goatsrsexy's Reviews (604)

Shanghailanders by Julie Min was a really interesting piece of literary fiction. It starts in 2040 and throughout the book goes backwards in time, ending in 2014. It follows a family, three daughters and their parents, who live in Shanghai. Parts of the story are told from each of their perspectives and there are also a few chapters from the perspective of other people in their life, like people who have worked for them.

I'm not sure I've ever read a story told this way, and it definitely is an interesting way to see who these people are. We initially see them as they are, in their present day (our near future) and slowly go back in time little by little exploring small snippets of their lives and see the things that shaped them. It's especially interesting with the daughters, since they are just coming into adulthood at the beginning of the book which means we see a lot of their childhood, some of which took place during covid which I found interesting although it is not a main plot point by any means, it's just mentioned offhandedly.

While Shanghailanders does take place in the near future, don't expect a SciFi type of story. This is a very character driven novel that explores the complexities of familial relationships in a pretty melancholy way. It was overall a really great story and I'm definitely interested to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

Very interesting that this is the start of a trilogy within a series. It's my first time reading the series all the way through so my opinion on this arc remains to be seen

I just found it so boring

This was my third book by Edward Ashton (I think I've read all his books), and definitely my favourite. He definitely has a unique way of mixing a light hearted and comedic vibe into a story about pretty serious things.

I really loved Mal and seeing him discover a world he'd never paid any attention to until he had to. I was engaged the whole time and never really knew what was coming next! 

I think that fans of Becky Chambers will really enjoy this book! I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does next!

Netgalley arc was provided by St Martin's Press 

I liked the stories I read but it started to feel repetitive 

This was such a cool read! I went in mostly blind and didn't really know what was going on so when I got to part two I was like damn omg. I really liked this book found it super interesting, thought provoking and unique.

Best book so far by FAR

This was a really interesting historical fiction novel set in BC Canada (where I live). I was interested in polygamy since I was a kid and read a book fairly similar to this one that stuck with me. I think it also took place in BC. I definitely thought this book was well researched and very entertaining, the juxtaposition of the hardcore Mormons against the free love culture of the 60s was a good choice.

I did feel there was almost a little bit too much crammed into the short book. The first 50% I read in a few hours but then the second half lost me a bit and I felt it went a little bit off course in some parts. Overall though it was definitely worth reading I just think it actually might have benefited from being a bit longer! I wanted to know more and it felt like things moved too quickly.

The prose of this book was very readable and accessible, I think this book would be appropriate for mature middle grade readers but also interesting for adults. Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me a digital copy of this book.

Another one that was on my list forever but I didn't get to until my grandma recommended it to me. I loved the book, I love these kinds of stories that follow people through decades and I love books with strong friendships. I found it interesting to see afterwards that this is the author of Elsewhere, a book I loved as a kid.

This was a fantastic read! I absolutely loved the writing/narrative style, how it starts off running and feels super confusing and almost surreal but as the book goes on it actually starts to make more sense and feel more realistic despite the insane subject matter. There is definitely some scathing commentary on western beauty standards and the beauty industry, but the story stands on its own, I was totally riveted. Will definitely be looking to see what this author does next.