miromie's Reviews (148)

I liked this book! My favorite part about this story was how short it was, while still delivering a complete narrative. I didn’t feel as if it was rushed or cut off. I think Murata did an excellent job at crafting a story that was small and easily digestible, while still maintaining character and plot integrity. The characters were well-developed and the plot was simple, but highly effective and creative. I enjoyed it. 

I also liked the peek into Japanese culture. I don’t read a lot of translated fiction (something I am working on), so this was a nice, easy way to see a part of the world that I don’t always get to immerse myself in. The pressures that Keiko faces are immense and the fact that the people who should love her most are so disturbed by her lifestyle was, frankly, alarming. They wanted Keiko to change and adapt so badly, and didn’t seem to care about the fact that Keiko was already happy and satisfied with her life. It was interesting. 

I didn’t have any explicit dislikes for this novel. Perhaps some sections felt a bit rushed or overlooked, but not so noticeably that I would categorize it as a flaw of the book. 

This book was delightfully depressing and disgusting in a mundane, everyday-life kind of way. My favorite part about this book was its unreliable narrator and multiple perspectives. Throughout the whole book I never really knew if Millie was how she described herself to be or if she was how the other characters saw her to be. I liked being inside Millie’s head and, at the same time, viewing her externally while also learning about other characters, like her spiteful boss, Karen. It was a good way to structure the story. 

Another detail about this book I liked was the simultaneous honesty and delusion with which Millie spoke about and viewed herself. Yes, most of the time, Millie was delusional about her life and her future. But when she wasn’t participating in self-deception, she was very honest with herself. More importantly, Mille tried. She tried so hard all throughout the book. I felt bad for her. I just wanted the world to work out for her and it simply didn’t. 

I truly didn’t have any dislikes for this book. It was, to me, perfect in its character-driven, plotless narrative. 

I liked this one! It’s overall message was very sweet and inspiring. The detail I liked most about this story was Natalie herself. She has a difficult time not only loving, but simply accepting herself and her body just the way it is. That is something I think many young people can relate to. She is not a perfect person--she makes mistakes and says the wrong things and sometimes doesn’t fulfill her life the way she wants to--but she is a person that is trying, and I found that to be the highlight of the book. This book teaches how someone can love themselves exactly as they are and that other people really don’t care as much as you think they do; they can actually be quite supportive and caring. It’s inspiring and hopeful to read. 

One other detail I enjoyed about Natalie’s story was the travel aspect! Everywhere Natalie goes, she discovers a new part of herself and eventually learns to cultivate and love that new discovery. It was a very nice evolution to see. She begins the novel with a disordered way of thinking and eating and we, as readers, get to see the change throughout the novel as Natalie learns a more healthy way of thinking and eating. It’s extremely lovely. 

My one dislike about this novel was the writing style. It felt a little like it was trying to be something that it couldn’t quite reach, and that felt frustrating to read. It wasn’t too bad, but it was something I wanted to see be improved. 

Okay so I was actually fairly surprised by this book when I started reading it. I thought it was going to be more literary, but this book was a straight-up romance. I liked it, though! The characters were loveable and the story was cute. I liked the idea that the characters’ entire lives revolve around avoiding loving each other. It seems like it wouldn’t be cute, but it was actually very sweet. Henry also made this aspect of the story extremely realistic, which I liked! Slow burn romance is much more appealing to me than a quick-burn one, and Henry was able to provide this. 

Another aspect of the book I liked was its entire message about love. The message--that it’s who you are with the other person when you’re in a relationship--was original, sweet, and good. I’ve never heard that before, probably because I don’t read romance, and I thought it was a nice message about love and relationships. Henry wrote a romance that provided real-life advice readers can apply to their own relationships without it feeling gimmicky or silly. I felt it was important that this romance was realistic as it gave readers insight into how a relationship can develop and ultimately exist. 

My dislike of this novel included Poppy, and I’m so sorry, but I just found her to be a bit annoying and dramatic. Her whole “quirky-girl” character was an instant turn off for me and the longer the novel went on, the more I disliked her. She can’t take anything seriously and I don’t think she had more than one meaningful conversation with Alex throughout the book. She’s constantly joking and playing around, even when it comes to the significance of her relationship with Alex. I didn’t connect with her in any way that made me like her. 

