nerdyprettythings's Reviews (515)

Oh. My. This book was so good. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a time traveling story I like as much, and I love time travel as a trope. Holy crap. This book seemed to have about six endings - around the halfway mark was a huge climax that had me wondering how it could go on, and then it did, and it was so much action and suspense and really exciting writing all the way through the end.
Lately I’ve been frustrated with the inclusion of random romance/relationship plots, but this book nails the reason you’d include one - it makes every “ending” feel so much heavier and more important and more terrifying.

Holy moly this book is incredible, and completely unlike anything I’ve ever read. TW for basically every sensitive topic, but I recommend it, especially if you’re looking for OwnVoices stories from West Africa, trans stories, or mental illness.

It’s 100% dialogue. I usually love epistolary novels, but this never felt like it had anything to break up the monotony of conversation after conversation. And because of the format, people said things it seemed weird to voice. I really like the idea, but the actual reading of the book was a letdown.

I love the way Ann Patchett wrote the flashbacks intermittently throughout related scenes - the plane scene early on in the book was particularly great. It felt like she wrote this amazing character who did a lot of growing... and then didn't learn a lot from it. I was a let down by the MC's determination to hold onto her naivete, and maybe even to learn the wrong things? Also, while I constantly witness how little women seem to expect from the men they date, the romantic interest feels forced, and the dude is laaaaaaaame. I thought we were being set up from the beginning to dislike him, because he was lame from the very start, but the badass 45-year old doctor was still worried about what he thought after the whole book was done. whyyyy.

** spoiler alert ** The idea is interesting - a man is losing weight because he’s becoming unstuck from gravity, his physical form isn’t changing. But the main plot ends up being that he has to be told by his bitchy lesbian neighbor just how horrible everyone in town has been to her before he notices, and then his friendship is what makes her less jaded and makes the town accept her. It could have been good, with a lot more nuance, but instead it’s just self-congratulatory and kind of condescending.