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actuallyjusthanne's reviews
19 reviews
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I've really enjoyed the other books by this author, so I was really excited to pick this up. Ultimately I didn't enjoy this book as much as the other ones she's written--I felt it was a little slow--but I still really enjoyed the overall message and the gorgeous writing that she puts in all her writing.
The book centers around the Marte sisters and their family, their mother and their daughters. The book is narrated by the daughter of the main character, and it chronicles the story of the family's history, from their life back in the Dominican Republic, to present day in New York City. One thing about me is that I am a sucker for stories about women and their legacies, so I did really like the stories that each of the women told about growing up and the struggles that they faced, both moving from their village in the DR to the city, and then from that city to NYC, as well as romantically, navigating relationships with their partners and their parents, raising their children, adjusting to societal expectations, and so forth.
With that being said, I did find the story a little confusing to follow; there were a lot of names and a lot of perspectives to follow that spanned generations with distinct but very similar/parallel lines. Each person had the story of their present day life, as well as their past timeline, which was interjected by the narrator to provide additional context in both written form as well as interview form. I cannot begin to imagine the organizational process that writing this book was--generating a family with backstories of all the characters that interweave inside each other's lives cohesively and presenting their stories--and it was done well; I was just confused. I was able to get enough of the story to follow the main point, and it was still effective, I was just very confused.
Similarly, because there was SO MUCH backstory to follow, I did think that the story was quite slow, and it took me quite a while to get through the story. I kept putting the book down and not wanting to pick it back up because it was so involved, and each of the storylines was relatively distinct. The payoff was really good though: when I reached the end and the whole family got together, it was with the understanding of everyone's stories and how they got to where they are, which was really cool.
Elizabeth Acevedo's writing still shines through like with all her other books: her writing was stunningly poetic, and I loved my experience reading it. There was also an aspect of magic woven in, which was really cool (each of the main characters has a magical aspect that they use). I also liked the discussion on colonialism, abuse, cultural background, religious trauma, sexuality, infertility, and more. There was so much packed into the story and I think it was done really well.
All in all, this was a really lovely book to read, and I would recommend. It's a really good book for reading in the winter I think: slow and cozy but with a lot to think about and unpack.
The book centers around the Marte sisters and their family, their mother and their daughters. The book is narrated by the daughter of the main character, and it chronicles the story of the family's history, from their life back in the Dominican Republic, to present day in New York City. One thing about me is that I am a sucker for stories about women and their legacies, so I did really like the stories that each of the women told about growing up and the struggles that they faced, both moving from their village in the DR to the city, and then from that city to NYC, as well as romantically, navigating relationships with their partners and their parents, raising their children, adjusting to societal expectations, and so forth.
With that being said, I did find the story a little confusing to follow; there were a lot of names and a lot of perspectives to follow that spanned generations with distinct but very similar/parallel lines. Each person had the story of their present day life, as well as their past timeline, which was interjected by the narrator to provide additional context in both written form as well as interview form. I cannot begin to imagine the organizational process that writing this book was--generating a family with backstories of all the characters that interweave inside each other's lives cohesively and presenting their stories--and it was done well; I was just confused. I was able to get enough of the story to follow the main point, and it was still effective, I was just very confused.
Similarly, because there was SO MUCH backstory to follow, I did think that the story was quite slow, and it took me quite a while to get through the story. I kept putting the book down and not wanting to pick it back up because it was so involved, and each of the storylines was relatively distinct. The payoff was really good though: when I reached the end and the whole family got together, it was with the understanding of everyone's stories and how they got to where they are, which was really cool.
Elizabeth Acevedo's writing still shines through like with all her other books: her writing was stunningly poetic, and I loved my experience reading it. There was also an aspect of magic woven in, which was really cool (each of the main characters has a magical aspect that they use). I also liked the discussion on colonialism, abuse, cultural background, religious trauma, sexuality, infertility, and more. There was so much packed into the story and I think it was done really well.
All in all, this was a really lovely book to read, and I would recommend. It's a really good book for reading in the winter I think: slow and cozy but with a lot to think about and unpack.
Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really like how easy these books are to read: I was able to read this one in a day without any difficulty. This book covers Nick and Charlie falling in love and realizing that, which was super sweet. It was more of a slice-of-life kind of book, rather than a plot driven book, so it moved at a slower pace, but it was still fun to read. I liked getting to see more of Nick and Charlie's friends, as well as the progression of their relationship. This book does highlight more of the unrelatable parts (at least to me), of them being in high school/private school in England, but it's a fairly minor aspect of the story in general.
Like the previous one, this book tackles some important topics like realizing one's sexuality, bullying, and coming out. I think that the graphic format of this book allows for portrayal of things like bullying to be put in the forefront and make it more easily discussed, which is really cool.
