I think I will have to read this either as an ebook or a physical copy. The audiobook is a bit hard for me to follow. I’m placing a hold at the library as we speak :-)

This was good, & I enjoyed it very much! Some of the plot lines fell a little flat for me, for example the instagram stalking; I just couldn’t wrap my head around why it was relevant to the deeper story.

When that was revealed to Lucas, it felt very brushed off, which whatever.

I was just confused as to why it was there in the first place? I was also a bit disappointed with her brother’s storyline, & Rose’s family drama in general.

Why was Olly being a stripper such a huge thing? I mean maybe not the most lucrative career, but I feel like that’s not a huge deal; they were making it out as if he was in severe danger, with the bruises & random phone calls. His “pimp” or whatever I guess added drama but…also, why wasn’t this a more serious issue in the story if he was able to escape so easily in the end?

& as for Rose’s relationships outside of Lucas, I was just left feeling so disappointed with how her & Lina interacted throughout the entire book. For being best friends, they seemed very distant.

Also, what ever happened to Rosie’s book?? We never saw the aftermath of her finishing the first draft; did it even get published? The book needed so much more on this!

Lastly, Lucas’s physical therapy, & injury in general was so vague & nondescript! I just feel like a lot more could have been developed, & while the HEA for the couple was lovely, everything else felt like such a loose end that needs to be tied up. I do love a romance-writing (& -loving) heroine though :-) oh & the spicy scenes were fun

minus the doing it without a condom on the first round blech

This is (I believe) my 2nd book by Lisa Jewell, & I loved it! I was a bit confused by the school in summer, but I guess the British do it differently out there, or maybe it was summer school? Either way, this book was phenomenal! I finished it in 1 day, & it certainly kept me on my toes. It was eery to think about the idea that people who have done evil, horrendous things, often think they’re being helpful & that they’re doing the kind thing. I do wish more of Pat’s storyline was discussed, ie, it can’t have been easy being raised by a singe narcissistic mother; I feel like her general come-through was “I know I wasn’t the best mother, but Josie was a lot…” & it felt weird & dismissive to not only the character development, but also the storyline. I also enjoyed the almost detached narration; we as readers don’t really see the MCs’ inner workings. We hear about their narrative, & obviously I always love an unreliable narrator, but we don’t hear a lot about the fear or anger they are experiencing, which in all honesty I kind of liked, I think? It made it interesting, & for Josie’s story specifically, made her feel much less real which I think was probably the point. The whole “I don’t believe people like that really exist!” Felt a bit more feasible after going the whole book not really knowing what Josie is thinking. Wish we’d gotten a bit more motive, but overall I really enjoyed! 

Fun audiobook! I enjoyed listening to the author read. It got a little repetitive, but I enjoyed it. The title essay was very well written & well read; I found myself tearing up a bit. 

I really enjoyed this book! It was very informative, very enlightening. Some of the book’s Amazon reviews are quite negative, primarily because it’s a very self-reflective book. Norman acknowledges that this book is more of a dive into her personal experience & what research she has compiled in an effort to better understand her illness & her pain. Less of a know-all about endometriosis, which we see towards the end of the book when she is in the diagnosis stages of another chronic illness. The book talks about the author’s journey with chronic illness with an implied, “This is how it was for me. Others may relate, but I am not speaking for anyone else.” I appreciated the physician aspect; most physicians are trying their best, but they are also imperfect. It is a very true phenomenon that women’s pain is taken less seriously; this rings especially true for WOC & for disabled/chronically or mentally ill women. I enjoyed this book; definitely not a medical guidebook on endometriosis, but I don’t think it was ever trying to be. 

My hold was running out at the library, & tbh I don’t think it would ever be worth it to wait another 6-9 weeks for this as I did not like it. The author’s tone was weird — such a superiority complex; she is better than the others around her for not dancing at a crowded club during a pandemic, yet she’s in the crowded club in the first place. She’s literally traveling on airplanes & going to crowded clubs & bars, yet she draws the line at…dancing…? With the same people she’s been in the room with for over an hour? It just seems very hypocritical when she talks about anything involving the pandemic. She also seems quite judgmental when discussing the younger queer scene, thinly veiling her criticisms of their dress & behavior & culture by saying, “It’s so interesting to see how the generations change!” She chalks up centuries of queer nuance & experience by saying “All infighting is bad! We should unite as one!” Which is generally a true-ish statement, but as a cis & white queer, I think these words are generally quite invalidating. A large theme of the short portion of the book that I was able to stomach was, “Inclusion is great! Everyone is & should be invited!” Which is overall, again, a fine sentiment, but it very much rubbed me the wrong way. Gay men are constantly criticizing women for entering “their” spaces, they tell us we don’t belong, that we need to find our own place, they go so far as to verbally & physically attack us for taking up space; yet why are lesbian/queer women suddenly demonized for even expressing the desire for a space of our own? Again, it’s a very nuanced topic, but this  rubbed me weird. Idk. I  also realize that I’m probably giving up on it way too early to tell if it’ll change & I very well could enjoy it more if I were to continue reading. Who knows, I might pick this up again at a later date (I won’t), but for now the whole “woe is me because I couldn’t be openly queer as a youth, but I’m so much more educated & cultured than the young queers of the world, also discourse sucks but I’m going to ignore the fact that Black & brown lesbians & queer women exist & are so often excluded from queer circles” is getting old, & I’m only 23% of the way through. Not my thing, but I’m sure others will enjoy it. 

This was such a profound story of war & violence, of trying to do the moral thing in the face of battle. I am extremely impressed by RF Kuang; this was my first read of hers, but it won’t be the last.

I enjoyed this sweet romance featuring football player turned cupcake shop owner & trust fund reality star facing reality. The characters were for the most part likable, & I especially adored Jada’s support system (bestie Olivia & Grandma T were so lovable! I wish we’d had more time with them). Some of the tropes were out of my usual realm — the enemies to lovers plot felt forced; the banter was fun, but kind of ceased when Jada just starts outright ignoring Donovan. Also, instalove is definitely not my thing. I acknowledge that not all romance stories can be a slow burn, but the desire to utter those 3 words should not come after, like, a week. That being said, I did love the fake dating here! I could feel the longing jumping off the page, & it was lovely :-) Last thing I will say is that Donovan felt so unidimensional. I found myself a bit bored of him, despite his description being arguably really cool! Jada felt so much more rounded to me. 

What a weird & unnerving book…

Wasn’t as good as the first book in the series but it was fun! I enjoyed listening to it on audiobook.