I’m officially done with Tessa Bailey. I’m just not a fan of how she writes her characters. Her men are ridiculous and her girls are so “not like other girls.” I did like the mothers, and just wish there was even more of them. 

I really liked this incredibly strange and creepy book! What a cool twist on Usher, and the novella format worked so well for this. Part of my issue with Mexican Gothic was that it felt too long, and there was a weird love story in there, but this Usher retelling kept things simple, and added in cool depth to the narrator. 

A fine mystery, although the ending with the lawyer didnt really work for me. I like this style of storytelling a lot, though, and had a fun time reading it. 

I liked the world, but hated the main character, especially towards the end. The overall story was cool, but dealing with the main character became a chore after a while. 

Really solid romance. I loved Iwan, and Clementine was a great protagonist. The conceit was a bit ridiculous if you thought about it too hard, but it was so sweet that I could let that go. My only issue with the whole book is the “Lemon” nickname!

The pacing was the only thing that kept me from giving this five stars. This was my third attempt to read this book, and I’m really glad I stuck it out because this story was so haunting and heartbreaking. I just felt Ng’s soul in this page— her discussions of motherhood and being a parent were so poignant. I love books that are rooted in our current reality, even if the history they propose is frightening.