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desiree930
This is one of the more unique books I've read. I actually had no intention of reading this book when I first heard about it, but it popped up as available on Overdrive so I figured, why not?
I am so glad I read this book. It takes the Groundhog Day trope to a place I don't think I've experienced before. I like that the characters are complex and flawed. None of them are really likable, including Beatrice, our protagonist. Normally I don't care for books about privileged people being awful human beings, but there was something about this book that was really compelling.
I'm not sure if this book is intended to be a YA book or adult. The characters are college-aged and there is some intense subject matter, but they often behave like characters in a YA book. I kept forgetting that these are technically adults. They read at closer to 15 & 16. All that to say, I think this book is a good transition book between YA and adult fantastical thriller.
As far as the audiobook goes, I was less than impressed. Only one character (Kipling) had any sort of differentiation in the way the voice actor voiced him. All of the female characters sounded identical to me, so there were moments when it became difficult to tell who was speaking when they were all together. But I don't fault the book for that.
This is the first Marisha Pessl I've read, and now I really want to go read Night Film, which I've seen praised by many reviewers. She is an author I will be revisiting for sure.
I am so glad I read this book. It takes the Groundhog Day trope to a place I don't think I've experienced before. I like that the characters are complex and flawed. None of them are really likable, including Beatrice, our protagonist. Normally I don't care for books about privileged people being awful human beings, but there was something about this book that was really compelling.
I'm not sure if this book is intended to be a YA book or adult. The characters are college-aged and there is some intense subject matter, but they often behave like characters in a YA book. I kept forgetting that these are technically adults. They read at closer to 15 & 16. All that to say, I think this book is a good transition book between YA and adult fantastical thriller.
As far as the audiobook goes, I was less than impressed. Only one character (Kipling) had any sort of differentiation in the way the voice actor voiced him. All of the female characters sounded identical to me, so there were moments when it became difficult to tell who was speaking when they were all together. But I don't fault the book for that.
This is the first Marisha Pessl I've read, and now I really want to go read Night Film, which I've seen praised by many reviewers. She is an author I will be revisiting for sure.
I read several books in 2019 in which the protagonist is neuro-diverse. I ended up enjoying all of them in different ways, and appreciating the fact that each of the characters felt unique and not some stereotypical idea of what a person with autism looks and acts like.
When I picked up this book, I was happy to see that the protagonist in this book was also neuro-diverse. Unfortunately, as I continued to read this book, I found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with it. The way that the author portrayed Don just felt like he was being made the butt of a joke throughout the entire novel. The fact that no one in his life ever mentions that maybe he could be on the spectrum is a little strange to me. After all, they are very open and blunt with each other on all other manner of topics. But for some reason, that word felt totally taboo when it came to Don. It felt especially strange since his character is a geneticist who spoke to a class full of young people with Asperger's at the beginning of the book. He knows all about it, but he always talks about 'aspies' as though he is completely detached from them. It felt almost gimmicky in the book. Like, "Look at this guy! He's super smart and educated but doesn't realize that he's on the spectrum! How ironic!!" Which is maybe why it felt like he was the punchline to a really crappy joke.
Rosie came across very flat to me. I didn't really care about her or her story. The whole 'He didn't take me to Disneyland!' thing came across as whiny and petty, especially considering the circumstances.
I also didn't feel like the romance was a strong element in this book. Rosie and Don felt more like friends than potential romantic partners. I did warm up to it a little bit while they were in New York, but it felt like the attraction kind of came out of nowhere. That, along with the Wife Project and the Father Project, just made this book a little all over the place. It lacked focus. The ending was rushed, almost as if the author realized he hadn't actually revealed who the father was, although I thought it was obvious for quite some time.
I do think that this could make a cute romantic comedy movie, as long as the actors have decent chemistry.
For those of those looking for books featuring nuero-diversity, I enjoyed the following:
A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart (this is actually more about the father of a young boy with autism and his journey to connect with him. It is semi-autobiographical as the author went through the same type of journey with his own son. It was very emotional and sometimes difficult to read, but ultimately hopeful.)
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (steamy adult romance - LOVED this.)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (I loved everything about this quiet little story.)
