Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow tells the story of two childhood friends, Sadie and Sam, who bonded over games as children and later reconnect to create video games together. Part contemporary/coming-of-age, part fictional tech company origin story, this book jumps back and forth in time to tell the story of the creative and intimate lives of two best friends turned business partners.

The writing in this book was very strong. This was my first experience with Gabrielle Zevin's writing and I was really impressed. There were some chapters written almost in prose and others written within the game worlds the characters created, which I felt was a really cool choice. I made it easy to understand that the perspective had shifted, even if it wasn't blatantly stated. I saw other reviewers mention this isn't as good as other novels Zevin has written, and that honestly makes me excited to read more of her work.

I don't know anything about video game creation and programming, but I didn't feel isolated or lost by my lack of expertise. The heart of the story is in the relationships, not so much the specifics of game design and references. There are also little moments in this book that I didn't initially catch on to, but later realized were bits of foreshadowing that pulled me into the story. There were definitely some slower chapters, but overall I was invested in the characters and how their experiences colored their relationship.

The Heart of the Deal by Lindsay MacMillan

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reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

The Heart of the Deal centers on Rae, a woman in her mid-twenties working in the all-consuming world of Wall Street finance but who dreams of one day becoming a published poet. The book follows her from her 25th birthday as she attempts to hold on to her very structured timeline for the future while navigating love and relationships as a young adult.

I agree with other reviews that while this feels like it would be a rom-com of sorts, it absolutely isn’t. There are charming moments, but it’s a more serious take on love in your twenties. I enjoyed and related to her struggles to take the jump and dive into her dream career when she had the stability, however draining and soul-crushing, of her Wall Street job.

I wanted to like this book. I think if I was younger and not weeks from turning 30, I may have had more empathy and understanding for Rae’s fears of being unwed at 30. It feels like a very immature view on love, but maybe that was a very conscious choice on the part of the author. I also struggled with the way depression was handled in this book. It sometimes seemed to be somewhat romanticized and at other times trivialized or completely misunderstood. Again, I’m unsure if this was a purposeful choice by the author to show Rae’s naïveté about the subject, so I can’t fault the book for the parts that didn’t connect with me. It could very well be a case of me being the wrong audience for The Heart of the Deal.

End of the World House by Adrienne Celt

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-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

3.25

End of the World House centers on Bertie, a corporate cartoonist, and her close but fractured friendship with Kate. The friends travel to Paris during the middle of the end of the world, amidst climate disaster and worldwide terrorism. But something is off. It begins to feel like Bertie is stuck in a loop, living the same day over and over again.

I really enjoyed the concepts that were brought in End of the World House. It was a really new experience for me and held its cards close to the chest for more than half of the novel. The book was a mix between Groundhogs Day without the comedy and an intensive on the multiverse theory. As a reader, you begin to understand that something weird is going on, but the jumps back and forth and time bury the lead for a while so it is a very slow build.

I can't say that I fully understand the culmination of the book, but I think that was probably the point. All in all, it was a very captivating read and I am really excited to see what else this author has in store.

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

If you're a fan of The Good Place or Mike Schur in general, this is a must-read! This book is very approachable introduction to the complex philosophical concepts Schur touches on in the show. Imbued with his wit and humor, he is able to serve up a kind of Cliffs Notes version of philosophy that doesn't feel pretentious but also isn't "dumbed down" to the point of underestimating his readers. It feels more like a conversation than a lecture. I don't tend to read a lot of nonfiction, but being a fan of The Good Place, I really enjoyed exploring these concepts further.

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carley's reviews 259 reviews

carley's reviews
259 reviews