Overall, this was a fun read, though I am rating it lower because there wasn't a lot of plot. Would still recommend though, and I'm excited to read the next book in the series!
Like the previous one, this book tackles some important topics like realizing one's sexuality, bullying, and coming out. I think that the graphic format of this book allows for portrayal of things like bullying to be put in the forefront and make it more easily discussed, which is really cool.
Overall, this was a fun read, though I am rating it lower because there wasn't a lot of plot. Would still recommend though, and I'm excited to read the next book in the series!
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I have been meaning to start reading this series for AGES now but was intimidated by it being a graphic novel and not being sure whether I would like a book in that format. Turns out, it's not a big deal at all: the story was remarkably easy to get into and the book was so quick to read! I see the hype around this series now and am excited to read more of it.
The messaging of the story was immediately more deep than I expected, tackling subjects like homophobia, coming out, bullying, and taking advantage of people, nearly straight off the bat. Those topics are discussed immediately alongside introducing the characters, and the whole thing is integrated in a very natural and normal way. There wasn't a ton of ground covered: it's a rather short book and there isn't all that much that can be covered over illustrations, but I thought it was a good introduction to the main characters and set up for more of their story.
With that being said, the illustration style is so cute, and I LOVE the way that Nellie the dog is drawn! I'm impressed by how easy it was to tell the different characters apart, and by how intuitive the story was to follow (which, admittedly, was mostly due to my own inexperience in reading graphic novels). I love both Nick and Charlie, and watching their friendship develop over the course of the book was SO cute.
I'm excited to read more of this series!
The messaging of the story was immediately more deep than I expected, tackling subjects like homophobia, coming out, bullying, and taking advantage of people, nearly straight off the bat. Those topics are discussed immediately alongside introducing the characters, and the whole thing is integrated in a very natural and normal way. There wasn't a ton of ground covered: it's a rather short book and there isn't all that much that can be covered over illustrations, but I thought it was a good introduction to the main characters and set up for more of their story.
With that being said, the illustration style is so cute, and I LOVE the way that Nellie the dog is drawn! I'm impressed by how easy it was to tell the different characters apart, and by how intuitive the story was to follow (which, admittedly, was mostly due to my own inexperience in reading graphic novels). I love both Nick and Charlie, and watching their friendship develop over the course of the book was SO cute.
I'm excited to read more of this series!
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have so many thoughts about this book . . . yet I think I hated it?
Yellowface is told from the perspective of both the protagonist and the antagonist, Juniper "June" Song Hayward (cis, plain, white, from philly). At the core of the story, it is a story of living in the shadow of someone with more opportunities and/or privilege, whether by talent or by luck. June was best friends with Athena Liu (asian, pretty, queer, raised internationally): they had the same dreams and desires of being an author and publishing books, but Athena always had more success. Whether that was by skill, luck, or affirmative action, it is unclear to June, but she is deeply envious of Athena.
When Athena dies, June tries to step into her shoes and capitalize off of both being her best friend, as well as the one who takes her idea and publishes a book based off her rough draft, despite the book being about Chinese history and June having no idea what that entails. This opens up a discussion about the publishing industry, and who is allowed to tell what story, and, most interesting to me, whether someone who doesn't have strong cultural ties to a background is the best person to write a story about that background.
The story itself discussed some important topics and was overall interesting but watching the story unravel was so hard. It was a mind exercise to decipher what is truly happening versus what June is perceiving. As the story proceeds, the unreliability of June's narration becomes more and more apparent - everything becomes more and more contradictory and defensive, and whether June has been telling the story truthfully at all comes into play.
June is INCREDIBLY good at justifying each of her decisions, and as the story progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that she is reaching more and more to justify her decisions. Is she really as good of a writer as she claims? Do the parts of Athena's book that she rewrote really fuse into the story as good as she thinks it does? Does her publishing team really support her as much as she thinks they do? From June's perspective, it is all serving her, only BECAUSE she is riding Athena's coattails. She is incredibly self-serving and continuously takes steps to avoid consequences and self-reflection. She simply becomes more and more insufferable and pathetic as the book goes on, and the way that she is pictured in the book is really a testament to the author's writing ability.
June was able to twist her story so much that it made me really consider whether I was as oblivious and as good at making excuses/justifying my bad decisions, and whether or not I am actually being a good person, or am twisting the narrative to make it seem like I am. Of course, I always think that I am the best and I am doing the right thing and responding rationally to the circumstances that surround me, but am I? Are the people in my life watching my life unravel without any self awareness like we watch June's life unravel in this book? Watching her life fall apart was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and it made me think about whether we exist in the context of all in which we live and what came before us, in the words of Kamala Harris. June has done absolutely no personal growth through the entirety of the book, and ends probably a worse person than when she began. She deserved worse, and yet, and I think that this is part of the story, she got off lighter than a person of color would have for the offenses that she committed.
