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sicksadlit's reviews
503 reviews
Florida by Lauren Groff
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Ok this is a Lauren Groff fan account now.
When I tell you this book was so exquisite, so profoundly moving and visceral that I dreaded finishing it because I didn’t want it to be over.
Forget favourite book of the year, this might just be the book of my LIFE.
As you know, I am proudly a diehard LG stan. Her writing is like music to my brain and eyeballs and imo she should probably just run for president.
And that was before reading Florida.
Now, if she started a cult I would be the first to sign up and handover my life’s worth.
Florida is a collection of short stories and that in itself is surprising because I do not usually care for short stories!!!
The thing about this collection though, is that each one was like a mini-LG book. Every individual story was complete, moving and engaging on their own. As a short story hater usually, I found myself getting lost in every one and experiencing them like Groff’s novels.
It also made me want to visit Florida which was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card.
Florida is a powerful collection exploring the complexities of family, motherhood, climate change and more with her lyrical prose and dark humour and wit.
Groff somehow manages to make me feel almost the full spectrum of human emotions with all of her writing. Florida is not a book to fall asleep reading as you will not want to miss a single word or moment.
I took my time with this book, luxuriating in every sentence, rereading passages to make it last longer.
I borrowed my copy from the library but I loved it so much, I’ll be purchasing one to keep so I can go back to these stories time and time again.
I really can’t rave enough about it but I’ll leave you with one final thought:
If I had to choose one single book to read for the rest of my life, it would be this one.
Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Matrix by Lauren Groff
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book left me speechless. Truly.
Matrix is the second novel by Lauren Groff that I have read, and following on from the masterpiece that was The Vaster Wilds, I was not sure what to expect as to whether she’d stay true to the style of TVW or whether Matrix would stand its own with a unique spin.
Well, stand alone it sure does.
As is true to Groff’s consistent theme of strong female characters thrust into harrowing situations, Matrix is, at times, difficult story to read. We follow Marie who is sent to live in a convent at the young age of 17 following the death of her royal mother. Marie is the byproduct of r*pe, and so is deeply shamed within her family.
Initially resisting the abbey, she soon finds her element and begins to rise up through the ranks until she assumes the ultimate power of abbess and baroness to the crown.
Marie is a powerful force to be reckoned with, who brings wealth and abundance to her women, but always at a price.
Every decision she makes has an often fatal consequence, although ultimately benefiting the wider abbey.
Groff is such a phenomenally talented, lyrical writer. Matrix took me on a visceral journey across the broad spectrum of emotion. From joy to anguish, I felt it all, right alongside Marie.
The care and attention that Groff dedicates to researching her subject matter was abundantly clear in Matrix. It had me wondering if it was perhaps based on a true story because it felt so incredibly real and inspired.
Groff’s work is not for the faint of heart and carries some heavy trigger warnings, so readers should take care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
This book completely eviscerated me.
I am winded.
My soul is on fire.
If I could give it 10,000 stars out of five, I would.
Set in the early 1990s in the Irish village of Crossmore, Sunburn follows the coming-of-age journey of Lucy. Born to a devoutly Catholic family with a life-path clearly mapped out for her by her traditional mother and Granny, Lucy struggles to reconcile her growing feelings for her friend Susannah and what that might mean for her life.
Never before have I read such a powerful and visceral depiction of young, queer love and the journey of identity and self-discovery.
I saw myself in these pages, I was transported back to 2011 when I fell in love for the first time at 17 years old with a girl who would break my heart so badly, it took three years to heal.
I felt every moment of Lucy’s experience as though it were my own.
To write a novel this incredible at such a young age is a remarkable achievement by author Chloe Michelle Howarth. Sunburn read like the works of a veteran up there with the heavyweights like Margaret Atwood, Lauren Groff and Donna Tartt.
Whether you identify as queer or not, Sunburn is an important read for all those who have experienced the yearning of a first love, and the pain of first heartbreak.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
I LOVED the characters in Not in Love. In fact, I think they might be my favourite of all her characters ever?? Or maybe it’s just because for once, the MMC had a fully fleshed out and developed storyline which has always been one of my issues with Hazelwood in her previous work. Eli was so great and he could have carried the entire story on his own, I loved the chapters from his perspective.
I also liked the MFC Rue, mainly for the fact that again, for once, she actually felt materially different from all Hazelwood’s other female leads and not just the same character with a different name.
I loved that she knew herself and her needs, wasn’t afraid to advocate for her desires and didn’t make stupid nonsensical decisions like some of the previous female leads. She actually felt hyper-intelligent and every action supported that.
