ida03a's reviews
168 reviews

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

4.0

The writing was very well done and I really enjoyed the characters despite their flaws because they felt real and because I could relate. I liked the structure of the book though some of the emails felt a little "pretentious" and dragged out. Overall it was a really good book, not as good as normal people but better than conversations with friends. Would recommend :)

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

2.5

Don't really understand why some people love this so much? Every character was quite unlikable, in a very non engaging way, nothing really happened until the very end, but even then I didn't really care. Would not recommend.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

5.0

This was unlike anything I have read before. The narrative style was really captivating and really drew me into the story. The mystery constantly made me want to keep reading, wanting to understand what the school, carer and donor meant. The questions on morality and humanity were very interesting, especially from the perspective of someone not "considered" human. Overall very very well written. 

The Guest by Emma Cline

3.0

First of all, this is in no way a thriller. This is about a girl making horrible life choices and being a horrible person. It was interesting at some points but also incredibly boring.

What really got me was that the main character had sex with a minor... very odd.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

5.0

This book made me laugh out loud several times. Dolly Aldertons writing is done in such an effortless, funny and entertaining way but she also makes you think, feel and reflect. I am not a man, but I feel like she did the perspective of a 30-something year old man justice, it felt very real. It might've been a little slow to start but the ending really pulled me in and I devoured it! Would recommend to anyone that wants a laugh and/or enjoys Dolly Aldertons writing.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

4.5

Read this after seeing the movie (which I also enjoyed very much) and it did not disappoint. Suzanne Collins really is a genius.

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

5.0

Starting out, I thought this book would be a little too YA for my taste, but it turned out it really wasn't. After the first "twist" (

Rosies brothers death

) it started to get really interesting. The characters growth as they aged felt very natural and believable and I really enjoyed seeing both perspectives. The writing was beautifully done and I never felt bored.  I read this book bc it was recommended as "normal people-esque" and I was so prepared to be disappointed as I absolutely love normal people, but it honestly lived up to it and I would also recommend it as so!

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

4.0

This book started out a little slow and confusing for me, mostly due to the two alternating narrators. The main story is about Finn in the modern age, but there are also some letters about a woman named Elize(?) from the past, that are sprinkled in. The "connection" between the two are not explained until halfway through the book which makes it a bit confusing. The switching timelines are also not obviously stated so it took me some time to understand. If I were to change one thing about this book, I would honestly just remove the letters from Elize as I feel they add nothing to the story. This is the only thing I didn't enjoy about the book and it made me doubt if I would like it in the beginning.

Though when I got to around page 70 I started to really love it. The prose is so beautiful. The main character is so weird but also charming and the dialogue between Finn and Lily is fun while still being so melancholic. It feels real even though their way of speaking to each other is so odd. The whole concept also fascinated me,

the way Finn leaves in the middle of his brother dying to have a roadtrip with dead ex-girlfriend, then feeling that his brother dies while Lily is leaving him?? I mean what?? I just love weird and confusing plots that mix reality and madness. :)

Would recommend if you enjoy nice prose and weird plots, but please note that the two narratives have little to do with each other and are set in different timelines, I think I would've had a better reading experience if I knew this beforehand.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

2.5

I did not enjoy reading this, though I don't think it was meant to be enjoyed, I still feel like there were some flaws that weren't intentional. The start was very engaging, though frustrating due to the misogynistic narrator, it felt like there was a plot and a meaning behind it. After it switched narrator to the sisters husband the book started to lose me, the sex scenes were just too much and it was just weird without really saying much? If that makes sense? The last narrator switch, to the sister, was just very boring and repetitive. The ending really didn't give me anything and we didn't get any explanation as to why the vegetarian was acting the way she did? Idk, maybe I just didn't get this one...

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

3.0

Going into this I really expected to love this, but tbh it kind of disappointed me... It felt extremely dragged out, a lot of the scenes felt unnecessary and were at times a little boring. There were also way to many characters to keep track of, the same goes for themes. It seems like the author wanted to tell too many stories in one, which made it a little messy. Still, there were parts that were enjoyable, but it could've been a lot better.