My favorite discussion that this book undertook was the balance about whether Athena was objectively a "good" person or not - we will probably never know, because inevitably, her legacy, her story, was told by June. From June's perspective, Athena was given it all--a good education, skill, a good team, success in publishing--AND was a person of color, which was what was giving her a leg up. The question of whether Athena had the right to write stories about Chinese laborers after being raised in various international boarding schools and attending Yale and ostensibly never truly being "connected" to her Chinese roots was soooo interesting, and I don't know if I have a true opinion on the matter. As well, the discussion of whether Athena herself was a good person was interesting, because of the skewed way that she was portrayed.
I really liked the look into the publishing industry - I have been in the book/book marketing world long enough to know a lot about how it works, but the specific steps that it entails and the people and the money and all of that was really fun to read about. There was also a LOT of online drama in this book, a lot about being cancelled, a lot of doomscrolling on twitter, and such. I found it realistic and fitting, but I feel like a lot of people would hate it lol.
This book is also set in DC, which is my home city, and reading it was really fun! June does a reading at Politics and Prose at the Wharf in DC, one of my favorite indie bookstores in DC, which was so fun to read about, because I could picture it in my head.
I didn't really like how the story ended - I think the weird suspense angle that last quarter of the book took was really odd and didn't tie the story together in a way as satisfying as it could have been. There are so many ways this book could have ended, and I really feel like there could have been much more of an impact made.But isn't that how things go? grifters and hacks still DO profit from what they do in some way, whether that be an intentional benefit. So maybe this book WAS written perfectly, I don't know
I had a really hard time rating this book because objectively it was so well done: it was a super meta book about a writer writing about a writer, and it is very apparent how technically well done it was. However, technically well done doesn't translate to fun to read: the writing and the protagonist's narration was AGONIZING to read. While I understand that it was the exact intent of the author for the story to come across this way, I did not have fun reading this book. In fact, I had to force myself to sit down and read the entire last third of the book, because I knew that if I put the book down at any point, I wouldn't ever pick it up again.
I've never read a book where I hated the narrator and was actively cringing at the writing, and I would still recommend this book, if nothing but to read a masterclass in how a book is written well. I hated it, but it was a good book.
Yellowface is told from the perspective of both the protagonist and the antagonist, Juniper "June" Song Hayward (cis, plain, white, from philly). At the core of the story, it is a story of living in the shadow of someone with more opportunities and/or privilege, whether by talent or by luck. June was best friends with Athena Liu (asian, pretty, queer, raised internationally): they had the same dreams and desires of being an author and publishing books, but Athena always had more success. Whether that was by skill, luck, or affirmative action, it is unclear to June, but she is deeply envious of Athena.
When Athena dies, June tries to step into her shoes and capitalize off of both being her best friend, as well as the one who takes her idea and publishes a book based off her rough draft, despite the book being about Chinese history and June having no idea what that entails. This opens up a discussion about the publishing industry, and who is allowed to tell what story, and, most interesting to me, whether someone who doesn't have strong cultural ties to a background is the best person to write a story about that background.
The story itself discussed some important topics and was overall interesting but watching the story unravel was so hard. It was a mind exercise to decipher what is truly happening versus what June is perceiving. As the story proceeds, the unreliability of June's narration becomes more and more apparent - everything becomes more and more contradictory and defensive, and whether June has been telling the story truthfully at all comes into play.
June is INCREDIBLY good at justifying each of her decisions, and as the story progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that she is reaching more and more to justify her decisions. Is she really as good of a writer as she claims? Do the parts of Athena's book that she rewrote really fuse into the story as good as she thinks it does? Does her publishing team really support her as much as she thinks they do? From June's perspective, it is all serving her, only BECAUSE she is riding Athena's coattails. She is incredibly self-serving and continuously takes steps to avoid consequences and self-reflection. She simply becomes more and more insufferable and pathetic as the book goes on, and the way that she is pictured in the book is really a testament to the author's writing ability.
June was able to twist her story so much that it made me really consider whether I was as oblivious and as good at making excuses/justifying my bad decisions, and whether or not I am actually being a good person, or am twisting the narrative to make it seem like I am. Of course, I always think that I am the best and I am doing the right thing and responding rationally to the circumstances that surround me, but am I? Are the people in my life watching my life unravel without any self awareness like we watch June's life unravel in this book? Watching her life fall apart was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and it made me think about whether we exist in the context of all in which we live and what came before us, in the words of Kamala Harris. June has done absolutely no personal growth through the entirety of the book, and ends probably a worse person than when she began. She deserved worse, and yet, and I think that this is part of the story, she got off lighter than a person of color would have for the offenses that she committed.
