Delving into more new reading territory for me! The author has weaved together an intricate little world, with characters you learn to love & a few unexpected little twists to keep you guessing. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it enough to reach for the next one, but I didn’t hate it! 

I saw this in the op-shop last week & got so excited! I never got to see the stage show but I’m looking forward to the new movie. I figured reading this first was obviously the right way to go…. Boy was I wrong. This is the weirdest story I’ve ever read. I made it to my first put-down-target of 50 pages & really wanted to understand the hype…. So I continued on to my second put-down-target of 100 pages & I 👏🏻 am 👏🏻 done 👏🏻 I seriously don’t get it & I’m not willing to keep reading to find out.

This very hyped book has been on my TBR for a while now, & I read it in less than 24 hours. This was an eye-opening view into the life of child stars… McCurdy has a distinct writing style that was easy to read & made her story relatable, even though I’ve never even remotely experienced what she has. Her recollections are pretty candid & there were many points where I felt a deep level of discomfort about her Mother’s behavior. You really begin to understand the life time of therapy before this woman, as she breaks free of all the habits formed from her Mother’s desire to get her into the industry at any cost. It’s wild. 

I’m not entirely sure what inspired me to pick up this book, it’s not my usual genre & after reading it I’m confused… Let’s unpack this… it’s supposed to be set in 2030 but feels a lot more like 2018. Progressive, it is not… it almost feels more behind than 2024. Eartha is meant to be a straight girl who realizes she’s always been just a little bit gay… or bisexual… but the whole vibe just feels off the mark. There was this weird “director’s cut” that kept getting inserted into the story… made no sense to me. And the odd thriller/mystery ending? My face is literally 🫤 I finished it, but I can’t say I enjoyed it!

My heart. This author has written a heart-breaking & yet beautiful story that had me captivated, experiencing a full rollercoaster of emotions. The love, the passion, the loss & the longing between Elise & Sebastian…. it was written so you felt every raw, burning emotion. 

I enjoyed the character changes throughout, as well as the time jumps, but I would have loved to see some of the deeper aspects of their experiences discussed between characters, just for that extra depth in each of their contributions. 

This story really did leave the reader with a new perspective. Do they all have the freedom to choose, or were some of them merely a product of an environment they just tried to survive in? 

I immediately got Bridgerton vibes in the first few chapters of this book, but apart from the similar time frames, this book was something entirely its own. While the first part of the book is full of beautiful imagery & paints the picture of how we got here historically… the last few chapters are dark & vastly different. Without giving too much away, I felt like it was definitely directed toward queer audiences, with most of the romantic unions in the book having a queer focus. I feel like I need to start adding a spice rating to some of my reviews, lately there’s been a scene or two amongst my reads. Two spicy 🌶️ 🌶️ for this one in particular. 
Overall, it was an enjoyable story, pretty much until the last few chapters. To me, it felt like such a dramatic turn, that it took away from all the beauty of the rest of the book. I think I enjoyed the softness of the beginning chapters & wasn’t ready for the darker imagery. Just a personal preference. 

I watched a TikTok reviewer go through all the books right up to this one. I was nodding my head in agreement the whole video. She basically showed that there was some really great chunks in every single book, chunks… like a chapter or two, followed by dense sections that were more of a slow burn, highlighting the fact that the best stuff is always in the final 50-100 pages. Her review was spot on. While I’ve pushed through because I do enjoy where this series has gone, it’s a hard slog at some points. This one in particular took some drive, I tell ya! The whole Osrik & Rissa storyline played out for way too long, Auren & Slade are apart this whole book but have their own shit going on throughout, and those queens… well they kept things busy. Kind of liked Queen Malina’s growing character traits, definitely despised her less in this book & her hot little scene with Dommick 🥵🔥. But, once again, Kennedy winds it all up slowly just to catapult you into obsession as you free fall to the end…. always leaving you desperate for more. 

I struggled to get into this book after the last few were so easy to absorb myself in. Reached my capping point & decided to put it down.

Might come back to this one later, I feel like if I was in a different headspace it could be good!

I’d had this book on my TBR for a while. As someone who feels like I’m still learning about friendship, what I require, what I’m no longer okay with & what kind of friend I am to others, I had a hope that this book would prove insightful & give me the keys to finding my Sex & The City magic group. While it definitely contains some gold, for a woman of 40, I felt a bit past the advice parts of the book. I would recommend this book for younger women, even older teens, to solidify the fact that friendship is significant in our lives, but can look very different to movies & expectations!  Chapter 5 was by far the most relatable part & I’m definitely walking away with some new knowledge about myself.