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rubybereading's reviews
77 reviews
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1.5 k…..I guess.
This book was not what the writer thinks it is. Wasn't clever or poetic or interesting at all. Where she thought she was building suspense, she was just making it more predictable.
And it made it more annoying to read. The writing wasn't the most horrible ever, but it was very elementary and followed a very remedial formula. This felt like something a teenager who hasn't experienced life yet would write, but a teenager whose teachers believe has great potential. You know? And it was the most boring "thriller" I've ever read. Also, the chapters were too long. The story, itself, was too long. It could've been a short story—maybe even a quarter of its length—and it wouldn't have made any difference. It needed way less words to tell the extremely predictable story it told. Actually, it would be fine if it just didn't exist at all. This book is so unnecessary. If I didn't need this for a prompt in a reading challenge I'm doing, I definitely would've dnf'd it. Fuck my life.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
This didn’t “feel” necessarily like a 5 ⭐️ read, but I literally have no complaints about it. Like, literally none. It was cute, funny, heartfelt, heartbreaking, but also thought-provoking and inspiring. The love story was adorable. The banter was top tier. I laughed and swooned throughout the development of their relationship so much that I wasn’t even bothered when things started to fall apart. I was just so happy for Maddy to finally have been able to experience life. Especially with someone like Olly. And even though the mom had her thing, I could completely understand where she was coming from, as a mama bear myself. Love really can make you crazy. But, yeah, I loved every bit of this. And it’s hard to believe this was a debut. It was so creative, unique, well thought out, and well written. Definitely one I could see myself rereading in the future.
I’ll come back to it. I’m reading too many other books with my fable app clubs, so I’m not making any progress with this one. I’ll hit it later.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Ok...At the risk of sounding corny AY. EFF!!..l have to say, this was not just a love story (in my opinion). Once I really started understanding it and intentionally following the patterns and nuances in their wordplay, this felt like it was also a love letter to language itself. The way they manipulated words and honored the use of communication, both verbal and especially nonverbal-how it's expressed, processed, delivered, deciphered, interpreted, felt and received was done is such a complex yet poetic, beautiful and profound way. And the love story showed how words and various forms of communication can unite, form strong bonds, create deep relationships and understanding, and even change the world. The relationship formed and cultivated between the two MCs was just the cherry on top.
This was excellent! I've never read anything like it and, likely, never will again. And, of course, it made me cry! Lol!
And the fact that I hated it after the 1st couple of chapters and was about to dnf it, until reading a 4 or 5 star review that said to stop overthinking it, just to turn around and fall in love with it?? It's a 6⭐️ read for me just for that alone. It felt like a pile of poop turned into gold right in my hands right before my eyes! I'm still flabbergasted! Lol! & Yes, it was overly complicated with the wording. Yes, it was over the top, even to the point that I thought they were trolling us at first! Lol (bvs)! Yes, it'll probably take a few rereads to truly understand it in its entirety. But that's another hidden beauty of it. All its layers and everything in between. Omg! 😍😍😍
This was excellent! I've never read anything like it and, likely, never will again. And, of course, it made me cry! Lol!
And the fact that I hated it after the 1st couple of chapters and was about to dnf it, until reading a 4 or 5 star review that said to stop overthinking it, just to turn around and fall in love with it?? It's a 6⭐️ read for me just for that alone. It felt like a pile of poop turned into gold right in my hands right before my eyes! I'm still flabbergasted! Lol! & Yes, it was overly complicated with the wording. Yes, it was over the top, even to the point that I thought they were trolling us at first! Lol (bvs)! Yes, it'll probably take a few rereads to truly understand it in its entirety. But that's another hidden beauty of it. All its layers and everything in between. Omg! 😍😍😍
emotional
inspiring
fast-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:
N/A
Rating/reviewing, or even adding to my "finished/read" lists, any children's books I read to/with my daughter (8y.o.) isn't really my thing. They're typically so short that I don't feel like it "counts". However, this book did something to me. As a child who grew up in a Muslim's woman's household & was given a Muslim last name, I can relate to feeling shame, embarrassment & outcasted for having a non-American, "unusual" name & wishing you had one that helped you fit in better with your peers. Even my first name, Ruby, stood out as odd in early childhood & I was often teased for having an "old lady" name. So it broke my heart when she first felt shame about it, but then warmed my heart to see the support her classmates gave her & how they accepted her, which lead her to accept the beauty and uniqueness of her own name & the story, meaning & cultural significance it holds. It even brought a tear or 2 to my eyes. I suggest this book for any child who feels too different to help them start to learn to love, be proud of, & accept their differences-especially the cultural ones.