I liked this book, mostly. I liked the overall idea, as I do with most books I pick up. I liked the fact that readers would be following this woman throughout her life through the influential conversations she was having. For the most part, the conversations were funny, interesting, and insightful. They dealt with difficult topics that most individuals would avoid talking about, or would later regret talking about. But, Popkey wrote about these topics in a straightforward, blunt, and honest way that wasn’t awkward for her readers or for her characters. 

Another part of this novel I liked was the run-around characters. I felt I got to know the side characters better than I got to know the main woman that was having the conversations. At first, when I realized this, I disliked it, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked that fact. I think it relates well to actual life, because who are we, what do we do, without other people? The “other/side” people of our lives sort of make up our lives, so I thought it was clever of Popkey to do this. 

Though I liked this book for the most part, I felt some of it was a little try-hard. Some parts of the conversations felt like they were trying to be original and philosophical, which was a little annoying. I am a fan of saying what you want to say without trying too hard, but it was fairly obvious that Popkey does not do this. 

I read this book because I love uncarley on YouTube. She called “Ghosts” a “millennial rom-com” and it totally was, in all the good ways and none of the annoying ways one might expect. My favorite part about this story was the overall premise. It seems fresh to me. Alderton was able to take a relatively shallow idea and turn it into a story that was mature and meaningful, while still being funny and young. I really liked the message the novel held, especially as that message developed more deeply and fairly rapidly toward the end. It wasn’t rushed, though! It was perfectly paced. 

I also loved all the characters in this book. Nina was smart and her parents were a nice complement to her. Her mom was annoying but had a nice turnaround and her dad was sweet and highly loveable. Her friends are funny and kind, and her love interest, Max, is an excellent villain. The characters are well-developed and well-written. 

The only thing I disliked about this book--though there wasn’t much--was the feeling that Nina sometimes fell a little flat. But only sometimes and very rarely! I just mostly felt that way because of Nina’s dialogue; her interior monologue was thoughtful, clever, and sweet. When she spoke, I sometimes felt as if it wasn’t quite expressive enough. Again, I only felt this way occasionally. Most of the time, it was great. Other than that, I thought Alderton did a wonderful job writing this story. 

I really liked this book! This was my second try with it and I’m not sure why I quit it the first time. It’s a good, odd, funny, and touching story. My favorite part about Moshfegh’s novel was her unnamed protagonist. This main character was gritty, gross, selfish, funny, and relatable. I like that she was unnamed because it allowed the reader to dissolve into her character. She embodied all the worst parts of human behavior and I think that is something everyone can relate to, even if they don’t want to. 

Another aspect of this story that I liked was the overall concept. The main character is very obviously going through a difficult time in her life and thinking that sleeping it away will make everything better is simply ridiculous, and the fact that it actually works is even more so, but that’s what felt so *good* about the whole thing. The entire time you’re reading you’re wondering what will happen at the end and when the main character’s plan works, you’re shocked, a little appalled, but also extremely happy and satisfied. It’s a weird mix and it’s great.

There wasn’t much I disliked about this book. I think Moshfegh did an incredible job crafting this story--I imagine it wasn’t easy forming this story to be as satisfying and strange as it was. The one thing I did not like about the story was how it made me feel at points, which is a weird thing to mention because books are supposed to invoke reactions in its readers, even if they are unpleasant. Sometimes, the book made me feel queasy or disgusted, but I think that was Moshfegh’s point, so I was okay with it. 

I could not put this book down! It is an absolutely incredible work. I think Rachel is a character that most young girls can relate to. I’ve found myself thinking about food, calories, and my body in the same way that Rachel does in Broder’s work. She is neurotic, obsessive, and highly damaged, but also highly loveable. I wanted Rachel to win in her life, and the way that Broder progresses the story and develops Rachel’s character makes the reader feel as if she does, though it may not appear that way on the surface. I found myself drawn to Rachel, perhaps because I’ve thought in similar patterns or perhaps because Broder wrote an electric, alluring character. 

Another aspect of this book that I think made it so amazing was its dialogue. The dialogue is so, so realistic without being boring. It is fresh, readable, and forms fully in the reader’s mind. Dialogue can, in some sense, make or break a story, and Broder’s dialogue definitely made the story great! I felt that it added a whole other dynamic to the characters.

I only have one issue with Broder’s work and that is the quick recovery of Rachel’s eating disorder. Rachel does go to a therapist for multiple reasons, but I felt as if Rachel’s disordered thinking and eating was not a main focus of her work with her therapist. It seems as if her eating disorder is quickly resolved when she meets and develops a relationship with Miriam. It just didn’t seem the most realistic to me, but I liked the book nonetheless.