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readingwryly's reviews
236 reviews
The Humans by Matt Haig
5.0
I don’t have the words for my depth of appreciation for Matt Haig in general, and this book specifically. But I will try.
This book (from a birds eye view) is a story written by an alien, to his fellow alien counterparts, about his experiences on earth with (human) “aliens”. The idea to flip the switch from the get-go and refer to earthlings as the foreign beings is, in and of itself, awesome. It is a brilliant way to approach the topic of life and existentialism and force the reader to look at the world and our lives objectively, thereby effectively setting the tone to delve into this discussion.
The set-up is such that, an earthling mathematician has proven a mathematical theory that will change the world, therefore creating a threat to the universe as a whole. These aliens, inhabitants of a galaxy so far reaching beyond anything we can fathom, have killed this mathematician and sent one of their own in his stead to eradicate any and all traces of this discovery. Basically, this alien has stolen the body of professor Andrew Martin and the book begins by plopping him onto earth completely naked and left to complete his mission while navigating our strange customs and idiosyncrasies.
I have never laughed SO HARD out loud while reading a book. Following him as he bumbles through learning English (from an issue of Cosmopolitan), shares a jar of peanut butter with his dog, and fumbles through a conversation with his teenage son, was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I don’t know if that speaks ill of me or well of Matt Haig, but either way I’m satisfied.
Without going into spoilers, this is a tale of learning to feel, and to love. It is about the value of pain, and the complexity of human emotion. It is charming and dramatic. It is a love letter from an alien.
After having read now three novels from Matt Haig, all with this central theme of the meaning of life, I’m left wondering how he can possibly live a day to day life while holding such expansive thoughts in his mind. I’m awed by his ability to craft stories that are so thought provoking and poignant. He has become an automatic read for me, and I feel privileged to grace my eyes with anything he writes.
This book (from a birds eye view) is a story written by an alien, to his fellow alien counterparts, about his experiences on earth with (human) “aliens”. The idea to flip the switch from the get-go and refer to earthlings as the foreign beings is, in and of itself, awesome. It is a brilliant way to approach the topic of life and existentialism and force the reader to look at the world and our lives objectively, thereby effectively setting the tone to delve into this discussion.
The set-up is such that, an earthling mathematician has proven a mathematical theory that will change the world, therefore creating a threat to the universe as a whole. These aliens, inhabitants of a galaxy so far reaching beyond anything we can fathom, have killed this mathematician and sent one of their own in his stead to eradicate any and all traces of this discovery. Basically, this alien has stolen the body of professor Andrew Martin and the book begins by plopping him onto earth completely naked and left to complete his mission while navigating our strange customs and idiosyncrasies.
I have never laughed SO HARD out loud while reading a book. Following him as he bumbles through learning English (from an issue of Cosmopolitan), shares a jar of peanut butter with his dog, and fumbles through a conversation with his teenage son, was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I don’t know if that speaks ill of me or well of Matt Haig, but either way I’m satisfied.
Without going into spoilers, this is a tale of learning to feel, and to love. It is about the value of pain, and the complexity of human emotion. It is charming and dramatic. It is a love letter from an alien.
After having read now three novels from Matt Haig, all with this central theme of the meaning of life, I’m left wondering how he can possibly live a day to day life while holding such expansive thoughts in his mind. I’m awed by his ability to craft stories that are so thought provoking and poignant. He has become an automatic read for me, and I feel privileged to grace my eyes with anything he writes.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
My second time reading this book. I’m still as ensnared as a Suriel! I think my second read may have been even better than the first, if that’s even possible. Yes, I was spoiled on some of the big twisty parts. But I was able to dwell in those little tiny bits that foreshadow the future plot twists, and indulge in the parts that I never noticed on my first read. Going back in with the knowledge I now have of the future books, has left me in awe of Sarah J Maas and her clever writing. I’ve always said that if SJM writes anything into her books, it’s for a reason. But even knowing this, she manages to sneak little treasures into the text in a way that is so off hand and flippant that, as the reader, you don’t fully consider or even take note of it until something else is later revealed.
That being said, this book HAS. EVERYTHING. Feyre is the most lovable character in all of literature as far as I’m concerned. She’s smart and sassy, capable and scrappy, she’s willing to give up everything for the people she loves, and will endure anything to ensure their well being. I’m particularly fond of this noble-to-the-point-of-self-sabotage trope, so I may be biased. But even if that’s not your thing, this book has something you’re looking for. It’s got Faye politics, HUMAN politics, an amazing magic system, a task of trials with lives at stake, hate to love tropes, family trauma, and a group of characters that will steal your heart.
