I was really, really excited for this because the concept just sounds so fun! A woman in her 20s finds a blob next to a dumpster and when she takes it home it starts to transform into her dream man? I feel like this could have gone so many different ways!

I'm not against unlikable main character, I really enjoy this trope actually. However, this was not an unlikable main character in sense of "wow she's horrible, good for her" this was "oh my god, what the actual fuck is her problem?" way. I felt like every decision taken by the main character was just to drive the plot forward instead of being indicative of her personality. All the background characters felt so one dimensional and purely there so the main character could have her "ah ha" moment at the ending. And speaking of the end ... what the fuck was that?

ALSO, Pollo Loco DOES NOT sell margaritas??! If you're gonna include something as popular as this can you make sure you make it believable? .25 stars for mentioning The Social Network though.

I was really enjoying this book, until I wasn't. I felt that it did a good job of creating this really big, gray area where as the reader we see both sides to everything. However, because of this choice I also felt that it was very quick to lose interest. About 2/3's of the way in I had to stop and ask myself why I should care what these characters have to say? They kept walking in circles around the same point and it started to feel really repetitive. I ultimately left feeling as if I gained nothing from this story. 

This was such an interesting book and I started it about 3 different times before I got into it. Even though the writing style was hard for me to get into, I really ended up loving it and now I want to read more from Ali Smith. 

I honestly can't say that I fully understand the message of this story, but from the bits I gathered I do think that it conveys the importance of libraries and also the dangers of consumerism. I found the characters lovable and it really felt as if I was there alongside them figuring it out. 

I think overall I am still slightly unsure of what to think about this, but I do know that I really enjoyed my time with it. I hope to revisit this soon. 

2.75/5

There some stories in here that I really liked and something I actually just to DNF. 

The stories that really stood out to me where: 

-Best Served Cold (5/5)
   +It had a really interesting twist
   +The horror felt real and the message was well conveyed

-The Protege (3.5/5)
   +It was a really fun story
   -Slightly messy execution 

-Gray Grove (4/5)
   +Was very straight o the point and overall a clear message
   -I wish Rumi hadn't been written so passively 

I'm unsure if I am a fan of short story collections, I feel like I want to like them but something always makes me want to DNF. I would read another collection edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker.

Although I already had some knowledge on the topics mentioned in this book, I did find myself learning some new things. I really loved the writing style and how accessible it was. Also the art throughout was amazing. Overall this was a fun, easy read. 

DNF @ pg. 154

I was actually pretty excited from the first chapter and the set up of these mysterious deaths, but dear god was this BORING! The writing was simple, but also repetitive so that got old quick. There is zero tension, zero suspense, and because within the first few chapters you already get an idea of what is really going on the book loses all mystery. I was gonna hold on to see just exactly the deaths happened, but I had to be honest with myself that it was not worth it. I never wanna hear about rock climbing again. 

DNF @ 12% (pg. 43)

I was really intrigued and I liked how it immediately jumps into the story but with every page turn I just felt more and more confused. I found the writing hard to follow with its countless references and match-making jargon. I was interested in the family dynamic, but I just failed to see what the point was with her job. Also they conveniently had access to so much private information it made it hard to believe.  

The characters sleep fairly well according to this book. 

I want to first start by stating that I was interested in this book by the synopsis given on the inside cover. It first explains how Gabe's husband Ethan wants to run as a Republican and in the second paragraph about how Ethan's sister (Kate) is a lesbian who reconnects with a past fling (Nicole). Now from this, I took it to mean that the main point of this story would focus on Gabe and Ethan or at least an a decent part of the story would; boy was I wrong!

The writing is flat and repetitive (take a shot every time she mentions Nicole's "thick upper lip" and you'll get alcohol poisoning 25% in). For a book that is supposed to take place in present day (considering Jan. 6 is mentioned) this feels so completely dated in the way it refuses to touch on anything. Having a book in which politics and identities are a huge part you'd think that Harris would choose to dive into these topics, however, she decides to consistently brush past them. Any time any of the characters were gearing up to have actual conversations about the way that Ethan's Republican views were impacting their lives or really any politics, they would immediately follow with "I don't want to get into it." OKAY WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET INTO IT THOUGH?! You can't have a book about these things and then refuse to talk about issues involving race, LGBTQIA+, immigration, ect. This book so shallow, so performative and yet by doing that it does create a great message about the way some people deal with politics in their life; by ignoring anything remotely complicated.

I felt this book wanted to actually be about Kate and Nicole's relationship and then tacked on Gabe and Ethan's troubled marriage as extra fluff. If anything this book would go up in rating had it chosen to solely focus the story on the Nicole and Kate. That being said, I kept dreading their chapters because I truly only cared about Gabe and Ethan's story, as it was a far more interesting. And yet all the characters were horrible and unbearable lmao. Not a single one had a redeeming quality and when the book ended I felt like "wait really? no growth? no accountability?"

Might I even say ... a big nothing burger at the end of the day?

God I should have DNF'd this when I had the chance. 

I like the exploration of cannibalism, as both a symbolism of love and also a symbolism of exploitation. That being said, this book manages to make it seem like the most dull of concepts. The writing felt so derivative of posts I've seen on Tumblr, so unoriginal I questioned how it got to be over 300 pages. 300 pages ... and I still can't say that I know any of these characters, much less care about anything that happened. I felt like I kept turning the page waiting for it to click. I was not personally a fan of the writing style and the story progressed at the speed of molasses. The ending was also unsatisfying. 

This is a debut novel, so maybe I'll give Rose another shot in the future, but for now I'm not feeling the most hopeful. 

Mind you, I rated the movie 5 stars. Something about changing the format also changes my experiences.

That being said, I still had a lot of fun with this book. Reading more descriptions about characters you don't get to explore in the movie is always fun. I like books explore religion and specifically organized religion. Although there is much that is not talked about regarding the Catholic Church in this book, I do think it does explore topics that should have someone questioning their religion. I think the movie did a good job of polishing some of the moments in the book that felt too slow. Will I read anything else by Harris? Time will tell, but I am happy I read this one. I am completely in love with the movie Conclave and I think that everyone should give it a shot.