What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (a YA contemporary romance. I know this one gets mixed reviews from people concerned with the autism rep. I have known people in my life who are very similar to David, so it didn't bother me, but I can see how some may not LOVE this.)
When I picked up this book, I was happy to see that the protagonist in this book was also neuro-diverse. Unfortunately, as I continued to read this book, I found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with it. The way that the author portrayed Don just felt like he was being made the butt of a joke throughout the entire novel. The fact that no one in his life ever mentions that maybe he could be on the spectrum is a little strange to me. After all, they are very open and blunt with each other on all other manner of topics. But for some reason, that word felt totally taboo when it came to Don. It felt especially strange since his character is a geneticist who spoke to a class full of young people with Asperger's at the beginning of the book. He knows all about it, but he always talks about 'aspies' as though he is completely detached from them. It felt almost gimmicky in the book. Like, "Look at this guy! He's super smart and educated but doesn't realize that he's on the spectrum! How ironic!!" Which is maybe why it felt like he was the punchline to a really crappy joke.
Rosie came across very flat to me. I didn't really care about her or her story. The whole 'He didn't take me to Disneyland!' thing came across as whiny and petty, especially considering the circumstances.
I also didn't feel like the romance was a strong element in this book. Rosie and Don felt more like friends than potential romantic partners. I did warm up to it a little bit while they were in New York, but it felt like the attraction kind of came out of nowhere. That, along with the Wife Project and the Father Project, just made this book a little all over the place. It lacked focus. The ending was rushed, almost as if the author realized he hadn't actually revealed who the father was, although I thought it was obvious for quite some time.
I do think that this could make a cute romantic comedy movie, as long as the actors have decent chemistry.
For those of those looking for books featuring nuero-diversity, I enjoyed the following:
A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart (this is actually more about the father of a young boy with autism and his journey to connect with him. It is semi-autobiographical as the author went through the same type of journey with his own son. It was very emotional and sometimes difficult to read, but ultimately hopeful.)
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (steamy adult romance - LOVED this.)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (I loved everything about this quiet little story.)
What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (a YA contemporary romance. I know this one gets mixed reviews from people concerned with the autism rep. I have known people in my life who are very similar to David, so it didn't bother me, but I can see how some may not LOVE this.)
I read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer a couple of weeks ago. The book chronicles his attempt to climb Mt. Everest in 1995, which at that point in time was the deadliest year on Mt. Everest on record. I am not an outdoorsy, adventurous person myself, but I am intrigued by people who are and after reading that book I was in the mood for more in the same vein.
I'd seen the movie based on this book a few years ago, but I don't remember much about it. But I figured that the source material would make for an interesting read.
I was wrong.
At first, I thought it was just the writing that was turning me off. I usually give memoirs a little leeway when I critique the writing, as they are often written by people who don't consider themselves writers in their daily lives. But Cheryl Strayed supposedly has an MFA in writing...she should be better at it than she is. I don't have the time or inclination to quote all of the crappy writing, but here are a few gems:
"I cried and cried and cried."
"I walked and walked and walked."
"We kissed and kissed and kissed."
"It rained and rained and rained."
She also uses the word 'profound' or one of the iterations of the word 19 times. Nineteen freaking times. That's a lot of profundity.
There are sections that are drowning in purple prose that makes no freaking sense, and then there are other sections that are utterly lacking in any real description.
Also, the dialogue in this book is cringy. People just don't talk the way these people talk. I started to notice it more in the second half, when I switched to the audiobook while I was doing housework. Most of the characters she meets are very stereotypical in one way or another, and their dialogue reflects whatever stereotype she's trying to portray. There is a biker character whose every third word is some version of "motherf***er". There is the token Latino who throws in random Spanish words here and there. He also randomly talks about spirit walks and I'm wondering if Cheryl Strayed thinks Latinos and Native Americans are the same thing. There are various hippie-types who also talk about spirituality while they smoke weed or ingest chewable opium or whatever it is they do. It all feels very caricaturist.
However, the less-than-mediocre writing is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issues I had with this book.
As I continued reading, there were details that just seemed a little off to me. Timelines didn't match. There was a lack of consistency in the characters and their situation. I don't remember exactly when I began to doubt the veracity of the story, but by the time Cheryl was talking about bumming around England with her now ex-husband, I was fully skeptical.
