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maddydotcom's reviews
38 reviews
The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin
5.0
literally one of my favorite books of all time!!! i just love the imagery and the symbolism
Bunny by Mona Awad
2.0
2/5 — IT’S OKAY TO USE COMMAS. PARTICIPLE PHRASES NEED COMMAS.
i wanted to like this book so bad, but i was soooo disappointed. the writing made me insanely irritated—it was just trying way too hard to be deep that it ended up feeling extremely shallow. every grammar-obsessed fibre of my being cringed when the author used incomplete phrases as full sentences (e.g., “I looked at her in her blue dragon kimono. Reclining in the red velvet chair. Her red-painted toes poking out of the holes in her fishnet tights”).
i would rate this 1 star if it weren’t for the immense creativity. i love the concept, but i think it could’ve been executed better. i think i just wanted a better ending and also a longer amount of samantha-in-cult chapters. the writing switch from first person “i” to third person “we” was spooky!
i wouldn’t say i was scared at any time during this book. it was missing some of the core aspects of horror for me. a lot of the time, i was just confused.
i wanted to like this book so bad, but i was soooo disappointed. the writing made me insanely irritated—it was just trying way too hard to be deep that it ended up feeling extremely shallow. every grammar-obsessed fibre of my being cringed when the author used incomplete phrases as full sentences (e.g., “I looked at her in her blue dragon kimono. Reclining in the red velvet chair. Her red-painted toes poking out of the holes in her fishnet tights”).
i would rate this 1 star if it weren’t for the immense creativity. i love the concept, but i think it could’ve been executed better. i think i just wanted a better ending and also a longer amount of samantha-in-cult chapters. the writing switch from first person “i” to third person “we” was spooky!
i wouldn’t say i was scared at any time during this book. it was missing some of the core aspects of horror for me. a lot of the time, i was just confused.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5.0
ugh AMAZING it took me forever to really start reading but god this book was so good. it was so so creepy and every detail seemed like it could be foreshadowing.
AND THE TWIST i sort of saw it coming, but i enjoyed it nonetheless.
just looked up what the ending means because i was confused…and i LOVEEEE that manderley is burning. like 10/10. i also love the grim uncertainty of the ending…how we knew rebecca would haunt them forever and they would never truly know peace.
literally so good. i would give this 10 stars if i could!!!!
AND THE TWIST i sort of saw it coming, but i enjoyed it nonetheless.
just looked up what the ending means because i was confused…and i LOVEEEE that manderley is burning. like 10/10. i also love the grim uncertainty of the ending…how we knew rebecca would haunt them forever and they would never truly know peace.
literally so good. i would give this 10 stars if i could!!!!
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5.0
this took me a while to finish because i wasn’t in a book-reading mood, but once i really sat down and read it, it was so captivating i couldn’t stop. one night i had to force myself to go to sleep and continue reading the next day, but i was so taken with the characters and the plot that i wanted to keep reading. it’s a bit slow in the beginning, but makes up for it with beautiful writing and intricate details that keep you engaged. i love the dark academia ambience that this novel generates, and it was a great read overall.
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
5.0
my favorite book ever. i try to read it at least once a year, and it’s great every single time. such a great story that gives me chills whenever i read it. if i could give this infinite stars, i would.
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
2.0
this book is well-written and delves into the world of the sane vs. the insane. i enjoyed the depictions of mental illness, though i thought some were a bit far-fetched. i absolutely hated the ending—the doctor had told veronika she was dying when she actually wasn’t…all for some scientific discovery he was making??? literally what. yes, thinking that you’re dying will make you want to live more, but psychology could’ve told you that!!! you didn’t need to drug your patient in order to make her think she was dying!!!
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie
4.0
a very quick and usual agatha christie read. love that they got together in the end—I CALLED IT!!!!! but overall a nice pace and it kept me intrigued. but there were so many names and ppl that i got confused LOL i’m very grateful for the letter debrief at the end
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
5.0
loved this book!!! as someone who’s spent multiple stints in the loony bin, this book felt very familiar to me. the way the chapters jumped around in time seemed accurate to kaysen’s state of mind, allowing me to be further immersed in her world. an easy, interesting, and relatable read.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
3.0
3.8/5 — had a mini heart attack every time they said the slang term for cigarettes
i finally sat down to read this book after it sitting on my shelf for years, and it honestly took me 2-3 days. i will admit that i’m a sucker for amnesia fast-forwards in thrillers, but this one lost its appeal about halfway through.
i was very proud of myself for figuring out Who Did It before the main character did, but i didn’t really find the explanation to be satisfying.
i also went through most of the book assuming the main character was so attached to her ex because they had almost gotten married/were in it for the long haul. but i just don’t think you can have that depth of a relationship at 16??? and still think about it 10 YEARS later??? that’s where it fell flat for me.
**spoilers below**
the reasoning in general for (a) the main character not talking to her ex for 10 years and (b) the actual murder were not believable to me. it doesn’t make sense that you hold a HUUUGE grudge over your ex-boyfriend for 10 years for dumping you because you were pregnant. ESPECIALLY when you were 16 at the time. like did you really think you would be together forever??? booooooo
i finally sat down to read this book after it sitting on my shelf for years, and it honestly took me 2-3 days. i will admit that i’m a sucker for amnesia fast-forwards in thrillers, but this one lost its appeal about halfway through.
i was very proud of myself for figuring out Who Did It before the main character did, but i didn’t really find the explanation to be satisfying.
i also went through most of the book assuming the main character was so attached to her ex because they had almost gotten married/were in it for the long haul. but i just don’t think you can have that depth of a relationship at 16??? and still think about it 10 YEARS later??? that’s where it fell flat for me.
**spoilers below**
the reasoning in general for (a) the main character not talking to her ex for 10 years and (b) the actual murder were not believable to me. it doesn’t make sense that you hold a HUUUGE grudge over your ex-boyfriend for 10 years for dumping you because you were pregnant. ESPECIALLY when you were 16 at the time. like did you really think you would be together forever??? booooooo