this was a very unexpected outcome but I picked this up for the literally dead book club and I was liking it alright but I wasn’t really pulled to it so I’m putting it down for now. I’m willing to possibly give it another chance down the line though.

Update I watched the literally dead book club live show for this book and it doesn’t sound like the book got much better for the most part so I’m feeling a lot more solid in my decision to dnf.

I think I'm going to settle for a 3-star rating for this one. I borrowed it from a work colleague who loved it and although I normally wouldn't pick up something like this on my own, I'm glad that I read it. 

I thought it was very well-written and the plot was gripping. However, as I'm not normally a sci-fi person, a lot of the descriptions of technology and space lost my interest a bit and had me skimming through paragraphs (which I normally never do). If there had been a bit less of that I might have liked it more, but I realize that that's unfair to say as this is a sci-fi novel so those descriptions sort of come with the territory!

Overall, I'm glad to say that I read it and I'm interested in comparing it to the movie when I watch it with my boyfriend.

Such a fascinating concept and perspective to read from! The main character is completely unrelatable considering she is very privileged and wealthy enough to spend an entire year sleeping and shutting herself away. She was often an insufferable character to read from and treated those around her poorly. Nonetheless, her experiences with depression were conveyed in such a way that glued me to the book to see what would happen next. This book was strange and dark and completely captivating. I definitely want to pick up more of Moshfegh's works!

This is such an important read! I thought that the author explained eir experiences figuring out eir gender identity and sexuality in an understandable way and I felt like I learned a lot because of it. I think this could be a good entry point for those learning about nonbinary experiences for the first time because the author explains eir experiences with examples and comparisons that are simple but very effective for explaining how e feels. I also liked that it was discussed alongside the author's normal experiences going through puberty and growing up because it makes the story relatable to anyone's coming-of-age experience while also showing how a nonbinary person might struggle even more than most in that period of their life. 

Now more than ever I think this should be something that everyone reads to gain more understanding and empathy for the experiences of others!

This book had the ability to make me cry several times and that doesn't happen often. I loved the way John Green wrote it so that even after sobbing for five minutes, the next paragraph would make you smile or laugh. He had a way of making you feel happy and sad all at once and it was beautiful. The whole story, and all of its characters, were beautiful. I wish there had been more pages. I didn't want to leave Hazel or her world behind.

An unexpected new favorite!!

I went into this book thinking I would like it, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did! Even though I don't necessarily relate to Maggie's experience considering she's a 29 year old divorcee and I'm a 21 year old whose never been married, I related to her a lot in terms of her mental health struggles and negative thought patterns as well as the ways she tried to cope with her emotions. Sure, she wasn't always a great person, but I think her imperfections were what made her so real and human. She felt like she could be a real person that exists out there somewhere and I loved that a lot. 

I also think Heisey's writing was hilarious and I loved the unexpected bisexual representation! I can't wait for Heisey's next novel!!

I love Emily and Wendell sm🥹

I thought this book so charming and funny, and a perfect cozy read for the winter. I loved the writing so much and fell in love with Emily and Wendell, both as individuals and together. 

I did think the pacing was a bit slow at times which I think is what is keeping me from giving it a full 5 stars but with how much I enjoyed everything else in the book I didn’t mind too much! 

I’m definitely excited to pick up book 2 and see where the story goes!

The only reason I didn’t DNF this was because I knew I could finish it quickly (I’ll admit I did skim sections in the latter half of the book because I was giving up)

My issue is that I don’t really know what frame of mind I’m supposed to read this book in. Is this supposed to be a purely fictional read or am I supposed to be learning real facts and history about faeries/folklore? At times it seems serious (but even these moments where scholarship and research are mentioned are questionable based on other reviews that say these people didn’t even exist) and other times it feels like it’s just supposed to be a fun time such as the portion talking about faeries hacking your email. Because I can’t discern what is true and what isn’t, I can’t really take anything away from this book.

I would much rather read a true, trusted encyclopedia on the faerie lore of different cultures and how they have changed over time. 

At the end of the day this is supposed to be a silly and fun fantasy romance and isn’t meant to be taken too seriously so I don’t want to be toooo hard on it. However, there were a few issues I had with it throughout.

Firstly, the dialogue. At times I felt it was a bit awkward and characters were saying things in ways that no one would actually say in real life. The dialogue was also very modern which didn’t always mix well with the fantasy setting but I was able to ignore it for the most part.

I didn’t feel any special connection to the characters or the romance. The relationship between Cinnamon and Fallon developed too quickly for my personal taste. I prefer romances that have more tension and build-up before anything happens between them. I felt like the first steamy scene happened a bit out of the blue but the rest of them were well done. There was only a line or two that I cringed a bit at but overall they were good.

I also have to mention that the final battle was somehow so much easier than the previous ones even though it should’ve been the hardest. It felt rushed and wrapped up very quickly and I felt like that was a bit off. 

Am I thinking way too deep about a smutty demon romance? Probably but I can’t help it😂 I do think the majority of people love this so if you think you’d enjoy it I’d say to still give it a go!