It's amazing how time and a different frame of mind can change your outlook. I tried to read this book some time ago (I believe some time in 2017) and couldn't get past page 30. I didn't give the book a star-rating at that point, but I did explain on GR why I was DNFing the book and how I just didn't think this author was going to be for me.

Now, I will still stand by some of the things I wrote then. I do think this book takes awhile to get going, and I didn't becoming invested until about 50-75 pages in, which is quite awhile when you're talking about a book that is only 270 pages long. Her style is heavily metaphorical, and even though I tend to enjoy magical realism, I feel like her writing might put off some readers who need more of a grounded style to their stories.

However, once I got invested in these characters, I was really invested. I was able to connect to Samir and Miel in a way that I didn't connect to any of the characters in Wild Beauty. There was more of a storyline in this book that was grounded in something I could identify as being the world we live in, while still maintaining that fairy-tale quality I love to see in magical realism.

My favorite scene occurs near the end of the book between Samir and his mother, when they talk about his struggles with his identity. It warmed my heart. It was so beautiful in it's simplicity.

I do have one more of this author's books (The Weight of Feathers) and I am much more excited to pick it up now that I've read this book. I've always felt like I should love her books, because her talent is obvious, so I'm so happy I gave this book another shot and ended up loving it.

I've read several books by this author in the past and enjoyed them. It's been a few years, so I don't remember specifics about those stories, but I do remember them being fun and easy with couples I could root for.

Unfortunately, that wasn't my experience with this book. I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so maybe that had something to do with it, but it feels like she is just trying to recycle her previous series.

I didn't really care for the protagonists in this book at all. Ronan was broody and melodramatic and Natalie was quirky and melodramatic...so lots of melodrama going on here. Now, I get why Ronan would be upset with his mother after finding out the truth about his parentage, but at the same time, his reaction did feel over-the-top. And I'm still trying to figure out how long ago it was that he found out, because he's acting like it just happened, but it was at least enough time for him to relocate, have his brothers relocate, find love, get married, etc.

And maybe I could've bought the melodrama if it hadn't been fixed in the course of the last twenty pages. He goes from mad at the world and proclaiming that he will never love to forgiving everyone and getting his HEA.

Natalie was okay, but for all the optimism and peppiness we are supposed to see, she is, in reality, totally extra. Everything that happens evokes an extreme emotion out of Natalie, and it manifests in her being completely judgmental toward Ronan. Every time he expresses his feelings about his mom, she throws it in his face that he is lucky he even HAS a mom, because she has NOBODY!! NOOOBODYYYYY!!!

The obstacles keeping them apart felt so incredibly weak. It's not quite as bad as the miscommunication trope (all problems could be solved if the protagonists just used their words), but it was almost as bad. If Ronan either one of them would act like an adult rather than a sulky teen, they could've gotten out of their own way by page 50 and admitted their feelings.

Also, the love scenes were just lackluster. I didn't feel any chemistry between them at all. They seemed like better friends than romantic partners. Seriously...why did they like each other? I'm still not sure.

And then there's the Baby App. What purpose did it serve? Seriously? There was no point to it whatsoever. The book could have completely left that out and it would've been the same exact book. Completely unnecessary.

At the end of the day, I just didn't really care about this story. It meandered for about 300 pages, hastily tied it all up in the last twenty, then ended abruptly. Not her best.

P.S.

having all of Ronan's sisters-in-law pregnant at the same time was cringe-inducing. I don't have a problem with romance sequels showing prior couples expecting a baby, but when it's like FIVE couples all expecting at once? No. Just Stop.

Trigger warnings: Depression, suicide and suicidal thoughts, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

I am still trying to process what I just read. I will say this: THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE. I have seen several reviews calling this an 'exquisite love story' and NO. NO, this is not a romance. This book has zero healthy relationships within it, with the possible exception of Connell and his mother. Both of the protagonists have serious issues that remain largely un-addressed throughout the course of this book, and they are even more toxic together than they are when they are apart.

