My feelings after finishing this book were similar to my feelings after the first Joyce Carol Oates book I read, Cathage. I'm not sure if I liked it, but I was fascinated by it, and I enjoy being fascinated by things. Since this is the second time I've felt this way, I think I can hesitantly say I enjoy JCO's writing (albeit very hesitantly).

She writes in a very strange way, almost as though she's phrasing everything in an intentional difficult way, and as a result you have to pay particular attention to the words themselves. All the right parts of the sentence will be there, but the order is off or they'll be split into multiple sentences that don't naturally flow into each other. It's strange, but it forced me to be an active participant in the words themselves and I think I liked that. It's definitely not for everyone, but I think it's for me.

I don't think she's as good at covering social issues (like abortion, adoption, death penalty, ableism etc) as she thinks she is. They don't feel like they're quite as deep or well discussed as they need to be, and they're handled so clumsily. It feels like she's actively having a discussion on abortion outside the narrative of the story, but then stops short of a full, nuanced discussion. Adoption in this book was particularly bad. One of the characters has an adopted younger sister who is painfully othered by the family, and never once treated as part of the family by the narrative. Honestly, if every mention of her was just deleted, nothing about the book would need to be changed. She wasn't important and most references to her were either kind of racist (referring to an east Asian girl as a doll repeatedly) or just uncomfortable when it came to adoption (she asked her mother about her birth mother giving her up, and the adoptive mother said "she didn't mean it").

My biggest issue with this book was that I didn't buy into the characters. I didn't believe them as people. Their motivations didn't make sense to me, and they didn't feel real. I think a big part of this was because most of the narrators had some kind of neurodivergence, whether brain damage, mental illness, or learning disabilities (none ever diagnosed or discussed in detail). Because she never went into detail or diagnosed them, there was never a logical sense to how they functioned. It seemed random and not well thought out, existing more for the sake of roundabout writing than because of them as people. It was interesting to read this book as a case study on the situation, but I neither cared about nor understood any of the characters. Which is weird to say because it's entirely a character driven story, but it still worked for me.

The story itself was fascinating. I loved the way it unfolded, and I couldn't stop turning the page. I don't usually go for nonlinear storytelling, but this is almost like nonlinear storytelling in a linear way. It's in chronological order, but not a single coherent storyline. And I loved it. It was one of those books I couldn't anticipate what would happen next.

I will add that the ending was not my favorite. It felt unsatisfying, to wrap up an entire difficult book like this in a neat bow. It felt like a slapped on ending, rather than one that fit the rest of the story. And there was a 70 page section about how one of the characters trained to become a professional boxer, which was a completely random and unnecessary aside.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I don't think it tackles abortion particularly well (certainly not badly either, but not well), and I don't think it's quite as masterful as some people seem to think JCO is, but it left me wanting to read more of her. I was fascinated, and I quite enjoy being fascinated by a work of literature.

I really wanted to fall in love with Danticat's writing, but to be honest, I struggled to connect with the writing style. I found myself trying to skim and had to force myself to slow down with the reading. It felt almost too simplistic and basic in style, which I don't know if that's her usual style or if it was different for nonfiction. It did get easier later in the story, but I never quite relaxed into her writing the way I like to.

I also struggled with how many different story threads she covered. Her father's life, uncle's life, and her own life were all included, with brief scenes over decades to tell the story. The second part was much slowed down and I did find that easier. It was a very sparse storytelling style. Not the writing itself, but it felt like she included scenes only out necessity and not to set the scene or illustrate what life was like. I found myself wishing for a little more, if it had been slowed down or more descriptive. It was a lot for a rather short book.

But I did enjoy reading it. It was emotional, and I wanted to learn more about her and her family. It was an important story to tell, of her uncle's death while in American custody, and of how most of her family were eventually forced to leave Haiti. I would recommend it, but I don't think it's a story I quite fell in love with. I do want to try something else she's written, to see if maybe that's easier after having read this book first.

