reese_the_reader's Reviews (154)

Wish I had read this before reading Dream Count, as it seemed redundant. Many of the passages were the same or only slightly altered. This short story feels largely unnecessary after the publication of Dream Count.

A very powerful novel about relationships. I think I would enjoy this more if I were closer in age to the characters and had more life experience, but it was still very good. I felt that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie could have made the pandemic more important to the novel, since it felt like a very incidental setting. Otherwise, I feel that the pandemic should not have been chosen as a setting. I wish it was a more poignant or harrowing portrayal of the pandemic.

Wow. I loved the mix of genres in this book with historical fiction and speculative fiction.

OHMYGOD I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!! Great representation of fandom, ADHD, and migraines as a fan with migraines. (and I'm also questioning if I have ADHD in addition to my autism) Super cute love triangle with a good ending and I felt like I was on the road trip with Deadly Flora. I loved the discussions of family and how family isn't the people you share blood with but the people you share a bond with. I also enjoyed the cameo of Whit, Lily, Abuela, and Zay from The Fall of Whit Rivera (one of my favorites, too!) and I want there to be a sequel with Diego/Coqui Monster (as a frog fan). It was also super fun to read this while/after seeing Hamilton at the Smith Center (in Las Vegas). Also, as a Las Vegas native and cross-country road trip fan, I enjoyed seeing the different locations the girls went to. I only wish that the girls had gotten to spend a day in Vegas after the concert to sightsee. But overall, it was super cute and I will probably read this (and The Fall of Whit Rivera) again!

I love Michelle Zauner's band, Japanese Breakfast, so I had to pick this one up. I loved learning about how she started the band and the references to the different songs on Psychopomp (especially "In Heaven," which is one of my favorite Japanese Breakfast songs). But what I enjoyed reading about more was the tender yet complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter who were separated by so many things—cultural ties, language, and clashes during Zauner's adolescence—but ultimately came closer together and found they had more in common than they'd initially thought. I also enjoyed the conversation about how grief can change the way we think about our loved ones, dead and alive, and how we can still get closer to our loved ones after they die by examining the things they loved, such as their family or food. I also appreciated the discussion about the role of a housewife and mother and how these roles hold more value than is typically given in society.

I tend to agree with this review: The secret of ‘The Secret History’ is that it’s not good (The Michigan Daily - https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/books/the-secret-of-the-secret-history-is-that-its-not-good/), but I had a kind of fun time for the first half and enjoyed the beautiful prose.