This was one of the most unique books I've ever read, and I ADORED it. Stradal tells the engrossing story of Eva Thorvald, chef-savant with a one in a million palate, but not from her point of view. Each chapter is about a particular dish that pertains to someone in Eva's life in one way or another, and it really is like a collection of short stories. But one by one, they piece together the puzzle of her life in the most deft and subtle way. I was blown away by how I felt as if I knew the main character, without ever hearing her inner dialogue. There seemed to be a hint of magical realism, which I enjoy, and I loved that the author trusts the reader to fill in the gaps to find the story. It is one of the very few books I would re-read to learn more, knowing how it comes together - just fantastic stuff.

(NetGalley review) Regarding the comparisons to The Martian or World War Z: other than the fact that this is told using scientific files and interviews, I don't believe it has anything in common with either title. I just didn't feel any emotion towards the characters, or even just one character - there was no real hero to root for (like the FANTASTIC Mark Watney of The Martian) or a villain for that matter. The 'mysterious and unnamed character' as interviewer of the people working on this top secret scientific team does this novel a disservice. Not knowing his angle made all the interviews seem lifeless and completely erased my suspension of disbelief. How exactly is this 'nameless person' able to work with the President and our military without anyone knowing who he is?? As for the World War Z comparison, there was no real edge-of-my-seat tension. Which was a real missed opportunity, because the story is pretty original and slick. The idea that thousands of years ago, alien beings (perhaps?) left parts of a giant robot scattered around the globe for us to discover is kind of interesting. It did read pretty quickly, and the plot went in some unexpected directions. I just don't think it was executed as well as it could have been.

I think I checked the cover once or twice to make sure that this wasn't a Rainbow Rowell novel - which is high praise, in my opinion. Like Rowell, Albertalli, can do achingly sweet YA romance juuuust right, with characters so full of life, great relationships between friends and family, and spot on dialogue. There are f-bombs as well as freakin' in all the right places, and simple passages with some heft. My favorite:
But I’m tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.

This was a nice little story, but I don't know if the crusty old man with the heart of gold is my kind of literary trope (unless that man is A.J. Fikry). It's like the movie 'Up' but much slower paced and, unfortunately, no talking dogs. To give us the background on Ove's grumpiness, we get glimpses into his past which begin as enlightening, albeit tragic. And then the horrible just. keeps. coming. As if the author was rubbing his chin and thinking 'how can I make sure that Ove was dealt the worst possible life, so as to explain the grump factor.' One or two of those flashback situations would have sufficed to make me that grumpy. And the stubborn interactions with his present-day neighbors felt like Groundhog Day, not as funny as the first couple times around. However, I did enjoy the characters (yes, including Ove and especially the pregnant new neighbor) and the non-repetitive interactions between them all (especially Ove with his longest neighbor and rival). I can definitely see why people liked it, because it goes out on a high note of lovely and bittersweet.
(rounded up my 2.5 star review)

This was really slow going for me. It's a mostly descriptive novel, with some of the LONGEST sentences I've ever read. I don't consider myself to be easily confused, but so very many would start with the usual subject and verb, then would veer off with some completely unnecessary non sequitur about said subject and I'd completely forget the original point. I'd scroll ahead to see how many pages I'd have left in a chapter and be faced with so very little dialogue/quotation marks. I was glad to get more insight into Chechnya, but it's kind of an exhausting (and of course, terribly sad) read. It reminded me of Cutting for Stone in some respects (main characters in the medical field, a country in turmoil), but this went so much slower - even though it's hundreds of pages shorter.

(NetGalley review)
Told from Tanya's point of view as she tries to outrun her past, we're given glimpses of her secrets with these epistolary email clues between her and someone from her hometown. As the story moves along, we gain a bit more of an understanding as to who the mysterious writer is to our heroine.
It starts off at a rather frenetic pace, especially when she meets 'Blue.' However, somewhere after the second or third persona she takes on (out of at least FIVE), it shifts into a slower gear. It was a bit tedious reading about her stealing another driver's license, going to another cheap motel room, etc. that it was losing it's urgency. Lather, rinse repeat.
The hometown email exchanges power the story along, as it gives just enough little glimpses into her past to keep you intrigued and wanting to know the full story. Honestly, I think that the author should have parsed out MORE in these messages, because the 'big reveals' in the last part of the book were huge and plentiful. I think that the very end would still have had the desired gut punch, even if Lutz gave more hints earlier in the book - especially during the repetitive parts. I also would have liked to know more about my main character. I was having a hard time deciding whether I should root for her demise or redemption.
In the end, it was some compelling stuff and it actually reminded me a LOT of a major plot line in Veronica Mars, which is one of my all time favorite shows. I find myself still thinking about it, days after I've finished.

I'm glad I read this story of a marriage from both points of view, because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and to form my own opinion: which is that I didn't really enjoy it! As with most people, I thought the whole first half (really more than half) was too much of the husband Lotto's self indulgent drivel. Even though I found the wife Mathilde's story so much more interesting, it was less than half the novel and I don't really think she got her due. I also think the writing was annoyingly overwrought. I've read one of Groff's other novels (Monsters of Templeton) and she's just not my cup of tea. It was a great concept, as we can never see the world through someone else's eyes. What an amazing thing it would be if we could read the story of our spouses life from his or her point of view?? Alas, Groff's approach didn't work for me.

I mean, what can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Even if I had the smallest of critiques, how could I make them about someone's heartfelt, eye opening, wrenching missive to his son on being black in America? It was so strange and timely to be reading it right before the Academy Awards, which we're not likely to forget with Chris Rock's fantastic hosting. And, of course, this completely horrifying election year where it is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that this should be required reading for all citizens.

Oh man. This is a book that Joey would put in the freezer, like he did with Little Women. It's damn near a carbon copy of The Fault in Our Stars, but with teens dealing with depression and mental illness, rather than cancer. Fun, right?? Ah, but it suuuuucked me in, just as TFIOS did with beautiful passages, witty and empathetic characters, and a frenetic 'MUST FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NOW' race to the end of the book. It's horrible, and ultimately lovely.

I must say that I was a little disappointed with this book. I really enjoyed Fingersmith and expected the same from this bestselling novel by the same author. Alas, I kept waiting for some complex plot to evolve. It was a rather straightforward story of an illicit affair gone wrong, a murder that brought up some skeletons in closets, and a pretty tense, but unfulfilled, ending. Not good enough for a 600 page tome.