I found this book highly disturbing, which I think is the goal? At least, I HOPE that was the author's intention. I hope I'm not supposed to root for these people and their 'relationship'. What I really wanted was for Marianne to seek counseling and love herself, because she is a mess.

Not only was the content of this book difficult to read, but the structure of the book also made it unnecessarily confusing. There are no quotation marks used for the dialogue in this book, and there are huge paragraphs full of dialogue involving multiple characters, instead of giving each side of the conversation its own paragraph. I've read books in the past that didn't use quote marks on dialogue, but it was far easier to discern who was speaking because of the structure of the actual paragraphs. I would be really interested to know what the author's reasoning was behind this decision.

Another issue I had was the fact that I felt very distant from these characters and their story. I think this is for a variety of reasons. First, the story is told in third person, and it is a very distant third person at that. It's almost as if we are being told a story about two people we don't know by an acquaintance we also don't know very well. And while this isn't something I complain about a lot, this book was all tell, no show. Every chapter went something like this:

1. Jump ahead weeks or months following the previous chapter.
2. Set the scene with our characters in a completely different spot than they were at the end
of the last chapter.
3. Jump back in between the ending of the last chapter and the beginning of the current
chapter to fill the reader in on everything that happened.
It was repetitive and monotonous. This book is only 270ish pages long, but I honestly felt like about 50 pages could've been cut from this and almost nothing would have changed.

None of the secondary characters are well-developed. Marianne's brother and mother were one-dimensional villains. We're never given any sort of motive for their behavior toward Marianne, and it just seemed very unrealistic.

For the first half to two-thirds of this book, I thought it was going to get a decent rating from me. I was intrigued by these damaged, flawed characters and wanted to know more. I wanted to see them learn and grow and love themselves. But that never happens. They seem to me to be the same people they are at the end of the book that they are at the beginning. I also don't like the open-ended nature of the ending. I didn't need it to end totally wrapped up in a happily-ever-after bow, but there is zero resolution to anything, and it made me wonder what the point of the book was.

I know that people who love this book will probably love all of the things that I hated, and that's okay. I personally found the writing, characters, and 'plot' to be pretentious and dull. But I know that I am in the minority on that one, as this book seems to be getting all sorts of critical and reader acclaim.

This is only the second Book of the Month book that I've received that I haven't enjoyed. The best thing going for it was that it was less than 300 pages. I don't see myself picking up anything else from this author. I just don't think she's for me.

Update: Re-read April, 2019
I stand by my rating and everything I said in the review below, but I have to say I enjoyed my second experience with this book more than the first. It's probably closer to a 3.5 star rating, but since that's not a thing here (Seriously? Still not a thing, Gooreads?) my originally rating stands.

I listened to the book this go-around on audio, and I thought it was done pretty well. I will say, there are some inconsistencies with character accents when the POV flips from the Juliette voice actor to the Warner voice actor. I noticed this specifically with Nazeera. Other than that, I thought both actors did a nice job.

I think I enjoyed it more because I had no expectations for it to be anything other than what it was. I know the issues I had with it and those are still valid for me, but I was able to accept them this time and just take the book for what it was.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I am relatively new to the Shatter Me craze. I read the first three books in 2016. I thought they were good, especially the third book. Good, not phenomenal. When the series ended, I was pretty satisfied and was able to see its (many) faults and still appreciate the things it did well.

When I heard that the author was penning three new installments of this series, I was skeptical. While the first trilogy did end on a somewhat vague note, I had come to terms with it and didn’t feel like it was a necessity to continue the story. But as I kept hearing people become more and more hyped about this book, I found myself getting excited about it as well. Now, I didn’t read any of the excerpts or follow the author on social media, so I didn’t go into Restore Me with any idea of what was coming.

I did re-read the first three books (they are all super quick reads for me, like candy) and waited for spot in line through my library. I will admit, I put a hold on not only the physical copy, but also the audiobook and ebook because I didn’t know which was going to be the smallest, quickest queue.