The friends in the surrounding circles were also fantastic and they each felt quite well-rounded with the exception of Hark, who I felt had some unresolved tension at the end and it was quite weird that he just disappeared off the page about three quarters of the way in ??? Anyway..
- Plot
For once there was no stupid nonsensical misunderstanding between the MMC and MFC!! They both behaved like intelligent adults!! Yay! But I will say this story was a bit of a slow burn for me and the first 20% or so was not as engaging as usual. Typically my experience with Hazelwood’s book is they come crashing out the gates with a roaring start, sag in the middle and then rush to tie up the loose threads at the end. This one was different. It was a bit slow and confusing at the start but it found its feet by the midway point.
Without spoiling anything, the ending just left a little something to be desired for me. I don’t know what it is but it just didn’t hit me in the feels or have the huge climactic pay off that I would have liked.
- Execution
The only reason I want to speak to execution specifically is that this novel differs from Hazelwood’s usual style in that it shifts between two perspectives: Eli and Rue.
I enjoyed this change and found it definitely added some interest, but I actually wound up feeling like it may have been better written entirely from Eli’s perspective as he was definitely the more compelling of the two characters. In contrast to Eli’s chapters, Rue fell a little flat at times,
I also wonder if part of the tension was lost in the dual-perspective approach because nothing was left to guess, we knew exactly how both characters were thinking and feeling the whole time.
Soooooo overall, 3.75 rounded up to 4 imo. The plot and execution is what brought it down for me but I did love the characters. Also, I always genuinely enjoy the shit out of all of Ali Hazelwood’s books and I will read every single one of them until I die.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ok, Ali and I are six books deep now so I feel like we’re pretty well acquainted at this stage.
Not in Love is a fairly big departure from her usual work and as always, I have some THOUGHTS…
Firstly, I love to see Hazelwood exploring her creativity and the boundaries of the genre with her latest works. Both Bride and Not in Love are very very different from her usual style and honestly, I am here for it.
The book opens with a letter to the reader from Hazelwood, explaining that the book is quite tonally different and leans more towards erotic romance, so I was eager to find out what that would mean.
I’m going to break this review down into three parts: characters, plot and execution, because I think they all deserve a bit of solo attention.
- Characters
I LOVED the characters in Not in Love. In fact, I think they might be my favourite of all her characters ever?? Or maybe it’s just because for once, the MMC had a fully fleshed out and developed storyline which has always been one of my issues with Hazelwood in her previous work. Eli was so great and he could have carried the entire story on his own, I loved the chapters from his perspective.
I also liked the MFC Rue, mainly for the fact that again, for once, she actually felt materially different from all Hazelwood’s other female leads and not just the same character with a different name.
I loved that she knew herself and her needs, wasn’t afraid to advocate for her desires and didn’t make stupid nonsensical decisions like some of the previous female leads. She actually felt hyper-intelligent and every action supported that.
The friends in the surrounding circles were also fantastic and they each felt quite well-rounded with the exception of Hark, who I felt had some unresolved tension at the end and it was quite weird that he just disappeared off the page about three quarters of the way in ??? Anyway..
- Plot
For once there was no stupid nonsensical misunderstanding between the MMC and MFC!! They both behaved like intelligent adults!! Yay! But I will say this story was a bit of a slow burn for me and the first 20% or so was not as engaging as usual. Typically my experience with Hazelwood’s book is they come crashing out the gates with a roaring start, sag in the middle and then rush to tie up the loose threads at the end. This one was different. It was a bit slow and confusing at the start but it found its feet by the midway point.
Without spoiling anything, the ending just left a little something to be desired for me. I don’t know what it is but it just didn’t hit me in the feels or have the huge climactic pay off that I would have liked.
- Execution
The only reason I want to speak to execution specifically is that this novel differs from Hazelwood’s usual style in that it shifts between two perspectives: Eli and Rue.
I enjoyed this change and found it definitely added some interest, but I actually wound up feeling like it may have been better written entirely from Eli’s perspective as he was definitely the more compelling of the two characters. In contrast to Eli’s chapters, Rue fell a little flat at times,
I also wonder if part of the tension was lost in the dual-perspective approach because nothing was left to guess, we knew exactly how both characters were thinking and feeling the whole time.
Soooooo overall, 3.75 rounded up to 4 imo. The plot and execution is what brought it down for me but I did love the characters. Also, I always genuinely enjoy the shit out of all of Ali Hazelwood’s books and I will read every single one of them until I die.
Bunny by Mona Awad
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh bunny, you are sooo like, totally unhinged? But in like the BEST way possible?
