content warnings:

Spoiler

racism, bullying, homophobic slur, ableist language (incl. “cr*zy”), underage drinking, infidelity, slut-shaming, past depressive episode, past suicide attempt by OD, rape joke

rep:

Spoiler

Black (Haitian) French Canadian MC, Indian-American LI [Aarti] & parents, gay minor character [best friend Evan], minor M/M & F/F relationships, diverse minor characters

Let's start with the positive: what I did love about this book is the rep. While I can't speak to the Black or Canadian rep, I really love that Norris and Aarti bond over having immigrant parents (Haitian and Indian, respectively) and not feeling like they belong among their classmates. Their relationships with their parents are closer than we often see in YA, which I appreciated. And there's a scene around the climax that really hit me hard:

Spoiler

after his mom bails him out of jail and, still shaken up, reminds him how lucky he is to be alive after mouthing off to a white police officer, because that's the world we live in

.

The main storyline is probably about what you'd expect, based on the synopsis and standard genre tropes. It was engaging enough, if not surprising, and I mostly enjoyed the little anthropological entries,

Spoiler

excerpts from Norris's journal

, at the beginning of each chapter.

I think my biggest issue with the book is with Norris himself, specifically the fact that he never seems to make a good-faith effort to make things work or to actually change in response to a series of top-notch callouts. At first I was cautiously optimistic about him despite many reviews to the contrary, and I honestly wasn't too bothered by his antisocial behavior or his sulking — it was the judginess and self-righteousness that I found frustrating, and the fact that the ultimate lesson learned seems to be

Spoiler

you don't have to change your behavior or mindset as long as you apologize for previously hurting people

.

The love triangle I saw coming from a mile away, even if Norris didn't, and while its execution is pretty par for YA, I was not a fan. Both of the girls are YA archetypes with slight twists:

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the Manic Pixie Dream Girl with Indian immigrant parents, the nice-to-a-fault cheerleader who becomes the MC's best friend in Austin

. And it's bad enough when female characters/writers matter-of-factly pit girls against each other — whether by

Spoiler

calling each other catty/bitchy or competing for a boy's attention or, in this case, both

— but it's borderline romanticized here. (We do get to see that

Spoiler

Norris may have misjudged Meredith, who is fiercely loyal and protective of Madison after shit goes down

, though it hardly counters all the sexist remarks that continue through the end of the book.)

And seriously,

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kissing someone even though you know they're seeing someone else

is not the only way to confess your feelings, and

Spoiler

if a girl doesn't want to go out with you after you broke her heart, it's not a challenge to change her mind. No means no

. There's also an underlying message that friendship isn't as good as a romantic relationship, which is obviously not unique to this book but which I find absolutely exasperating.

So as YA contemporary novels go, it's fairly standard except for the ownvoices rep — which, to be clear, is still underrepresented in general! Thus I would encourage people to give this book a chance, because authors from marginalized communities deserve the chance tell these kinds of everyday stories too.

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CONVERSION: 8.2 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 3 / 10
Emotional Impact: 6 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5

It’s fucking terrifying. We’re legally adults, but I don’t feel like one. Not in any of the ways that matter.

I like all kinds of stuff. […] I like Star Wars and rereading things I’ve already read a dozen times and too many marshmallows in my hot chocolate. […] I like looking at the stars and the clouds and seeing the shapes the ancients used to see.

The ease of our friendship made it so easy to forget that he was a summer boy. Made it easy to let my heart get involved. Hearts were fickle things, always willing to beat for the exact wrong person.

Oar’s Rest is a place to rest your oars. It’s home.

content warnings:

Spoiler

multiple animal deaths (incl. octopuses), mentions of (human) terminal illness, mentions of (human) suicide & suicide attempt, discussions of predation & (octopus) cannibalism, grief, ableism

★ 2.5 stars ★

"What is it like to be an octopus? Is it anything like being a human? Is it even possible to know?"

I was expecting more philosophy/biology than memoir, so honestly I was disappointed to find that this was mostly the latter.

