2020: I really did not enjoy the timeline format that this book used. I found it to be jumpy and it diminished the power that the climax could have had (in my opinion). That being said, the book narrowly avoids a 2 star rating by having Avery end up with the CORRECT man (not that that is what actually matters in this story) and the subtle Boston College shoutout on the final page (and Anna’s Taqueria!!)

EDIT: Moving this down to a 2 star rating because I’m pretty sure it actually doesn’t pass the Bechdel test and I just can’t stand for that.

2020: A wildly inventive and rather thrilling tale. There were so many twists that I could barely keep track of them, and not all of them guessable (but just enough that I felt decently smart while reading it, a good balance). I don’t really think it answered all the questions at the end (any questions really?) which I typically hate in a book, but it was a good enough ride along the way.

Negative points for the ATROCIOUS voice the audiobook uses for Evelyn at the end of the book.

2020: This book was full of indulgent stories for someone like me, a reading & writing nerd and grammar geek, but I’m not entirely sure who the intended audience of this book was? It’s not very instructive; it veers more along the lines of “grammar is ever-evolving, you never know what you’re gonna get!” I was also frustrated with her mis-gendering her transgender sister for almost an entire chapter, just to prove the point that grammar isn’t permanent, and “how difficult” it was for her to swap pronouns she had used her whole life. Excuse me, but what was difficult about that situation was your sibling’s struggle to be who she is in a world that didn’t accept her, not your inability to change with the times. IMHO. Also not a huge fan of her claim that the Lord’s Prayer was “an example everyone knows”. So maybe she’s already outdated? Harsh to say for a book written in 2015.