This was the first SJM I ever read, and it was the perfect orientation into this world and her writing.
Blessed be the fruit.
That being said, this book HAS. EVERYTHING. Feyre is the most lovable character in all of literature as far as I’m concerned. She’s smart and sassy, capable and scrappy, she’s willing to give up everything for the people she loves, and will endure anything to ensure their well being. I’m particularly fond of this noble-to-the-point-of-self-sabotage trope, so I may be biased. But even if that’s not your thing, this book has something you’re looking for. It’s got Faye politics, HUMAN politics, an amazing magic system, a task of trials with lives at stake, hate to love tropes, family trauma, and a group of characters that will steal your heart.
This was the first SJM I ever read, and it was the perfect orientation into this world and her writing.
Blessed be the fruit.
If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier
1.0
I thought this novel was for me. I wanted it to be for me. But alas! It was not for me.
I thought it was interesting that it was written like a letter from the MC to her best friend (who she has never met), second person POV is pretty rare. I appreciated the effect. And I liked that she introduced segments from the actual podcast. I also enjoyed toying with the idea of what the twist was, my favorite part of reading thrillers. But that’s about where my praises end, unfortunately.
Sera’s favorite true crime podcast, “Murder, She Spoke” (great TC podcast name btw) has not released a new episode in a couple of weeks. So naturally, she assumes Rachel (the shows host) has been kidnapped/killed/held hostage, and so she drives across country to find Rachel’s home and begin her investigation.
First of all...what? Is Sera crazy?? Yes, she’s had it hard in her own life, divorced, lost an unwanted pregnancy, lost her job...but what is her motivation for stalking this woman when there is no clear reason to believe anything is wrong at all??
So I’m thinking, okay this is going to be an unreliable narrator trope. Sera’s actually lost her mind, she’s going to get there and this story will be about taking this “true crime trend” too far. I’m thinking it’s going to be a commentary about obsession. So throughout the story, I don’t believe a damn word Sera says or thinks. I think that’s intentional, but it didn’t lead me where I wanted it to.
She gets to the ranch that Rachel’s parents own and finagles her way into a job caring for the horses. No one knows where Rachel went, and no one cares. Her mom says she thinks she was murdered and aloofly drops the subject. Everyone is creepy and sus as hell.
Everyone keeps telling her how happy they are that she’s there, and keeps accidentally calling Sera, “Rachel”. So I’m thinking, okay Sera IS Rachel. She’s obviously looney, she’s had some kind of traumatic experience (murdering a bunch of people), has amnesia, and has created this second life for herself in her mind. I’m thinking that everyone in this small town is playing into it because they want to help her cope with her mental illness. I’m thinking she killed all of these girls and that’s why she has an obsession with true crime.
Everyone she questions is evasive, and SHES NOT ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. Okay, as a true crime fan, I know what Sera’s character was supposed to be representing, and in my opinion, it failed to achieve that. When someone whispers in your ear to ask if you feel safe...wouldn’t you question why? If someone winds up dead and the police write it off as suicide, wouldn’t you ask what the cause of death was? Wouldn’t you at least ask for an autopsy before writing off any question of possible murder?
A bunch of people die, and they discover it was Rachel’s brother, the priest. Because you’d never suspect the priest! So after Rachel’s entire family is killed (including her brother “the killer”, another assumed suicide, by water poison that kills on skin contact?) Rachel, Sera, and Grace (another assumed victim of the killer that has for some reason been kept alive) live happily ever after on the ranch and turn it into a safe haven for lost women.
BUT WAIT! Sera STILL doesn’t ask the right questions, but Rachel’s ex-friends suddenly decide to talk...and tell her their side of the story. And Sera finds out she was scammed the entire time and it was RACHEL all along.
But why??? Her friends say she may have accidentally killed the first girl (their school friend) and got the taste for killing and then couldn’t stop. Again, I ask BUT...WHY?? I’m not going to go into stats about how unlikely this is, because it’s possible. But I need some back story. What trauma did Rachel go through to make her into such a cold hearted killer? There are female serial killers, but women who kill are likely motivated by money or love...and I don’t see either of these working as a motive in this scenario. And why did her mom cover for her? It doesn’t add up.
