This book broke me and put me back together again, I full-on started crying at 2 pm on Saturday. I loved it.

However, I will say that I read this as a buddy read and both myself and my buddy guessed the plot and we did pretty well. Now I had my suspicions mainly cause I've seen

Just Like Heaven. But in this case, Ben is Reese Witherspoon and Florence is Mark Ruffalo

Regardless of the slight predictability it still hit the feels so much so that I bought it in paperback too (it was £3 on Amazon), which is still the least insane book related thing I've done.

Book #241 Of 2022

Book 1 was good, tbh I have seen the synopsis of the other volumes and I don't know if I'm going to continue just because I think the plotlines get a bit ridiculous.

I'm looking at you, 'permanently turned into a boy' plot

Book #240 of 2022

I was so bored.

I like this book, but I wouldn't really consider it a thriller.  I think it rather fits in Historical Literary Fiction more and publicising this as a literary thriller could do it a disservice. Like I get there's a murder mystery part but this is more about childhood friends reconnecting as adults in my opinion.

I initially found it hard to get into but after the first few chapters things started to fall into place and I knew what to expect which is multiple POVs between Li Jiaqi and Chen Gong and a dialogue that spans generations which were welcome.

Obviously, with translated fiction, the core essence of any book is lost, I won't feel the same emotions reading this in English as I would if I knew Chinese and could read Cocoon how it was meant to be read, Jeremy Tiang does a wonderful job translating.

I also love that at the end you were told how the cover design related back to the title.

Thanks to Zhang Yueran, Net Galley, and World Editions for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book #235 of 2022.

My thoughts on this were mixed there were some things I liked and some things I didn't. Overall I'm giving it 3 stars but I just as easily could have given it two, it gets one more for the spice. This is a SERIES by the way, it is not a standalone.

There were a few issues straight off the bat I don't like the whole cheating thing no matter how it's done, I think it sullies the romance between the main characters. I don't care if one of the couple thought they weren't exclusive, the other clearly does, so cheating and miscommunication are just ew. In my opinion, is lazy writing. It also ruined my opinion of Persephone, she's supposed to be this headstrong individual, and yet ew? Hades isn't much better he says he wants her to be fully single but then does things with her anyway? Also, Jackson (the guy Persephone is cheating on with Hades) cheating on her does not cancel out the cheating, two wrongs do not make a right...Persephone is also a bit wishy-washy in her thinking but that can I suppose be excused by her overbearing mother and her want of freedom. Miscommunication also dominated this book, it was the major conflict and all the minor conflicts too there should be a limit to this kinda stuff. But then again most people don't pick up smut for the plot.

Thank you to Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune, NetGalley, and Rose & Star Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book #234 of 2022

A fever dream mess that needed to end.

DNF

It was just: Eh

This did not have to be as long as it was.

Too much 'not like other girls' vibes.