Overall, I think this book felt a little aimless to me, and I felt aimless as a reader. I'd still recommend it because I think it was worthwhile, just not the book for me, and I'll definitely read more of her work in the future.

This series was a favorite as a kid. I grew up on the originals, but these started coming out when I was eleven, so I was the perfect age. A lot of my rating is probably nostalgia based because (at least in this first book) the writing isn't great and the characters are a bit flat. It's also a bit too simple and obvious at points. But at the end of the day, it's fun. I'd definitely give this one to kids, even if it's a bit dated. Reading it reminds me so much of my childhood and the fun I used to have, even if I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to most people.

I think if you're a Hardy Boys fan or if you have kids who are, definitely give these a try. They're a bit sillier and even more unrealistic than the originals, but I really loved returning to it.

Much like the other one, this book was a load of fun. I had a bit of a harder time getting through it, but I think that was just from reading two back to back. It definitely is a series I want to return to at a later date, though.

This one is was obvious how fast it was. It's only 150 pages and they didn't actually reach the commune and begin investigating until page 50. But for a kids book, it's exciting full of twists and turns and plot twists that were so exciting to me at age 11. I'd definitely recommend for kids who may be turned off of the original Hardy Boys because of how dated it is, but maybe not so much for adults.

I really love the books in the My Name is America/Dear America series. They taught me so much history as a kid, and this one in particular was a favorite of mine when I was young. This has to be the fourth or fifth time I've read it, and even as an adult it holds up so well. Ben's voice is sarcastic and funny throughout, no matter how bleak the situation.

My only real issue was that the story ended kind of abruptly. There was no conclusion, open ended or not. It just stopped randomly and then we got an epilogue. I don't expect books like this to be neatly wrapped up, but usually there's some kind of climax.

Overall, I'd still highly recommend. I adored this as a kid and still do as an adult. I'd highly recommend to both adults and kids. It teaches so much history. Not just this book, but the Dear America books in general. I genuinely learned so much history that I otherwise wouldn't have known, and I definitely encourage people to pass them off to their kids.

This was my favorite Sarah Dessen novel when I was a teenager, and it still holds up as a favorite today. The reason this one hits me harder than most of the others is because of how much I relate to Macy's family situation. I don't often read books about families who feel like mine where they're actually a big part of the story. Macy and her mother get along fine, but don't really talk. They're polite but distant. Macy instinctively hides things from her mother that are small and insignificant just because she doesn't want to make life more difficult. It feels so real to me, that normalized distance in a parent/child relationship, and as a teenager I adored feeling like I wasn't alone in that way.

I also enjoy the relationship of Macy and Wes more than in many romance novels. They're given so much time to get to know each other and build the relationship that by the end, it feels so natural and right. There's instant attraction (Wes is described as gorgeous early on), but the feelings don't go deeper until they start getting closer. I adored the buildup and how much time went into the two of them before they took any romantic steps.

Much like Sarah Dessen's other novels, this is more about Macy's growth as a person than just the romance. Her grief over her father's death and her ability to let go of the idea of perfection. She learns to be happy, and I think as a teenager that was a book I needed. It really pushes the idea that you should strive for what makes you happy instead of what you perceive as the right or perfect thing.

The only thing I was a little meh about was the ending. It felt too perfect, wrapped up a little too neatly. I expect everything to be happy at the end of books like this (in fact, I'd be kind of disappointed if it wasn't), but this book seemed to go a little too far. It was the tiniest bit of a meh ending, but I love the book as a whole so it didn't affect my rating.

I love this book so much. I highly recommending picking this up if you like YA contemporary romance. It's one of my absolute favorites and will always have a special place in my heart.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book the way I did In the Garden of Beasts, but it was a struggle for me to get through. The information was interesting, but there were a few issues that made this book a drag.