As soon as I received the notice from the overdrive app that my ebook was waiting for checkout, I downloaded and began to read. I had family visiting for a wedding so I was unable to read much the first two days I had the book. But finally, last night, in a bout of insomnia that is trying to ruin my life, I binged this book.

And???

It was okay.

Yes, just okay. Now, that’s not to say I’m not going to read the subsequent books, because oh my goodness, that ending. But if I’m being honest (and I always try to be) this just didn’t do much for me.

What I liked:

1. Kenji. I know that this is probably the least controversial opinion out there, but Kenji is probably my favorite character in this series. He is the most recognizable for me from the first trilogy into this second. He’s still sarcastic, blunt, and loyal. His scenes are a highlight for me, absolutely. I also loved that this book gave us some of Kenji’s backstory. The part where he talks about how much he loved his dad was heartbreaking.
2. Nazeera. I really enjoyed her character. Her interactions with Kenji made me smile and I liked the potential of a friendship between her and Juliette.
3. The anxiety representation. As someone who has struggles with mild anxiety (I say mild because it isn’t a chronic state for me and I don’t take medication for it, but I have been in stressful situations that have led to full-blown panic attacks) the exploration of Warner’s anxiety felt very authentic to me. I appreciated the fact that, under his confidence and austere demeanor, he has a lot of insecurities and trauma that he doesn’t want anyone to see.
4. Sex-positivity. I like that these books show Juliette and Warner in a physical and mutually pleasurable relationship in a way that is sexy without being super specific. I feel like it’s appropriate for the YA audience while not being watered down for readers in my age range. And to be honest, just because I’m older doesn’t mean I need to have everyone’s anatomies described to me, so I appreciated the way she wrote the love scenes.
5. Warner. And by extension, Adam. I think Warner had the strongest arc of the characters in this novel, which could stem from the fact that we finally got his perspective. Seeing his doubts, his insecurities, and his memories really rounded out that character. His evolving relationship (friendship?) with Kenji was a highlight of this book for me. I also thought the couple of scenes he had with Adam were great. It doesn’t excuse Adam for what he did in Ignite Me, but it does put a different spin on what his headspace was like at the time. I liked that they were able to find a little common ground and that is honestly the relationship I am most interested to see in subsequent books.
6. Anderson’s journal entries. I wanted more of these. I feel like it was kind of a missed opportunity to really expand on the world and society.

What I disliked:

