very unserious, much fun

"we need more unlikeable female characters" you guys can't even handle phoebe walsh

This had genuinely funny moments which I always appreciate in a rom-com. I also appreciated the commentary (albeit light and silly) on what someone may be drawn to true crime and how it can negatively affect someone's ability to form personal connections with people. There were a couple of points where I cringed, and I do wish the love interest had felt a little more fleshed out. But I did like that there were other relationships that the main character was trying to figure out in the story (familial and platonic) that were written with depth.

This didn't really have a lot of depth when it came to the plot or characterization, but it was still pleasant enough while I was reading. Definitely a lot more traumatic things happen but in the characters' past and present than the synopsis would have you believe.

you guys just don't get her like i do

rumplestiltskin disguised as snow white (derogatory)

The characterization felt surface, the plot development was rushed, and all the parts of the story that I thought were actually interesting were glossed over. Yet I didn't hate it, and I was able to passively read until the end.

This book was a wild ride. For the first third I was so confused as to where the plot was headed, and then as the pieces fell into place I could not put it down. The ending was was heartbreaking, but it felt earned. I liked that the actions and morality of the characters were very ambiguous in a way that worked for the story without feeling like just for the sake of it- I almost wish there had been more moral ambiguity. 

As someone who has followed the rise and fall of the 8 Passengers YouTube channel (and family) online over the years, it was interesting to read about it all from the perspective of one of the people experiencing from the inside.

While there are aspects of The Secret Garden that haven’t aged well over the years, it still holds so much nostalgia for me and I consider it a favorite from my childhood. When I heard about this particular retelling, I was so excited- which is why it pains me that I can’t give it a higher rating. The first third of the story was so strong and had so much potential that felt a little wasted by the end. Overall, I feel confused by some of the storytelling decisions the author made- like the addition of the cartoon villain evil stepmother, which just felt out of place with quiet atmosphere of the original book and this retelling. I also wish we could have stayed longer in the garden scenes as they started to feel glossed over. It’s not that I disliked all the changes of course, but for at least some of them we needed a longer book to make it flow more naturally.

A melancholy take on what happens after the adventure is over. I loved the angst in the second Narnia movie when it came to the Pevensie siblings not knowing when, if, or how long they’d get to see Narnia again- so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. The story was definitely darker in tone, with themes of mental health, trauma, and self-harm being explored through the characters in different ways. I found the pacing of the second half a little rushed, and I think I wanted more time to get to know Phillipa and Jamie. Out of the siblings I definitely connected to Ev the most, but that could also be because we got to see the fantasy world while in her perspective.