My favorite discussion that this book undertook was the balance about whether Athena was objectively a "good" person or not - we will probably never know, because inevitably, her legacy, her story, was told by June. From June's perspective, Athena was given it all--a good education, skill, a good team, success in publishing--AND was a person of color, which was what was giving her a leg up. The question of whether Athena had the right to write stories about Chinese laborers after being raised in various international boarding schools and attending Yale and ostensibly never truly being "connected" to her Chinese roots was soooo interesting, and I don't know if I have a true opinion on the matter. As well, the discussion of whether Athena herself was a good person was interesting, because of the skewed way that she was portrayed.
I really liked the look into the publishing industry - I have been in the book/book marketing world long enough to know a lot about how it works, but the specific steps that it entails and the people and the money and all of that was really fun to read about. There was also a LOT of online drama in this book, a lot about being cancelled, a lot of doomscrolling on twitter, and such. I found it realistic and fitting, but I feel like a lot of people would hate it lol.
This book is also set in DC, which is my home city, and reading it was really fun! June does a reading at Politics and Prose at the Wharf in DC, one of my favorite indie bookstores in DC, which was so fun to read about, because I could picture it in my head.
I didn't really like how the story ended - I think the weird suspense angle that last quarter of the book took was really odd and didn't tie the story together in a way as satisfying as it could have been. There are so many ways this book could have ended, and I really feel like there could have been much more of an impact made.
I had a really hard time rating this book because objectively it was so well done: it was a super meta book about a writer writing about a writer, and it is very apparent how technically well done it was. However, technically well done doesn't translate to fun to read: the writing and the protagonist's narration was AGONIZING to read. While I understand that it was the exact intent of the author for the story to come across this way, I did not have fun reading this book. In fact, I had to force myself to sit down and read the entire last third of the book, because I knew that if I put the book down at any point, I wouldn't ever pick it up again.
I've never read a book where I hated the narrator and was actively cringing at the writing, and I would still recommend this book, if nothing but to read a masterclass in how a book is written well. I hated it, but it was a good book.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was so fun! Its the first time I have read a book so close to its release date and it was so fun! I hadn't known about this release (because I've been horrible at keeping track of upcoming releases) so finding out at the start of the month was a really fun surprise. I read it all in one day (which is something I haven't done in MONTHS) and overall just had a really good time with this book.
I've read all the books Holly Jackson has released (as far as I can tell) and the main thing that impressed me about this book was how clearly she has defined her craft since she started publishing books. I can see aspects from the AGGTM trilogyESPECIALLY As Good As Dead as well as from Five Survive. I still think the AGGTM trilogy was more engaging, but I really did enjoy reading this book.
The story is based off a reversal of the standard true crime story: instead of covering a disappearance, it covers the reappearance of the stereotypical white young woman. Bel, the main character and daughter of the missing person, is the narrator and protagonist, and the whole story is told from her perspective.
The pacing is the most similar to AGGTM or maybe Good Girl, Bad Blood: it used slice of life with character development to develop the story, in my perspective. It never felt like the story was dragging, yet it was also not particularly fast paced. It felt really realistic (or at least, however realistic a thriller book can be), and all the steps lined up really logically. There were a few plot holes that I wonder about, and I felt like the ending was too rushed to be truly realistic, but that is fairly par for the course with this genre of book. The author's interview at the end of the book said that the original manuscript was much longer, and this book was cut down from that, and I really think that I could pick out spots where background was omitted or things were implied that really didn't make all that much sense.
The character development throughout this book was really well done: both Bel and Rachel grew up significantly over the course of this book, even though it may have been only a few weeks. The length of time that they were separated by and the familiar-yet-unfamiliar dynamic was done really well in my opinion. The process of them getting to know each other, and the healthy distrust of each other was so realistic that I could understand the entire thought process of what happened, despite it being obviously a very nonrealistic scenario.The process of Rachel calling her Bel and her calling Rachel mom was SO GOOD (even if I thought it was just a tiny bit overdone LOL - the number of 'Anna-B-Bel's I read REALLY started to get annoying by the time they stopped), and its impact was incredible
I was also happy that this was a family drama book, instead of a high school drama book: I really think that I am just too old for those now, and no matter how much I try to care about high school drama, books centering around it are starting to feel really juvenile to me. Of course, I've also been saying that for at least 5 years now, so who knows when that will become actually true and/or that feeling will wear off. It being a family centered book made it easier to follow along with the characters, which was really nice for me (lol) and it also made the whole story feel more well-rounded.