1. Lack of world building. I want to preface this by saying that there is expansion of the world in this book, to a certain extent. We are introduced to new characters from different cultures from around the world. We learn a little more in regards to the structure of the Reestablishment and Juliette’s place within it. We are given backstory for Kenji, Warner, and Juliette that answers some questions while opening up a whole new round of others. That being said, this book simply did not go far enough for me. One of my major critiques of the first three books is that it is incredibly myopic. Juliette, Adam, Warner, Anderson, and the rest of the rebellion might as well be the only people on the planet for all we hear about the other people in society. Civilians were veritably non-existent. This book actually mentions civilians. We are told that they take something called REST dollars (never actually given an explanation as to what REST dollars are, but I feel like it’s pretty clear in context) to purchase goods. We are also told that they march like ‘toy soldiers’ but are never given a reason why civilians would be marching. And...that’s it. We are also given more backstory on the beginnings of the Reestablishment. There is also some information about the goals of the Reestablishment. My problem is that it doesn’t go far enough. It’s still incredibly shortsighted. I still don’t feel like I know anything more about this world than I did in the beginning of the first book. Nothing about this dystopian society feels at all unique to me, with the exception that some people have supernatural powers. Even then, I’m assuming this isn’t the first dystopian to feature characters with superpowers. Most of the details about the structure of this society are vague at best and, if I’m being honest, cookie cutter of endless other dystopians.
2. Plot devices/contrivances. One of my least favorite plot devices revolves around people not talking to each other about important shit. If your book revolves around two or more characters not talking to each other for 300+ pages in order to sustain the narrative, you should probably rework something. Especially when those two characters have proven in the past that they can trust the other with any number of sensitive bits of information. For me, this felt like a cop out. It was a way to create conflict between two characters who ended the first trilogy in a relatively good place after three books full of misunderstandings. At a certain point, it’s difficult to take anything in this series with more than a grain of salt because as soon as we are given a basis for what the reality of the situation is, new information is added to the equation that completely changes the landscape. Now, that is fine here and there. But these books do it continuously, and it gets to the point where I as a reader don’t let myself get connected to anyone or anything because who knows what kind of crazy thing is going to be revealed next. I also hated how it was made totally obvious to not only the reader, but also to Juliette, that people were keeping things from her and she never tried to follow up. She would notice people reacting to things she said about her past in a certain way, but never forced the issue. It was aggravating! It happened quite a bit with Nazeera.
3. “Plot”. The parentheses are included because there is no plot to speak of. Not at all. The book takes place over the course of a few days and mostly just consists of the characters trying to deal with their multitude of insecurities and learning awful secrets about each other. Now, I don’t mind if a book is more focused on its characters than an external plot. That is totally fine with me, but in this case, it feels like almost nothing happens in this book. Yes, there are revelations and twists. Boy oh boy, are there revelations and twists. But aside from that, the characters don’t do anything in this entire book. Things happen to these characters, but not until the very end of the book and they didn’t really have anything to do with it.
4. Castle. I really disliked his character in this book. He somehow has all this intel on everyone that he just kept secret this whole time but now has to come out on his terms. I really didn’t like that at all. It felt manipulative, but it also felt contrived. Why didn’t he bring any of this up earlier?
5. Juliette’s journal entries. I honestly didn’t feel like these added much to the proceedings. There were a couple of entries that gave us new information, but mostly it felt like a retread of previously disseminated information. Some of the entries were actually from the first series and just reintroduced here.

Other odds and ends:

1. I wish there had been more inclusion of the minor characters from the previous three books. They are almost totally absent from this book up until the climax.
2. The timeline doesn’t quite work for me. This book picks up two weeks after the end of Ignite Me. However, there are times when events from the first trilogy are mentioned as if they happened years ago instead of weeks. I wish that this book would have picked up a couple months later instead of a couple weeks.
3. The new characters mostly didn’t work for me. I didn’t mind the idea of meeting these people that Warner grew up with, but it does contradict what Warner told Juliette about never having conversations/close relationships with people before her. Now, people will justify this by saying, “What he means is that he didn’t have any meaningful conversations or relationships before her.” Okay. That’s fine. But the way it was written in the first trilogy didn’t come off that way. It feels revisionist to me. Then again, these books have a lot of instances of revisionism. Anyway, I didn’t feel like we got to know enough about them to care about what happens to them in the future.
4. Nazeera was shocked that two people could have the same ability. Why? I don’t understand why that is so shocking.
5. I loved Juliette cutting her hair. That whole scene was great. And I loved that, even though she was inebriated when she did it, she didn’t regret it afterwards. She owned it. Unfortunately, there were so many other moments where she seemed almost passive. And to get angry at Warner for not mentioning a past dalliance with someone he grew up with is more than slightly petty.
6. I liked that there was a trans character in this book, but disliked that we aren’t even introduced to her as a person before another character is throwing bigoted, discriminatory remarks her way. And that’s pretty much all we learn about her. At this point, her character is just a token. And that’s not okay.

I know there are things that I’m leaving out, but this is already ridiculously long. I do plan on re-reading this in the future, since most of this first reading happened in an insomnia-induced haze.

2.5 stars
Honestly, I feel like I must be the grumpy old man in this situation, because I didn't seem to enjoy this book as much as everyone else.

Let's get this out of the way right now. The lovable curmudgeon is a character type that I think can work really well. Someone who starts out gruff and cranky and soon you see that they are really a fluffy ball of sweetness under the surface. Unfortunately, I don't feel like that is what we are dealing with in this book.

