapters and I do not think it would change the story that much. When
Spoiler
Sebastian comes back in the end, it would have been so easy for Tanner to ask "Why did you submit my book?"GOD I'm still so mad about this.
I stand by my review and rating. I probably won't revisit this. I might read something else Christina Lauren writes because I really DID enjoy reading the book before we got to the end! And I even enjoyed the end! The epilogue I mean! I would enjoy reading her writing again and can't imagine she'll do something as shitty as this POV switch in any of her other books. I don't think it could be conceptually justified anywhere else.
Overall! Could have been great if it didn't piss me off!
I'm not sorry!
2.5 stars. full review up on my blog now! https://asianflushed.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/review-autoboyography-by-christina-lauren/
tl;dr this was a really weird and complicated read for me for myriad reasons, and there were some implications of it that i really couldn't shake.
tl;dr this was a really weird and complicated read for me for myriad reasons, and there were some implications of it that i really couldn't shake.
Apaixonante. Eu adiava ler o livro porque não queria que acabasse nunca
emotional
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was really well handled for such a complicated subject, which really shouldn’t be complicated at all but totally is. Good job.