elenafrancesca's reviews
93 reviews

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

4.0

This was a trip from start to finish - a bizarre but poignant deconstruction of the beauty and violence that is motherhood.  

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

4.5

Kinda mad I didn't read this when I was a teenager when it was first popular. It is great! Loveable cast of characters, intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing, and fun and easy to follow magic system. Highly recommend!

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

3.0

Writing was lyrical, beautiful despite the subject matter. I am not sure how I feel about this story, but I did enjoy the writing. 

I find that this is the way with Moshfegh's books - the story or characters are unsettling but the writing is beautiful. It's a really interesting juxtaposition. But, the interest factor doesn't always make for a good book. 

 

Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll by Priscilla Presley

4.0

As far as celebrity memoirs read, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was raw and emotional but with the hindsight of someone who has sat with this story for years. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

5.0

This is without a doubt the best memoir I have ever read. The voice is so clear and the story so harrowing, you can't help but walk with Jennette the whole way. As someone who struggled with disordered eating myself, this story was familiar but not revictimizing or triggering for me, it felt like hearing the testimony of an old friend. 

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

4.0

I really enjoyed this little snapshot of a novel. The story is beautiful in how self contained and simple it is while also being moving and thought provoking.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

3.25

The mystery had me guessing the whole time, and I think over all it was an enjoyable read. However, my main critiques would be: a) I didn't love that the main proprietor of extreme police brutality also happened to be one of (if not the only) black man in the novel. b) Matthew is really quite stereotypical "gay best friend" in lots of how he is written. c)

I didn't feel like the relationship between Sarah and Bob made much sense at the end - it didn't feel earned, especially because we spend so much time in her head, I feel like the book was withholding crucial information that would have made the twist at the end much more satisfying

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

4.0

What I would describe as an auto-ethnography - this book is a compelling and beautiful deconstruction of the social structures that put the disabled in a box, and where that box roots from. The author tells her story intermingled with well researched takes on fairy tales and how they perpetuate the ableism she faced throughout her life. I couldn't recommend this book enough. 

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

4.0

As with any short story collection, some of the stories are better than others. I really enjoyed the controlled chaos in the majority of these stories. Murata has a beautiful way of making sense of the senseless and using bizarre scenarios to demonstrate the personal and interpersonal struggles of the lonely, isolated and the distressed. People desperate to fit in but unsure why they feel this way, either breaking themselves to conform or forced into non-conformity. 

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

1.5

I had to sit on this one before writing my review, and I think I am finally ready to say my piece. This book is not poorly written (although it's not extraordinary by any means). This book I think could have been a great deconstruction of how we fall into toxic relationships as well as the cycle of abuse. However, this book was marketed and labeled as a romance. I had no idea that there was any discussion of abuse let alone the explicit scenes of abuse and they come out of nowhere. If this was properly labeled or even marketed as literary fiction instead of romance then I would have fewer problems. One of the reasons we have trigger warnings is to give people the option to not pick up a book. Another reason is to let people be prepared to experience scenes that they may not be able to handle when surprised with. On a subjective level this was not the most disturbing book I read in 2023 content wise. However, because I was so blindsided and misinformed on the type of book that this was (again, I found it under romance) that I had a more visceral and harmful experience reading this than any horror  novel I read last year. 

My main gripe, which I think is a pretty significant one, is this book was irresponsibly marketed and the publisher and the author should understand that being this negligent causes real harm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse