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lucybbookstuff's Reviews (376)
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was somehow both anticlimactic and completely unhinged. 💀
So funny and so human, as with all her books. I love her writing and her characters, but the plot here was definitely lacking. I'm very intrigued to watch the show, though. And I'll read more of her books for sure.
I do have to say there was a disturbing amount of... not fatphobia exactly. I could tell it was all actually an attempt to interrogate cultural fatphobia. But nonetheless there were a lot of negative body image issues and ostensible fatphobia and I could have done without it.
So funny and so human, as with all her books. I love her writing and her characters, but the plot here was definitely lacking. I'm very intrigued to watch the show, though. And I'll read more of her books for sure.
I do have to say there was a disturbing amount of... not fatphobia exactly. I could tell it was all actually an attempt to interrogate cultural fatphobia. But nonetheless there were a lot of negative body image issues and ostensible fatphobia and I could have done without it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many books would be 30 pages long if the characters just went to therapy. 🫠
But then, of course, we'd have one less book to enjoy! Even if that book frustrated the ever-loving shit out of me for a good 70% if it. 😅
This is not my favorite Emily Henry. It's probably my least favorite, to be honest. Which is not to say I didn't like it. She always gets me in the end. But this one felt extra tropey. Especially in regards to the friend group (as soon as she described her 2 friends as super rich and interesting and herself as poor from Indiana, I was like "oh lord 🙄") and the MISCOMMUNICATION. My god, I knew I didn't really like the miscommunication trope, but it was soooooo extra bad here. Between everyone. Like seriously, y'all, go to therapy. 😭 Use your goddamn words. I beg you.
I almost didn't want to show emotion out of spite when they finally started resolving things 😂 but I couldn't help it. I did end up crying multiple times, which is something only a good book can do. And I did love the ending. So I concede. It was good. Just way too frustrating and repetitive for 5 stars.
I did find the themes of personal happiness & fulfillment and the growing & shifting of friend groups especially relatable as a millennial. Both things I and my friends have contended with in the last few years.
Before I go, I have to mention how insufferable I found the character of Sabrina. I can't believe how much they let her get away with. Her privilege was seriously showing. I don't subscribe to the "poor little rich girl" mindset; I do think anyone and everyone has a right to feel their feelings. But they also have the responsibility of taking care of those feelings *themselves.* The way she and Parth constantly pressured and then manipulated Harriet and Wyn made my jaw drop, and then they forgave her like it was nothing. 💀 And the way she scheduled a trip to see Cleo & Kimmy without even asking and then had the audacity to make rude comments about it all week. WE'RE ALL ADULTS HERE, ARE WE NOT? Jesus. I'm 30 and I cannot imagine putting up with friends this childish.
Okay, the end. Liked it in the end, but not my fave. Looking forward to her next book!
But then, of course, we'd have one less book to enjoy! Even if that book frustrated the ever-loving shit out of me for a good 70% if it. 😅
This is not my favorite Emily Henry. It's probably my least favorite, to be honest. Which is not to say I didn't like it. She always gets me in the end. But this one felt extra tropey. Especially in regards to the friend group (as soon as she described her 2 friends as super rich and interesting and herself as poor from Indiana, I was like "oh lord 🙄") and the MISCOMMUNICATION. My god, I knew I didn't really like the miscommunication trope, but it was soooooo extra bad here. Between everyone. Like seriously, y'all, go to therapy. 😭 Use your goddamn words. I beg you.
I almost didn't want to show emotion out of spite when they finally started resolving things 😂 but I couldn't help it. I did end up crying multiple times, which is something only a good book can do. And I did love the ending. So I concede. It was good. Just way too frustrating and repetitive for 5 stars.
I did find the themes of personal happiness & fulfillment and the growing & shifting of friend groups especially relatable as a millennial. Both things I and my friends have contended with in the last few years.
Okay, the end. Liked it in the end, but not my fave. Looking forward to her next book!
