Elizabeth

Really enjoyed this novella. Set in the same part of northern Minnesota that my mom grew up in, the names of small towns and bigger cities were immediately recognizable to me as places we drove past/through on my way to visit my grandparents. Knowing her seemingly idyllic chidlhood took place in the same part of the state that was forcibly removing indiginous kids from their homes and sending them to boarding schools or white foster families makes the story of Cash more immediate and powerful for me. This is a murder mystery, of course, but it is also clearly setting the stage for something deeper - the story of a young indiginous woman, brutalized by the system, trying to decide what she is going to make of her life. It can be tough to read - Cash lives a hard life, and resorts to many destructive numbing behavoirs. But it is impossible not to root for this brash, imepetuous, smart, reckless young woman. I am excited to see this series progess, and will definitely be reading more. 

Hard to read. The author's extensive research and powerful narrative voice make the history painfully clear. 

Truly every man in this trilogy was painfully stupid.

Fun read, and now I'm full up on historical fiction again for a while.

Really love this series!

I....don't think this series is getting better.

Forgot how much fun a good Philippa Gregory historical can be - can't help but get sucked in.

Quite an interesting idea for a novel, and for the most part well executed. I struggled to empathize with the main character, which is why this wasn't a home run for me, but would definitely read more by this author. 

Fascinating look at mental health and how our stories about ourselves inform the way our brains respond.

This is an interesting premise fairly well executed - I just think I have seen it done better elsewhere.

There was.....no murder??

How did I mange to stumble on a Christmas novella about retail pharmacy?? I'm sure this is fine but the PTSD is still too strong.

I don't think I enjoyed this but I did keep reading, so....

Ended very strong but took a LONG time to get me engaged.

Finally taking the plunge! Not great fiction but very entertaining.

Having not yet read Pet, I didn't have any preconcieved notions about the characters or writing style going into Bitter, so it was a completely fresh reading experience for me. I can see why readers love Emezi as a writer - their world building is fantastic, and so much was unexpected. I found the relationships between characters to be so truthful - the friendships, the jealousies, the teen angst - all rang true. This novel tackles activism, feelings of insecurity and imposter syndrome, mental health and ptsd, and the desire to find a place in the world where one belongs, and I felt each were handled with compassion and honestly. Very entertaining and well worth the read - I'm excited to read more work by the author. 

This book is SO sweet - maybe just a tad too much in that direction? It is also, however, entirely delightful and so refreshing to read a book that has me smiling the whole time. Predictable? Almost entirely. Am I still a sucker for stories about remarkably gifted children who live in weird little communities? Until I die.

Eleanor Catton is a fantastic writer and also this novel could have been about 25% shorter and also that ending was 😵‍💫

This novel felt like it couldn't decide what tone it wanted to use, so the novel overall felt disjointed. 

Fun, satisfying read with humor, complex characters, and an underlying warmth that kept it from feeling bleak. Excellent historical work involving the student protests of the 1970s. Perhaps a touch to long, but ultimately worth the investment.

What a gem. Perfect mix of humor and heartbreak,  along with a cast of perfectly drawn characters, made this an immensely satisfying reading experience.

The best novel I've read about the toll living with mental illness takes on family members. So exquisitely empathetic and yet unflinchingly  honest - at times it took my breath away. I felt every page of this book.

This felt like it took a bit to long to hit its stride, but if you read and loved The Scarlet Pimpernel in middle school like I did, give this a try. I plan to continue with the series, as I feel the characters will get stronger as the novels progress. 

Very much in my wheelhouse - strong characters, intriguing worldbuilding and magic system, excellent prose. 

I found Molly to be delightful and the found family elements heartwarming. Interesting insights on who society deems invisible.  A quick, enjoyable read. 

Epic, heartbreaking, funny, unforgettable. Knowledge of David Copperfield not required, but it was fun picking out the similarities. This is an “issue' novel, but never feels preachy, as the characters truly shine. Probably will be one of my favorites of the year.