First, I think it's marketed poorly. The title makes it seem like the serial killer HH Holmes is the focal point of the story, which he isn't. The book is split between two alternating narratives: Holmes and the 1893 world's fair. Holmes seems to take up about a third of the book while the rest explains how the fair came to exist in every excruciating detail. I didn't necessarily dislike that, but I think if you're picking up this book for the true crime aspect, you'll probably be disappointed. It felt very secondary.

Larson says at the end that he took inspiration from Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and I believe. It's the same overly detailed storytelling, which is at times quite enjoyable, but I felt smothered by details when it came to the sections about the fair. Every decision, every problem, every person involved was discussed, to the point where I often struggled to retain any information at all about them. There was so much that was fascinating about the fair, but it was difficult for me to get through all the information. If you're looking for a definitive work on the 1893 world's fair, I couldn't recommend this enough.

I also felt that because the book had two distinct stories with little to no overlap (apart from setting), neither felt fully formed. Both felt like they ended very quickly and wrapped up fast. Neither felt whole to me, and as a result, the book itself came away feeling lacking. I kind of wished he'd picked one topic and stuck with it, although I don't think I could have sat through 300 straight pages about the fair.

I also wanted more about the fair while it was open. The first half of the book is about the buildup, and the last quarter is the conclusion, which left little time to describe the fair in all its glory. I didn't feel like I really got a good picture of what is was like, and after 200 pages discussing how it came to be, I was really hoping to see more of the final product in a sense. I wanted the excruciating detail here, but it felt lacking.

Overall, I did find this book interesting and informative. I'd recommend picking this up if you're at all interested in the 1893 world's fair, or if you're an Erik Larson fan. I think for the average reader this might be a little dry (I certainly struggled with it at times), but it was still very worthwhile.

This is one of those books that the whole time I'm reading it, I kind of just wonder why it exists. My feelings ranged from bored to annoyed and not a whole lot else.

My biggest issue was that it's told in first person by four narrators, each section lasting anywhere from a paragraph to a couple pages. It's designated when the POV switches by an extra paragraph break, but doesn't ever identify the narrator. Which meant that for each section, instead of just reading it, I'd be looking for context clues to figure who was speaking. It wasn't too difficult most of the time (though there were a couple of sections I either couldn't figure out or didn't realize who it was until the end), but it was just an annoying way to experience a book. It may not have bothered me as much if there were long sections, but since they were all so short, I had to do it every page or two. By the time I figured out who was narrating, the section was almost over.

Apart from that, I was mostly just bored. I couldn't get into any of the characters, probably because of that, but also because so much of this book was telling. I like being in the moment in books, reading the descriptions and feeling something, anything. This book didn't make me feel much of anything at all.

There were a lot of 'issues' in this book. Rape, trauma, violence, mental health, racism, etc. But it never felt like they were dealt with. I understand that's how it works in real life, those things just exist without meaning, but in literature, I want those issues to be discussed or looked at critically. I want their existence to matter to a book. Pointlessly crappy people exist, but pointlessly crappy characters just make me want to walk away.

There were also points that were just ridiculously unrealistic. The character received money in prison through the mail, which literally you can't do. There wasn't anything major, just small things like that throughout that irritated me.

Overall, bored and annoyed sums this book up for me. But some readers thought this was stunning, although I can't quite figure out why. I was mostly just glad it was a quick read, and I can almost guarantee I'll have forgotten this in a month.

This book took me three weeks to read and that's never a good sign when it should be a fairly quick YA novel. I expected this novel to be similar to Vicious by VE Schwab in that it wasn't my thing, but I could still appreciate it and recommend it to people who enjoy books like this, but that didn't turn out to be the case. I thought Vicious was well done. I couldn't stand reading this one.