Okay, so she says early in the book that her mother died when she was 22. She says that, at that time, she was only one 5-page essay away from graduating with her bachelor's (which sounds like bullshit to me). So that would make sense for someone who had a normal class load for four years. Start college around 18, finish around 22. So far, so good, right?
Except later in the book she talks about all of the traveling she did with her husband who she married at just 19 years old. She says that after they married, they went off to Ireland where they lived for several months, and then to England where they were for several months after that. She doesn't say exactly when they returned to the United States, but does say that it wasn't long after they returned that her mother got sick and died, which happened very suddenly. So let's say that she was in Europe for a year between twenty and twenty-one, and that she got back a year before her mother's death. I don't see how she would've been able to do all of that traveling and still on the verge of completing her degree. She doesn't mention taking any distance courses and the internet wasn't exactly mainstream in the early nineties, especially if you were so poor that you walked the London streets searching for coins, as she claims she and her husband did.
Other WTF moments for me include:
1. Bow hunters being on a hunting trip with no water. Any moderately experienced hunter (which bow hunters would be) would have water with them. And three miles back to their car wouldn't be a big deal. And they wouldn't be on a hiking trail outside of hunting season (which August would be) risking being caught hunting illegally.
2. The Swiss woman who supposedly rubbed Cheryl's feet at one of the stops. We've just had over a hundred pages of Cheryl lamenting the state of her feet. We're supposed to believe they are a blistered, bloody, bloated mess. They're dirty and sweaty and missing half the toenails. But this random good Samaritan doesn't mind that at all. Nope. I don't believe that garbage for one second.
3. The park ranger who supposedly comes on to her. He's drunk or medicated and still working, armed, as a ranger. He makes some thinly-veiled overtures to her and ends up inviting her back to his place. I just didn't believe it.
4. The Horse Scene. I won't get into it because just thinking about it makes my stomach turn, but WTAF. But do I actually believe that someone who is so poor that they didn't have indoor plumbing but they could afford to purchase and stable a thoroughbred? Eh, not really. Even if the seller gave her a good deal and the stabler let her work for the horse's upkeep, it's far-fetched. I grew up poor AF and there's no way we would've had an extra $300 per month to pay for a horse. And just because someone stabled it doesn't mean that's the only expense...you still have to...you know...FEED THEM. But yeah, that horse scene?? That was f***ing awful.
Because I don't have the time or energy to fully dissect this garbage, I would point you to the blog linked below. This is written by a woman who is herself an avid distance hiker. She's actually walked from coast to coast. She's also an Army vet. She goes through the book chapter by chapter outlining all of the instances of embellishment and flat-out bull****. Many of the commenters on the blog are also experienced hikers who are familiar with the PCT and hiker culture in general. I don't necessarily agree with EVERYTHING on here, but I do think it's worth a read if, like me, you finished this book with doubt of its veracity.
https://cherylstrayedisaliar.blogspot.com/
So one of my biggest annoyances throughout this book was how Cheryl portrayed herself. Every man she came across made her hot and bothered. Even if she didn't think they were attractive, she wanted them to think SHE was attractive and even when they would inadvertently touch her, she would have some fleeting thought about having sex with them. Now, I'm all for sex positive female characters. If you are a consenting adult, go for it. But seriously, EVERY MAN. And if you go by this book, we're supposed to believe that every man she came into contact with was just as lusty as she was, even though she was sweaty and dirty and bruised and blistery...ooh, yeah...sexy.
Also, every time she meets someone, they spend pages and pages stroking her ego. She's so wonderful, she's so amazing, and OMG! HER PACK IS SO BIG AND HEAVY!! Seriously, there is a part where she meets two Army soldiers who tell her that she is way stronger than they are and that her pack is definitely way heavier than theirs. I rolled my eyes so hard here. At one point she meets a group of scouts who ooh and ahh all over her while asking her about hiking.
I think the thing that bothered me the most is the thought that other people -- men and women both -- would read this book, accept it as true, and then try to do what she did. If this book is to be believed, she set out with little to no experience and hiked 1,100 miles and came out alive and well. She has advocated for people to just go out and learn on the way. That is a terrible piece of advice. People die every year on these types of hikes, and many of them are experienced hikers. To tell them to essentially 'wing it' is going to get people hurt and possibly dead. I can't think of a more irresponsible thing to do.
