sometimes_samantha_reads's Reviews (283)

The whole time I was reading this I was waffling between dislike, and choosing not to finish. Ultimately I finished the book because I kept wondering when I would come to the information mentioned in the summary. The answer was: never, really. 

I was very intrigued by the summary and excited, at first, to read something outside of my comfort genre. I guess just not a "slice of life" person. 

Let me segment this review into what I liked and didn't like specifically. We'll start with what I didn't like so I can end on a positive. I didn't like the amount of characters. Way too many characters with way to many details about them that I felt were irrelevant and did absolutely nothing to drive the plot. I felt that the grandchildren were all annoying and irrelevant, the wives of Joy's children were irrelevant - and though I felt like Freddie was the most likeable character, her arc and story was simply not necessary to move the story. At. All. And speaking of Freddie, I felt like there was a mist of weird homophobia disguised as "oh change is hard for an old lady" vibe that just put me off. Like, the amount of times she was mentioned, followed by a subtle homophobic addendum was just too many. Lastly, I disliked that the character that Joy was supposed to have a frivolous, girlish fling with (which was what originallypiqued my interest) was not even mentioned until literally 81% of the way through the story. I felt like I wasted my time with this book, waiting for the story I THOUGHT was going to happen. And don't get me started on how annoyed I was by Joy's children when her new love interest was integrated... I understand that it was written to express how different people deal with grief but they both came across as spoiled, bougie, childish people. 

But let's talk about the things that I did like that made me push through. I liked the realism. Though the characters themselves were all pretty much unlikable - including Joy - that's just life. There are going to be irritable people who go through things that are hard, and they will become more jaded for it. I like that Joy stood up for herself toward the end of the book and made choices for for HER. I'm glad she found some closure. 

Overall, I really did not enjoy this book and I felt mislead by the summary. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone else, but like I mentioned earlier, slice of life is not my cup of tea. If it's yours, maybe you can find more to love about this book than I did.

So sweet!  I quick and light read with adorable artwork and beautiful character design. I really liked the character development of both Sebastian and the King. Though not too much happened, the plot was paced perfectly to make this story warm the heart. 

I enjoyed reading this second book! However it was constant pain of thinking: "WHY did they do/say THAT!?" the entire time. The character development was there but I don't really know exactly where the plot led to in the end. Well, it led me to a giant cliffhanger! I hope there will be a third because I've come to really enjoy the characters, even though they can be impulsive and annoying - actually, I love them just for the reason because it makes them feel more human. I want to know where their story takes them.

I've been putting this book off for about 3 years and now I've finished it in just over 6 hours!

I tend to shy away from contemporary writing but this one was SO good and very different than the contemporary fiction and romance that I normally read. The plot follows two young adults uncovering the mystery of a woman erased from history (I throughly enjoyed the feminist lens of this novel). The bases of many romance poems and some 19th century art, this woman was not exactly as she seemed. The novel is dual perspective but gives you only small vignettes of this historical woman's life. It's fascinating and pulls at the heart strings. It's much different than any other modern romance that I've read lately. I liked it a lot and highly recommend it to anyone!

Bonus: it was written buy a Muslim author, features a Muslim main character, features a biracial main character, and has a fun history focus with a feminist lens. The story shifts settings from France (modern day - they mentioned the notre dame burning which surprised me!) and in Turkey (I believe) during the Ottoman Empire.

I participated in an optional book club experience on a leadership committee with this book. Overall, I think Block's ideas are promising, achievable, and logical. I see a lot of it happening in my own spheres of education and activism in my own own communities. However, the book itself was challenging for me because I felt like 200 pages were wasted talking in circles. Again, I support the ideas! However I think it all could have been said in 150 pages or fewer. I felt like I was reading the same 20 sentences rewritten again and again. I also had to re-read frequently because the sentences were long and contained much fluff and unnecessary jargon. I feel like if this book was written with layman's terms in mind it would've been more palatable. All in all, it was inspiring and caused me to reflect a bit on my own practices. It was worth the read, but I guess I'm just picky about the style of writing.

I've never read any Leigh Bardugo before, though I have Six of Crows sitting on my bookshelf now. I was enamored with these dark fairytales. I enjoyed the melancholy, the pace, and the beautiful artwork to accompany each story. The worlds were built with just the right amount of wonder and cruelty. I don't often re-read books but I can see my self coming back to these tales again and again.

As a product of the American school system and now first year teacher, I know deeply what it means to be outcasted and squashed by the sterilization of the institution. I truly hope to "be love". Now and throughout my career.

As a fan of the show, I would like to note that F.C. Yee did a great job at giving Kyoshi the beginnings of the backstop that we got glimpses to. The book was great at following the light humor of the show but also the real and intense nature of insidiousness and evilness that was also in the show. I was hoping that Kyoshi would be characterized correctly and she certainly was. I'm excited to read the sequel!

The House on Mango Street has sat on my shelf for years and years. Finishing it today, I'm kicking myself for waiting to read this masterpiece. It's simple and quick but it details so well the melancholy and small pockets of joy growing up provides us. Having grown up in a smart situation to Esparanza, I felt all the highs and lows especially in my core. The vignettes painted a rich story, even better than pages and pages of exposition could. These windows into real life let you imagine the blanks and feel all the feelings. What a wonderful book.