While there is plenty of the former — lots of quotes from Great Thinkers and detailed animal trivia — it's interspersed almost arbitrarily between personal anecdotes; I had trouble really appreciating it all because there didn't seem to be a cohesive narrative beyond (the presumable chronology of) the author's Octopus Adventures. Sometimes it feels like "look at how much research I did! how much I know!" because the details aren't always relevant to the discussion at hand, and at times they're presented in a way that feels dumbed down for the public.

The author often goes on tangents about the people she meets, giving highly personal details about their lives. I suppose this is understandable for the major recurring figures, and in cases where it adds context for their dialogue or behavior, but some individuals who only show up once or twice get this treatment.

What bothers me more is the way she presumes to speak for them even as she presents them as Other: explaining a staffer's awe by explaining that he's from a culture that "unlike our own" reveres the elderly; emphasizing the wonder of marine life by pointing out that it even evokes emotion from an aquarium volunteer with Asperger's (people with Asperger's/ASD do experience feelings, thank you, some of us just sometimes have trouble expressing them).

No scientific or philosophical conclusions are reached, just I spent a lot of time with octopuses, and based on observations and chats with experts, I personally think they're intelligent, like people, and have souls.

In fact, there's a lot of anthropomorphizing — despite an early acknowledgment about the dangers of doing so while studying non-human species — yet the ultimate message almost seems to come down to we may never know for sure, but at least these magnificent creatures have changed my life!

But. There are definitely scenes that moved me, especially if they managed to hush my skepticism long enough to sneak in under my guard. Whether by evoking my own memories of countless childhood aquarium trips or drawing on good old-fashioned human compassion.

So I can see why this is so highly acclaimed, and — my complaints aside — I do think plenty of readers will find this an enjoyable read that inspires them to view octopuses (and other animals) more favorably.

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CONVERSION: 6.75 / 15 = 2.5 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 10
Credibility: 3 / 10
Organization / Structure: 2 / 10

Emotional Impact / Interest: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5
Memorability: N/A

Honestly, it feels like the plot was a whole lot of to-do and buildup that slips into quiet nothingness — there are so many threads left hanging, so many balls still up in the air, and so I found the ending wholly unsatisfying: anticlimactic, too neat, even trite.

Instead of expanding on the previous book, the narrative abruptly and inexplicably pivots from the previous book's Goblin King/Hades & Persephone, music, and legacies into

Spoiler

the Wild Hunt, secret societies, a mysterious string of deaths, the significance of names/souls, and Phantom of the Opera-esque themes/imagery

. Some of it is explained but none of it felt fully explored.

Käthe still feels like an afterthought, basically literally sidelined for a lot of the book. Especially in comparison to Elisabeth's and Josef's narrative roles as well as their relationship, which was foundational to the plot — and the only bond I really believed in. Not to get into spoilers, but this really made it hard to sympathize or appreciate the tension of the climax.

The opening author's note was greatly appreciated since I actually didn't pick up on mental health themes from the first book, and of course I am here for #ownvoices representations of conditions like bipolar disorder. Although I'll defer to #ownvoices reviewers on the specifics, personally I felt as though there were just too many things going on in this book to ... I don't want to say do it justice but I'm not really sure how else to put it.

content warnings:

Spoiler

pre-canon parent death, past physical & emotional abuse, literal self-sacrifice, themes of madness/delusions, ableist language

rep:

Spoiler

MC with mental illness (Word of Author: bipolar disorder), MLM major character with mental illness, MLM Black minor character, M/M established relationship

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CONVERSION: 5.4 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 2 / 10
Setting: 6 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5

3.5 stars

Conceptually fascinating with vivid worldbuilding, but the prose and pacing tripped me up several times throughout. Each section feels like a disparate story, built on a different fairy-tale trope; I found this more jarring than engaging, though it did add layers of intrigue to the plot. A lot of the "twists" are pretty tropey in addition to being all but broadcast before the reveal, so by the time Elisabeth figures it out I'm honestly kind of over it already.

But the portrayal of faith/religion interfaces with magic and myth, in an interesting way; it's not something I've seen very much (Ronan Lynch is the only other example that comes to mind) and I think there's room to expand on this in the sequel. I'm also intrigued by the way music is added to the mix, though I do find it a bit cliched to equate it with

Spoiler

her soul, especially as it's serving a dual role as her legacy and her tie to the world above

.