One thing I do wish was developed more was the relationship between Bel and Ash: they had so much potential to be cute and fun together with good banter, but there really wasn't enough scenes with them together. I wished theB plot of Bel and Ash trying to solve the mystery together was leaned on more heavily: those scenes were so fun!
Circling back to the juvenile YA books, I didn't really love Bel's personality. She seemed too immature in my eyes, and made many questionable decisions.When she was breaking into/watching Rachel break into Grandpa's house, WHY THE HELL DID SHE DECIDE TO RUN CLOSER TO THE HOUSE AND GET SPOTTED?????? COULDN'T SHE JUST HAVE WAITED TO SEE IF RACHEL CAME OUT WITH ANYTHING IN HER HANDS???????? but also in the exact same instance, how did Rachel expect to go and erase the tracks of her pencil markings in 50+ books in a couple hours????? like GIRL how did you think you were going to do that??? . Also the fact that she was a klepto was REALLY glazed over too quickly. I really didn't understand it, and to be honest, I think it was a plot point that should've been left on the cutting room floor.
My favorite character in this book was DEFINITELY Rachel: as the story progressed and we (Bel) get to know her more, she is more and more interesting, and I was so invested in the time she spent away.Her revealing the things that she endured/did after getting out was so impressive and definitely Mastermind-coded , and her obvious love for Bel and Carter and how well rounded she was even after being kidnapped was so cute.
Obviously, there were a bunch of heavier topics discussed (kidnapping being the first one). None of it was particularly descriptive, but there were a couple scenes that were more vivid than most. The three that stick out to me wasthe stalker attacking Bel inside her house, the description of the gaslighting that Charlie was doing, and the chase that Charlie did when he got released . Aside from those, any violence was pretty lowkey. I do wish there was a bit more diversity in the book - I believe that other than Ramsey the documentary producer, all of the characters were white (which does make sense, given that it is a family story). I did like the inclusion of Grandpa with dementia in this book - I don't think I've read another book where a character with dementia is part of the story (albeit only slightly), so that was fun.
The ending was so satisfying and it was so fun seeing all the puzzle pieces come together. As aforementioned, I do think that the entire ending(aka the entire family's secrets coming unraveled) happening in one night was REALLY quick, but also, it was realistic for the circumstances. I find it really hard to believe that Carter would turn her back on BOTH of her parents as quickly as she did, with proof from . . . Rachel . . . who literally just showed up at her house 2 weeks ago???? but it sure did make the story wrap up nicely LOL.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a solid read and I really hope it gets me out of this weird years-long slump that I've been in lol. It was so fun to read a book in a day again!
I've read all the books Holly Jackson has released (as far as I can tell) and the main thing that impressed me about this book was how clearly she has defined her craft since she started publishing books. I can see aspects from the AGGTM trilogy
The story is based off a reversal of the standard true crime story: instead of covering a disappearance, it covers the reappearance of the stereotypical white young woman. Bel, the main character and daughter of the missing person, is the narrator and protagonist, and the whole story is told from her perspective.
The pacing is the most similar to AGGTM or maybe Good Girl, Bad Blood: it used slice of life with character development to develop the story, in my perspective. It never felt like the story was dragging, yet it was also not particularly fast paced. It felt really realistic (or at least, however realistic a thriller book can be), and all the steps lined up really logically. There were a few plot holes that I wonder about, and I felt like the ending was too rushed to be truly realistic, but that is fairly par for the course with this genre of book. The author's interview at the end of the book said that the original manuscript was much longer, and this book was cut down from that, and I really think that I could pick out spots where background was omitted or things were implied that really didn't make all that much sense.
The character development throughout this book was really well done: both Bel and Rachel grew up significantly over the course of this book, even though it may have been only a few weeks. The length of time that they were separated by and the familiar-yet-unfamiliar dynamic was done really well in my opinion. The process of them getting to know each other, and the healthy distrust of each other was so realistic that I could understand the entire thought process of what happened, despite it being obviously a very nonrealistic scenario.
I was also happy that this was a family drama book, instead of a high school drama book: I really think that I am just too old for those now, and no matter how much I try to care about high school drama, books centering around it are starting to feel really juvenile to me. Of course, I've also been saying that for at least 5 years now, so who knows when that will become actually true and/or that feeling will wear off. It being a family centered book made it easier to follow along with the characters, which was really nice for me (lol) and it also made the whole story feel more well-rounded.
One thing I do wish was developed more was the relationship between Bel and Ash: they had so much potential to be cute and fun together with good banter, but there really wasn't enough scenes with them together. I wished the
Circling back to the juvenile YA books, I didn't really love Bel's personality. She seemed too immature in my eyes, and made many questionable decisions.
