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anniekslibrary 's review for:
If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
Actual rating: 2.5
I feel pretty conflicted about this book, and I'm so sad about that. I loved Let's Talk About Love, as it was one of the first books where I saw asexuality represented, so I had really high hopes for this one. And I really loved the first part of the book, which was very promising, but then it all sort of went downhill for me.
The good:
- The main character, Winnie. She's truly amazing: a well-rounded, flawed and very interesting character. I really loved the rep, especially because of her confidence about any and all of her identities.
- The representation is absolutely fantastic. It's unlike any I've seen before, and I truly loved it. I thought it was especially wonderful that the main character was already in an established QPR at the start of the book.
- The focus on friendship and family, and the message that no type of relationship is superior to others. This book just really centers the message that romantic love is not inherently better than platonic love, and that the only thing that matters is your decision to commit to someone. I especially loved Winnie's relationship with her brother.
- The setting of the book. This book is set in a small town, where Winnie always spends her summers in her grandmother's diner. It gave me real Gilmore Girls vibes, and it just had so much potential for a wonderful summer read.
- The writing. I loved how focused the book was on Winnie herself, and how introspective it was.
The less good:
- The pacing of this book was often choppy. We'd start a new chapter, and it would be completely unclear what the context was. There was no natural flow or logical transition a lot of the time.
- The plot was... confusing. I think this is partly due to the pacing, but it was also just really messy. Of course the plot is very much secondary to the characters here, this being a character driven novel, but still, something needs to actually happen. And actually, quite a lot of things did, but they never really led to much. They weren't described in depth, and ultimately, the book felt like one long introduction to an unfinished story.
- Aside from Winnie, none of the characters were really fleshed out, and I would have really liked to get to know them better, because that would have made Winnie's motivations more clear as well. We know she loves Kara, but we never truly see why. We also know that she likes Dallas, but we never really learn much about him, either. Even Winnie's family has pretty vague characteristics, mostly limited to a few interests, and I thought this was a real shame.
So in the end, there was a lot in this book that really spoke to me. But I'm really sad to say I didn't love it overall, because it was just too messy of a book for me to be able to truly enjoy it. It feels a bit like I've read a draft of a book rather than a finished novel, and I think it could have done with more editing, if I'm very honest.
Rep: Black fat polyamorous queer MC in an open QPR, aroace side character (not confirmed on page), several Black side characters
CWs: racism, fatphobia, emotionally abusive grandparent
I feel pretty conflicted about this book, and I'm so sad about that. I loved Let's Talk About Love, as it was one of the first books where I saw asexuality represented, so I had really high hopes for this one. And I really loved the first part of the book, which was very promising, but then it all sort of went downhill for me.
The good:
- The main character, Winnie. She's truly amazing: a well-rounded, flawed and very interesting character. I really loved the rep, especially because of her confidence about any and all of her identities.
- The representation is absolutely fantastic. It's unlike any I've seen before, and I truly loved it. I thought it was especially wonderful that the main character was already in an established QPR at the start of the book.
- The focus on friendship and family, and the message that no type of relationship is superior to others. This book just really centers the message that romantic love is not inherently better than platonic love, and that the only thing that matters is your decision to commit to someone. I especially loved Winnie's relationship with her brother.
- The setting of the book. This book is set in a small town, where Winnie always spends her summers in her grandmother's diner. It gave me real Gilmore Girls vibes, and it just had so much potential for a wonderful summer read.
- The writing. I loved how focused the book was on Winnie herself, and how introspective it was.
The less good:
- The pacing of this book was often choppy. We'd start a new chapter, and it would be completely unclear what the context was. There was no natural flow or logical transition a lot of the time.
- The plot was... confusing. I think this is partly due to the pacing, but it was also just really messy. Of course the plot is very much secondary to the characters here, this being a character driven novel, but still, something needs to actually happen. And actually, quite a lot of things did, but they never really led to much. They weren't described in depth, and ultimately, the book felt like one long introduction to an unfinished story.
- Aside from Winnie, none of the characters were really fleshed out, and I would have really liked to get to know them better, because that would have made Winnie's motivations more clear as well. We know she loves Kara, but we never truly see why. We also know that she likes Dallas, but we never really learn much about him, either. Even Winnie's family has pretty vague characteristics, mostly limited to a few interests, and I thought this was a real shame.
So in the end, there was a lot in this book that really spoke to me. But I'm really sad to say I didn't love it overall, because it was just too messy of a book for me to be able to truly enjoy it. It feels a bit like I've read a draft of a book rather than a finished novel, and I think it could have done with more editing, if I'm very honest.
Rep: Black fat polyamorous queer MC in an open QPR, aroace side character (not confirmed on page), several Black side characters
CWs: racism, fatphobia, emotionally abusive grandparent