I'd seen the movie based on this book a few years ago, but I don't remember much about it. But I figured that the source material would make for an interesting read.
I was wrong.
At first, I thought it was just the writing that was turning me off. I usually give memoirs a little leeway when I critique the writing, as they are often written by people who don't consider themselves writers in their daily lives. But Cheryl Strayed supposedly has an MFA in writing...she should be better at it than she is. I don't have the time or inclination to quote all of the crappy writing, but here are a few gems:
"I cried and cried and cried."
"I walked and walked and walked."
"We kissed and kissed and kissed."
"It rained and rained and rained."
She also uses the word 'profound' or one of the iterations of the word 19 times. Nineteen freaking times. That's a lot of profundity.
There are sections that are drowning in purple prose that makes no freaking sense, and then there are other sections that are utterly lacking in any real description.
Also, the dialogue in this book is cringy. People just don't talk the way these people talk. I started to notice it more in the second half, when I switched to the audiobook while I was doing housework. Most of the characters she meets are very stereotypical in one way or another, and their dialogue reflects whatever stereotype she's trying to portray. There is a biker character whose every third word is some version of "motherf***er". There is the token Latino who throws in random Spanish words here and there. He also randomly talks about spirit walks and I'm wondering if Cheryl Strayed thinks Latinos and Native Americans are the same thing. There are various hippie-types who also talk about spirituality while they smoke weed or ingest chewable opium or whatever it is they do. It all feels very caricaturist.
However, the less-than-mediocre writing is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issues I had with this book.
As I continued reading, there were details that just seemed a little off to me. Timelines didn't match. There was a lack of consistency in the characters and their situation. I don't remember exactly when I began to doubt the veracity of the story, but by the time Cheryl was talking about bumming around England with her now ex-husband, I was fully skeptical.
Okay, so she says early in the book that her mother died when she was 22. She says that, at that time, she was only one 5-page essay away from graduating with her bachelor's (which sounds like bullshit to me). So that would make sense for someone who had a normal class load for four years. Start college around 18, finish around 22. So far, so good, right?
Except later in the book she talks about all of the traveling she did with her husband who she married at just 19 years old. She says that after they married, they went off to Ireland where they lived for several months, and then to England where they were for several months after that. She doesn't say exactly when they returned to the United States, but does say that it wasn't long after they returned that her mother got sick and died, which happened very suddenly. So let's say that she was in Europe for a year between twenty and twenty-one, and that she got back a year before her mother's death. I don't see how she would've been able to do all of that traveling and still on the verge of completing her degree. She doesn't mention taking any distance courses and the internet wasn't exactly mainstream in the early nineties, especially if you were so poor that you walked the London streets searching for coins, as she claims she and her husband did.
Other WTF moments for me include:
1. Bow hunters being on a hunting trip with no water. Any moderately experienced hunter (which bow hunters would be) would have water with them. And three miles back to their car wouldn't be a big deal. And they wouldn't be on a hiking trail outside of hunting season (which August would be) risking being caught hunting illegally.
2. The Swiss woman who supposedly rubbed Cheryl's feet at one of the stops. We've just had over a hundred pages of Cheryl lamenting the state of her feet. We're supposed to believe they are a blistered, bloody, bloated mess. They're dirty and sweaty and missing half the toenails. But this random good Samaritan doesn't mind that at all. Nope. I don't believe that garbage for one second.
3. The park ranger who supposedly comes on to her. He's drunk or medicated and still working, armed, as a ranger. He makes some thinly-veiled overtures to her and ends up inviting her back to his place. I just didn't believe it.
4. The Horse Scene. I won't get into it because just thinking about it makes my stomach turn, but WTAF. But do I actually believe that someone who is so poor that they didn't have indoor plumbing but they could afford to purchase and stable a thoroughbred? Eh, not really. Even if the seller gave her a good deal and the stabler let her work for the horse's upkeep, it's far-fetched. I grew up poor AF and there's no way we would've had an extra $300 per month to pay for a horse. And just because someone stabled it doesn't mean that's the only expense...you still have to...you know...FEED THEM. But yeah, that horse scene?? That was f***ing awful.