True, the character of Ove (pronounced oo-vuh) does experience some growth and change from the beginning to the end of this book. But I just don't know if I believed his transformation.

This book tried really hard to get us to love Ove and feel sorry for him. He does have some truly awful things happen to him throughout the course of his life. However, his crappy attitude isn't a result of these sad events that he's suffered. He has always been unlikable. That is made crystal clear over and over (and over) again during the book.

Also, I got really tired of his incessant tirades about everything under the sun: foreigners (his word), women, children, fat people, people who choose not to drive boring cars...it was a lot. Maybe I'm a little sensitive to some of that nonsense in this day and age where hateful old white men spew their racist and sexist rhetoric about anything that isn't other hateful old white men that I just can't personally find it lovable. Sorry, not sorry.

Also, if I didn't know any better I would think he was much older than he is. His character reads closer to 80 than 60, in my opinion.

I will admit to liking him more at the end of the book than at the beginning, but really, it was a low bar.

I would also issue a trigger warning to anyone sensitive to stories about suicide and/or suicidal thoughts. It never gets super dark, but there is focus put on the topic throughout the book. Also, speaking of suicide, I thought it was treated very flippantly by the author, and while some may see it as quirky, I could see people sensitive to the topic might not appreciate the manner in which it is approached.

I enjoyed the side characters well enough, specifically Parvana. It was obvious that she could sense that Ove needed help and I liked that she didn't take his crap.

One last thing I wanted to talk about was the audiobook. I listened to this in one day while I was doing chores around the house (yay, multitasking!!) and I have to say, I did NOT like the voice actor who did this book. It felt like he was reading the book for the first time while he was recording. He had very strange inflections and the reading was choppy. Also, he would place emphasis on the wrong words, especially with dialogue. One scene I specifically remember is when

a woman is being told that her husband needs to go to a home because there is no one to care for him, to which the wife responds, "I am!" Now, to me, in the context of the conversation, the word 'I' should be emphasized. Instead, the actor emphasizes the word 'am'. The result is a woman who sounds more whiny than defiant, and that was only one of several instances where this happened.

If you are inclined to pick up this book, I would suggest you pick up the physical copy rather than the audiobook. However, the poor quality of the audiobook did not affect my final goodreads rating. It was just one more thing I didn't love about the book.

I still want to read Beartown, but it's definitely not one that is on the top of my list at this point. It's entirely possible this book just isn't for me.

1.5 Stars

When I finished this book, it was a two-star book in my mind. But when I actually sat down to type up this review, I realized that it doesn't even deserve two stars.

Now, I am not an ultra fangirl of the Shatter Me series. I enjoyed the first trilogy, with the third book being my favorite by a long shot. It wasn't even close to perfect, with the lack of world-building and backstory, but I honestly read it for the characters and their relationships, and in that was I was mostly satisfied.

When I learned that TM was writing another 3 books in the series, I was intrigued, but I wasn't sure it was necessary. My hope for the second trilogy of books was that it would expand the world and really progress character arcs.

Restore Me was okay, IMO. I gave it three stars. I appreciated that we got to see other characters from other parts of the world, and we learn about Juliette's true background and the fact that her birth parents are still alive. But honestly, nothing much happened in that book and I felt like the romance between Juliette and Warner wasn't strong at all, even before they broke up because they couldn't use their words. I still loved Kenji and Juliette's friendship, but it felt like nothing happened in that book until the last couple chapters.

I didn't really have any overwhelming urge to read Defy Me, but I was very curious when I saw people who usually rate these book high rating this one low. I wanted to know what was so bad about it.

I get it now.

It's not that this book is offensive or problematic in any way. It's not, at least, not that I discerned. But NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. The book takes place over the course of about a two-week span. But really, 75% of the content is flashbacks into Juliette and Warner's childhoods. We even have instances of flashbacks WITHIN flashbacks, which is a particular pet peeve of mine. I get that this is done to show that Juliette and Warner are beginning to remember things that had been previously wiped, but honestly, it didn't feel like any of the information was new. It didn't further their arcs as individuals or as a couple. Even though we didn't know that they'd been so close in the past, none of that information felt new in any way. I felt as though I was reading something I'd already read.
Also, the amount of telling, not showing is astounding in this book. There is almost no action in the book. It's just flashbacks and then people thinking about their flashbacks and then people talking to each other about what's happened in the past two weeks (because it was completely skipped over).

