natreviews's Reviews (445)

So I am paranoid. I'm paranoid that someone will jump out, kidnap me and murder me. I am paranoid that I will be stalked. This book brings those fears to life.

This is insanely good. Telling from the perspective of the stalker is a brilliant choice. It would be interesting to see how many guys agree with Joe, or think that some of his minor stalker actions are okay. I know so many guys who are three steps away from being Joe minus the murder bit (shoutout to my high school boyfriend). This book is creepy and sad and totally worth the read.

Joe also totally encapsulates the "I'm not a bad guy, I'm just protecting her" to the extreme, making him remind me of people who actually think with this mindset. We all know that one guy who will internet stalk you to see what you're about, see if you're okay, text you even after you told them to get lost. We all know guys who would twist words and actions in their minds to justify these types of behaviours (to a lesser extent of course, but still). I think that's the brilliant job Caroline does, keeping Joe down to earth and realistic, but having him sort of call out how crazy he is, and then justifying it with his mindset. It's down right brilliant.

It grabs you from start to finish. Also, I have to comment on how brilliant and simple the title is. When people ask what you are reading (or if you watch the Netflix series), it says weird to say You. When you try to look up the book, it doesn't appear, hidden amongst all of the other books which have You in the title (fun fact, it's a lot), hiding just like a real stalker does. 

I'm honestly excited and scared to read the next book. Scared because I don't know if the rest in the series (at the time of writing there are 3 books) can live up to this first one. We will just have to wait and see.

It's a graphic novel about a non-binary werewolf and a hard of hearing witch falling in love and fighting evil... OF COURSE I'M RATING IT 5/5!

This is a very good horror story that takes place over a night... or maybe half a night? Cassandra Khaw has a way with words. Her writing is excellent. The only real issues is I felt like the story wasn't long enough, or maybe this wasn't the right medium to tell it. I kept on thinking that this would make an awesome short film. This book could've easily been 100 pages longer than it was, and I think I might've liked it even more. For what it is though, it isn't bad. 

I also love how they called out the typical horror tropes. It was kind of funny and smart to put them in. Also, I highly recommend having your phone with you or reading near a computer if you're not familiar with Japanese Demon/Spirit lore. You can understand from the text that all of the demons mentioned are... well... demons. They all do hold a different meaning within the culture though. I wouldn't say it's required, but enhances the reading if you know the general lore behind them. 

I also need to give a shout out (and what makes this a 4.25/5 instead of just a 4/5) to Samuel Araya for the illustration on the cover. Gives Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark vibes, and as a child would terrify me (still as an adult, it's really creepy). I would get this book just for the cover alone to be honest. It's scary as all get out and I am here for it.

I have to say, I did like this book better than I thought. I also thought this would be a good book to close of October with, and it was (even though it also went 6 days in November). This book can be either a real page turner or a drag (not really any in between). The writing can be boring at some times and the pot doesn't move for a while, but then it ramps up to 100 for a section or two, then goes back to a slow day in the life. 

I've also noticed a specific subgenre in vampire novels (now having read quite a few), that of 'Is it pedophilia?' (Side note: never thought I'd write that down). In both this novel and Let The Right One In, it touches on the subject of child vampires/creatures, but unlike in Right One, Interview never dives into the moral implications of loving a being whose hundreds of years old in a child body. They do touch on the moral implications of making a child a vampire, but not loving them. It sounds weird, and it is weird, and those sections made me feel very uncomfy. I would also like to note (while speaking of subgenre's) that this book to delves into the homoerotic air that floats around vampires. Does Louis like men? It is never confirmed, but is implied. You could probably write an entire essay about the gay vibes in Interview... now that I would read.

Unlike other book series where I would consider reading the others, this one I won't. They follow Lestat, and for me he isn't a fun villain. He's just kind of a dick who I don't wanna spend time with. While I'll hold onto this book in my shelf, I don't think I'll be adding any of the series to my collection.

I’ve heard about this book all my life. The film was released in 2003, so I’ve seen the posters and new it was a group of teens committing suicide. Now at 22 I read the book and it’s… not great. It comes off super stalkerish, with the pov from a group of boys who were infatuated with the Lisbon sisters. It doesn’t read as creepy, but when you start to think about it for one second, you realize how creepy it actually is. Better books about suicide/attempted suicide have been written. At the end it also kindof puts blame on the girls being selfish (hence why they killed themselves), so that’s not good.

I had heard a lot about this book. Originally, I'd heard about the Italian film, then the American re-make, and found it all started with this book. It's the perfect October read. It's scary on multiple levels (from violence, to pedophilia, to gore) and I think it handles these topics well and with the respect they deserve. It isn't a easy read, but it is very rewarding if you can get through it. I also appreciate how it's set in the 1980's, that way it isn't bogged down with modern devices and having to work around those. Yes, there are some weird translation issues (words not making grammatical sense, or simple words missing), but the writing overall makes up for that. 
In the back of my copy there's a page advertising John's next book. I don't know if I'll read it, but Let The Right One In is a book I will keep on my shelf.

So I got this book from Owlcrate and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The story is nice and simple, but is also dark. It's a mix of a couple of different fairy tales (

Beauty and the Beast

and

The Myth of Hades and Persephone

were the ones I picked up on), and twists it with it's own story. 
The main weaknesses in this book is the time jumping can be a bit confusing (not the worst I've read, but a lot of character feeling changes happen in those time jumps) and the enemies to lovers trope isn't great. After reading books like Queen Takes Rose and Survival Instincts, I'm worried that the straights aren't getting the same level of quality with this trope. It's mainly I hate him, but he's hot so might as well rather than anything being developed over time. 

I saw that this is planned to be a series, so I might just have to pick up the next book whenever it comes out. 

To be honest... I was hoping to really enjoy this book. For me, half of the poems seemed to have a base level message, while the rest was just gibberish on the page. I did really enjoy the illustrations, but will have to pass on keeping this in my collection. Just not for me.

This is one of the books that should be read in every single high school. This is such an important read, not only for an inside look as to what living in North Korea is like, but to read all of the hardships she and others like her have had to experience. It is one of those books that will make you reflect on your own life, and how good you really have it.

I had only seen the title of this book, heard nothing about it before I read it. That's why I'll keep this review to the bare bones. There are some books out there where the less you know, the better the read is. This is one of those books (although I highly recommend checking out the content warnings before reading).

What I will say is Yeonmi holds nothing back. For that I'm truly grateful. Although it is a hard and challenging read, it wouldn't have the same impact as it does without all of the details. 

Do the lesbians make it out alive?:

Yes, good ending, none of them die

So this book is a lot of fun. Has actual tension and gives enough of a background so you can piece together what caused this dystopian world. The character dynamics between the Homesteaders and Lynn are interesting, and I wish we saw more of it. 
The book is written well, but what kept it from the 5/5 for me was that the smut is written really awkwardly, and the last third isn't as captivating as the rest of the book.