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alexamidala's Reviews (235)
A must read for true crime fans and critics alike. As someone who has consumed more than their fair share of true crime content, the opening lines of this novel will stick with me for awhile. I really enjoyed reading Clark's portrayal of teenage girlhood. It was absolutely spot on. If you were in the trenches of Tumblr before the Yahoo acquisition, parts of this book will definitely resonate with you...possibly to an uncomfortable degree. Penance is an absolutely heartbreaking story, told in an amazingly creative way.
Bright Young Women is a fictionalized retelling of the Ted Bundy murders that took place in Florida in the seventies. I took so much away from this novel and was deeply impacted by many of the characters, particularly Ruth. The way she grappled with the trauma inflicted upon her by her mother really resonated with me. This was an extremely moving novel, and while I loved its queer perspectives, I do wish the author included more diverse characters. I can only read about rich, white Ivy League students for so long.
3.5 rounded down. This book is based on a real, unsolved mass-poisoning that happened in France in the 1950s. When I read the synopsis, I was instantly intrigued; however, the entire novel left me wanting more. I loved the way the story felt like a hypnotic fever dream, but I wished it would have gotten weirder, faster. There were scenes that I really enjoyed, but there were too many passages that felt unnecessary and repetitive. Overall, it was just okay, but I loved Mackintosh's writing style and will definitely be reading more from her in the future.
Sweetbitter tells the story of Tess, a twenty-something who moves to New York City and becomes a backwaiter at a high-end restaurant. This book really captures the ephemeral nature of working in the food service industry, where your coworkers are your family, but only for the short period of time in which you remain coworkers. I loved so many of the characters. They all felt so authentic. While I was deeply engrossed in this novel, I had to knock a star off because I absolutely hated Tess’ love interest. Jake was so bland and I do not understand why the author dedicated so much of the novel to him. I also felt the ending could have been a little stronger.
3.5 rounded up. This book was difficult to rate. I loved aspects of it and thought it was a super interesting story, but I don't know if I would say reading it was enjoyable. Dogs of Summer is a slice of life novel about a girl's sexual awakening and her obsession with her best friend. Reading it felt like having a child ramble to you for hours. Abreu really does an amazing job of emulating the voice of a young girl. But this book was so disgusting. Puking and shitting the entire time. The narrator is literally named Shit. Part of me appreciates its vulgarity, because I don't think women are depicted as gross little freaks enough in media, but it was still an uncomfortable story to read. I do think this one has the potential to grow on me as I reflect on it, however.
2.5 rounded down. On three separate occasions I tried to read this novel, but I kept returning it to the library because the opening just wasn't for me. Finally, I read it in its entirety and I have to say, it never got much better. I typically love weird books that don't have much plot, but Brutes just left me wondering if I missed something. I'm giving it a 2.5 instead of a 1 or 2 because I enjoyed a few aspects of the novel. Tate can clearly write beautiful prose and there were many gorgeous passages throughout the story. I also liked the setting. Who doesn't love a visit to Holy Land popping up in a book? I thought the parallels to the Epstein case were really well done, as well. I just wished I didn't have to wait until the last 30 pages of the book for things to get interesting.
In I'm a Fan, an unnamed narrator describes her fixation with a man she can't have and his influencer ex-girlfriend. I thought Patel had many intriguing things to say about art, feminism, colonialism, and social media, but those insights were few and far between. A majority of this novel was focused on her wanting to be with a man who is a total asshole and doesn't care about her. Those chapters made the novel extremely repetitive and frustrating to read. I loved the nuggets of insightful social commentary, but the passages about her relationship were pretty painful to read.
Thank you for always telling it like it is, Carrie. We miss you.
A funny little book with some surprisingly sincere insights. How can you go wrong with a book written by America's most famous and beloved model/actresses?