After the looong middle section and awkward pacing of this book where nothing happens forever, this twist was such a let down.
So the Sera girl is off her rocker, but not THAT off her rocker. She’s truly just a creep. She’s in love with true crime, and she gets DUPED by true crime! If you’re going to make her into an exaggerated true crime crazed character, can’t she at least be good at solving them?
And then it just ends.
I was going to give this 2 stars, but after dissecting my thoughts throughout this review, I think I need to change it to 1. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’m so disappointed.
I thought it was interesting that it was written like a letter from the MC to her best friend (who she has never met), second person POV is pretty rare. I appreciated the effect. And I liked that she introduced segments from the actual podcast. I also enjoyed toying with the idea of what the twist was, my favorite part of reading thrillers. But that’s about where my praises end, unfortunately.
Sera’s favorite true crime podcast, “Murder, She Spoke” (great TC podcast name btw) has not released a new episode in a couple of weeks. So naturally, she assumes Rachel (the shows host) has been kidnapped/killed/held hostage, and so she drives across country to find Rachel’s home and begin her investigation.
First of all...what? Is Sera crazy?? Yes, she’s had it hard in her own life, divorced, lost an unwanted pregnancy, lost her job...but what is her motivation for stalking this woman when there is no clear reason to believe anything is wrong at all??
So I’m thinking, okay this is going to be an unreliable narrator trope. Sera’s actually lost her mind, she’s going to get there and this story will be about taking this “true crime trend” too far. I’m thinking it’s going to be a commentary about obsession. So throughout the story, I don’t believe a damn word Sera says or thinks. I think that’s intentional, but it didn’t lead me where I wanted it to.
She gets to the ranch that Rachel’s parents own and finagles her way into a job caring for the horses. No one knows where Rachel went, and no one cares. Her mom says she thinks she was murdered and aloofly drops the subject. Everyone is creepy and sus as hell.
Everyone keeps telling her how happy they are that she’s there, and keeps accidentally calling Sera, “Rachel”. So I’m thinking, okay Sera IS Rachel. She’s obviously looney, she’s had some kind of traumatic experience (murdering a bunch of people), has amnesia, and has created this second life for herself in her mind. I’m thinking that everyone in this small town is playing into it because they want to help her cope with her mental illness. I’m thinking she killed all of these girls and that’s why she has an obsession with true crime.
Everyone she questions is evasive, and SHES NOT ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. Okay, as a true crime fan, I know what Sera’s character was supposed to be representing, and in my opinion, it failed to achieve that. When someone whispers in your ear to ask if you feel safe...wouldn’t you question why? If someone winds up dead and the police write it off as suicide, wouldn’t you ask what the cause of death was? Wouldn’t you at least ask for an autopsy before writing off any question of possible murder?
A bunch of people die, and they discover it was Rachel’s brother, the priest. Because you’d never suspect the priest! So after Rachel’s entire family is killed (including her brother “the killer”, another assumed suicide, by water poison that kills on skin contact?) Rachel, Sera, and Grace (another assumed victim of the killer that has for some reason been kept alive) live happily ever after on the ranch and turn it into a safe haven for lost women.
BUT WAIT! Sera STILL doesn’t ask the right questions, but Rachel’s ex-friends suddenly decide to talk...and tell her their side of the story. And Sera finds out she was scammed the entire time and it was RACHEL all along.
But why??? Her friends say she may have accidentally killed the first girl (their school friend) and got the taste for killing and then couldn’t stop. Again, I ask BUT...WHY?? I’m not going to go into stats about how unlikely this is, because it’s possible. But I need some back story. What trauma did Rachel go through to make her into such a cold hearted killer? There are female serial killers, but women who kill are likely motivated by money or love...and I don’t see either of these working as a motive in this scenario. And why did her mom cover for her? It doesn’t add up.
After the looong middle section and awkward pacing of this book where nothing happens forever, this twist was such a let down.
So the Sera girl is off her rocker, but not THAT off her rocker. She’s truly just a creep. She’s in love with true crime, and she gets DUPED by true crime! If you’re going to make her into an exaggerated true crime crazed character, can’t she at least be good at solving them?
And then it just ends.
I was going to give this 2 stars, but after dissecting my thoughts throughout this review, I think I need to change it to 1. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’m so disappointed.