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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:
Complicated
Literally just copy and pasting the notes I wrote for book club lol 👍🏻 without further ado:
- finding out that Harold Washington was not only Chicago's first Black mayor (which I knew before), but also an ally in a time when it was decidedly NOT trendy nor a good political move to be one, really warms my heart
- there was a lot of philosophizing about life and death, and I wondered if anyone actually talks like that... or is it just well-thought-out words that an author put in their mouth? But then it got me wondering if being that close to so much death maybe makes people actually that philosophical
- I wish more of these gay clubs and bars still existed so I could take myself on a walking tour... but thinking about it, if they did still exist, they'd probably be relics and museums now. A product of the time that never could have survived and stayed the same up till now. Though fuck anywhere being turned into a wal-mart or goddamn parking lot 👎🏻
- it's funny hearing how similar the pride parade was even in the 1980s. I've attended Chicago pride most of the last 13-14? years. And the description of it sounded almost exactly like how it is now. Though more politicians involved and rainbow capitalism now. (Funnily enough, I missed this year's parade this past Sunday for a wedding lol)
-I hate Charlie and I'm really frustrated with Claire. Though Charlie sucks outright. Claire can be more understood, and I think with a few more years she'd develop her whole frontal lobe lol and hold some space for her mother's trauma (and her mother will hold space for hers as well).
- Chicago is the greatest city in the world and no one can tell me otherwise. I really believe it and I say it with zero irony. I so appreciate when anyone can portray it with the love and care it deserves. And she made the main character a Cubs fan. 🥹
- Can't give a whole 5 stars for 2 reasons: 1) I'm always a bit wary when women write from the perspective of gay men. Just makes me kinda uncomfortable (I'm sure I feel the same about vice-versa, but I haven't encountered it as much or at all in popular fiction). 2) I'm a bit exhausted with stories of queer trauma. Of course, this is a time period and an epidemic that really did happen and it is the opposite of harm to tell these stories. But nevertheless, it did stab me in the heart a little extra. We all know I love emotional stories and crying lol but I'd also love some more pure queer joy in the mix. Or at least stories where their trauma isn't around queerness. Pls. Okay wait also 3) I didn't cry. I fully expected to. It did hit emotionally, but not in the total devestation way that I was expecting. And the way it should have, honestly. I think the jumping back and forth lessened the impact a bit.
- Especially now reading in the back of the book that the Fiona timeline was kind of an afterthought for Makkai, I wonder if it might have made more sense to have the alternate timeline be Nora in the 1910s-20s. Or at least another additional timeline. It seems like Makkai was thinking a lot about the similarities between the Lost Generation and the AIDS crisis, but *that* felt more like the afterthought to me while reading.
- Lastly, fuck Ronald Reagan. I really wish I could punch that guy in the throat.
ETA:
- Thinking more about it, I kinda wish there were no 2015 storyline at all. Especially at the ending, I think the existence of this storyline made her rush the end of Yale's life, which was infinitely more interesting to me. I think that is part of why it didn't have as huge an emotional impact as I expected. His feelings for Asher should have hit harder as well as his death, but the leadup to both was disappointing.
- Her prose is incredible, though, and definitely made up for the other shortcomings. I'd absolutely read her again.