Because I don't have the time or energy to fully dissect this garbage, I would point you to the blog linked below. This is written by a woman who is herself an avid distance hiker. She's actually walked from coast to coast. She's also an Army vet. She goes through the book chapter by chapter outlining all of the instances of embellishment and flat-out bull****. Many of the commenters on the blog are also experienced hikers who are familiar with the PCT and hiker culture in general. I don't necessarily agree with EVERYTHING on here, but I do think it's worth a read if, like me, you finished this book with doubt of its veracity.
https://cherylstrayedisaliar.blogspot.com/
So one of my biggest annoyances throughout this book was how Cheryl portrayed herself. Every man she came across made her hot and bothered. Even if she didn't think they were attractive, she wanted them to think SHE was attractive and even when they would inadvertently touch her, she would have some fleeting thought about having sex with them. Now, I'm all for sex positive female characters. If you are a consenting adult, go for it. But seriously, EVERY MAN. And if you go by this book, we're supposed to believe that every man she came into contact with was just as lusty as she was, even though she was sweaty and dirty and bruised and blistery...ooh, yeah...sexy.
Also, every time she meets someone, they spend pages and pages stroking her ego. She's so wonderful, she's so amazing, and OMG! HER PACK IS SO BIG AND HEAVY!! Seriously, there is a part where she meets two Army soldiers who tell her that she is way stronger than they are and that her pack is definitely way heavier than theirs. I rolled my eyes so hard here. At one point she meets a group of scouts who ooh and ahh all over her while asking her about hiking.
I think the thing that bothered me the most is the thought that other people -- men and women both -- would read this book, accept it as true, and then try to do what she did. If this book is to be believed, she set out with little to no experience and hiked 1,100 miles and came out alive and well. She has advocated for people to just go out and learn on the way. That is a terrible piece of advice. People die every year on these types of hikes, and many of them are experienced hikers. To tell them to essentially 'wing it' is going to get people hurt and possibly dead. I can't think of a more irresponsible thing to do.
Oh man. I was really looking forward to this book. I picked it up after my last two books were duds. I wa so sure I was going to love this. I was ready for beautiful writing. I was ready for this coming-of-age family drama.
That’s not what this book is.
It is, however, incredibly boring. There is almost no action in this book and zero resolution. The characters do grow or learn any kind of lesson. I want to just go and take Jojo and Kayla and bring them home with me.
It almost felt as though the author was trying to hard with the language and phrases used. These characters spoke in ways that didn’t feel consistent with their age and educational background. Jojo, especially, seemed far older than his 12/13 years.
I was also confused throughout most of this book about what point in time we were in. It seems very much like a book taking place in the first half of the twentieth century, but Jojo mentions Jordans and cell phones. It just didn’t feel grounded enough in reality.
I didn’t think the ghosts served much purpose, if I’m being honest. The same story could’ve existed without them and would have perhaps been even better, as I found myself getting confused with the changing viewpoint as a result of the writing.
I feel like I’m supposed to love this. And trust me, I wanted to. I love the title, the cover, and the general premise. But oh my, this was a mess.
Also, I really disliked the audiobook. Usually I am happy when books have multiple voice actors, but I thought it was very poorly directed/produced. The actor reading the Leonie parts was so annoying. She used this breathy, almost husky voice that didn’t seem to fit the character at all. Then she would hold out words and then others would be clipped off with large pauses in between words. It was almost like William Shatner with regards to her cadence. The actor voicing Jojo’s parts was good, but he didn’t sound 12/13, and since this is told in first person present tense, he should’ve sounded younger. The other actor left zero impression on me, positive or negative. All of the voice actors came across incredibly monotonous and didn’t attempt to modulate their voices when reading dialogue, which was another confusing factor.
At the end of the day, I’m supper bummed. This was highly anticipated for me and I’m disappointed. Oh well, on to the next.
That’s not what this book is.
It is, however, incredibly boring. There is almost no action in this book and zero resolution. The characters do grow or learn any kind of lesson. I want to just go and take Jojo and Kayla and bring them home with me.
It almost felt as though the author was trying to hard with the language and phrases used. These characters spoke in ways that didn’t feel consistent with their age and educational background. Jojo, especially, seemed far older than his 12/13 years.
