nadia's Reviews (587)

Nothing beats a big book when you can get fully immersed in the world and the characters, and that's what happened with this 1000-page tome for me! I was intrigued from early on and while, on the whole, it was a slow-paced book, some parts felt like page turners. 

The pacing was a little funny at times and given the investment and build-up to certain parts, I expected some of them to pack more of a punch and to evoke more emotion, but the way they were narrated got in the way and made the story feel a little flat at times.

Still, a great book! Perfect if you love huge books, or are fascinated by 12th Century English history, cathedrals, or the art of constructing grand buildings!

This was a lovely little audiobook. I think this is the first time I've read a book from this perspective and so I very much appreciated that aspect of the story and I will be seeking out similar literature for sure. Ultimately, I think the novel lacked a little something for me. Perhaps I was hoping for a little more depth, or a little more character development. It was over so quickly! Still, it's definitely worth a listen if the themes of gender identity and sexuality, and especially figuring those out as a teenager, appeal to you!

This was a really powerful memoir and I especially recommend the audiobook, read by Broome himself. Broome vividly portrayed the harsh struggles around growing up as a black boy in America, and one who knows he is different in more ways than one, not fitting in to the role society expects him to play. 

I particularly appreciated the discussion around black parenting and how the way love and care is demonstrated may manifest itself in different, seemingly strange and punishing, ways, born out of a necessity to survive in a country that doesn't want to accept you.

Perfect for lovers of memoirs that explore themes of identity, sexuality, race in America, masculinity, addiction, motherhood, and fatherhood, the latter especially in black families!

I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Crazy Rich Asians series. It was a lot of fun, with far more serious elements tied in compared to the prior books, which made all of the drama feel a little more "real". The pacing felt a little off at times, but for what the trilogy was meant to be — mainly ridiculous and over the top — Kwan delivered!

Despite listening to her narrate her own story, it took me a little bit of time to feel connected to Sánchez and this memoir. Eventually I got really into it and I appreciated the discussions around identity, mental health, motherhood and pregnancy, beauty standards, racism, relationships, crafting a career, and more. Throughout it all, Sánchez was unflinchingly honest and vulnerable, which added to the memoir's impact and relatability.

I really liked the writing and was intrigued by the characters and their interactions with one another the whole way, but parts of this felt off and made me feel a little uncomfortable, especially the parts relating to women and sex. I've struggled to decide on how I want to rate this book!

A solid read! I didn't have high expectations going in to this one, and they were surpassed. Was pretty much intrigued the whole way through and appreciated the portrayals of grief and mental illness.

Given that Sapiens is one of my all-time faves, I was rather disappointed with Homo Deus. For one, it took me so long to get through and I never really wanted to pick it up. When I did manage to, the ideas presented were interesting on the whole, though some were pitched rather awkwardly, I felt.

I was left wondering what the point of the book was, and it certainly didn't have the same smooth flow and structure that Sapiens did.

This was such a well-written, moving memoir. Certainly not one to read while hungry! I especially appreciated Zauner's highly personal perspectives and original insights into themes that are at the core of human existence.

If you like your memoirs exploring themes of motherhood, love, death, grief, identity, culture, and food, then this is definitely one for you!

A great memoir, though an uncomfortable listen for the most part.  Jennette McCurdy put this together really well, and her writing and audiobook narration are top-notch. I'm always fascinated by "behind-the-scenes" looks at things like celebrity lives, so it was fascinating having this child star perspective.