Idk, honestly. In theory this is exactly my kind of book, but I wasn't very fond of the narrator or her occasional snide comments about e-readers, her sometimes patronizing tone, the classic I am reader, I am special.

3.5 stars.

Personally I felt there was too much of this book spent paraphrasing and retelling the stories of the heroines she referred to — obviously context is necessary, but surely it wasn't crucial to detail every narrative she drew from; I say this as a student whose synthesis essays were marked down for context/analysis ratio for years. But she did have some interesting original thoughts about each, and (more importantly) something she took from each, for better or worse.

So as a coming-of-age story this book does a pretty great job, even if it's not the best literary critique. The narrator (the author) was easy to relate to, to like and empathize with and root for; her arc is as satisfying as that of any of her literary heroines.

I’m actually not a Stephen King fan, simply because as a general rule I don’t like horror or scary things (as a child my most common recurring nightmares were Ursula from Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid and Roald Dahl’s The Witches; Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away also terrified me). That said, he’s generally considered a pretty good writer — not just popular but actually good; a distinction he clarifies in regards to other authors — and this book gains definite credibility from his reputation and experience.

It offers a lot of practical advice, particularly concerning the drafting, editing, and publishing processes; obviously a lot of writing is subjective, as King addresses, but you have to learn the rules before you break them, and even then within and with good reason. The general tone is encouraging but realistic: if you’re not willing to put in the work (to get better, to finish the story, to solicit and weigh feedback), then you’re just wasting your own time; if you’re serious, though, you’re capable of achieving some version of success.

Very clearly written by teachers, by which I mean it reads like a textbook — unfortunately, imo this is completely at odds with its subject. Excruciatingly detailed attempts to define the minutiae, which is fine for an indepth-reference but not so much the beginner's guide I thought it was meant to be. Some interesting exercises and examples (though haikus aren't just for kids! Also I was quite bemused by some of the chapter groupings), but definitely not a go-to source.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley for review purposes. This does not affect my rating or opinions of this book.

"Totally approachable" is completely right — with its everyday language and gorgeous pastel backdrops, this book is very accessible no matter how old you are or how much you know about productivity, goal-setting, et cetera. The tips are simple, but the worksheets are detailed enough to be helpful (and generic enough to be widely reusable). My only real hangup is that the language is very modern, almost trying a little too hard to be "hip" and relatable.

Personally I'm more of a bullet journal (see [b:The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future|39071691|The Bullet Journal Method Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future|Ryder Carroll|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528909036s/39071691.jpg|60624007] for more about that!) kind of person, but if you want/need everything laid out so you can just fill in blanks and focus your energy on actively working towards your goals, this is a good resource.

This book exemplifies the leisure it describes — slow paced, literally stopping to smell the roses, getting distracted by a good read or a good eat and forgetting altogether its original purpose in starting on this path. It’s not what I was expecting, having read the title but not the summary, but it works.

I received a review copy from the author. This does not affect my rating or opinions.

As someone with only a rudimentary knowledge of linguistics (as in, I am currently taking an introductory college course and do not have prior knowledge), I had quite a bit of trouble keeping up with the concepts presented here — especially as key terms and theories are not explained; or if they are, it's later on in the book and/or in terms of other jargon — and it didn't help that there were some errors in the writing itself. From what I could understand in this book, I also noticed some technical-writing mistakes that I encountered a lot as a writing tutor, especially pertaining to quotes of straight facts (i.e., which would be better incorporated if paraphrased and analyzed, instead of directly quoted and then restated) and general organization; it wasn't always clear how each case study was connected to the main thesis.

I applaud English-language learners, I honestly do (it's a really difficult language to master, with all its exceptions and various influences!) but precision of language is so important in a theory-based work like this one. The topic matter is fascinating, but I'm honestly not sure I was able to understand or retain much at all.

Comprising what seemed to me one-third personal memoir (mostly rehashing the same few points), one-third pep talk ("Don't assume you need to be a varsity athlete or top of your class! Just make yourself stand out by emphasizing what makes you unique and you stand a great chance!"), one-sixth generic advice that applies to all applications (including jobs and colleges and honestly life as a whole), and just one-sixth scholarship-specific information, this book didn't really help me out much. The writing style shifted from matter-of-fact to exuberant! statements! ending in! exclamation points! frequently, and ultimately I wouldn't recommend this book as a main reference in regards to the scholarship application process.

(In hindsight, maybe the title should've tipped me off.)

An engaging, humorous, and poignant read! I suspect I'm not quite at the right stage of life to fully appreciate the second act in particular, but it left an impression nonetheless.

I received an advance review copy from Netgalley. This does not affect my ratings or opinions. Quotes are taken from the ARC and may change upon publication.

Once again, he was struck by the power of letters to change lives; the medium they offered those who couldn't or wouldn't communicate in person. How much would be left unsaid if people were devoid of the opportunity that pen and paper offered to speak from a safe distance?

The book starts off a little slow and I was considering DNF-ing a few times, but ultimately I'm glad I didn't. Although I wouldn't say that I was totally sucked into the story, it did keep me engaged in the plot and the small main cast. It's a very thoughtfully crafted narrative.

I refuse to settle for anything less than a magnificent love. I want the sort of love people have fought wars over, walked thousands of miles for, made sacrifices, forsaken all others for. [...] I want poetry and passion, a particular love that is specific to you and me.

I was not anticipating the love triangle that takes up the majority of this book, since the synopsis fails to mention that William is married. Not very happily, but they haven't quite given up on each other, and that's a huge source of tension as William agonizes over whether this mysterious letter writer might be his Great Love, or perhaps he's already met and married his Great Love, or perhaps his wife Clare used to be his Great Love but they've grown apart now, or ...

Despite my fairly strong dislike of the love triangle, this one felt more genuinely conflicted than the "oh no two people like me what do" that I've seen all too frequently. Both women are shown respect, as are the potential relationships William could have with each of them. Getting to witness William's thought process and emotions: his very relatable desire to love and be loved by someone "worthy" (for lack of a better word), his worries about the ethics of the whole situation ... though it was sometimes frustrating waiting to see what he would ultimately choose, the messiness and uncertainty felt incredibly true to life.