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A review by freemindwriting_jelena
The Takedown by Lily Chu
Did not finish book.
DNF
I spent 4 hours listening to this audiobook, and I truly can’t continue any longer. Admittedly, part of the problem lies with my expectations—I was hoping for a light, romantic comedy to unwind with, but instead, I got a preachy addressing of social justice issues.
While I agree that the topics discussed in the book are important, the execution is so slow and painful. I can’t recall the last time I read about such one-dimensional characters. The "bad guys" are almost cartoonish, and the MC is self-righteous, irritating, and full of opinions on how everyone else should live their lives, yet she can't even stand up to her own mother.
I wanted to DNF the book much sooner, but I said to myself to keep an open mind, hoping that the character development might improve and reveal some complexity. Unfortunately, that's still not happening, and I simply can’t devote 11 hours of my life to a book that frustrates me this much.
I don't even want to mention the love interest, who has as much personality as a lamp in the corner of a room—the MC could have just talked to a mirror and achieved the same effect. The narrator speaks too quickly, but this is easily fixed by slowing down the speed. Otherwise, her performance is excellent, which is perhaps the only redeeming quality of this experience. And it started so good!
I spent 4 hours listening to this audiobook, and I truly can’t continue any longer. Admittedly, part of the problem lies with my expectations—I was hoping for a light, romantic comedy to unwind with, but instead, I got a preachy addressing of social justice issues.
While I agree that the topics discussed in the book are important, the execution is so slow and painful. I can’t recall the last time I read about such one-dimensional characters. The "bad guys" are almost cartoonish, and the MC is self-righteous, irritating, and full of opinions on how everyone else should live their lives, yet she can't even stand up to her own mother.
I wanted to DNF the book much sooner, but I said to myself to keep an open mind, hoping that the character development might improve and reveal some complexity. Unfortunately, that's still not happening, and I simply can’t devote 11 hours of my life to a book that frustrates me this much.
I don't even want to mention the love interest, who has as much personality as a lamp in the corner of a room—the MC could have just talked to a mirror and achieved the same effect. The narrator speaks too quickly, but this is easily fixed by slowing down the speed. Otherwise, her performance is excellent, which is perhaps the only redeeming quality of this experience. And it started so good!