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hannaelisab's reviews
29 reviews
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
funny
reflective
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
3.75
this one’s hard to rate. people either love this book or they absolutely despise it & i must say, i actually kinda liked it (even though there should virtually be nothing interesting about someone sleeping their life away for a year…but her descent into depression somehow hooked me). the protagonist kind of reminded me of the main character in “boy parts” (in irina’s earlier non-psycho phases at least), especially in how they both treated their “best friends”. in both cases i ended up rooting for their besties more than for them. i do have a critique about how the story wrapped up though, but this might’ve been done on purpose, idk: it felt extremely unsatisfying to me, that the MC truly just went on with her life as planned after completing her “year of rest & relaxation”. at this point she was so far detached from reality that it would’ve been much more satisfying to see her fail tremendously.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i read this on my way to- and back home from paris, which is why i might have enjoyed this french (proclaimed) “classic” a little more than i would’ve at home. but whilst it wasn’t a poor read, the novel just did not stand out to me as much as it’s beautiful title did. although some passages are gorgeous, the story did not stick with me as much as i wanted it to (and i’ll go as far as saying it was quite forgettable. not even a week after finishing it, i can’t recall many major plot points.)
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
forgive me, this book is impossible to rate😭 so always consider this when judging me for my star-rating, cuz hours after finishing it, i still dont know how i feel about this novel (edit: i have changed my rating three times in the last ten minutes goddamn)
while the story‘s horrible, narcissistic, straight-up psychopathic protagonist grossed me out so much, i hate to admit that i had a little smudge of empathy for her in the end & i hated myself for it. so much. cuz thats what she thrived off! (also what does that say about me as a person help). and even worse, i kind of…enjoyed the depravity (which, btw entails pretty much every trigger warning under the sun) that this novel is lmao…am i a walking red flag now or what
while the story‘s horrible, narcissistic, straight-up psychopathic protagonist grossed me out so much, i hate to admit that i had a little smudge of empathy for her in the end & i hated myself for it. so much. cuz thats what she thrived off! (also what does that say about me as a person help). and even worse, i kind of…enjoyed the depravity (which, btw entails pretty much every trigger warning under the sun) that this novel is lmao…am i a walking red flag now or what
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, Death, Drug abuse, and Violence
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
4.25
»and baby, if you think of me, I hope it ruins rock ’n’ roll«
i just love taylor jenkins reid - her voice, themes & characters are always so distinctly her, but still so fundamentally different in each book. with daisy jones & the six she created another pair of fictional celebrities, that feel so real you want to google their life stories & (in this case) listen to their music!!
i can't wait to (hopefully) hear the songs in the amazon series soon, i hope they treat this story well...bc it's an amazing one: of sex, drugs, unfulfilled love, longing, growing up & the hardships of overcoming addiction & finding yourself in the process - while being apart of the biggest (fictional) rock band of the 70s.
i just love taylor jenkins reid - her voice, themes & characters are always so distinctly her, but still so fundamentally different in each book. with daisy jones & the six she created another pair of fictional celebrities, that feel so real you want to google their life stories & (in this case) listen to their music!!
i can't wait to (hopefully) hear the songs in the amazon series soon, i hope they treat this story well...bc it's an amazing one: of sex, drugs, unfulfilled love, longing, growing up & the hardships of overcoming addiction & finding yourself in the process - while being apart of the biggest (fictional) rock band of the 70s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
this book feels like a hug. even though it's very short, you fall in love with the characters so fast - get very sad & (mad at them) just as quickly. it's a simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful piece of literature, that celebrates all things poetry, individualism & overcoming restrictions.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
donna tartt has a way of making you care about unmoral, unlikeable characters just to reveal an even darker secret a few pages later. obviously, her writing style is gorgeously aesthetic — the quote ,,beauty is terror...whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.'' will forever be ingrained in my brain. on the other hand, i found that the secret history had some pacing problems. the first part of the book (which are about 250 pages, maybe more!) were so slow plot-wise that i had real difficulty coming back to continue reading. the second part of the book definitely picked up the pace though, and while the novel could've been 200 pages shorter, the murderous plots & fascinatingly terrible characters truly sucked me in!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, and Murder
Moderate: Incest, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
The Method by Juli Zeh
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
one of the better lectures i had to read for class! the novel ended on a nice plot-twist & it was quite easy to get through. the writing style isn't my favorite, but its okay.
the dystopian themes are weirdly relevant again.
the dystopian themes are weirdly relevant again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Torture
The Long, Long Afternoon by Inga Vesper
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thought this would just be a fun murder mystery, but it focused much more on social issues (racism, class, domestic violence, etc.) than i thought it would, which was a great (worth noting although, that the n-word is being used a lot even though the book is written by a white woman !).
i usually don't enjoy books with multiple POVs, but here it gave needed insight into the story & characters!
while its definitely not a life-changing read, the novel is a very enjoyable summer-mystery nonetheless (:
i usually don't enjoy books with multiple POVs, but here it gave needed insight into the story & characters!
while its definitely not a life-changing read, the novel is a very enjoyable summer-mystery nonetheless (:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Child death, and Murder
Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i enjoyed this novel tremendously! its gorgeously written (and translated) and sucks the reader deeply into a slow rush of drunken summertime-sadness while feeling deep sympathy for the main character. i recommend reading it on vacation, or as a summer read in general; i actually devoured it on my italy trip.
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
it was a fast wlw enemies-to-lovers read, fun, but nothing special. unfortunately didn't really stick with me, as i didn't get to know the characters too well due to the short length of the book!