When I first read this book I was too stunned to talk about it.
I put it down. Returned it to the library. Scored it 3 stars and decided to just move on with my life.
But the thing about Bunny is that bunny just gets in your head you know? Bunny likes to hang out and let her freak flag fly. Bunny likes to remind you of the book in the most visceral way possible.
So now I’m here. Writing a review nearly a month later and I’ve changed my rating to 5 stars. Because the girls who get it get it.
I am an absolute simp for an unhinged woman in literature. Samantha, our main character, is truly mad as a bag of snakes and the journey through her mind from her perspective is a twisty one. At the end I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.
But I LOVED it.
This book is definitely not for everyone. I still wonder if I’m maybe a bit too dumb to truly appreciate it but it was weird as f*ck and enjoy the shit out of books like that.
I didn’t take any pretty books pics so just enjoy these Bunny *vibes* instead. 🐰
If you like Ottessa Moshfegh, you will like Mona Awad. 🤍
When I first read this book I was too stunned to talk about it.
I put it down. Returned it to the library. Scored it 3 stars and decided to just move on with my life.
But the thing about Bunny is that bunny just gets in your head you know? Bunny likes to hang out and let her freak flag fly. Bunny likes to remind you of the book in the most visceral way possible.
So now I’m here. Writing a review nearly a month later and I’ve changed my rating to 5 stars. Because the girls who get it get it.
I am an absolute simp for an unhinged woman in literature. Samantha, our main character, is truly mad as a bag of snakes and the journey through her mind from her perspective is a twisty one. At the end I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.
But I LOVED it.
This book is definitely not for everyone. I still wonder if I’m maybe a bit too dumb to truly appreciate it but it was weird as f*ck and enjoy the shit out of books like that.
I didn’t take any pretty books pics so just enjoy these Bunny *vibes* instead. 🐰
If you like Ottessa Moshfegh, you will like Mona Awad. 🤍
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
Delphie Bookham died at the age of 27, choking on a microwave hamburger. Who will miss her? No one really. Maybe Mr Yoon, her elderly upstairs neighbour whom she checks on every day to make sure he hasn’t burnt his flat down by leaving the stove on but other than that?
Literally a virgin who can’t drive, Delphie’s life was dull and lonely. When she arrives at Evermore, the Afterlife facility, she realises there’s nothing much to look back on fondly really. But in death? Well, things kick off to a roaring start when she literally runs into a new “dead arrival” who happens to be her soulmate. Although when it turns out there was an admin error and he’s promptly sent back to earth, Delphie is desperate to know what life might have been like if she’d only been able to meet this handsome stranger.
So Delphie’s been given a second chance. She has just 10 days to find this mystery man and get him to kiss her of his own free will. If she’s successful? She gets to live. If not? Well… she’ll be sent straight back to Evermore and that will be that.
Let the manhunt begin!
* * * * * * * *
Ok I loved this.
So much so I actually devoured the whole thing in a day. I do not do that for just any book!!
The Love of my Afterlife took me completely by surprise. I had no idea what to expect and the story just kept taking unexpected twists and turns that kept me on my toes — incredibly refreshing for a romance novel in which they are so often very formulaic and (comfortably) predictable. But this story was so much more than just a romance.
Not only were the MMC and MFC compelling and engaging, but there was a surprisingly large cast of characters who were all unique, loveable and wonderfully charming. Each had their own magic to bring and added meaningful layers to the story.
Kirsty Greenwood is actually kind of extraordinary. It’s not easy to create even two well-developed characters, let alone as many as exist in TLOMA. The dialogue was engaging and fun, every character had a distinct personality and tone of voice and I could practically *see* and hear them as I read.
I can completely imagine this book being adapted into a movie or Netflix series. It was so vivid and evocative, you can tell that Kirsty Greenwood is a fan of musical theatre because it almost felt like a “company” of characters and musical scenes.
The only thing I would have liked to see more of what a little exploration and closure around Delphie’s relationship with her mother. It felt like the one loose end that was rushed to tie at the end of the novel, and I didn’t really feel that it was properly explored or explained, given the increasing tension and build up that the story was building to. It was a bit disappointing, hence four stars instead of five.
But! Overall, I loved this book. It was fun, lighthearted and surprising.
I would absolutely recommend it and can’t wait to read more from Greenwood.
Thank you to Penguin Books New Zealand for the ARC!
