Kind of a meh book to be honest.

I thought it would fascinate me to read about the slow demise of Esther's brain, but instead it left me with simple confusion and frustration at her unreliability. While the prose was at times beautiful (I definitely earmarked and underlined multiple quotes) I simply wasn't completely sold on this as a 'classic' American novel. The parts I did love were her feministic (is that a word) views despite taking place in the time of housewives and homemakers as well as the perfect metaphor of depression being like looking at the world through a bell jar.

Cute and easy to read. I like the format and I like the characters. I would love to get to know Seymour better if I ever choose to read others in the series. Highly recommend for an early chapter book.

Loved this quirky historical fiction novel! I was enamored by Constance - a tall, burly, fiery woman who cares just enough about what other people think but not too much to be self-conscious about her appearance.

I loved Norma the least but I still appreciated her down to earth reality. And Fleurette was just fun. I worry about her - are the sisters not sheltering her as much as Constance was sheltered by her own mother?

Not sure if I'll continue the series, but it was a great feminist book none-the-less.

I loved loved loved this collection of essays based on some of my favorite songs. Sara Bareilles has been my favorite vocalist and composer since I first heard Love Song in 2006 (is that how long ago that was??). I loved the wit and prose inside these pages and I'm so glad I got a deeper look inside the life of one of my favorite musicians of all time.

I wanted to like this book so much. I thought I did for the first 50% or so. But I didn't. I just didn't.

I started reading this so that I could watch the TV Show (because obviously always read the book first!). I liked how Quentin found Brakebills and how it gave him an escape from a life he wasn't happy with. I even understood the fact that Brakebills didn't give him everything he wanted and didn't boost him out of his depression. I loved Alice and liked the Physicals. I was intrigued by Julia - but it looks like she comes back in a big way in book 2 (and from what I read she has a larger role in the show). What I really didn't like was the fact that the story seemed to fly through about 5 years worth of time before and during Quentin's schooling.

Spoilers now.

Then I was about 3/4 of the way through the book before we really got to "the story" if you could call it that, when the characters went to Fillory. This book reminded me a lot of the Bell Jar, probably because I just read it but also because of the way Quentin seems to swim through his life as though it's not directly affecting him. I hate that. I hate when things are 'skimmed over' in books. Give me the details! Give me action! I was so frustrated by how quickly things moved and how little there was in between.
The one redeemable thing is that the Beast is probably the creepiest villain I've ever read. Ever. I had nightmares about that guy. Good writing I guess.

Don't know if I'll read book 2. Will probably still watch the show and see if it's better.

Was it great writing? Not really. Was it cheesy as hell? Yes. Was it everything I wanted? Absolutely.

I've had this book since I got it from the Project for Awesome or Kickstarter or wherever it was it came from, and I finally picked it up to read. It made me want to rewatch the videos so bad! I absolutely loved getting all of the behind the scenes of the story. Reading more intimate details about Jane especially really helped me connect more with the characters. This is a really well done book and ties in perfectly with the videos.

Very cute! Loved sharing this with my bilingual kindergarten music class!

I adored Lou - such a realistic character. I so appreciate that the author created such real relationships between her and the various members of her family. Real, complicated relationships, where people aren't just good or bad, but maybe somewhere in between. And as the title suggests, everyone at some point has to put 'me before you,' which can seem like a selfish hurtful thing. I worry that Lou hasn't figured that out for herself by the end, but maybe that is discussed in book 2 (which, based on reviews, I will NOT be reading).