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shereadytoread's Reviews (821)
Anita de Monte Laughs Lasts tells us the story of Anita and Raquel in two timelines (within 20 years of one another) each dealing with their identity as a Latina woman in the art world. I thought that magic realism inclusion was good but I wish it was a tiny bit less specific. Watching the insidious nature of their relationships, each with men trying to control them under the guise of love and freedom to create, played well off one another. It's a literary fiction so there isn't as much a clear cut ending but a satisfying ending that tells us where each of their stories is free to keep going. I loved the journey that Raquel takes to reclaim her identity and interests in the face of pressure and other opportunities that she could reach if she compromises.
I am not a huge lit fic person but I have loved both books by this author and I am excited to read whatever she puts out next!
I am not a huge lit fic person but I have loved both books by this author and I am excited to read whatever she puts out next!
I enjoyed this read. The narrator for the MMC wasn't my favorite so I wish I had read it primarily in print, but I liked the story.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher and acquired the audiobook myself.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher and acquired the audiobook myself.
dark
emotional
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 is a book with an interesting composition. It's set up as a documentary/interview style of a band's journey. As a horror novel I think the structure works well but it is a pretty tame book. It's extremely character-focused and I loved that there was so much character complexity and development. I enjoyed that it was more reflective rather than flashy. It does have a good amount of action but it is very much about the music and characters being drawn into and then affected by the antichrist's orbit rather than a huge battle against evil for the entire story.
Personally I think that audio is the absolute best way to read this. It felt like listening to an actual documentary and it is fully casted. And if music is not your thing, the audio is not filled with actual music. I ended up purchasing the audiobook myself to read along with my ARC.
Disclosure: I received a free ARC from Run For It (publisher).
Personally I think that audio is the absolute best way to read this. It felt like listening to an actual documentary and it is fully casted. And if music is not your thing, the audio is not filled with actual music. I ended up purchasing the audiobook myself to read along with my ARC.
Disclosure: I received a free ARC from Run For It (publisher).
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was a unique way to get to know horror author's connection to the genre a little more. It was like reading mini autobiographies. Some of the authors took unique spins on how to respond. Definitely worth reading if you have more interest in the authors that are writing your favorite horror.
dark
This was a solid folk horror. It took me a second to adjust to the first person POV, but I think it worked really well with the repetitive thoughts aspect of the story.
This one felt like a major downgrade from the first. It attempted to be sequel to the first book in some ways mirroring the sequel to the film. This one upped the spice level and I think the plot suffered due to that. This felt like the plot was in service to the sex scenes, instead of feeling naturally placed into the storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Incest
I wanted to love this book a lot more than I did. The plot was really interesting; the layers of the romance, the court drama, and the family/personal issues should have been a winner. The main character's obsession with the case got to be so annoying at certain points that it felt hard to connect with the story. The author did explain why but it came too late in the story for me. Some understanding as to why it was so important to her early on would have served the character much better and helped the reader connect more. It is a single POV but the author did give the MMC a deeply complex background story as well. I think because of the single POV and the heavy focus on her family issues, this leans a little more into women's fiction than romance. There is a HEA, but I think the general story could have survived with or without that happening.
I would definitely give this author another read to see if another book works better for me.
Disclosure: I received a free finished copy from the publisher and a gifted ALC from Libro.fm.
I would definitely give this author another read to see if another book works better for me.
Disclosure: I received a free finished copy from the publisher and a gifted ALC from Libro.fm.
emotional
I really enjoyed this one! The tension and conflict within the relationships (not just romantic but the platonic ones as well) worked really well for me. I loved that the issues were not all based in the relationship and they had other things going on that were addressed throughout the story.
It is a holiday romance but didn't feel overly focused on the Christmas portion. It was a really good story on a Christmas backdrop which I loved.
It is a holiday romance but didn't feel overly focused on the Christmas portion. It was a really good story on a Christmas backdrop which I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment