Was listening to it as an audiobook and stopped paying attention like halfway through lol. I'm not sure if that was because of lack of interest in the story, or I just wasn't in the mood, but either way I really just wasn't all that I to this. Similar thing happened on the reread of Prisoner Of Azkaban though. Stopped caring around halfway through, even though I really enjoyed it the first time. So maybe the timing was bad and I should've just put it off until I was more into it. Or maybe this book was just weaker to me.

Another part could just be that I don't like the series very much. I think this is largely due to the fact that I didn't grow up on Harry Potter, so it holds no sentimental value for me. 

I think I'll pick this one up another time when it feels less daunting. It felt like I was missing a lot of points and not really getting the meesage

At first I came into this just wanting to get through it so I can get back to my fitzy-fitz, and it took a while for me to warm up to this story and its characters. I did though. It took me over half the book, about 10 hours of reading time, to really get into this story, but I did it. I love it. I get readers fatigue pretty dang easy but I can easily read this one way past my bedtime for hours on end. That's a pretty rare thing for books to do to me nowadays. Anyway, it's great, love it, can't believe it took me 3 months to finish it but it was looooong. Can't wait to read the other two!

My thoughts and view of this book are a bit strange. I think for most or all of the book I didn't feel any real sense of understanding the importance of the characters, scenes, and ideas. I still don't really. I didn't enjoy reading it all that much, either. But when I look at the themes of the book, and the writing, and read quotes I highlighted I actually am like... "Wow. This is a pretty amazing book". But I still don't really understand most of the nuances of the book, and it takes my enjoyment out of the story. So... I can see myself liking this a bit more when I'm older and have more life experience, as well as on a re-read. Just right now it didn't do it for me.

Some quotes I liked:
"I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong." - Pip

"Her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it."

"It was not because I was faithful, but because Joe was faithful, that I never ran away and went for a soldier or a sailor. It was not because I had a strong sense of the virtue of industry, but because Joe had a strong sense of the virtue of industry, that I worked with tolerable zeal against the grain."

"‘Because, if it is to spite her,’ Biddy pursued, ‘I should think—but you know best—that might be better and more independently done by caring nothing for her words. And if it is to gain her over, I should think—but you know best—she was not worth gaining over.’"

"Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts."

"So, throughout life, our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise."

Quote with spoiler:
 

"For now my repugnance to him had all melted away, and in the hunted wounded shackled creature who held my hand in his, I only saw a man who had meant to be my benefactor, and who had felt affectionately, gratefully, and generously, towards me with great constancy through a series of years. I only saw in him a much better man than I had been to Joe."

 

So mixed feelings of the book as a whole, but will re-read at some point in my future.

Incredible book.

Didn't connect to any of the characters whatsoever. Don't have any desire to see what happens with what's-his-name and what's-her-name. I don't really care much if they reach their goals, nor do I want to read about how they get there. That's why I DNF'd, although I don't really know what caused me to feel this away about the book and its characters.

Just completely uninvested in the story. Like I have a sense while reading that something surprising or fun or something is gonna happen, but like, I just couldn't care less. It's not worth it to me. This is 100% personal opinion. I can't even argue for why i didn't like it. I just didn't.

Wasn't into the psychopathy and romance, but this story was more about brothers losing and finding each other again which I am FOR. I don't think I'd reread, mostly because I wasn't very invested in the story, but I absolutely loved reading about Simon and Jonah's relationship. I would probably read more Andrew Smith. Maybe. This book gave me a very "The Outsiders" feel to it. 

Gonna get back to it, just have been really busy and won't be able to for a while. Left off on Interlude Daughters of Camorr, page 422

Enjoyed it. Yes, it was predictable as most people have said, but honestly I didn't mind that too much. It did take me a second to get into, but I found that I did genuinely enjoy the story, and really admired Lowry's prose.