I wasn't totally convinced of Elisabeth's supposedly death-defying love for her sister, especially considering she spends the opening chapters talking about how much she adores their brother while resenting Käthe for being pretty and flirtatious. This detracted from character depth for sure, because I didn't feel like Elisabeth had so much a personality as a set of beliefs/values: music, the Goblin King, her siblings, her conviction that she's not beautiful.

More disappointingly, I just didn't really feel the bond between Elisabeth and the Goblin King. Considering the plot pretty much revolves around it, it felt more obligatory than natural even though it contains some of my favorite tropes: childhood acquaintances reunited, Hades & Persephone (though this admittedly has inherent consent issues), games with high stakes.

All that said, readers who like Fae-type stories may enjoy this one — all the above gripes notwithstanding, I did.

content warnings:

Spoiler

alcoholic parent, persistent slut-shaming, racism (challenged), blood, minor gore, mind manipulation, ambiguous consent, non-graphic sexual content

rep:

Spoiler

gay secondary character (brother), MLM Black minor character, minor M/M relationship

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CONVERSION: 10.2 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5

This book, holy wow, gets so much right.

While the premise may sound like something you've read before, Reynolds breathes fresh life into these tropes. I genuinely don't think I've ever seen the time loop presented quite this way, but it absolutely kept my attention and interest engaged through each new iteration; it's frustrating in its believability, satisfyingly unsatisfying. And the ending brought well-earned closure without cheapening everything that came before.

The characters are nuanced and wonderfully diverse, their relationships ring true; plenty of mistakes are made, but they're all understandable and evoked sympathy rather than scorn from me — which definitely takes skillful writing! I also love, love, love that the importance of friends and family is established as fact from the very beginning, and that

Spoiler

when Jack does get too wrapped up in his romantic relationship with Kate, he's called out and genuinely faces the conflict between his values and his emotions (or hormones, if you're more cynically inclined)

.

I'm not #ownvoices so I can't speak to the specifics of the rep, but for what it's worth I liked the way it was portrayed: a significant element of the characters' identity, an influence on their daily lives and values, a shared background and culture. I felt there was a good balance, with regards to maintaining focus on the characters and plot — while the rep isn't the main point of the book, it's not a throwaway detail either.

My biggest gripe, as is usually the case for my reviews, was the writing style. Sometimes the narration and dialogue seem a little too Teenage^TM (abrupt and seemingly arbitrary use of slang, jokes dragged out) and there are a lot of cheesy lines. (Unfortunately, having the characters call themselves and each other out on it only works so many times.)

So all said, Reynolds has crafted a fantastic narrative. I don't generally recommend books to everyone, but this is one that lives up to its hype with wide universal appeal.

content warnings:

Spoiler

major character death(s), chronic illness (sickle cell), racial profiling, gun violence, police brutality, on-page car crash

rep:

Spoiler

Black MC & family, chronically ill (sickle cell) Black love interest & family, biracial (Cote d'Ivoire/Italy) major character [best friend/love interest], Puerto Rican major character [best friend] & abuela, diverse minor characters

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CONVERSION: 10.9 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 9 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5
Memorability: 3 / 5

"No one should have to sit and suffer and pretend to be someone they're not because it's easier, or because no one wants to help them fix it."

I love McGuire's macabre fantasy and matter-of-factly diverse characters, but to be quite honest I found this one a little disappointing? Maybe I've just read too many books by McGuire (aka Mira Grant) in too short a time period, or maybe I'm kind of over the Wolcott twins and the Moors. And I really, really want to read about Kade's and Christopher's doors.

But that's all relative to the previous books in the series. Come Tumbling Down is still an enjoyable read in its own right; there's unsettling worldbuilding, epiphanies on heroism, an exciting adventure, and, inevitably, bittersweet goodbyes.

content warnings:

Spoiler

dysphoria (bodyswap), major character death(s), sororicide, mentions of transphobia

rep:

Spoiler

trans male MC, WLW MC with OCD, WLW secondary character who signs (ASL-adjacent), F/F established relationship

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CONVERSION: 11.85 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 6 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 9 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5