claudcloud's Reviews (310)

Yeah... I'm just as disappointed as you think I am. I was so excited to read this, especially after enjoying Telegraph Club so much, but it just fell completely short for me.

I will acknowledge that there is something to be said about how Malinda Lo is not afraid to show just how messy life can get. Infidelity happens on the daily, and with Aria being practically fresh out of diapers - especially in her journey as a queer person - it was to be expected that she'd get swept up by the Steph of it all and make some incredibly poor decisions. (As an aside, Aria Tang West is eighteen years old. She does not feel like that at any point in the book).

But then we get to the second person in the equation and it just? It makes no sense? Steph might only be a couple of years older, but she is way more experienced, and she absolutely should've known better than starting something with Aria before having the guts to break up with Lisa. The whole time I was expecting Lisa to notice the growing tension between them and Steph to finally speak her mind and acknowledge that she and Lisa "hadn't been working for a long time" (IN HER OWN WORDS!!!) but instead she chooses... to cheat. Repeatedly, and as often as she can. Have some backbone, my dude.

I guess at least she suffered some consequences for her actions i.e. losing Lisa, while Aria just... didn't. Which is also extremely confusing to me because how is she going to be the other woman in someone else's relationship, talk about her "overwhelming guilt" in only a few sentences, then go on with her life as if she did nothing wrong??? Even get rewarded for it by having the opportunity to emulate her grandmother with an art show?

Maybe I'm too dumb to get it, but in that case, I really didn't get it. The redeeming quality of this book was Aria's relationship with her grandmother Joan, who I really enjoyed and who I really didn't want to die. I wonder how she would've reacted to what her granddaughter did.

Oh, Lily Hu, how I love you and want to give you the whole world...

I'm beginning to realize that the friends to lovers truthers were onto something.........

This installment was my favorite so far by miles!! I loved Colin and Penelope's dynamic (writer power couple?? HELLO!??!?!), I loved Pen's evolution throughout the book, and as someone who can deeply relate to her wallflower-ness, I was smiling ear to ear by the end!

There are several things that I think the show did much better (as with all the books, but I will say that these instances are at a minimum in 'Romancing Mister Bridgerton'), and I have to mention one, because I feel like it just made Pen's character much better - the Whistledown reveal moment. I liked that Colin was so willing to go to bat for her and declare his love so publicly, but I will never forget watching the last episode of S3, seeing Pen wearing that beautiful dress and red lip, and having her be the one to stand up in front of the entire ton and win them over!

I hope that the Polin supremacy will carry me through the next one - which I already know will be my least favorite 😬

FINALLY I got to experience my first new-to-me Bridgerton book!! I will admit that Benophie and Franchael(a) were the two couples I was most excited to read about when I decided to submit myself to this series - and while I wanted so much more (which seems to be the trend across the board), I will say that these two were the most fun by far!! I'm ultimately consoled by the fact that Show Benedict would never behave as atrociously as Book Benedict, and I'm SO excited to see how Shonda and her team will elevate their story 👀

I'll admit that this book wasn't really on my radar, but finding it on Libby and reading the synopsis convinced me to give it a try - and I'm really glad I did! Kobabe talks about eir experiences with a sincerity and thoughtfulness that is much, much needed, especially for young queer kids who are not seeing themselves represented as much as they should. Having stories like these in the world - stories that enable us to not only potentially understand ourselves, but to also learn how to be better equipped to understand other people - are incredibly important, and I'm so grateful that Maia shared eirs!

As delightful as I expected it to be! Having seen and loved the P&P movie (Keira Knightley's version will always be superior, argue with the wall), me reading this book has been decades in the making - and I'm very happy to report that it did not disappoint! Elizabeth is just as amazing of a protagonist as we know her, and while this is a classic, it's written in such a way that I was never frustrated by the longer sentences or unknown words. I'm looking forward to more Austen in my future!!

I'm not sure what I could add to the conversation around this book that hasn't already been said - the beautiful, poignant writing resonated with me deeply, and as hard as the subject matter was, it's so important to tell these stories. Believe women, always. Always.