Another gripe I have is that when Juliette learns from her mother that Anderson is actually alive (!) she has zero reaction. Her mother is monologuing about this, that, and the other thing and brings up that Anderson is alive even though she (Juliette) attempted to kill him and blah, blah, blah. And never once, even though this is supposed to be from Juliette's perspective, does she have any sort of reaction to that news. It should've been shocking. And it's not brought up again by Juliette until she and Warner are back together.

Also, I would've liked more development with Juliette's relationship with her parents. We see them as these evil, moustache-twirling villains for 99% of the story, aside from one flashback where they are making pancakes together and the parents are being lovey dovey with one another...I'm sorry...WTF?! How on Earth did they go from being Ozzie and Harriet to Mommie and Daddy Dearest? We don't know, because there was NO DEVELOPMENT.

Now to one of my biggest gripes...the names. It makes no sense to me that everyone back at their base would find out that her birth name was Ella and then just start referring to her that way. The number of times someone said, "Julie-Ella" or something to that effect would've left me comatose if I'd made it a drinking game (although I will admit maybe alcohol would've made this experience a little more fun). Why would they assume that she would want to go by Ella? They'd only known her as Juliette. And then when she herself says that she likes Ella better because Juliette is "the name Anderson gave me." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. So the name Anderson gave you is tainted, but you don't mind going by the name that your sadistic, abusive POS parents gave you? Cool...cool, cool, cool, cool, cool...

It just doesn't feel right to have this character go by Juliette for four books only to have her change her name part way through the fifth. Ella just doesn't feel right for that character. Sorry, not sorry. Maybe a different name would've worked, but she just doesn't feel like an Ella to me.

The writing was also subpar, especially for TM. I'm sorry, but one of the things that made me a fan of this series was the lush, descriptive writing. It would just suck me in and I was able to overlook some of the plot issues and lack of world-building because the words were so lyrical and evocative. That was not the case in this book. I listened to the audio, which I've done with all of the other books as well, and it felt markedly different. It honestly felt like mediocre fan fiction. There was a general lack of description, and the dialogue was bad. Just cheesy and repetitive and cringeworthy.

In case anyone reading this review thinks that I am just looking to totally drag this book for no reason, there were some things/scenes I liked.
It may sound ridiculous, but the scene with Warner and Kenji talking about movies was my favorite scene in the whole book. I love that Kenji's favorite movie is Tangled, and that he became so defensive about it. So. Good.
I loved the scene between Emmaline and Juliette and wish it hadn't been such a brief moment. I'm curious to see if she's going to be able to save her sister or if she will end up helping Emmaline die.
I liked the reveal that Warner's dad isn't dead, because I feel like he deserves more of a comeuppance than he got in the third book.
I was okay with Nazeera and Kenji. I didn't hate them, but I'm not totally sold on them either. I thought it was strange that they would start making out with each other right after Juliette and Warner go missing. Like...really?

I will probably still read the last book because I want to know what happens, but if I ever reread any of these books, it will only be the first three.

2.75 stars
I didn't have any expectations starting this book. I haven't heard anyone really talk about it, and I didn't read the synopsis before beginning the audiobook.
While I don't think it's breaking the mold in any way, I did think it was an interesting concept. This reads like a kingdom (queendom?) fantasy, but also contains sci-fi elements in its technology. I ultimately wished the world building had been executed better.