I was also confused throughout most of this book about what point in time we were in. It seems very much like a book taking place in the first half of the twentieth century, but Jojo mentions Jordans and cell phones. It just didn’t feel grounded enough in reality.
I didn’t think the ghosts served much purpose, if I’m being honest. The same story could’ve existed without them and would have perhaps been even better, as I found myself getting confused with the changing viewpoint as a result of the writing.
I feel like I’m supposed to love this. And trust me, I wanted to. I love the title, the cover, and the general premise. But oh my, this was a mess.
Also, I really disliked the audiobook. Usually I am happy when books have multiple voice actors, but I thought it was very poorly directed/produced. The actor reading the Leonie parts was so annoying. She used this breathy, almost husky voice that didn’t seem to fit the character at all. Then she would hold out words and then others would be clipped off with large pauses in between words. It was almost like William Shatner with regards to her cadence. The actor voicing Jojo’s parts was good, but he didn’t sound 12/13, and since this is told in first person present tense, he should’ve sounded younger. The other actor left zero impression on me, positive or negative. All of the voice actors came across incredibly monotonous and didn’t attempt to modulate their voices when reading dialogue, which was another confusing factor.
At the end of the day, I’m supper bummed. This was highly anticipated for me and I’m disappointed. Oh well, on to the next.
Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Tragic. Eye-Opening. Shattering. Hopeful. Powerful.
Massive trigger warnings for physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse.
I am having a lot of feelings right now about this book. I can't quite put them into words right now. Well, there are words, but the sentences are definitely lacking. I just loved this book.
I'm not sure I can say I *enjoyed* this book (it's sad, y'all), but I appreciate it so, so much. The fact that this is a debut novel blows me away. The author created such dynamic, flawed characters who feel completely authentic. I was hooked by the very first page and read this entire thing in one sitting.
I am so glad I chose this from Book of the Month. It may not have been a book on my radar if it wasn't for BOTM, and that would've been a shame.
Massive trigger warnings for physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse.
I am having a lot of feelings right now about this book. I can't quite put them into words right now. Well, there are words, but the sentences are definitely lacking. I just loved this book.
I'm not sure I can say I *enjoyed* this book (it's sad, y'all), but I appreciate it so, so much. The fact that this is a debut novel blows me away. The author created such dynamic, flawed characters who feel completely authentic. I was hooked by the very first page and read this entire thing in one sitting.
I am so glad I chose this from Book of the Month. It may not have been a book on my radar if it wasn't for BOTM, and that would've been a shame.
It's been a few years since I read this series by Nora Roberts. It was always one of my favorites of hers, and I am so happy to dive back into this story with these characters.
I love the friendships in this series. Not only the friendship among the women and the men separately, but the way they come together as a whole. It's definitely got that found-family aspect that I am a total sucker for.
Malory is probably the protagonist I relate to the least, and in the past I only gave this book a 4/5 primarily for that reason. But during this reread I appreciated her more than I did before. I loved her relationship with Flynn. Their banter and flirtation had me grinning like an idiot.
I read a really terrible romance the other day where the male protagonist was a cocky, arrogant, vile human who we were supposed to like for...reasons? In my review I begged for a male protagonist who wasn't a huge pile of crap, because misogyny isn't sexy, mmkay?
I forgot what a sweet guy Flynn is. And that sweetness doesn't make him weak. He's a strong man with strong character. He is an alpha who doesn't feel threatened by a strong, ambitious, determined woman. MORE PLEASE!
And Moe is the best. That is all.
I love the friendships in this series. Not only the friendship among the women and the men separately, but the way they come together as a whole. It's definitely got that found-family aspect that I am a total sucker for.
Malory is probably the protagonist I relate to the least, and in the past I only gave this book a 4/5 primarily for that reason. But during this reread I appreciated her more than I did before. I loved her relationship with Flynn. Their banter and flirtation had me grinning like an idiot.
I read a really terrible romance the other day where the male protagonist was a cocky, arrogant, vile human who we were supposed to like for...reasons? In my review I begged for a male protagonist who wasn't a huge pile of crap, because misogyny isn't sexy, mmkay?
I forgot what a sweet guy Flynn is. And that sweetness doesn't make him weak. He's a strong man with strong character. He is an alpha who doesn't feel threatened by a strong, ambitious, determined woman. MORE PLEASE!
