brunettebookcomplex's reviews
4 reviews

Normal People by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective tense 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

4.75

Another BookTok find, but better written than most. Extremely character driven and the cool to read in a coffee shop. Sally Rooney books help you romanticize your life to the point of narcissism. This book indicates that it's okay to think that you're better than everyone else. Certified hot academia girl read.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

5.0

The story follows an anonymous and psychotic "it girl" as she manipulates the people around her and attempts to sleep through a year with the help of heavy prescriptions from a suspicious psychiatrist. Reading comes with a risk of possibly dissociating, but I think it's worth it. 

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

It's actually funny, which makes you realize that any other "funny" books are trying too hard. With a dual timeline showing a crumbling engagement; this book makes divorce seem like a more suitable option. Also reinforces the belief that you're not obligated to like your mother-in-law or pretend to do so.

Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.75

This book was like a little roast turkey for my brain to pick apart. It had some indescribable quality (dare I say, je ne sais quoi) that I rarely find; it makes you think and reflect. This is the kind of writing that sticks with you. The content of the book was incredible, but Dolly Alderton is also great at delivering it in a way that keeps an audience yearning for more stories from her youth or life lessons to be shared. Something I think is executed brilliantly in this book is how she writes from different perspectives (at different ages) and her tone shifts. This made reading the book all the more entertaining, in addition to the funny takes and ridiculous life stories that Dolly Alderton seems to have endless bounds of. She also writes about the value of female friendship, which is often overlooked and not discussed enough. I would go as far as to say that the biggest takeaway from this book is that the love found in friendships is just as significant as any kind of romantic love. To summarize, this book is a must-read, especially for anyone in their adolescence and especially for women. And anyone that is past adolescence or knows a woman. Basically, everyone should read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol