estellegodard's reviews
239 reviews

Rouge by Mona Awad

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

the major flaws of this book are its repetitive nature and its poor pacing. many times I found myself dragging my feet through passages that I felt I’d already read, which did little for the plot development. the last 50 pages or so were a redeeming factor for as were most of the flashback scenes. I think there is a lot to be analyzed here and while as I reader I was often asking myself what was going on, the resolution is satisfying. 

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda, W.S. Merwin, Cristina García

fast-paced

1.75

really not my thing. I’m disappointed because I was so excited and I had heard such good things. poetry is always hit or miss for me; this was a real miss. I will say this could be due to the specific edition I read, I have a feeling the translations might not have been the best. at least it was very small and I was able to read it in one go. 

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

dark fast-paced

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

3.25

this book had many things going for it: the setting, the dark academia tonality, the art historical subject matter (VERY up my alley), and its bingeable writing. I read this a breakneck pace & did enjoy it. the highlight on tarot was extremely interesting to me & I enjoyed the research elements that went into it. however, I found the magical elements to be inconsequential and a lot of the motives for the characters’ actions were predictable and unfounded. I didn’t relate to the characters either which didn’t help me sympathize with their situations. 

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon by Jean-Dominique Bauby

medium-paced

3.25

this story is beyond inspiring & the manner in which it was written alone is reason for applause. there were chapters that moved me more than others, but I appreciated the often sarcastic tone of the narrator. 

The List by Yomi Adegoke

tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

this falls in the same universe as the book “yellowface”, with themes of cancel cultural, media, and problematic/messy internet dealings. however, I think this book does it better. I thought the oscillating view points, emotions, and reactions the characters had were realistic and portrayed the reality of the internet’s effects effectively. I appreciated the way topics like feminism & misogyny  were represented, especially when offering various points of views to the same topics, allowing readers to question the good vs evil in each character and their views. I did find it redundant at times since we go around in circles often posing the same questions without coming to a decision on how to deal with the situation. this reads like a thriller and grapples with themes of justice and the ramifications lying and the internet can have on people’s lives. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

the research that was put into this book is abundant. what the author was able to achieve is incredibly impressive, meticulous, and creative. I thought that looking at colonialism through the lens of language & translation was a fascinating and unique choice. the ending was so beautifully written & the way robin sees his life flash before his eyes really touched me. I did think that all the characters could have been a little more developed. often, there lacked depth and the author told us what to feel rather that showed it to us. as readers, we weren’t left a lot of interpretive leniency and I do wish the author had trusted us to understand her points rather than bashing us over the head with them ad nauseam. nonetheless, I’m happy to have read it. I don’t often read this type of genre but I love a dark academia story, especially in the fall. I’m glad to be able to be part of the discourse now. 

Spare by Prince Harry

emotional medium-paced

4.0

I enjoyed listening to prince harry narrate this on audiobook. I did find (like everyone) that some of the military sections were a bit slow & overall there are some redundancies that could have made this a shorter book if cut, but I think it made up for it with the sections about meghan. overall, the memoir felt sincere and it felt like harry was truly working his way through grief and betrayal. the messages are a bit heavy handed at times but it wasn’t a huge disturbance to me. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I haven’t read a romance in YEARS! this was my first emily henry book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! obviously, you know from the start how it will end - it’s simply the nature of a romcom. but, it’s nice that the characters are fleshed out (albeit still in a cheesy way) and I really really couldn’t resist charlie. I liked that it’s a self aware book and plays with the tropes, cognizant that it’s all one book trope anyway; it was well done though. 

Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer by Rax King

fast-paced

4.75

I loved this! it was snarky but thought provoking, choosing extremely specific yet accurate subjects to depict an era and feelings/experiences of girlhood. many of these experiences are universal and I related to so much of the americana teen vibes she discusses. I loved how it wasn’t superficial at all: it chooses something seemingly superfluous but uses it as an allegory for deeper thought. the only essay I wasn’t a fan on was actually the last one. 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

this book has a lot to say & it did win me over by the end. I periodically had moments when I didn’t enjoy the book but that mainly came from the style of writing: I found it to be exceptionally difficult to read due to its long sentences & philosophizing. but, the story was lovely and the characters were interesting and quirky. in the last 100 pages or so I found myself tearing up twice (a rare occurrence for me). all in all, this is a book I would recommend but I think it needs to be read slowly. the benefit at least was that the chapters are snappy , so even whilst dealing with challenging content, it keeps a good pace & has humorous and sarcastic moments to counterbalance it.