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A review by emmap25
As Many Nows as I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl
2.0
TW: death, mentions of abortion, addiction, car accident, animal deaths, pregnancy, death of a loved one
I feel like this may get pretty mixed reviews, because it’s either hit or miss. I for one am still deciding on my final rating, but so far I’m kind of in the middle. it’s probably the hardest book to decide on a rating that I’ve read yet this year, so I definitely could change it.
objectively this book is quite good. everything is so vividly described that I felt like I was watching a movie. the writing is real strong and the ending is so emotional, guys, like prepare tissue. this book dives into strong themes that are complicated and messy. it’s handled with care, too, and yet as enjoyable as this book could be, it’s just not really for me.
scarlett was an unlikable protagonist at times, which I feel foolish even mentioning because that’s the entire point: the characters are broken, naïve teenagers who make mistakes and mess everything up. there’s a theme of knowing someone is struggling and not reaching out until it’s too late, which is really powerful and important. but most importantly, it’s about learning to forgive yourself and move on. which is so amazing and it’s handled so well, but I do have some complaints.
I feel like this is a prime example of a book where the concept is done and executed well, but I just personally didn’t enjoy it. I went into this book thinking it was a fun fluffy romance (which I don’t LOVE, but the cover was so beautiful I couldn’t resist) and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually emotional and tragic. which sounds morbid, but it was right up my alley, y’all. here’s the thing, though: while I emphasized with the characters and their situations, I didn’t love them. and that’s how it’s supposed to be, y’know? but I didn’t know this going on and i thought they would still be likable characters who made mistakes. maybe to some people, they are, and I’m just missing something. but to me, I found scarlet to be judgmental, and it just drove me up a wall sometimes. and some, not all but definitely some of the political discussions felt forced. like feminism is great and all, but I’d love it if the discussions felt more...natural??
but there are still things I ADORED. the whole theme of forgiving yourself and moving on from your past was so well done. and the whole book was SO atmospheric: like when she was describing the ocean or the mountains, I felt like it was there living it too. also her obsession with physics and just her awe and amazement of the world was so wonderful. I also do love messy, complicated characters, I just still want you to make me love them, you know? also the ending was really really lovely and yeah I got a little teary, but who wouldn’t honestly???
ultimately it just was an okay experience for me. like good and not a waste of time or anything, but just not super memorable. wish I could’ve loved this as much as I anticipated, but oh well! nothing could ever live up to radio silence anyways.
I feel like this may get pretty mixed reviews, because it’s either hit or miss. I for one am still deciding on my final rating, but so far I’m kind of in the middle. it’s probably the hardest book to decide on a rating that I’ve read yet this year, so I definitely could change it.
objectively this book is quite good. everything is so vividly described that I felt like I was watching a movie. the writing is real strong and the ending is so emotional, guys, like prepare tissue. this book dives into strong themes that are complicated and messy. it’s handled with care, too, and yet as enjoyable as this book could be, it’s just not really for me.
scarlett was an unlikable protagonist at times, which I feel foolish even mentioning because that’s the entire point: the characters are broken, naïve teenagers who make mistakes and mess everything up. there’s a theme of knowing someone is struggling and not reaching out until it’s too late, which is really powerful and important. but most importantly, it’s about learning to forgive yourself and move on. which is so amazing and it’s handled so well, but I do have some complaints.
I feel like this is a prime example of a book where the concept is done and executed well, but I just personally didn’t enjoy it. I went into this book thinking it was a fun fluffy romance (which I don’t LOVE, but the cover was so beautiful I couldn’t resist) and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually emotional and tragic. which sounds morbid, but it was right up my alley, y’all. here’s the thing, though: while I emphasized with the characters and their situations, I didn’t love them. and that’s how it’s supposed to be, y’know? but I didn’t know this going on and i thought they would still be likable characters who made mistakes. maybe to some people, they are, and I’m just missing something. but to me, I found scarlet to be judgmental, and it just drove me up a wall sometimes. and some, not all but definitely some of the political discussions felt forced. like feminism is great and all, but I’d love it if the discussions felt more...natural??
but there are still things I ADORED. the whole theme of forgiving yourself and moving on from your past was so well done. and the whole book was SO atmospheric: like when she was describing the ocean or the mountains, I felt like it was there living it too. also her obsession with physics and just her awe and amazement of the world was so wonderful. I also do love messy, complicated characters, I just still want you to make me love them, you know? also the ending was really really lovely and yeah I got a little teary, but who wouldn’t honestly???
ultimately it just was an okay experience for me. like good and not a waste of time or anything, but just not super memorable. wish I could’ve loved this as much as I anticipated, but oh well! nothing could ever live up to radio silence anyways.