The world is explained, but it is a little convoluted. There are all these 'rules' that don't really make sense to me. They felt contrived and unrealistic. For example, the queen's are not allowed to marry, because they wouldn't want a husband to try to obtain power, but they are expected to give birth to a daughter in order to one day inherit the throne. Then there is another rule that they aren't allowed to leave the castle...because...reasons? My question is, how on Earth are they supposed to conceive a child if they aren't allowed to have relationships or leave their castle? They have to hope that someone they meet at the castle is appropriate and willing to procreate and then that it works and turns out to be a girl? That's a lot of ifs. Then, if the queen does manage to give birth to a girl, they aren't allowed to stay in the castle and be raised by the Queen because...again...reasons? Instead, they are sent to live with a family in their sector presumably so they can learn about their people and culture...but if the queens were allowed to, you know, leave the castle, then they could teach their daughters about their culture and still raise them. It just didn't quite gel for me, and at the end of the day the rules felt like an attempt to cover up flaws in the plot.
As far as the characters go, I liked Keralie well enough, but I felt as though she was really the only one that even approached well-developed. Scenes from Varin's perspective would've helped me connect with him more. The romance between the two of them was rushed and also under-developed. I didn't hate the idea of them, but the execution was lacking.
I also didn't understand Mackiel's motives and apparent change in demeanor. We're supposed to believe

that he and Keralie were super close throughout their childhoods just to have him turn on her for...reasons? There are multiple times when Keralie and then Marguerite wonder what could've happened to Mackiel to make him turn out the way he did...and it's never actually explained. Again, it felt very contrived.

There were a couple of reveals that were mildly surprising to me, but it wasn't enough to overcome the issues I had with the plot and world.

This is a standalone novel, but I actually would've preferred if the story had been expanded into a duology to really take time with this world. I feel like it might have helped with the contrivances because there would've been more time to develop the world, characters, and plot.

I appreciate that this is the author's debut novel, and I'll keep my eyes out for future books, even though this wasn't a new favorite.

4.75 Stars

I love this book. So, so dearly. It's really a relief for me because after enjoying other Christina Lauren books in the past, I truly did not like Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. Since I was in the vast minority with that opinion, I was nervous that this book would be the same situation again. I am so happy to report that not only did I love this, and not only is it my new favorite Christina Lauren book, it's one of my new favorite adult romances and books of this year.

I love Olive and Ethan as characters, both separately and also their dynamic as a couple. Their relationship went from dislike to playful bickering to genuinely caring about the other person in a way that felt really organic. I love the fact that even after they've come to terms with the fact that they enjoy each other's company, it doesn't change them ribbing one another. It honestly reminded me a lot of the way my husband and I interact with one another. We've been friends far longer than we've been a romantic couple, and I think it shows in the way we are able to poke fun at the other person and not get all upset about it. They are honest with each other, sometimes to a fault, which I really appreciated.

The side characters that make up Olive's family are great. I think anyone who has a big, nosy, loving family would be able to relate to this entirely. Also,

I need Ami's story written, PLEASE!! I know that she ends up happy with someone, but I want to know how it happens!!

The one reason why this isn't a full five stars for me (even though I rounded up on GR...because I CAN.) is because there is definitely a suspension of disbelief with some of the plot. Olive and Ethan are on Maui at one of the HUNDREDS of hotels on the island, and they end up running into not only Olive's new boss, but also Ethan's ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend...staying at the same resort they are. It's just contrived. I've been to Hawaii several times and never once ran into anyone that I knew, much less two people, much less two people staying at the SAME HOTEL as me.

But, I don't care. I allowed myself to suspend disbelief and just enjoy this book.

I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy adult romances with great characters, smart dialog, and a dash of zaniness to the plot. I would love to see this as a movie. PLEEEEEEEASE?!

It took me a few months to finally sit down and read this book. I tried to start it a few different times, but just couldn't get into it, and I wasn't sure why. It seemed like the type of book I should really enjoy: phoenix-riding rebels against an oppressive empire, world-building that was full of history and custom, and did I mention PHOENIXES?!

