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lilydoyle6's Reviews (1.47k)
slow-paced
this book was beautifully written and atmospheric. you felt the creepy, gothic, horror feel throughout the entire story. something about a bog always screams creepy to me.
i suggest reading instead of listening to this one. the narrator wasn’t bad, just british, and listening at a higher speed always takes away from the story. plus it’s one of those slower books so listening to slower paced books is always worse, for me, than reading them.
but the story had ghosts and sapphic yearning and ghosts and exploitation. i do wish there was a bit more going on in this book but overall, a good enough read.
i suggest reading instead of listening to this one. the narrator wasn’t bad, just british, and listening at a higher speed always takes away from the story. plus it’s one of those slower books so listening to slower paced books is always worse, for me, than reading them.
but the story had ghosts and sapphic yearning and ghosts and exploitation. i do wish there was a bit more going on in this book but overall, a good enough read.
medium-paced
a heartwarming, bittersweet, and touching story about loss and friendship and dying.
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
you know, based on some reviews, i thought this would be more electrifying, high-paced, and emotional. it was a slow start, but it picked up about halfway through. i connected more with some boxers than others. i thought it was interesting how water kept being mentioned and similar mentions of different things throughout.
you definitely see how their desires as people and fighters and release in the moment comes across.
i liked the perspective of getting flash forwards to where they’d be in the future or where they’d end up, who they’d be. which is a good way to illustrate how we get so obsessed about athletes and then write them off as soon as they’re not at their peak.
overall, pretty decent but had higher hopes.
you definitely see how their desires as people and fighters and release in the moment comes across.
i liked the perspective of getting flash forwards to where they’d be in the future or where they’d end up, who they’d be. which is a good way to illustrate how we get so obsessed about athletes and then write them off as soon as they’re not at their peak.
overall, pretty decent but had higher hopes.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
chaotic, toxic, and unhinged lesbians: sign me up. the growth of astrid was fun to watch and felt very recognizable as a fellow alcoholic. she said she was "bored" and a "fine drinker" but i guess you be the judge lol
i enjoyed the banter and the way astrid was written. felt very gay and familiar.
highly recommend.
i enjoyed the banter and the way astrid was written. felt very gay and familiar.
highly recommend.
slow-paced
medium-paced
medium-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
okay, if i weren't sober, i would make a drinking game out of every time eileen described anders' eyes as minty.
all that aside, this book is so, so cute and fun. no insta-love, no bs (okay, well some cliche bs), but the best kind. a lot of it does feel predictable in the best ways. the magical realism of the book also feels fun and not cheesy - it feels extremely real, it just fits.
i love the town and the characters there. i really liked how they all grew in their different ways and despite eileen being so hard on herself, she realized she was the person she was looking for and everything falls into place when you start believing that.
i enjoyed how it turned out and i feel like this is the perfect cozy read. i need it as a hallmark movie immediately!!
all that aside, this book is so, so cute and fun. no insta-love, no bs (okay, well some cliche bs), but the best kind. a lot of it does feel predictable in the best ways. the magical realism of the book also feels fun and not cheesy - it feels extremely real, it just fits.
i love the town and the characters there. i really liked how they all grew in their different ways and despite eileen being so hard on herself, she realized she was the person she was looking for and everything falls into place when you start believing that.
i enjoyed how it turned out and i feel like this is the perfect cozy read. i need it as a hallmark movie immediately!!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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 offered up a lot of emotions and really made me reflect in a lot of ways while reading it. how important it is to have a loving community, how important it is to get professional help when you need it, and to let people in to help you. we're not in this world alone, even if it really can feel like it sometimes.
this group of friends made me nostalgic about college & wishing to go back and have some redos. especially with who i am now. what an interesting concept. i feel like the setting of a college reunion allows you to do just that.
this book deals with some heavier topics (& triggering to some) and it does it well. you really get to see charlotte's progression as a character from start to finish. it really made me emotional in a good way.
everything else was just a good reflection of how life can get in the way and how important it is to have agency over your life.
a really good book. i'm not sure why it isn't 5 stars. maybe because i wanted a bit more in terms of the ending - i wanted to see how a couple things turned out, which i think could've been solved by a quick epilogue. but it was a pretty good ending even without that.
but i do think it's probably because a lot of the emotions & conflict resolution was predictable & i could see it. not necessarily a bad thing, but for my autistic brain it makes it a bit annoying (but still enjoyable).
this group of friends made me nostalgic about college & wishing to go back and have some redos. especially with who i am now. what an interesting concept. i feel like the setting of a college reunion allows you to do just that.
this book deals with some heavier topics (& triggering to some) and it does it well. you really get to see charlotte's progression as a character from start to finish. it really made me emotional in a good way.
everything else was just a good reflection of how life can get in the way and how important it is to have agency over your life.
a really good book. i'm not sure why it isn't 5 stars. maybe because i wanted a bit more in terms of the ending - i wanted to see how a couple things turned out, which i think could've been solved by a quick epilogue. but it was a pretty good ending even without that.
but i do think it's probably because a lot of the emotions & conflict resolution was predictable & i could see it. not necessarily a bad thing, but for my autistic brain it makes it a bit annoying (but still enjoyable).