dontforgetthelights's reviews
127 reviews

The Modern by Anna Kate Blair

reflective medium-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

3.25

A lot of thinking and not a lot of doing, which I know is the point but anywayssss
The side characters felt one dimensional and honestly all the same, which again probably also reflects on our narrator - just not what I enjoy reading. A lot of Sophia's musings did resonate with me, having some similar lived exp riences but ngl I found that this book just wasn't what I was looking for, though the blurb does describe it fairly accurately so that's on me. Lowkey the bit I was most interested in was the sex scene cause it was the first time anything significant had happened in the book, though I usually find these parts least engaging. I would have liked a more concrete ending.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Can I give it more than 5 stars ?
Never felt more love for a book as short as around 300 pages before - you'll come to adore the characters and celebrate their messy and beautiful lives. Some books use tragedy to remind us of the harshness of life, or to show us that tragedy itself is terrifically beautiful, however here, Zevin depicts unfortunate events with romantic, hopeful overtones. Thus, I had read the whole thing less than 30 hours after buying it - I kept wanting more and more from the quaint island bookstore. Also good proper ending for a novel yayyyy ((but also aww ☹️))

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Ferrante continues to express the human (womanly?) experience so truthfully that I often find myself confronted by my own most troubling behaviours and motivations regarding friendship, identity and humility (or lack thereof). How she manages to get me to relate to Elena, born on the other side of the world decades prior to me, so strongly, is what impresses upon me Ferrante's talent for cutting truths. My love and simultaneous hate for how understood I feel in reading this is what is keeping me entranced - literally stop calling me out like that 😭

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I feel like I need to reread this book almost to make more sense of it, but it did have me gasping in its reverse fairytale kinda way

Liked the sisterhood and the simple domesticity though I need explanationssss regarding some of uncle's beliefs ??

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Lila and Lenu's friendship absolutely embodied my experience of girlhood - inescapably corrosive at times but ultimately and supremely foundational to our sense of self. Also, fascinating exploration of education divide and the general social conduct of the setting.

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

First regular sized book that I've read in one day in a long time - more plot than I was expecting from Bob but I suppose we are cursed to perpetually underestimate his storytelling

Ink by Alice Broadway

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Potential for hunger games level of world building/social commentary - really hope the sequels bring greater insight into the history of this society 

I did kind of feel as though Leora's character was a bit confusing, but maybe she was just *that* confused. Also the other characters' motivations/values weren't super clear, and neither was the ending. Basically the last fifty pages felt like an entirely different, much more rushed but much more interesting book, idk

Super cool concept for a dystopia though, reminds me of the Tumblresque existential writing prompts

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Even the acknowledgements were good wtaf

Proper good and tasteful literary fiction for once

Our Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan

funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not what I was expecting after nine days 😭 but also incredibly ironic and clever - filled with conversation in which no one is listening, suburban dysfunctionality to it's extreme and unproductive conflict resolution hahahah

Robin Hood and His Merrie Men by Anonymous

adventurous fast-paced

3.75