So I ended up listening to the audiobook, since there was something about the physical copy that was just not engaging for me. Unfortunately, I found the same thing was true with the audiobook as well. I was bored throughout the first half of this book. I realized that my biggest issue was the amount of info-dumping masquerading as world-building. Dear Authors, when sections of your book begin to sound more like a textbook than they do a fictional narrative, it needs to be reworked.

I've read some reviews defending the writing, saying that they didn't feel that it was info-dumpy and that people who have a problem with it are probably not fans of character-driven stories. Nope. Not true. I love character-driven books. The problem is that the exposition in this book isn't in service to the characters. It's in service to the history of this world, which is important, but not at the expense of the current action and characters. I am honestly impressed with how much the author obviously put into the world she created, but I felt like it was integrated into the story in a way that interrupted the pacing.

I almost DNF'd this around page 210. I just wasn't having fun reading it. Usually, while I'm listening to an audiobook I'm pretty dialed in. In this case, I kept finding myself zoning out. Wanting to give it one more chance, I sat down with the physical book and read along with the audiobook. This isn't something I often do, because I can read faster than an audiobook at 2X speed, and also because I enjoy multitasking while listening to audiobooks.

I'm not sure if it's because I did this or if the story itself just picked up at that point, but I ended up becoming more and more invested in the characters and the story from that point and finished it in one sitting.

I liked Veronyka as a protagonist, although I have to admit I'm getting a little weary of the 'girl has to dress up as a boy' trope. I know I'm probably in the minority on that one, but after Flame in the Mist, Walk on Earth a Stranger, Under a Painted Sky, etc., I'm just kind of over it. I am thankful that this one mostly stayed away from the awkward-romantic-tension-because-boy-thinks-girl-is-actually-a-boy thing that some of these books like to do.
I really like Veronyka and Tristan's dynamic as friends and am really interested to see how it develops in future books.
I liked Sev as a character, but it almost felt like the author would forget about him for several chapters only to bring him on when she needed him to further the plot.

I really enjoyed the animage magic as well. The idea of being able to bond with animals and communicate with them is different and interesting. That being said, I would issue a trigger warning of sorts. I think that anyone who is sensitive to animal deaths in books may want to tread lightly here.
As far as the shadowmage powers go, I would like to see that expanded upon in further books.

I will say that I found this book relatively predictable. There are several reveals that occur throughout this book (specifically the second half) that were obviously supposed to shock us, but I figured were going to happen tens, if not hundreds, of pages earlier. The foreshadowing, such as it was, wasn't exactly subtle. There were a couple surprising moments, but I ultimately felt like things dragged on longer than they needed to.

I think I will check the second book out when it's released, and hope that the overwhelming amount of exposition is calmed down since we will already be acquainted with this world.

I picked this book up from a library book sale a couple of years ago. I thought the title and premise were intriguing, and I'm always looking for a good non-Western historical fiction. This book takes place in India during the time of Gandhi, which is something I admittedly don't know that much about.
The book sat on my shelf for the past couple of years, until I picked it up a few days ago. I am so glad I did. This is a really important story. First of all, it is own voices. The author is Indian, and took great inspiration from her own great-Aunt, who, like Leela, was also a child-widow who rose above the hand she was dealt and fought for her own education.
I thought that the story of Leela was sad, yet hopeful, and I loved her ambition and her sense of justice. There are so many contradictions and hypocrisies in the way women were treated in this society, and I love that she calls it out. At one point, she says:

"I wanted to ask Ba why sometimes I was treated like a child and other times I was expected to behave like a mature woman. If I was too young to be trusted with everyday information, I was too young to be a widow; but if I was old enough to live like a widow, then I must be grown up."

I loved the characters, especially Leela's brother. I love the way he fought for his sister's happiness, even though that would not have been the culturally appropriate thing to do. I also enjoy her friendship with Shani.

The only real negative is that there was a short stretch in the middle that dragged just a bit for me, and became a little repetitive, but I can also see that that may have been intentional, as a way of illustrating the monotony of her year of keeping corner. Also, I just wanted more. I wanted to know what happened to her later in life.

I would absolutely check out more by this author in the future.