- finding out that Harold Washington was not only Chicago's first Black mayor (which I knew before), but also an ally in a time when it was decidedly NOT trendy nor a good political move to be one, really warms my heart
- there was a lot of philosophizing about life and death, and I wondered if anyone actually talks like that... or is it just well-thought-out words that an author put in their mouth? But then it got me wondering if being that close to so much death maybe makes people actually that philosophical
- I wish more of these gay clubs and bars still existed so I could take myself on a walking tour... but thinking about it, if they did still exist, they'd probably be relics and museums now. A product of the time that never could have survived and stayed the same up till now. Though fuck anywhere being turned into a wal-mart or goddamn parking lot 👎🏻
- it's funny hearing how similar the pride parade was even in the 1980s. I've attended Chicago pride most of the last 13-14? years. And the description of it sounded almost exactly like how it is now. Though more politicians involved and rainbow capitalism now. (Funnily enough, I missed this year's parade this past Sunday for a wedding lol)
-
- Chicago is the greatest city in the world and no one can tell me otherwise. I really believe it and I say it with zero irony. I so appreciate when anyone can portray it with the love and care it deserves. And she made the main character a Cubs fan. 🥹
- Can't give a whole 5 stars for 2 reasons: 1) I'm always a bit wary when women write from the perspective of gay men. Just makes me kinda uncomfortable (I'm sure I feel the same about vice-versa, but I haven't encountered it as much or at all in popular fiction). 2) I'm a bit exhausted with stories of queer trauma. Of course, this is a time period and an epidemic that really did happen and it is the opposite of harm to tell these stories. But nevertheless, it did stab me in the heart a little extra. We all know I love emotional stories and crying lol but I'd also love some more pure queer joy in the mix. Or at least stories where their trauma isn't around queerness. Pls. Okay wait also 3) I didn't cry. I fully expected to. It did hit emotionally, but not in the total devestation way that I was expecting. And the way it should have, honestly. I think the jumping back and forth lessened the impact a bit.
- Especially now reading in the back of the book that the Fiona timeline was kind of an afterthought for Makkai, I wonder if it might have made more sense to have the alternate timeline be Nora in the 1910s-20s. Or at least another additional timeline. It seems like Makkai was thinking a lot about the similarities between the Lost Generation and the AIDS crisis, but *that* felt more like the afterthought to me while reading.
- Lastly, fuck Ronald Reagan. I really wish I could punch that guy in the throat.
ETA:
- Thinking more about it, I kinda wish there were no 2015 storyline at all. Especially at the ending, I think the existence of this storyline made her rush the end of Yale's life, which was infinitely more interesting to me. I think that is part of why it didn't have as huge an emotional impact as I expected. His feelings for Asher should have hit harder as well as his death, but the leadup to both was disappointing.
- Her prose is incredible, though, and definitely made up for the other shortcomings. I'd absolutely read her again.
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book 2 had lost me a bit, so it took a while to work up the motivation to finally finish the series.
I can definitely say book 3 is better than book 2!
This series is undoubtedly brilliant, but I think it's a bit too brilliant for me. 😅 I just don't have a science brain, so a lot of this went in one ear and out the other. But I really loved the overall message and allegory. I LOVED the ending.
A fantastically written series that just isn't quite in my wheelhouse!
I can definitely say book 3 is better than book 2!
This series is undoubtedly brilliant, but I think it's a bit too brilliant for me. 😅 I just don't have a science brain, so a lot of this went in one ear and out the other. But I really loved the overall message and allegory. I LOVED the ending.
A fantastically written series that just isn't quite in my wheelhouse!
informative
reflective
slow-paced
The content was interesting, but the format was VERY academic, where I was hoping for a more narrative approach. Oh well.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay, I am SO GLAD that I read Assassin's Blade first! I can't imagine reading this one without having that foundation in place first.
TAB really got me into the world and got me curious about the MC, and that carried me through this one. I didn't find it nearly as bad or as boring as I was expecting based on other reviews and my own assumptions. It wasn't the most riveting book ever, and it was definitely tropey and eye-rolly at times, but I still enjoyed it far more than I anticipated. And I can really feel how epic this story is going to get in later books.
I think I'm in trouble. 😁
TAB really got me into the world and got me curious about the MC, and that carried me through this one. I didn't find it nearly as bad or as boring as I was expecting based on other reviews and my own assumptions. It wasn't the most riveting book ever, and it was definitely tropey and eye-rolly at times, but I still enjoyed it far more than I anticipated. And I can really feel how epic this story is going to get in later books.