Literally a virgin who can’t drive, Delphie’s life was dull and lonely. When she arrives at Evermore, the Afterlife facility, she realises there’s nothing much to look back on fondly really. But in death? Well, things kick off to a roaring start when she literally runs into a new “dead arrival” who happens to be her soulmate. Although when it turns out there was an admin error and he’s promptly sent back to earth, Delphie is desperate to know what life might have been like if she’d only been able to meet this handsome stranger.
So Delphie’s been given a second chance. She has just 10 days to find this mystery man and get him to kiss her of his own free will. If she’s successful? She gets to live. If not? Well… she’ll be sent straight back to Evermore and that will be that.
Let the manhunt begin!
* * * * * * * *
Ok I loved this.
So much so I actually devoured the whole thing in a day. I do not do that for just any book!!
The Love of my Afterlife took me completely by surprise. I had no idea what to expect and the story just kept taking unexpected twists and turns that kept me on my toes — incredibly refreshing for a romance novel in which they are so often very formulaic and (comfortably) predictable. But this story was so much more than just a romance.
Not only were the MMC and MFC compelling and engaging, but there was a surprisingly large cast of characters who were all unique, loveable and wonderfully charming. Each had their own magic to bring and added meaningful layers to the story.
Kirsty Greenwood is actually kind of extraordinary. It’s not easy to create even two well-developed characters, let alone as many as exist in TLOMA. The dialogue was engaging and fun, every character had a distinct personality and tone of voice and I could practically *see* and hear them as I read.
I can completely imagine this book being adapted into a movie or Netflix series. It was so vivid and evocative, you can tell that Kirsty Greenwood is a fan of musical theatre because it almost felt like a “company” of characters and musical scenes.
The only thing I would have liked to see more of what a little exploration and closure around Delphie’s relationship with her mother. It felt like the one loose end that was rushed to tie at the end of the novel, and I didn’t really feel that it was properly explored or explained, given the increasing tension and build up that the story was building to. It was a bit disappointing, hence four stars instead of five.
But! Overall, I loved this book. It was fun, lighthearted and surprising.
I would absolutely recommend it and can’t wait to read more from Greenwood.
Thank you to Penguin Books New Zealand for the ARC!
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I did not like this book!!!! It was not good!!
People need to stop comparing it to The Secret History because not only is that blasphemy imo, but it actually set this book up to fail because literally no one on the face of the earth can compare with Donna Tartt, least of all this VERY AVERAGE AND BORING BOOK.
It took me six weeks to read this thing. SIX WEEKS of agonising over having to pick it back up again and only doing so because "surely it's going to get better, everyone keeps saying it's basically the same as The Secret History so there's gotta be more to it."
It did not get better!
In fact, it got worse!!
This books reads like a novice writer trying to be Donna Tartt and failing miserably. The cover boasts a "richly layered story" but I'm sorry, where?? This was an extremely shallow, very much single-layered story that clearly ripped off the plot of The Secret History and had some of the most shockingly underdeveloped characters I've ever read.
The back of the book has a quote from some woman names Miranda Beverly-Whittemore whose work I'll certainly never read because she says "whip-smart, chilling tale, a page-turning literary thriller whose final, shocking twist you won't forget."
BITCH, WHERE?! Where is the shocking twist?? Is the twist in the room with us??
This book only makes me so mad because it is so hyped up and yet, so, so unbelievably lame and boring my god.
Anyone who says it's like The Secret History clearly has never read The Secret History.
This is like "We have The Secret History at home". UGH MAKE IT STOP
People need to stop comparing it to The Secret History because not only is that blasphemy imo, but it actually set this book up to fail because literally no one on the face of the earth can compare with Donna Tartt, least of all this VERY AVERAGE AND BORING BOOK.
It took me six weeks to read this thing. SIX WEEKS of agonising over having to pick it back up again and only doing so because "surely it's going to get better, everyone keeps saying it's basically the same as The Secret History so there's gotta be more to it."
It did not get better!
In fact, it got worse!!
This books reads like a novice writer trying to be Donna Tartt and failing miserably. The cover boasts a "richly layered story" but I'm sorry, where?? This was an extremely shallow, very much single-layered story that clearly ripped off the plot of The Secret History and had some of the most shockingly underdeveloped characters I've ever read.
The back of the book has a quote from some woman names Miranda Beverly-Whittemore whose work I'll certainly never read because she says "whip-smart, chilling tale, a page-turning literary thriller whose final, shocking twist you won't forget."
BITCH, WHERE?! Where is the shocking twist?? Is the twist in the room with us??
This book only makes me so mad because it is so hyped up and yet, so, so unbelievably lame and boring my god.
Anyone who says it's like The Secret History clearly has never read The Secret History.
This is like "We have The Secret History at home". UGH MAKE IT STOP