bella613's Reviews (551)

I picked this up on a whim thinking it would be cute and it exceeded my expectations! Highly recommend if you like introspective books and loveable characters with emotional backstories.
I think I would have liked it even more if I was into cooking/food. But it's also not really about what it's about, if you know what I mean.
Felt pretty short so if you need a quick read with good feels, this is a perfect one.

The hype for this one didn't quite match the actual quality of the story. But it was decent.
It was so real that it sometimes felt like a biography of real characters rather than a fictional story. It moves through time and relationships in a very heartbreaking way but it honestly doesn't feel as hopeful as it was described to me. I heard good things about this book and didn't love it like I expected to. It's a good premise and story but it didn't hit quite right for me in the way everyone interacted. The author does an incredible job of portraying trauma and mental illness. I like the chapters of game-play near the end- it felt like playing stardew valley lol. 

I didn't finish it today but I have read this before and somehow forgot about it. I guess I didn't track my reading it, but it's a strong deja vu lol
I don't want to log it as DNF since I have read it so I'm just logging it as read today.

I remember somewhat liking this as a kid but it doesn't hold up into adulthood and really should not be promoted for kids. 
I don't hate all zoos. Some animals are not better off free and some zoos do a good job of making appropriate enclosures and properly exercising, feeding, and socializing their animals. But the idea of capturing a Lil monkey, bringing it across the ocean and trapping it is not cute and the man in the yellow hat is not a friend. Taken literally, it's not great. A lot of people notice undertones that are even more problematic. I don't think it's an evil book with evil intentions but I don't love it.