My favorite character in this book was DEFINITELY Rachel: as the story progressed and we (Bel) get to know her more, she is more and more interesting, and I was so invested in the time she spent away.
Obviously, there were a bunch of heavier topics discussed (kidnapping being the first one). None of it was particularly descriptive, but there were a couple scenes that were more vivid than most. The three that stick out to me was
The ending was so satisfying and it was so fun seeing all the puzzle pieces come together. As aforementioned, I do think that the entire ending
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a solid read and I really hope it gets me out of this weird years-long slump that I've been in lol. It was so fun to read a book in a day again!
The Martian by Andy Weir
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Contrary to most other movie/book pairings, I watched the movie of this book before I read it, which actually improved the experience for me? I don't know whether I would have picked up this book had I not watched the movie. I was browsing Libby looking for something that I would want to read and came across this book, so I borrowed it and read it all in one day. The main thing going for this book is that the writing style flows super easily and how easy it is to read: it is written very conversationally in various journal entries/logs from the point of view of the main character.
The writing style worked super well for this book: there was a lot of complicated science/tech language, some of which I understood, some of which I didn't. It was explained well I think, and in a way that it wasn't necessary to understand the science to understand the rest of the book, which is key in writing complicated sci-fi. The narrator is witty and makes his day to day interesting, and the plot and storyline moves super quickly.
The premise of the book was simple, yet interesting to follow. The stakes were sky high (lol, literally) and at every opportunity, there was a possibility of things going very very wrong. It was super interesting to see each subsequent challenge that came up and how he dealt with the issue in a self-deprecatingly funny yet super smart way.
My favorite part of this book was definitely the humor: the story is so easy to follow and is humorously written., which makes it really fun and easy to read, even though the topics/concepts it cover are a little/pretty dense.
To contrast, my least favorite part of the book was the weird sexist remarks. There were some remarks that were like oh okay this is just how Dudes be but then there were some remarks that were like . . . are you an incel, are you good? There was a whole passage about how he was doing some thinking about women "[. . .] if I could have <i>anything</i>, it would be for the green-skinned yet beautiful Queen of Mars to rescue me so she can learn more about this Earth thing called "lovemaking." It's been a log time since I've seen a woman. Just sayin'" (and then he continues). I'm not sure how to explain it, but some of the dialogue and messaging about women were a little sus.
In the same vein, there were a few particularly egregious passages where one guy's (heavily implied) autism was commented on pretty glaringly (including the words "childlike smile" and "beamed" as well as another guy's German accent/stereotyping was super strong. Not a huge fan about that.
I don't know what about it was the issue, but the random passages in third person kind of gave me the ick? like in the passage wherethe canvas popped and there was a whole passage about the actions of the canvas????? Reading that passage kinda really gave me the ick lol. I think it was how jarring the tone shift was that was the issue. There were a few other passages similar, and I also didn't like them, but they weren't as sus as that one.
All in all this book was really fun to read! It isn't one of my favorite books of all time, but it is definitely one that I would be interested in rereading again some day and is a good one that I would recommend to others.
The writing style worked super well for this book: there was a lot of complicated science/tech language, some of which I understood, some of which I didn't. It was explained well I think, and in a way that it wasn't necessary to understand the science to understand the rest of the book, which is key in writing complicated sci-fi. The narrator is witty and makes his day to day interesting, and the plot and storyline moves super quickly.
The premise of the book was simple, yet interesting to follow. The stakes were sky high (lol, literally) and at every opportunity, there was a possibility of things going very very wrong. It was super interesting to see each subsequent challenge that came up and how he dealt with the issue in a self-deprecatingly funny yet super smart way.
My favorite part of this book was definitely the humor: the story is so easy to follow and is humorously written., which makes it really fun and easy to read, even though the topics/concepts it cover are a little/pretty dense.
To contrast, my least favorite part of the book was the weird sexist remarks. There were some remarks that were like oh okay this is just how Dudes be but then there were some remarks that were like . . . are you an incel, are you good? There was a whole passage about how he was doing some thinking about women "[. . .] if I could have <i>anything</i>, it would be for the green-skinned yet beautiful Queen of Mars to rescue me so she can learn more about this Earth thing called "lovemaking." It's been a log time since I've seen a woman. Just sayin'" (and then he continues). I'm not sure how to explain it, but some of the dialogue and messaging about women were a little sus.
In the same vein, there were a few particularly egregious passages where one guy's (heavily implied) autism was commented on pretty glaringly (including the words "childlike smile" and "beamed" as well as another guy's German accent/stereotyping was super strong. Not a huge fan about that.