A few minor issues: the kids mispronouncing her name in the ways they did when they heard it instead of seeing it written didn't make sense, and the explanation for the reader (us) on how to pronounce it was confusing. Also, I'm pretty sure there was a continuity error at the end (the paper from her pocket she offered to give back??). Also, the boy stealing the jar didn't end up being necessary. I was hoping he took it to replace all the name options with cutouts of the stamps he and she had made of the Korean spelling of her name to say that her given name should be her only choice. Still would've been a kind of messed up way to do it, but it would've been nicer. But by the time he admits to taking it, she had already decided to keep her name, so it ended up being a pointless plot point. Either way, I still found it heartfelt, relatable, and a good read for young kids who can relate
It’s just not gripping me enough. I’ll circle back to it eventually. I own a physical copy, so I might as well.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I meeeeeeeannn...Did she get the "villain edit" or was she an actual "villain"? Even as told by MC herself (as the whole story is from her pov), she's mean, arrogant, hard to get along with, hard to like, sees herself above everyone else, etc. The protagonist was antagonistic as hell! I really didn't like her and found no reason to root for her. I never felt sad when she did. And I never felt bad for her. She was rude and reckless and conniving for, at times, no logical reason-even to the end. I would've never been happy for her no matter how it ended. 🤷🏽♀️ Sorry. But that's what made this book interesting. Just like the "villain" in an actual reality show. They're the reason we watch, if we're honest with ourselves That's why this gets a decent rating for me, because it was realistic and felt relatable. It almost felt liKe we were really seeing the bts of a dating reality show. It was very well done in that regard.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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 was so cute! I loved Mickey's personality and her approach to life after, due to and in spite of the obstacles her health put in her way. I love free-spirited characters and love to see them win. This was also an adorable love story. Mickey and Diego balanced each other out very well. Her sunshine to his grumpy was well played, and I like how she still knew how to stand up for herself when he was doing too much. The only thing that kind of annoyed me was the constant comparisons to and conversations about the late wife. Mickey's better than me because I would've gotten tired of hearing about her. Idc how dead she is! But this book did remind me that I'm working on my compassion and l'm definitely a work in progress. Smh! Overall, I very much enjoyed this story and the last line was so cute and perfect. I swooned! 😍
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dark. Eerie. Sad. Heartbreaking. Haunting. Spine-tingling.
Enticing. Creepy. Addictive. Horrifying. Sexy. Sensual. Disturbing (!!!) AF and, at times, hard to get through but it was almost perfectly written. Even the slow parts were intriguing because the mood and atmosphere had already been set so well. It already had me in its grips wondering what's to come, and then OMG!! It was eerily "beautiful" (??), but so harsh and ugly. Darkly poetic without trying too hard. The first horror book that really kind of horrified me for real! Gothic to its core! I wasn't readv!! Wtf?? I'm kind of at a loss for words. This one, for sure, will sit with me for a while! And it's definitely not for the faint of heart! Smh!!
TW: Suicide, gun violence/fatalities, internalized homophobia, child sexual assault, body horror (mild depiction), fatal strangulation, desecration of the Bible and Church/pulpit-ALL on page depictions.