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rubybereading's Reviews (95)
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this book because I often think about what I’d do differently or better (or not change at all) if I could go back in time and redo a specific time period, or meet my younger self, and whether or not I’d be able to influence her for the better. That’s the basic gist of this book. For the most part, it was cute and funny and very nostalgic. It might’ve been a little too nostalgic, though, with all the heavy handed early 2000s references that were obviously meant to hit millennials all in the feels. It was a lot, but I can admit that, as a millennial myself, it did feel good. The story was a little obnoxious and her younger self was so annoying, but I still enjoyed it. It didn’t have the emotional effect that I think it was attempting to on some parts, but I did get a little misty eyed here and there. Overall, I had fun with it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok so, though I loathe cliffhangers from the depths of my soul (!!), I’m glad that there’s going to be more to the story, because I had a FAWKING blast reading this. It was so exhilarating and chaotic and intense. I couldn’t get enough of it. And I have never rooted for such an unlikeable and insufferable character in my life, but she was such a badass. The amount of idgaf she had with her was inspiring. Lol! She was so erratic and unpredictable and hardheaded and self-destructive and I loved it! This is the first book that I’ve ever wanted to go, immediately, to its sequel. The cliffhanger did boil my blood to the point that I almost lowered the stars out of pure rage, but I had enjoyed my time with it so much that I just couldn’t. What a ride!
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book didn’t do for me what it, apparently, did for a lot of other readers. I sat with it for a few days after finishing it to see if maybe my mind would change, but it didn’t. While I do respect the story and have huge respect for the writing skill of the author, I was just very bored throughout most of it. Also, the “love” part of the story wasn’t convincing for me. It didn’t feel like love to me. The main dude just seemed to have huge obsessive crush (which prepubescent me can relate to), but I didn’t get “love”, and Thomas just came off extremely indifferent. And I know that was the point since he was in the closet and fighting his true feelings. Still, it seemed like ol boy was just a f*ck buddy for him. So the revelation at the end felt like it was just there to push the emotional impact. I just wasn’t convinced. I did cry, and pretty fucking hard, but not because I was emotionally invested. I just know the feeling of being in love and losing that love, and I know how it feels to have some kind of connection to “the one that got away”. So the tears were really for myself. Lol! I felt very little for their experience because I didn’t believe it. I do respect it, though, because I think that was kind of intentional. The MC was painted in the beginning as kind of an unreliable narrator and, even in the book club suggested questions at the end, there was a question about whether or not we can even trust his whole telling of Thomas’s side of the story. I found that interesting, so it did make me give it a bit of a pass on that. So, again, I do respect it. But yeah, this is way too long so I’m going to wrap it up here. Sheesh. I be yapping. Gotdamn!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What can I say? I guess I just love me a mean, weird, narcissistic ass, unhinged ass bitch. 🤷🏽♀️
Side note: I kind of cringed at how much I could relate to her. A much much MUCH younger, more naive, less experienced, more desperate to be “loved” version of myself. But still.
Side note: I kind of cringed at how much I could relate to her. A much much MUCH younger, more naive, less experienced, more desperate to be “loved” version of myself. But still.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
No
This story is everything it says it is and then some. It warmed my heart, made me smile, and made me wish I could go read it with my younger self. I actually never read this as a child and, after finishing it, that fact made me a little sad. It made me wonder how differently life and the world might’ve looked to little me. But I’m glad, now, that I’m able to share this with my own daughter (9y.o.). Very simple and complex at the same time. Heartfelt, heartwarming, and a tiny bit heartbreaking, but inspiring and hopeful too. 🤗🤗🤗
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
This was so beautifully written that it made my stomach hurt. I’m not going to lie, though. At first, I was so confused. I didn’t understand at lot of various points in the story, and was getting frustrated. But the characters, the magic, and the lyrical prose, poetic style of writing, and just plain curiosity held me. The only reason it took me so long to finish it is because I kept losing access to it in various reading apps until yesterday. Once I was able to finally lock in and get through it, it was so easy to get immersed into their world and get lost in the narrative. The colors, the food, the culture, the customs, the magic, the characters—both likeable and unlikeable—all flawed but multifaceted and some beautifully flawed. It all was chaotic and sometimes devastating, but still so beautiful. It felt like one of those weird and crazy vivid dreams where you don’t know what the hell is going on, but you still don’t want to wake up from it. Once I let go of my frustration of being “confused” by how disjointed a lot of it was, and allowed it to just take me on whatever ride it wanted to, I didn’t want to leave. At the end, the beauty of it brought tears to my eyes. It felt like my ancestors were hugging me! I don’t care how pretentious and dramatic that sounds. It felt good to my soul! It felt like I was floating in healing waters with magical sunshine pouring down on me. I want to go to Popisho! 🥹
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am not ok. And nothing I say would be able to give this book any justice. Just read it. Smh! I’m a blubbering mess and I need a moment now.
dark
funny
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:
Complicated
Neurotic, deranged, narcissistic, and just completely unhinged! What a cuckoo bird that woman was, but I couldn’t help but like her! Wth? AITA?? And idk if it was supposed to be that funny, but I literally laughed out loud. And the way I kept gasping as she became more and more unhinged and off-putting. But I understood! People are annoying af! And this just made me never want to be famous, because MY GOD! Smh! But yeah, this was highly entertaining. And the ending was ridiculous. Lol!
emotional
sad
slow-paced
I have little to nothing, on the surface, in common with Korean culture, but found myself being able to relate so much to the customs and cultural aspects of the author’s experiences throughout the book. There were parts that felt like someone took my own personal story and just charged some of the language and locations. It was almost eerie. That was the main thing that stood out to me. It made me realize, more than ever, how similar we really are as humans despite coming from different races, places, and backgrounds. That was strangely eye opening because like…duh…I knew that. But this was so strangely relatable that it blew my mind.
Anyway, with regard to her story, it was sad and my heart went out to her. I’ve known quite a few people who have passed on from cancer, but I’ve never read, listened to or watched anything that went so into detail about the physical pain and suffering that the people who are going through it have to endure. That was tough for me, but I do respect and appreciate the rawness and honesty portrayed in her story and I respect her for sharing it with us. And I love how she honored her mothers legacy and the impact she left on her life without sugarcoating her experiences that were still, many times, very toxic and dysfunctional but also valuable to her in some of the ways that it seems she needed. It made me want to have a few hard conversations (before it’s too late). I’m not quite ready yet, but this book gave me a lot to think about and more motivation towards that than any other book I’ve read.
Anyway, with regard to her story, it was sad and my heart went out to her. I’ve known quite a few people who have passed on from cancer, but I’ve never read, listened to or watched anything that went so into detail about the physical pain and suffering that the people who are going through it have to endure. That was tough for me, but I do respect and appreciate the rawness and honesty portrayed in her story and I respect her for sharing it with us. And I love how she honored her mothers legacy and the impact she left on her life without sugarcoating her experiences that were still, many times, very toxic and dysfunctional but also valuable to her in some of the ways that it seems she needed. It made me want to have a few hard conversations (before it’s too late). I’m not quite ready yet, but this book gave me a lot to think about and more motivation towards that than any other book I’ve read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
This really did feel like a really warm hug you didn’t even know you needed. And I wasn’t even enjoying it at first. The language, at first, was annoying and I started to assume that it was going to come off sounding very pretentious and trying to sound too smarter-than-you. But I’m glad I’m refusing to dnf anything this year, because I was SO wrong. This book was lovely, and thoughtful, thought provoking, touching, and was just what I needed when I did not know I needed it! As soon as my hold of the sequel becomes available on Libby, I’m on it!