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goatsrsexy's Reviews (604)
fast-paced
This is my favourite kind of book, it's hard to really say anything critical about a book like this but it's also difficult to really review it at all.
It was confusing in the best way and incredibly touching. The kind of book that stays with you. Definitely a strong contender for my favourite read of 2024.
It was confusing in the best way and incredibly touching. The kind of book that stays with you. Definitely a strong contender for my favourite read of 2024.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a big fan of retellings and Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books, but I was still a bit skeptical about a modern retelling centered around figure skaters... The Favorites was actually really good though! Kat and Heath are childhood friends who grew up together (the backstory is pretty similar to the original story) and Kat dreams about being an Olympic ice dancer while Heath dreams about doing anything that will make Kat happy. The book follows a few decades of their life, centering on the highs of their athletic careers and the relationships they have with other skaters as well. There is documentary style bits between chapters in a similar style to the movie I Tonya, which I honestly could've done without but it wasn't awful and it did allow for some interesting foreshadowing.
If you're a fan of Wuthering Heights or figure skating or dramatic on again off again toxic relationships, this book is for you!!
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.
If you're a fan of Wuthering Heights or figure skating or dramatic on again off again toxic relationships, this book is for you!!
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.
fast-paced
This was a really beautiful and sad and frustrating story about an AI/Robot who is owned by and also in a relationship with a shitty man. Seeing Annie slowly develop her sense of self and need for agency throughout the book felt super realistic.
Obviously this book is an analogy in a way about abusive relationships and the way we can be tricked by our own minds or by other people into putting up with poor treatment and manipulation, often not even knowing its happening.
It also raised a lot of questions about the ethics of owning a sentient being. Not new questions by any means, but things that are definitely important to think about with how fast artificial intelligence is progressing.
I have been in a relationship sadly quite similar to the one between Annie and Paul, and I noticed so many of Annie's thoughts and feelings mirrored how I felt at the time.
I'd definitely recommend this book but also be wary if you have triggers relating to domestic abuse, especially emotional abuse.
Obviously this book is an analogy in a way about abusive relationships and the way we can be tricked by our own minds or by other people into putting up with poor treatment and manipulation, often not even knowing its happening.
It also raised a lot of questions about the ethics of owning a sentient being. Not new questions by any means, but things that are definitely important to think about with how fast artificial intelligence is progressing.
I have been in a relationship sadly quite similar to the one between Annie and Paul, and I noticed so many of Annie's thoughts and feelings mirrored how I felt at the time.
I'd definitely recommend this book but also be wary if you have triggers relating to domestic abuse, especially emotional abuse.
Unfortunately I was just not a fan of the writing style and not interested in finishing.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked the premise of this book and it was interesting but overall I feel like it just didn't quite hit the mark for me... I'd still recommend it if you're considering it, I just wish there'd been a bit more to it.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Inspired by true events, this book is set in rural France in the 1700s where a village is plagued by a mysterious beast that is targeting women and children.
The men in this village are generally awful and abusive, while those who don't participate in the abuse happily look the other way. A few teenage girls see the beast as an opportunity to stage their deaths and escape the village for a better life, but the beast is real and they also need to avoid actually falling victim to it.
This was a pretty good YA historical fiction with fantasy, horror, and feminist elements to it.
The writing felt a bit modern for historical fiction which I see people complaining about in other reviews. It's a legitimate complaint but it didn't bother me that much. The book is YA and the language made it more readable. Also we have to remember that teenagers in 1700s France were just normal people like us and probably thought in a way similar to us. Yeah the book didn't have old timey prose, it also wasn't in French. Whatever.
I really enjoyed the idea of women using the idea of a monster to escape the real monster in their life which is the patriarchy and religious oppression. It worked well and there were a ton of memorable lines and quotes in the book (which I won't add here since I read an arc which is subject to some changes).
I'd definitely recommend picking this one up! It's a quick easy and inspiring read. Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy!
The men in this village are generally awful and abusive, while those who don't participate in the abuse happily look the other way. A few teenage girls see the beast as an opportunity to stage their deaths and escape the village for a better life, but the beast is real and they also need to avoid actually falling victim to it.
This was a pretty good YA historical fiction with fantasy, horror, and feminist elements to it.
The writing felt a bit modern for historical fiction which I see people complaining about in other reviews. It's a legitimate complaint but it didn't bother me that much. The book is YA and the language made it more readable. Also we have to remember that teenagers in 1700s France were just normal people like us and probably thought in a way similar to us. Yeah the book didn't have old timey prose, it also wasn't in French. Whatever.
I really enjoyed the idea of women using the idea of a monster to escape the real monster in their life which is the patriarchy and religious oppression. It worked well and there were a ton of memorable lines and quotes in the book (which I won't add here since I read an arc which is subject to some changes).
I'd definitely recommend picking this one up! It's a quick easy and inspiring read. Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy!
This is the first audiobook I've ever finished but tbh I wouldn't have finished it if it wasn't an audiobook. I'm clearly a misandrist cus I just kept thinking this would be so much better if Patrick was a woman. Overall I just found the plot dull and the descriptive violence a bit much.