books_baking_brews's reviews
230 reviews

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you like to periodically ask, "Wait, what?!" while reading. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is the right book for you.

In this book, we have an unreliable male narrator (the first twist of many)! He drinks too much, doesn't sleep enough, and is definitely hiding something. You know the type. This one really grabbed my attention from the start. But, while it started with a fantastic premise, it slowly descended into being absolutely bonkers. I feel like Feeney used every thriller trick in the book, and it worked. I was hooked, and I had to know how it ended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 (3.5 out of 5 stars for this twisty page turner of a read.)

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lescure really pulled something off here. I mean I just didn't like a single character. They were terrible to each other and the people they were supposed to be there for. They used each other and people in their paths so thoughtlessly. The worst by far was Sloan. They are all thwarted by missed opportunities and longing to feel special and to distinguish themselves as such; I don't think they ever knew contentment, and that sort of conniving, grasping nature is hard to read. But despite your dislike you keep reading because it's sorta like watching a train wreck and the backdrop is so interesting and by the end you think what just happened here. This book covers a lot: the undercurrents, or in some cases "over" currents, of how expats move to a country and use it and lay claim to it without ever really having to suffer for it, without ever truly loving it outside of what it can get for them; the impact of China's one-child policy and the "re-education" of urban youth policy--the so-called lost generation; the fetishizing of Asian women; and the idolization of Americanness. It's all in there plus more.

Content Warnings