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capuletsbirdie's reviews
183 reviews
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
2.0
The writing in this is strong. I enjoyed reading the book because I found the dialogue and description realistic and enjoyable enough that somehow, I couldn't put it down! I just couldn't. I finished it in two days, of which both days were work days. Maybe it was because some of what has been said and described, I could relate to. Maybe the story was just set up to be intriguing and compelling.
Having said that, however, I have to mention how I did not like the characters much, if not at all. I don't think it was necessarily the point - to make the characters angels and likeable. Some people are probably really like that and that in itself could be a point for realistic characterisation. But all the characters' actions in this book really don't align with my values at all so it's hard for me to feel empathy so I felt emotionally dissociated from them. But again, maybe this was supposed to be the outcome?
Other than that, I didn't mind that the book didn't have quotation marks for the dialogue as it "forced" me to read everything without skipping to the dialogue. Somehow, that's a habit of mine that I'm working on, so taking away the quotation marks was a good thing for my reading experience.
And please, for the love of God, put a trigger warning! Self-harm.
Having said that, however, I have to mention how I did not like the characters much, if not at all. I don't think it was necessarily the point - to make the characters angels and likeable. Some people are probably really like that and that in itself could be a point for realistic characterisation. But all the characters' actions in this book really don't align with my values at all so it's hard for me to feel empathy so I felt emotionally dissociated from them. But again, maybe this was supposed to be the outcome?
Other than that, I didn't mind that the book didn't have quotation marks for the dialogue as it "forced" me to read everything without skipping to the dialogue. Somehow, that's a habit of mine that I'm working on, so taking away the quotation marks was a good thing for my reading experience.
And please, for the love of God, put a trigger warning! Self-harm.
Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav
2.0
2.5 stars
I expected more. some pieces were quite nice to read but most often than not I felt like I was scrolling through Tumblr in 2013 again reading relatable break-up posts. Maybe I am not a fan of this type of poetry anymore? Maybe I grew out of it. Maybe I'm too happy to sit in my feelings of loss.
I expected more. some pieces were quite nice to read but most often than not I felt like I was scrolling through Tumblr in 2013 again reading relatable break-up posts. Maybe I am not a fan of this type of poetry anymore? Maybe I grew out of it. Maybe I'm too happy to sit in my feelings of loss.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
spectacular, compelling, heartbreaking. I forget Evelyn Hugo doesn't exist because she felt so real. one of my favourite reads this year
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
3.0
It was a quick read, I finished it in one go. Whatever I expected this book to be, this was not that. It was indeed a "nasty little nugget of terror" as described by the author himself.
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
2.0
I expected essays, ended up with lists. Unfortunately just an empty influencer style book. Either I really don't like self-help books, or this one in particular just really wasn't for me.