And Moe is the best. That is all.
4.5 stars
I really, REALLY enjoyed this story. I am honestly surprised that it doesn't have more ratings/reviews.
I was nervous that this book was going to be difficult to get into, but I had absolutely no problem in that regard. There isn't a lot of setup to the plot, and I think that worked very well for this story. This had a lot of things that I like in high fantasy, namely court/family politics and a big magical competition, but it's set in the real world, with all that that would entail.
I really like the friendships that grow in this book. I wouldn't have been mad if there had been a bit more of that, to be honest.
I really like that this is a stand-alone fantasy book, but I do think that it could've been longer and I would have been totally satisfied. One of my only issues was that some of the climactic scenes seem to be relatively short and simplistic. I liked the story, but some things happened a little too quickly. I don't know that I ever worried about any of the decent characters making it out of the story alive. The stakes could've been raised a bit I think and it would've been even better.
All that said, I still had a lot of fun listening to this book and I'll be on the lookout for more by this author.
I really, REALLY enjoyed this story. I am honestly surprised that it doesn't have more ratings/reviews.
I was nervous that this book was going to be difficult to get into, but I had absolutely no problem in that regard. There isn't a lot of setup to the plot, and I think that worked very well for this story. This had a lot of things that I like in high fantasy, namely court/family politics and a big magical competition, but it's set in the real world, with all that that would entail.
I really like the friendships that grow in this book. I wouldn't have been mad if there had been a bit more of that, to be honest.
I really like that this is a stand-alone fantasy book, but I do think that it could've been longer and I would have been totally satisfied. One of my only issues was that some of the climactic scenes seem to be relatively short and simplistic. I liked the story, but some things happened a little too quickly. I don't know that I ever worried about any of the decent characters making it out of the story alive. The stakes could've been raised a bit I think and it would've been even better.
All that said, I still had a lot of fun listening to this book and I'll be on the lookout for more by this author.
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This is the third Colleen Hoover novel I've read, and it is by far my favorite of the bunch. The last 60 or so pages left me an emotional wreck.
Colleen Hoover has such an amazing gift for hooking the reader from the very first sentence. I love her writing style. I love the structure of this book and how Miles' parts are mostly structured as free verse poetry. I also really like the dual perspectives.
My one critique about this book is that I wish there had been more to the side characters. Corbin was fleshed out pretty well, but I felt like there could've been more on Ian and Dillon. I don't actually know what purpose Dillon served, except to prop up Miles as a good guy in comparison. And I wish that we'd had a couple of scenes with Tate that didn't have to do with her brother or Miles. There was one scene where a guy came over to study with her, but again, that felt like a bit of a contrivance to show that Miles cared about her enough to be jealous...and then we never see or hear from him again.
I also liked the kind of twist where the female character actually had more experience than the male, and she wasn't made to feel like a slut because of it.
The plot of the story was relatively predictable and not exactly groundbreaking: guy and girl meet, emotionally unavailable guy tells girl he's emotionally unavailable, girl pretends she doesn't care when of course she cares...but there is something so engrossing and honest about Hoover's writing that I don't really care.
Colleen Hoover has such an amazing gift for hooking the reader from the very first sentence. I love her writing style. I love the structure of this book and how Miles' parts are mostly structured as free verse poetry. I also really like the dual perspectives.
My one critique about this book is that I wish there had been more to the side characters. Corbin was fleshed out pretty well, but I felt like there could've been more on Ian and Dillon. I don't actually know what purpose Dillon served, except to prop up Miles as a good guy in comparison. And I wish that we'd had a couple of scenes with Tate that didn't have to do with her brother or Miles. There was one scene where a guy came over to study with her, but again, that felt like a bit of a contrivance to show that Miles cared about her enough to be jealous...and then we never see or hear from him again.
I also liked the kind of twist where the female character actually had more experience than the male, and she wasn't made to feel like a slut because of it.
The plot of the story was relatively predictable and not exactly groundbreaking: guy and girl meet, emotionally unavailable guy tells girl he's emotionally unavailable, girl pretends she doesn't care when of course she cares...but there is something so engrossing and honest about Hoover's writing that I don't really care.