Ivy
I changed my rating of this several times because I was very conflicted about how I felt about it. I eventually decided on 2.75 stars bc overall, it just left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
The writing was... good, but a lot of the “humour” just wasn't for me, I guess?
There was a point in the book that I did* like, where the character was like “people are always eating & drinking in books, but no one is ever peeing” to which I was like yeah true, you right you right lol 😂
But yeah, I found myself bored, confused and moderately grossed out [maybe it's just a me thing, but MC sexualizing -AKA fantasizing about in a sexual manner- both of the hotel desk attendants, as a married woman, was just very ick for me]
I found myself just wanting to reach the end of the book by the 75% point, but at the same time, I was too invested in her desert survival predicament to DNF it. I actually listened to the last hour and 30 mins of it on 1.75x speed, which was an experience 😅😭 (I typically don't listen to any audio books faster than 1.25x)
I was sitting heavy on a 3.5 rating, but tbh the saving Grace (literally, pun intended) that bumped it up to 4 stars, was Grace Cavanaugh 😂🤌🏻
What happened to Slick kinda gave me the ick (lol) bc it felt kinda idk, unnecessary? Maybe that's just me. But yeah, overall, I did enjoy this book!
It was super creepy/disturbing at times, but great at keeping my attention throughout the entire 14 hour audiobook (PS highly recommend the audio bc the narrator had the perfect accent & really brought this story to life)
It was my first Grady Hendrix read & I will definitely be reading more in the future~
Okay, oof, so I'm knocking a star off my original rating because I saw someone make a really good point in their review of this & it got me thinking about stuff - Adrian was an absolute d!ck & I think it should have been addressed within the story somehow, because Theo still being friends with someone like that even after the BS he pulled is kinda...icky 🫣
5 star story idea for sure I still loved the majority of the book but since Adrian was never truly reprimanded (or w/e) for his sh!tty actions, he kinda just felt like a lazy plot device thrown in there to cause discord between Dylan & Theo y'know what I mean?
This book is a masterpiece
5 million stars
Pls write a sequel lmfao
But real talk what an incredible debut, Sarah Adler will absolutely be an insta-buy author for me in the future.
Queer rep? check.
Beautiful prose? check.
SPICE?! CHEEECK lmao
Also major props to the author for making me love a book with the miscommunication trope in it, because it was actually written/handled super well. It usually makes me wanna rip my hair out
3.5 stars
I feel like this is one of those books that depends heavily on who the reader is and whether their interpretation of the stories is literal or metaphorical. Some of the stories "worked" for me (made sense) while others... didn't. Mothers Tongue was just very confusing to me. However, My Better Half was incredibly well done, as was Smaller. I absolutely loathed The Lord Above though, it was just plain disgusting honestly
Hiii! mini disclaimer - I did recieve this book for free because I won it in a [Goodreads] giveaway via vintage/anchor books :)
I was ecstatic when I recieved the email saying I'd won a copy of this book because it was a release I had been actively looking forward to - & thankfully I can say that it certainly did not disappoint!
The author clearly put a ton of love and raw emotion into the writing of this book & it was such a wonderful read.
Following Ro's journey of love & loss, and everything in-between as she navigates life from young age(s) to her 30s, was equal parts heartwarming & at times (ouch chapter 10) heartbreaking.
Also really adored her 'relationship' with Dolores! [a charismatic, color-changing, giant pacific octopus]
2.75 ⭐️'s
Overall an interesting read, but there was plenty about it I wasn't a fan of.
Many unnecessary details that I assume were an attempt to make the characters feel more "real" but I felt myself getting annoyed while reading through some of the chapters.
Biggest "ick" for me, is the lack of warning about the book containing scenes depicting the violent assault of a child (age 6) & d**th of a child (age 4)
I think I would actually read a book by this author again, given the chance, as I didn't completely hate it - the way the details of the story were slowly woven together actually worked quite well.
Also, I think detective Rita Myers was probably the most interesting character in the book. I didn't care much for most of the other characters though & there were a LOT to keep track of.
So it makes me extremely sad to have to do this, but unfortunately this book is the very first one I have EVER decided to DNF (at 76% - page 213) & after skimming to the end, my rating would have to be about 2.75 out of 5 stars. Please understand that I do not believe this to be a "bad" book, there were a lot of interesting and thought provoking quotes and ideas, but overall I just (personally) found it to be incredibly boring! That being said one person's 2 star book could be 5 stars for another, and that's okay! The premise was promising, but sadly, for me, the execution was just not what I was hoping for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
♡This was going forward. This was what it was to take your heart back from the past. ♡
I am legit awful at writing reviews (I find it hard to articulate my thoughts without turning the review into an ADHD word vomit) so I hardly ever write them, but this book was so, so, SO amazing.
I was lowkey super worried about reading through some of the very heavy topics discussed in this book, but it definitely deserved every single one of the 5 stars I decided to rate it.
I hope as more people purchase, read, rate, and review The Isa Project, it will continue to garner attention & reach all those who have ever experienced the trauma and grief of "loss" - whether it be a loved one, an animal, a relationship, or a stolen innocence, etc.
This was at times heartbreaking to read, yes, but also incredibly therapeutic because it sends a strong message that it is not your fault, you are not alone, and you are stronger than you think you are. ❤️🩹
"Hard doesn't mean bad"
🪽 Fly little bird 🪽
