oliviasbooktalk's Reviews (271)

Through the story we follow the titular character, Addie LaRue, as she navigates a forgettable life after making a Faustian bargain with the devil, until one day someone does remember her. This was enchanting, introspective, and thought-provoking, as you can’t help but wonder what you would do in Addie’s shoes. I also thought with this character ‘love-triangle-that-isn’t-a-love-triangle’ triangle, allows readers to sink in and be wholly invested in anything and everything that happens. This was a journey I was so happy to have gone on, and while I felt like I was the last person in the online book community to pick it up, it showed me not to underestimate the impact of reading the right book at the right time. 

Well written, but a little confusing and not that interesting to me. 

I’m a picky mood reader and wasn’t in the mood for this, but I might return back to it. 

Reading thru the Women’s Prize longlist, but there’s graphic child rape and won’t finish the book. 

In this story we follow Casey as she navigates love (or the lack thereof), grieves the loss of her mother, attempts to make ends meet, and pursues her seemingly dead-end dream of becoming an author. I truly think this should be mandatory reading for people in their late 20’s and early 30’s because no one truly has their shit together. Crippling anxiety and painful uncertainty coexist during that time in our lives, and this slice of life story was just that, if not more. We are allowed space to make mistakes, break free of family expectations, discover our passions, and define who and what truly matters in our lives. The social media narrative of being ‘old’ when you’re hardly on either side of thirty is toxic and baffling. Old is subjective, as is the meaning of ‘having your life together’.

If Casey were real, I think she would find comfort in knowing we’re all chickens running around with our heads cut off, searching for love and meaning. 

5 ⭐ 

I’m a little conflicted with what to rate this book. The depth and variety of themes explored deserve five stars, the writing was easily four stars, but the slow pacing in the beginning, chapter timeline countdown (16 years before, 15 years before, etc.), and my distaste for the ending (plot choice and abruptness) is why I ultimately give it three stars. As a mother with two young children, I could relate all too well to the raw postpartum feelings Efe experiences, however, I cared more about Efe as a mother, rather than Efe and Sam as a couple.

I really cannot stress enough how relevant this book is when it comes to motherhood. Tackling themes of identity loss, postpartum depression, bodily autonomy, etc., is desperately needed in today’s day and age. Your feelings toward your children and your feelings toward motherhood are not mutually exclusive, which can be a surprise to some people, as it was for Sam. In addition to Efe’s intrapersonal experience, I love how motherhood was explored through the lenses of marriage, social expectations, family dynamics, and cultural assumptions. It really added to the layers of pressure moms can feel and shows how they are inherently forced to put everyone else before themselves.

When this book gets released, it will be interesting to see what the reactions will be. I predict all reactions, good or bad, will be visceral. With the amount of topics covered, and the immersive writing to support it, you can’t not feel some type of way when reading it. I do hope people rate this book on their collective experience, and not just based on their gut reaction to the polarizing ending.

This would be a great book club pick, as there are so many meaningful conversations to be had, and I am glad this book exists to help facilitate that.

Now, I want to book a trip to Ghana and dismantle the patriarchy (even more than I already did).

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.