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jvedjs's Reviews (172)
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
books about parent-child relationships always get to me, and oh man this book definitely did.
the postface emma straub wrote at the end, wow. how absolutely beautiful, and it made this book, its premise, so much more precious and touching.
time travel books can get a little tricky with content and pacing but i still found this book to be fun and incredibly heartfelt. it was a beautiful love letter to all father daughter, parent child relationships and the love one can encompass for the other.
the postface emma straub wrote at the end, wow. how absolutely beautiful, and it made this book, its premise, so much more precious and touching.
time travel books can get a little tricky with content and pacing but i still found this book to be fun and incredibly heartfelt. it was a beautiful love letter to all father daughter, parent child relationships and the love one can encompass for the other.
reflective
a quick read. definitely a melancholic undertone throughout. i didnt particularly love this, but i also didnt dislike it. i sort of get what was being said in this story, about being seen, the pressures of society and others expectations of you, isolation. i think what i wanted from this book was more, but i guess the way the book ended somehow made sense. the unnamed character was finally “seen”.
challenging
dark
tense
one word:
WOWZA.
just a spectacular and engrossing book.
WOWZA.
just a spectacular and engrossing book.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
caleb does it again, my god. a gorgeous, gorgeous novel. i absolutely devoured but also savoured this deeply rich, poetic, and poignant story of knowing your roots, understanding your trauma, and coming into your true self. i loved the music aspect in this book, and the recurring theme that sometimes language is lost on us for emotions we feel, and thats why music, dance, art is a way for us to communicate, share passion and connection with another, especially in a world that feels like it doesn’t belong to us. but during those joyous times, you can make your own small world to thrive in. i absolutely lost it during the last 2 chapters. parent-child relationships always get to me, and this book shows that immigrant struggle so well. and how we are our parents after all… i dont know, there was just sooo much to dissect and appreciate from this book, many themes were sprinkled in this one but in the end i believe caleb did such a wonderful job in rounding it all out. just beautiful.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
always love a good come back love story. the writing felt kinda corny throughout the book, but i did enjoy the early beginnings of grace & matt, and as i said, i always love to see old lovers rekindle their love again years later. def a good summer read!
i loved the quote: “poetry is just the evidence of life. if your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” and i found it so sweet how this quote came to be during the last third of the book.
i loved the quote: “poetry is just the evidence of life. if your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” and i found it so sweet how this quote came to be during the last third of the book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
emotional
sad
what an incredibly heartbreaking and devastating story of two young lovers who quietly loved and lost. this was so intimately written, that the love, pain, and yearning the author had for his lover was palpable in every page. i truly felt a horrible void and emptiness in my chest as i got further along the book, realizing what is unfolding. the story of thomas broke my heart, and my heart aches for his passed on soul (albeit this story truly is fictional or memoir). but how wonderful it was to know he experienced such innocent but powerful, real, moving love that withstood years in his lifetime; perhaps a glimmer of light in his life admist the darkness. i am moved by this story. besson’s writing (+ringwalds translation) was deeply poignant and contemplative, truly creating a stunningly tragic piece of writing.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
this book was so lovely, so comforting. like a warm, loving hug from your own lola (grandmother). being filipino myself, this book touched my soul. the strength of a filipina women bled through the pages in this book. the sacrifice, the pain, but the strength and grit is what triumphs in filipina women blood line, lasting through generations and generations. i genuinely enjoyed each story. it felt so spiritual and beautiful, and galang’s writing was such a delight to read, i savoured every page- especially ones talking about our food, towns in the philippines and our language.
i especially loved the last story, i felt it really tied the whole book as a collection altogether. with the main theme being of filipino womanhood and the generations that make them; another was about relearning / remembering our history of being conquered… be it that we are filipino-american, fil-x, homeland filipino, galang says to “come home”, and i thought that was beautiful. a reminder to never forget your roots.
i especially loved the last story, i felt it really tied the whole book as a collection altogether. with the main theme being of filipino womanhood and the generations that make them; another was about relearning / remembering our history of being conquered… be it that we are filipino-american, fil-x, homeland filipino, galang says to “come home”, and i thought that was beautiful. a reminder to never forget your roots.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
i thought this was a very lovely, tender read. i feel like i resonated with Ro alot, not only with her self-sabotaging tendencies, but really with the impact on childhood trauma and the dysfunction of unhappy parents can have on a child and how that seeps in deeply into adulthood- causing one to be stuck as Ro was, latching onto our hurt, our insecurities, unable to fully move forward. my favorite part in the book was that final forgiving scene between Ro and her Umma with the cake, i thought that was just so beautiful. sometimes all we yearn in this life is just validation from our parents and how that can set us free, in which it seemed it did so in this book. i also appreciate any story arc of two best friends and the power of friendship. overall, i enjoyed this book.