One of my biggest issues was how flawed the world seemed to be. It fell apart under the slightest scrutiny. They say there's nothing left to learn, then go on and on about all the things they can't do (colonize space, have enough room for the growing population, etc). There are no countries with individual government because the supercomputer runs everything, but there are "regions" with borders and separate laws. They don't live life normally because they have no fear of death, but also spend half their lives being terrified of scythes which seems to amount to the same thing (even though death is admittedly much less likely, it still happens).

The supercomputer is apparently a benevolent god who is the best government anyone has ever seen, but they decide to take the power of death away from the computer and give it to humans, who they've already stated are inherently more flawed and corrupt than the Thunderhead. They do this because...reasons. Death is a part of humanity? The computer would be too cold and calculating? I'm not really sure. It seems like if you have this perfect benevolent god, you don't let the corrupt humans kill people.

There were many hugely dramatic plot points that were just resolved quickly and off screen, never to be mentioned again. There were no real consequences for any of the main characters. The huge dramatic plot points that were meant to change their whole lives just didn't. There were too many obvious loopholes.

At one point a character is accused of murder and everyone just kind of goes with it. This is a society where this is no crime and hasn't been for hundreds of years (at least, the time period is kind of vague). There is no murder. Period. But when a character is accused of murder, the reaction is similar to someone's reaction in our time. They're horrified and shocked because murder is awful. They're not shook to their core that everything they believed about their society is a lie. It didn't make sense in their world.

Spoiler

Rowan spends a year training with all kinds of kill arts and apparently becomes the best killer in all of existence. In only a year. Even with the hardest training regimen, I don't buy that. Especially since he goes up against scythes who have been killing for centuries and apparently cuts them down like they're nothing. It takes time to learn those skills. There's a difference between being good because you've worked hella hard over the past year and becoming the greatest killing machine the world has ever seen in a matter of months.

Overall, I found this book frustrating. Maybe it might be better for people who have the ability to just go along with a story and not ask too many questions, but even then I can't understand the hype and love for this book. I won't be continuing on with the series.

I wanted to really love this book, but I struggled with what amounted to a singular aspect of the story: Shin's decision to make this novel universal. For most of this book, I thought I was confused and not understanding the political situation because this is a South Korean book written for a South Korean audience. When you write a book about the Great Depression for an American audience, you don't have to explain what it was or why it happened. Your audience already has the context. I thought it was similar in this book, that she didn't need to discuss in specifics what was happening in South Korea in the 80s because her audience would be well aware. I was prepared not to review it as a result.

However, then I got to the author's note in which she explained that avoiding details was an intentional choice because living in a dictatorship, violence against protesters, the political upheaval occurring during this book, wasn't just limited to South Korea. It's an international problem. Which I agree with, but I don't think the solution was to avoid any and all specific details about the political situation during this book. It left me feeling lost and confused.

This is a book that is very much informed by its setting. The characters are college students who protest, they're in the military, they know people who have gone missing, who have died, who have committed suicide. The book is about their lives as a result of the political situation, so not knowing anything about the political situation made it feel like there were large pieces missing. Necessary pieces. It's hard to connect with protesters when you don't have any idea what they're protesting. I didn't understand why people were going missing. I had no idea what the government was. The lack of information completely ruined my ability to enjoy the book.

As a result, the whole book felt lacking to me. The characters didn't seem whole, the setting was very specific to South Korea in the 80s, yet simultaneously vague, the motivations made no sense. I could try to review other aspects of the book, but I don't see much point because my entire experience hinged on this one point.

I understand her purpose in that decision, but in making this a universal story, she wrote a book no one could relate to. It got infinitely more interesting after the author's note where she gave an explanation of what SK in the 80s was like. I think if you have any prior knowledge of the setting, it's probably worth a read because you can fill in all the blanks yourself and appreciate the book. But if you're like me, I can't see it being very worthwhile.

I'm still planning to read more from Shin because there were points in the book where I really did care, points where I felt emotional. It just felt like there was a wall I couldn't get around, and I hope in another book that wouldn't be a problem.