sara_m_martins's Reviews (334)

Very cute, enough to peak my interest enough to continue the series

i am unsure of how to rate this book, so im going with a neutral 3 stars.
My introduction to Alice Oseman was Heartstopper. And knowing that this was connected to it, i wanted to read this book. I was not prepared for the change of tone. At all.

Solitaire is the 1st book by Oseman, at 17 years-old (btw there's definitely points that show the young-author vibe), but/and it is much darker than its fellow comic. The story was a bit unbelievable at times, but i did manage to read it all in one sitting, reminiscing about highschool feelings.

4.5
a gripping book that talks about the story of a fictional movie star, that actually talks about love. Ultimately, it's about all the different ways that humans can love each other, both the healthy and unhealthy, good love and bad love; but above all it's about motherly love.
Evelyn Hugo is an extremely compelling character to read about, she's ambitious like hell and can work the world to get where she wants. We learn the complexity of her character throughout the book, we begin to see her not as the icon, but as a normal human, alongside Monique. By the end, even if she's irrefutably a terrible narcissistic person, you can't help but to care for her. And the feminist force that she represents, and that we see actively reflect in the character of Monique throughout the book.
The side-characters are interesting, even if many are not completely fleshed out. This makes sense (you hear only Evelyn's POV) and it's not inherently necessary for the story to make sense or for it to be a good story. That is not to say that you don't care for the characters. You do, a whole lot sometimes. I didn't even realize i had grown so fond of them until i couldn't read the words anymore from the tears falling from eyes.
As I said, the book was gripping, from a combination of the writing and the story. There's a component of mystery to it that really keeps you going. Some twists are predictable, and some aren't, but they still hit quite hard either way.
There's also strong component of chosen family that we see with Evelyn's life, that might be one of my favourite things.
but i know what really kept me going was the queer representation, lets bi real. (there's gay, lesbian and bi representation)

and miss hugo was right. i really do care more about the wife

i still found the mystery super interesting, even though i knew the story from the adaptation. this might be one of those rare cases where i would recommend the adaptation over the book, maybe? i think it might have been more fun to consume the story that way, and i definitely felt the emotions a lot more intensely watching the mini-series. the screen and acting made things more suspenseful and high-stakes imo. i had actually forgotten one of the twists, which made me gasp a bit reading it now

i actually knew next to 0 about myths, and this was a wonderful learning experience! Stephen Fry is as always brilliant, as it was him being the author that made me pick up this book. And turns out mythology is actually pretty cool!
I think, even for the knowledgeable this would be a good read, due to the manner in which Stephen Fry tells these tales

the audiobook (with a full cast) was a perfect way to listen to this. the story was gripping, and the POVs used were great.
I've heard people say that they find Sadie unlikable, but I'm not of the same opinion - i find her personality, desires and actions justified, and i cannot saythat i wouldn't do the same to avenge those i love. This is a love story, but not a romantic one - love between two sisters, and anyone who has a sibling knows how complicated it is, and they represent it wonderfully.
At the end, the story gives you an ending that lands itself with a good misture between satisfied and unsatisfied, making all the more real and makes you love it just a bit more

It isn't exactly the story i expected, but i really liked it! (I will say i really loved the original ATLA series, but have not catched up with any other material from the world outside of the show.)
The story was very well written, and it added a lot of interesting stuff to the history of the Avatar world! The pacing was phenomenal! I was a bit afraid of it in the beginning, because i really wanted to like it, but once the plot starts, it really starts!
The story feels very ATLA, although it has a much more mature tone - it gets much darker at points, and there are plenty of sudden, harsh deaths. Certain plot points were almost taken from ATLA, but i didn't mind their recycling - they are good plot points (found family,

death of the mentor

).
Of course, i have to mention the (very clear) LGBTQ representation in the story! :D