I don't know what about it was the issue, but the random passages in third person kind of gave me the ick? like in the passage where
All in all this book was really fun to read! It isn't one of my favorite books of all time, but it is definitely one that I would be interested in rereading again some day and is a good one that I would recommend to others.
Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I hate to say this but . . . JLB has failed me. This second book was even less interesting to me than the first book. Most of the criticisms I had about it remain the same (premise doesn't really have any stakes, too many characters all with their personal drama, being shamed in society being the main reason any of them were compelled to do anything, Sawyer's character being inconsistent), and yet this book held my attention even worse than the first one.
I do feel like I would have been more invested in this book had I been able to keep track of who was who and who was related to who, because then I would be able to keep the different plot points straight.However, it doesn't help that who was related to who and the circumspect ways that they went about that was a major plot point in the book. The final reveal of no one is anyone's parents that they thought and everyone is kind of connected and not connected at the same time really threw me for a loop and to me wasn't a viable payoff to having read the whole book/two books .
To be honest, this book somehow took the uninteresting premise from the first one and made it even boring: the flash forward scenes in this book weren't as interesting, the stakes of the suspensy part weren't as high, and the characters were even more flat. The plot twists weren't very interesting and I honestly just never understood what everyone was going on about.
If you are interested in reading this duology, I would say to just read We Were Liars and be done with it. These two books really aren't worth your time. Go read The Inheritance Games!
I do feel like I would have been more invested in this book had I been able to keep track of who was who and who was related to who, because then I would be able to keep the different plot points straight.
To be honest, this book somehow took the uninteresting premise from the first one and made it even boring: the flash forward scenes in this book weren't as interesting, the stakes of the suspensy part weren't as high, and the characters were even more flat. The plot twists weren't very interesting and I honestly just never understood what everyone was going on about.
If you are interested in reading this duology, I would say to just read We Were Liars and be done with it. These two books really aren't worth your time. Go read The Inheritance Games!
Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I saw this as an random option on Libby with no other context for it, downloaded it, and read it in a day. For being that, I thought it was a pretty interesting read, fast paced and easy to follow.
In particular, I didn't realize that the book was set in the winter in Pittsburgh, and it was a particularly relatable scenario for me personally, as I'd had various Traveling Adventures getting into Pittsburgh driving on I-78 earlier this month. In that regard, I thought this book was really fun and I had a good time following the adventures that Mira and the others got into.
The story reminded me a lot of Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I understand this book came out before it, but nonetheless, while I was reading this book, I kept feeling like I had already come across a book just like it. The whole roadtrip, the personification of Mira vs the main character in that book, the ""major"" plot twist, the five people aspect, it was all very similar.
I enjoyed the story for the majority of the book, but unfortunately the ending fell a little flat for me. I'd already figured out the majority of the "plot twist" thanks to the flash forward 'letter', and I had a good idea of who the suspect/culprit was, because of the one scene.As the letters were getting interesting, Josh piped up with "I WROTE LETTERS ONCE" and then proceeded to mention nothing else about it???? HUH . The ending felt super rushed: the whole book had been building up to this huge reveal, only for it to be like a page long and end super unsatisfyingly.
I have so many questions about the ending:how did Mira end up at a hospital/how did she get reunited with her mom? whatever happened to the guy who they ran over? did she ever apologize/speak to the other people in the car again? and on and on. I really enjoyed the book overall, but the ending ruined the book for me, because it was so unsatisfying. I also didn't really enjoy that the whole premise of the book was just some random guy's random obsessive stalking??? like what was the POINT? no background? just some dude being a creep?? . I did really like the flash-forward letters (though I think its been thoroughly established that I enjoy suspense books where the antagonist's perspective is seen).
There was also a lot of personal background of Mira's that was building up over the course of the book that was left unanswered: the reason that she was going home for Christmas was to see her family and help her mom navigate their complicated family dynamics, but after the Big Scene at the end, none of the family issue was brought up again?? I feel CHEATED. Why was I made to be so emotionally invested in this girl's family only for it to not even pay off in the end.
All in all, for being a quick one-day read, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think the story was particularly well done (if you want to read a book with a similar vibe, just go read Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I didn't love that book much either but I liked it more than this!), but it was a fine one to read to pass time.
In particular, I didn't realize that the book was set in the winter in Pittsburgh, and it was a particularly relatable scenario for me personally, as I'd had various Traveling Adventures getting into Pittsburgh driving on I-78 earlier this month. In that regard, I thought this book was really fun and I had a good time following the adventures that Mira and the others got into.
The story reminded me a lot of Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I understand this book came out before it, but nonetheless, while I was reading this book, I kept feeling like I had already come across a book just like it. The whole roadtrip, the personification of Mira vs the main character in that book, the ""major"" plot twist, the five people aspect, it was all very similar.
