4.5
This is one of the most incredible, multigenerational stories I have ever read.

I loved this until the very end- the ending, although beautiful, felt abrupt.

Second read - this book still has my heart! And I will stan Karen Karen until my dying day.

For me, what makes this book so excellent is this talent TJR has of making her characters feel so real that you want to Google them. All I wanted was to be able to listed to that damn album from start to finish and fall in love with the sound.

I was so worried this would not live up to Handmaids, that it would just be one of those sequels that just was not necessary. But hot damn, what a second installment.
I love that despite how easily it could have been, this is not a redemption story.

Pretty cute little anthology. Love the range of diversity of characters and genre!

4.5
Beautifully strange, strangely beautiful.
Magical realism and I are not always a great combo, but the lyrical beauty of this book swept me past any stumbles I had in following the twisting plots.
McLemore is a master of seem less representation that feels meticulously crafted and effortless at the same time. Her representation of woman, feminity, family (both found and biological), masculinity, none binary, Love, redemption, trust, sexuality, desire and culture is breathtaking.

2.5
This started out so strong, but without an extensive knowledge of all source material, I found I was not as captivated after the first third.
I was also expecting more of a critical analysis of social obsession with dead girls, which I was just left without.