I think I'm in trouble. 😁
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All righty then.
I'm diving into the ToG series and decided to start with this one. My reasoning being that I was honestly not excited to start a series that I've heard doesn't get good until book 3 or 4 (out of EIGHT). So I thought I'd start here so maybe I could get excited about the story and the main character before jumping into unfortunate teen Maas writing.
And I think I made the right decision! Despite some small scruples, I definitely enjoyed these stories and am now a lot more stoked to begin the series for real. I can go into ToG already knowing and liking (to an extent) the main character. That will help a lot, I'm sure.
There were some things that felt really silly. It seems entirely unlikely that a 16-year-old has gotten enough training AND had enough jobs to be the land's most feared assassin. But that's just one place I had to suspend my disbelief. In many other ways, she definitely *was* 16/17. And it also was made very clear how much she's been manipulated to believe certain things and trust/distrust certain people. Sometimes I was internally screaming at her about things that so obvious to me as the reader. But it makes perfect sense that she wouldn't question them.
So yeah. Even if I have to push through a couple books of bad writing, I'm excited to learn more about Celaena and see where she goes from here!
I'm diving into the ToG series and decided to start with this one. My reasoning being that I was honestly not excited to start a series that I've heard doesn't get good until book 3 or 4 (out of EIGHT). So I thought I'd start here so maybe I could get excited about the story and the main character before jumping into unfortunate teen Maas writing.
And I think I made the right decision! Despite some small scruples, I definitely enjoyed these stories and am now a lot more stoked to begin the series for real. I can go into ToG already knowing and liking (to an extent) the main character. That will help a lot, I'm sure.
There were some things that felt really silly. It seems entirely unlikely that a 16-year-old has gotten enough training AND had enough jobs to be the land's most feared assassin. But that's just one place I had to suspend my disbelief. In many other ways, she definitely *was* 16/17. And it also was made very clear how much she's been manipulated to believe certain things and trust/distrust certain people. Sometimes I was internally screaming at her about things that so obvious to me as the reader. But it makes perfect sense that she wouldn't question them.
So yeah. Even if I have to push through a couple books of bad writing, I'm excited to learn more about Celaena and see where she goes from here!
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Very fun and charming! I think I liked this one slightly better than Chloe Brown, though hard to say since I read that one over a year ago.
I did find myself incredibly frustrated with Dani throughout. I think possibly as a demi, I just couldn't relate *at all* to her feelings about love and sex. But I still loved her and I LOVED Zaf.
I did find myself incredibly frustrated with Dani throughout. I think possibly as a demi, I just couldn't relate *at all* to her feelings about love and sex. But I still loved her and I LOVED Zaf.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
May 2023 book club pick.
I didn't hate this, but I didn't exactly like it. It didn't make me feel much of anything, to be honest, and I'm not even sure what the author *wanted* me to get out of it.
The idea was interesting and captivating and about a demographic and time and place that I know very little about (and could certainly stand to learn more about, especially considering I live in the Southwest). But it was written so uninterestingly. Not one single page held my attention beyond just getting through the words.
Le sigh. Another case of wasted potential.
I didn't hate this, but I didn't exactly like it. It didn't make me feel much of anything, to be honest, and I'm not even sure what the author *wanted* me to get out of it.
The idea was interesting and captivating and about a demographic and time and place that I know very little about (and could certainly stand to learn more about, especially considering I live in the Southwest). But it was written so uninterestingly. Not one single page held my attention beyond just getting through the words.
Le sigh. Another case of wasted potential.
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
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
My favorite book since I was 14 (now 30). This was, I believe, my fifth read of it (the penultimate read being in German, which was an incredible experience).
What can I say? It's still perfect. I'm still utterly devastated. I've never encountered another writer quite like Markus Zusak.
What can I say? It's still perfect. I'm still utterly devastated. I've never encountered another writer quite like Markus Zusak.