I enjoyed the story for the majority of the book, but unfortunately the ending fell a little flat for me. I'd already figured out the majority of the "plot twist" thanks to the flash forward 'letter', and I had a good idea of who the suspect/culprit was, because of the one scene.
I have so many questions about the ending:
There was also a lot of personal background of Mira's that was building up over the course of the book that was left unanswered: the reason that she was going home for Christmas was to see her family and help her mom navigate their complicated family dynamics, but after the Big Scene at the end, none of the family issue was brought up again?? I feel CHEATED. Why was I made to be so emotionally invested in this girl's family only for it to not even pay off in the end.
All in all, for being a quick one-day read, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think the story was particularly well done (if you want to read a book with a similar vibe, just go read Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I didn't love that book much either but I liked it more than this!), but it was a fine one to read to pass time.
Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Anything Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes, I will read (except for that one spy series that apparently dropped off halfway through the series with a cliff hanger?). Unfortunately, this one didn't hit for me. I just wasn't interested in any of the plot. The premise Sawyer looking for her father already wasn't very interesting to me, but then the story didn't particularly catch my attention either. This was further complicated by the fact that nearly the entire book was people talking to other people and finding out they were related to other people, and I AM BAD AT NAMES. I was soooo deeply confused until at least 70% of the way through the book, and honestly, what's left after that?
One thing I did find interesting about this book was the timestamped flash-forward chapters. I liked how the story was leading forward up until that part, and figuring out pieces of the story that led up to the flash-forward part. However, due to aforementioned never-really-interested-in-the-story, once I got up to the future part, it wasn't really a jaw dropping plot twist, it was more of an "oh. makes sense."
If I had to summarize this book, it would be "we were liars" except everything is more boring and the stakes are lower. There was so much of this book that was focused on "what would XYZ say!" and overall being shamed in society, and what people would think, what people would say, and so on.
I also didn't really appreciate the inconsistency in Sawyer's character. It makes sense that she would get bought out by a half-million dollar trust, but then to go from "I'm independent and no one can touch me" to fitting in perfectly with the debutantes and wearing dresses, with only a few mentions of "i am so quirky and unique i don't know how to behave at the SPA whAteVer sHaLl I dO" didn't really make sense to me. I would have liked to see her work more behind the scenes to 'take it down' or something.
I did like the mystery/suspensy part of the book,where Campbell tries to take down her wormy senator father but I felt like that part was glossed over and not utilized to its full potential. I KNOW JLB can write good suspense! She'd already written the Naturals when she wrote this! and she would go on to write The Inheritance Games! but this book didn't have ANY of that. The plot was super weak, and while I could see aspects of her writing in this book, I was just never invested.
There were definitely aspects of this book that made me go "oh, JLB wrote this book" but overall, this book just felt . . . flat. Usually, her books are super easy to get invested in because they are so sensory filled, with a lot of descriptions of every sense, but this one was a lot of "tell don't show" in my opinion. I never really understood the setting, or what was going on, and to be honest I was confused for a lot of the book, both about what was going on, and who was who.
All in all, this isn't a JLB book I would recommend. I am still going to read Deadly Little Secrets, but The Naturals/The Inheritance Games series by her is so much more fun.
One thing I did find interesting about this book was the timestamped flash-forward chapters. I liked how the story was leading forward up until that part, and figuring out pieces of the story that led up to the flash-forward part. However, due to aforementioned never-really-interested-in-the-story, once I got up to the future part, it wasn't really a jaw dropping plot twist, it was more of an "oh. makes sense."
If I had to summarize this book, it would be "we were liars" except everything is more boring and the stakes are lower. There was so much of this book that was focused on "what would XYZ say!" and overall being shamed in society, and what people would think, what people would say, and so on.
I also didn't really appreciate the inconsistency in Sawyer's character. It makes sense that she would get bought out by a half-million dollar trust, but then to go from "I'm independent and no one can touch me" to fitting in perfectly with the debutantes and wearing dresses, with only a few mentions of "i am so quirky and unique i don't know how to behave at the SPA whAteVer sHaLl I dO" didn't really make sense to me. I would have liked to see her work more behind the scenes to 'take it down' or something.
I did like the mystery/suspensy part of the book,
There were definitely aspects of this book that made me go "oh, JLB wrote this book" but overall, this book just felt . . . flat. Usually, her books are super easy to get invested in because they are so sensory filled, with a lot of descriptions of every sense, but this one was a lot of "tell don't show" in my opinion. I never really understood the setting, or what was going on, and to be honest I was confused for a lot of the book, both about what was going on, and who was who.
All in all, this isn't a JLB book I would recommend. I am still going to read Deadly Little Secrets, but The Naturals/The Inheritance Games series by her is so much more fun.
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