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liblibby's Reviews (253)
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What I liked so much about this book was the way that it compares and contrasts what it is to live a life held with a controlling fist and what it is to live with an open hand. In the end, whether you left yourself open to love or not you will still experience the pain and heartache of life. So you might as well choose the freedom, the love, the joy to walk along beside you right?
But at the end of this book I read the letter from the author, the discussion questions, the acknowledgements and absolutely nothing references this. So I wonder if I’m the only person who saw that in this book? Surely that can’t be right but to me, that’s what this whole book is ultimately about. And it feels extremely obvious to me.
It’s so funny to me. I love the way these things happen.
But at the end of this book I read the letter from the author, the discussion questions, the acknowledgements and absolutely nothing references this. So I wonder if I’m the only person who saw that in this book? Surely that can’t be right but to me, that’s what this whole book is ultimately about. And it feels extremely obvious to me.
It’s so funny to me. I love the way these things happen.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
I’m 3 hours into the audiobook and bored out of my mind. The way the book opens is so exciting and then it drops all the way off.
There are so many characters and the jumpy timeline is confusing (sometimes it’s “present day”, sometimes it’s 2 months ago, sometimes it’s 20 years ago) and I can’t keep anything straight.
The fact that the narrator has such a flat affect isn’t helping anything.
I feel like I could follow along with the physical book much more easily and I probably will try because this story sounds like it could be exciting?? Or should be at least.
There are so many characters and the jumpy timeline is confusing (sometimes it’s “present day”, sometimes it’s 2 months ago, sometimes it’s 20 years ago) and I can’t keep anything straight.
The fact that the narrator has such a flat affect isn’t helping anything.
I feel like I could follow along with the physical book much more easily and I probably will try because this story sounds like it could be exciting?? Or should be at least.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
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
I just… cannot wait to see this turned into a movie. I don’t know if it will be—I just know it should be.
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Holy moly. I love the way that T. Kingfisher oftentimes writes with so much humor that I can read a horror book without getting scared.
Feeling tense? Getting a tummy ache? Sure. But I never felt scared or confused about what was going on. And that’s pretty unusual for me when anything supernatural gets involved.
I loved the relationship that the characters all had with one another and the way they talked to and protected each other.
Feeling tense? Getting a tummy ache? Sure. But I never felt scared or confused about what was going on. And that’s pretty unusual for me when anything supernatural gets involved.
I loved the relationship that the characters all had with one another and the way they talked to and protected each other.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book busted my reading slump!
I love the way that Hannah Bonam-Young writes romances that are funny, tender, and hot. But her books also have a little bit of grit to them as well. And that’s what keeps me hooked and coming back.
I related to Sarah Green (Linwood) so much more than I’ve ever related to a character before. We are both in our 10th year of a child-free marriage (and all that comes along with that), we both lost a parent when we were teenagers, and we both are in a “what am I doing with my life?” season.
Not only was reading this book extremely validating in a lot of powerful ways (maybe I’m not the only person on the planet who’s felt this way) but it prompted a lot of conversations between my spouse and I. And a singular “couples retreats in my area” google search.
But what pushed this to a 5* read in particular were three specific things:
1. The concept. I’ve never read a romance about a couple who are already married before! And I loved it.
2. The HEA at the end was very quick (with other authors those can get kinda long and drawn out and I end up skipping over a lot of it).
3.there’s no third act break up! Which is something that’s happened in every book I’ve read by this author so far and I love that!
I love the way that Hannah Bonam-Young writes romances that are funny, tender, and hot. But her books also have a little bit of grit to them as well. And that’s what keeps me hooked and coming back.
I related to Sarah Green (Linwood) so much more than I’ve ever related to a character before. We are both in our 10th year of a child-free marriage (and all that comes along with that), we both lost a parent when we were teenagers, and we both are in a “what am I doing with my life?” season.
Not only was reading this book extremely validating in a lot of powerful ways (maybe I’m not the only person on the planet who’s felt this way) but it prompted a lot of conversations between my spouse and I. And a singular “couples retreats in my area” google search.
But what pushed this to a 5* read in particular were three specific things:
1. The concept. I’ve never read a romance about a couple who are already married before! And I loved it.
2. The HEA at the end was very quick (with other authors those can get kinda long and drawn out and I end up skipping over a lot of it).
3.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Minor: Blood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a sweet book. All my favorite tropes. An excellent palette cleanser!
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
Definitely check content warnings before diving in. But this book is sooo, so good.
I kind of can’t believe a childfree man wrote this book. He obviously had some really incredible sources that he turned to when it came to the experience of being pregnant, going through a pelvic exam, delivering a baby, and being a teenage girl at all.
There wasn’t a single moment of this book where I wasn’t absolutely hooked. Nothing was boring. There were no lulls. My favorite Grady Hendrix book I’ve read so far.
I kind of can’t believe a childfree man wrote this book. He obviously had some really incredible sources that he turned to when it came to the experience of being pregnant, going through a pelvic exam, delivering a baby, and being a teenage girl at all.
There wasn’t a single moment of this book where I wasn’t absolutely hooked. Nothing was boring. There were no lulls. My favorite Grady Hendrix book I’ve read so far.
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I loved this book so much. I saw myself in a lot of Ina’s story and it gave me so much hope and excited for my future.
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loooved this book. I read it SO FAST! Which—I recently learned is something that authors find offensive? But I just mean I was hooked from the get-to and I ignored so much of my life so that I could crawl into this book and live there for a while. The plot twists were GLORIOUS and made me giddy.
Now, I am basically allergic to what I call “depressed single girl” books and I was worried that was what this was going to be (like, My Year of Rest and Relaxation or Luster, for example). But there was so much humor and lightness around it all that it kept me from becoming depressed and I was never confused about Joleen’s motivations.
To me it gave Fleabag—a woman trying her best with misguided (but hilarious to the audience) coping mechanisms just trying to survive in the wake of trauma.
Five stars. I loved it so much. Also the office setting was impeccable.
Now, I am basically allergic to what I call “depressed single girl” books and I was worried that was what this was going to be (like, My Year of Rest and Relaxation or Luster, for example). But there was so much humor and lightness around it all that it kept me from becoming depressed and I was never confused about Joleen’s motivations.
To me it gave Fleabag—a woman trying her best with misguided (but hilarious to the audience) coping mechanisms just trying to survive in the wake of trauma.
Five stars. I loved it so much. Also the office setting was impeccable.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Death of parent