Scan barcode
girlnextshore's reviews
806 reviews
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
4.0
Whether you consider this as literary fiction or science fiction, the book is so much better than the film; Ishiguro's prose on friendship, coming-of-age, desire and all types of love is beautiful and touching.
I actually enjoyed the complexities of the three main characters, and how they are nicely developed through the story. I love how the book made me feel a semblance of hope, only to feel the heartbreak at the end. Beautiful.
I actually enjoyed the complexities of the three main characters, and how they are nicely developed through the story. I love how the book made me feel a semblance of hope, only to feel the heartbreak at the end. Beautiful.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
5.0
One of the best fiction I’ve read last year. It has a little bit of everything - a thread that weaves through our histories and herstories, a voice that gives us the ability to “stay woke”, a heart that leaves you wanting for more. Please read this book. You will not be disappointed.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
3.0
A fun read, albeit slow at times.
In my head, I've played the cast of characters as:
Helen Mirren / Charlotte Rampling as Elizabeth
Judi Dench as Joyce
Bill Nighy as Ron
Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim
Michaela Coel as Donna
Ricky Gervais as Chris
In my head, I've played the cast of characters as:
Helen Mirren / Charlotte Rampling as Elizabeth
Judi Dench as Joyce
Bill Nighy as Ron
Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim
Michaela Coel as Donna
Ricky Gervais as Chris
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
2.0
It’s been a busy couple of days so I picked up something fairly “easy”, but this took me a while to get through. Despite the short chapters it just did not capture my attention as much as I wanted it to.
I didn’t like any of the characters, and that’s not because they’re white privileged people. But they came across as whiny “woe is me I’m not getting enough on my mahoosive trust fund” white privileged people who are also quite racist. You know, the overly dramatic types who are quite unaware of anything else beyond their poor little rich kid bubbles.
The writing itself was slightly confusing. At times I feel it bordered on creative, until it flows into a verbose exaggeration you don’t need. I felt it tried, but I felt it didn’t need to.
It’s not quite terrible, not quite brilliant, and I was actually fairly surprised by the twist at the end (if not slightly disappointed by it).
Anyway, I’m glad I read this to feed the curiosity. Just don’t think it’s something that would stick long.
I didn’t like any of the characters, and that’s not because they’re white privileged people. But they came across as whiny “woe is me I’m not getting enough on my mahoosive trust fund” white privileged people who are also quite racist. You know, the overly dramatic types who are quite unaware of anything else beyond their poor little rich kid bubbles.
The writing itself was slightly confusing. At times I feel it bordered on creative, until it flows into a verbose exaggeration you don’t need. I felt it tried, but I felt it didn’t need to.
It’s not quite terrible, not quite brilliant, and I was actually fairly surprised by the twist at the end (if not slightly disappointed by it).
Anyway, I’m glad I read this to feed the curiosity. Just don’t think it’s something that would stick long.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
3.0
Our local bookclub book this month, which wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. There I was thinking this was just gonna be a light Cape Cod summer family drama, but there’s quite a few CWs and TWs of child abuse and neglect, as well as rape and adultery.
The blurb essentially goes like this: best friends Elle & Jonas finally have sex for the first time in 40 years of touch and go, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made and the life she always imagined.
I wish I could say there were redeeming qualities from any of the characters but I finish the book thinking they were all broken in more ways than one.
Also felt it dragged on quite longer than it should.
Hallmark Channel, this was not made for.
The blurb essentially goes like this: best friends Elle & Jonas finally have sex for the first time in 40 years of touch and go, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made and the life she always imagined.
I wish I could say there were redeeming qualities from any of the characters but I finish the book thinking they were all broken in more ways than one.
Also felt it dragged on quite longer than it should.
Hallmark Channel, this was not made for.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
1.0
This month's "Bookstagram made me do it" read. I'm not a romcom kinda gal to begin with anyway, but every so often I do like a light quick read that's meant to make my heart and insides melt like butter.
But oh my gosh, I was fairly pained reading this. Fans of the book, please do not hate.
1) It's borderline fantastical. I would actually like to see a world where the FSOTUS and a crown prince end up happily ever after and widely accepted by all - moreso by the royals really. I mean I know we've moved on from olden days but there's a lot of things in the monarchy that are still based in old traditions. (Hello, Meghan Markle!)
2) I didn't find anything "different" about this book, other than the protagonists were both male... and even that's nothing new. Plus, a book being LGBTQIA+ focused shouldn't really make it "different".
3) The politics - OOF. The drama was set during the US 2020 electoral campaign. Knowing what we know about political lobbying and campaigning, this part of the book felt like a cheap go at having some sort of edgy element to make Alex's character intellectually intriguing. But this element felt like a dumbing down of what could have been an avenue to educate.
4) I really didn't like the dialogue nor the way it was written. I like "raw books" where it feels like someone's literally telling you a story but there's too much "fucking" (well, there's a ton of that too), too much "maudlin", too much cringe. In the end, the author seems to have made the royals sound like characters from Eastenders. I can't imagine them saying "innit" or "Soz".
5) There were no likeable characters. Except maybe Zahra.
That said, there were some parts that gave me a fuzzy feeling - particularly when Alex (FSOTUS) realised he finally had friends and that he's happy to be surrounded by them.
I get that books like this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but... it's just not my cuppatea. Sorry folks!
But oh my gosh, I was fairly pained reading this. Fans of the book, please do not hate.
1) It's borderline fantastical. I would actually like to see a world where the FSOTUS and a crown prince end up happily ever after and widely accepted by all - moreso by the royals really. I mean I know we've moved on from olden days but there's a lot of things in the monarchy that are still based in old traditions. (Hello, Meghan Markle!)
2) I didn't find anything "different" about this book, other than the protagonists were both male... and even that's nothing new. Plus, a book being LGBTQIA+ focused shouldn't really make it "different".
3) The politics - OOF. The drama was set during the US 2020 electoral campaign. Knowing what we know about political lobbying and campaigning, this part of the book felt like a cheap go at having some sort of edgy element to make Alex's character intellectually intriguing. But this element felt like a dumbing down of what could have been an avenue to educate.
4) I really didn't like the dialogue nor the way it was written. I like "raw books" where it feels like someone's literally telling you a story but there's too much "fucking" (well, there's a ton of that too), too much "maudlin", too much cringe. In the end, the author seems to have made the royals sound like characters from Eastenders. I can't imagine them saying "innit" or "Soz".
5) There were no likeable characters. Except maybe Zahra.
That said, there were some parts that gave me a fuzzy feeling - particularly when Alex (FSOTUS) realised he finally had friends and that he's happy to be surrounded by them.
I get that books like this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but... it's just not my cuppatea. Sorry folks!