I started this book with an open mind in an attempt to learn more about Islam. I should not that I am not Muslim and that my knowledge of Islam is limited. The author introduces this book as refuting a lot of the negative press that Islam has. However, I feel that in this endeavor the author failed somewhat. I understand that this is not the only representation of Islam and I will continue to search for other works that are more favorable.

I will cite some examples of how this book did not do itself any favors. While discussing the prophet Muhammad and his marriage to his wife Safiya the author states "the Prophet did not force himself on her - he married her" (page 8). I immediately took issue with this passage since it implies that marital rape is not possible. Thereafter in that same chapter the author spent an excessive amount of time noting how Muhammad was not a womanizer or a lecher. It felt like they were trying too hard to defend the founder of Islam as if it was someone that they knew personally. It just felt unnecessary and didn't sit right with me after the implied denial of marital rape/sexual abuse.

This book also discusses prostitution by stating, "Throughout the history of our species, men have systematically abused women by maintaining the institution of prostitution." (page 59). This makes many incorrect assumptions about the institution of sex work. First, that only women are sex workers, which obviously isn't true since there are indeed male sex workers. Second, it attributes the continued existence of prostitution only to men, which is also inaccurate considering that women are also consumers of sex work. Sex work is a business and as long as there is a demand for sex, there will be a business to fulfill that need. Even if you agree with the premise of the argument presented, it seems very flawed to assume that men alone are to be credited with the continued demand for the industry. The author uses it as a jumping off point to argue that Islam is often accused of advocating for the mistreatment of women. I felt like this could have been an opportunity for the author to present some of the progressive ideas within the Islamic faith. They do somewhat on page 61 of the book quoting Quran passages that outline the proper treatment of women. I can say that they are reasonably progressive arguments. Unfortunately, they do also quote Q 4:24 and note that husbands are only allowed to hit wives as "just a one-time permit and that too only in relation to the specific offence detailed in the verse." (page 60). I take issue with the defense of physical abuse no matter how minor. The author goes on to explain that is only meant to be something akin to a mild stroke and quotes Q 38:44 (page 60). This does not take away from how problematic I find this passage and only serves to paint Islam in a worse light than necessary. 

There are other examples of things within this book that I think made me question its value to the discussion around Islam. I'm sure there are probably better books on the topic out there, so I would not recommend this as a defense for Islam.

I really tried to get through this book, but I found it difficult because I don't understand why the main characters I'm supposed to ship like each other. All of their chemistry seems to be purely physical and there isn't any moment in time where their relationship feels like it has an emotional foundation. Considering how long it has been since the main characters have seen each other Carter's attachment to Emma doesn't make much sense. I felt that their relationship became physical way too quickly for there to be any accompanying emotional weight to it. The level of trust Emma instills in Carter feels misplaced under the circumstances. I will not be continuing this series given all of this. Maybe someone else will enjoy it, but it definitely is not for me.

The book is a marketed as a coming-of-age romance written in a similar vein to The Outsiders. However, it reads more like A Catcher in the Rye where I'm more likely to recommend that the main character get therapy for possible depressive thoughts and misogyny rather than a girlfriend. The prose does not read like that of a romance and the main character comes off as a stalker. I stopped at the point where he decided to take a trip to another city to see an old female classmate he barely knows but has a crush on (without her consent I should say). The story itself could be interesting, but I was looking for a romance and this isn't it. I may revisit this later because I do enjoy character exploration stories even if the main characters are not likeable. It was just disappointing that I wasn't getting what I was sold.

There is a lot of self shaming in this book that I did not appreciate. I thought this would be an exploration about how the church's relationship with sex education, not framing sex as something shameful. Instead, the author spent the first 20% or so of the book implying that she was a terrible follower of Jesus because she had sex out of wedlock decades before. Rhetoric like this concerns me because many young women may read this and learn that their experiences with sex are something to be eternally ashamed of even decades after the fact. That is not healthy at all and I feel that the author may need to unpack some of that self imposed shame before she gives advice pertaining to the church and sex. Additionally it concerns me that there are other people like the author out there who are stuck in a cycle of shame that prevents them from cultivating their relationship with God and sex within their faith. There are other books that do a better job of addressing ways that the church can improve its discussions around the topic of sex without shaming and defining women by the sex they choose or don't choose to partake in. I cannot recommend this one unfortunately.

I am not as invested in the romance as I wish I was. I might get back to this one later, but it won't be right now since I feel like reading other things.

I couldn't get over the highly questionable consent of the sexual activity at the beginning of the book. The writing style is also a bit much for me, so I think this isn't for me.

I thought this book was going to be a 4 star read, but the second half of the book bumped it up to a 5 star. V.E. Schwab's writing style is delightful. I attended her virtual book tour and she spoke about how she spent about a decade working on this book, and it shows. The writing flows as smooth as a river and she makes great use of metaphors that encompass the themes explored. The most prominent themes in the story are what truly defines us as human, what true freedom is, and finding purpose in life. The story goes back and forth almost every chapter between the the present and the past where we see episodes of Addie's life in the past 300 years in chronological order. I appreciated this formatting because the moments we saw from Addie's past were very interconnected with her decisions and her thoughts in the present. It helped add introspection into her character and understand how she grew to be who she is now and how her relationship with Luc also evolved with time.

Henry was the most loveable character in the novel. I feel that if you have ever felt depressed or as if you have a lack of direction in your life at any point, you will be able to relate to Henry. I would argue that we get as much personal exploration of his character as we do of Addie's. This does not happen until later in the book, but by the time it happens you are anticipating learning more about him, so I'm happy it did not happen earlier on.

Addie's relationship with Henry is a wonderful contrast to her relationship with Luc (the darkness). When Henry and Addie meet they are two souls who seem lost in the world they inhabit and each of them is able to learn something from the other as their relationship develops. Both of them are lonely and have a hard time finding their place in the world.  There is an argument to be made for Luc being arguably lonely in a similar way to Addie. However, Addie still retains a sense of compassion and humanity that is lacking in Luc. Luc and Addie, because of their shared immortality, are both a constant in the other's life. The best way I could describe their relationship is that of "frenemies". They are not necessarily amicable with the other overall, and yet there is a sense of comfort that each of them has that the other will always be around. 

Overall, if you want a book with beautiful prose, a strong exploration of the themes of mortality and freedom, and strong focus on character development, then I would strongly recommend this. This is not a romance, so I would not go into it with that expectation. Besides that, this is probably my favorite book of the year so far.

This isn't a manic pixie dream girl story. Addie and Henry are each their own person and each one of them grows with the relationship and find something that both of them were missing. I could not have asked for a better ending. I think it was appropriate and hopeful for both Henry and Addie. It also defines love as something that is selfless rather than selfish, and I agree with this idea that is posed at the end.

I will have to get back to this book later because at the moment it's fallen off my priority list.

I recently found out that the author took actual sexual assault stories from people she knew while in college and wrote them into this fictional book. This was apparently done without permission and with pretty much no changes to the stories except for names. The accounts also allegedly include personal details from these people's lives including details about their sex lives and familial and personal relationships. If you would like to know more, please watch the video below:

https://youtu.be/nh_CkQi1qrs

With that said, considering this book closely deals with sexual assault and that the author did not respect the privacy of the people she took these stories from, I no longer have an interest in picking up this book or giving this author my money. I just thought I would share since I believe this is important and not such well known information.

I started reading this when I was much younger and remember it being very introspective and reflective, but I just never ended up finishing it. I do plan on finishing it in the future.

Empece a leer este libro cuando era mas joven y recuerdo que fue muy introspectivo, pero nunca lo termine. Planeo terminarlo en el futuro.