adds

This is probably my favorite in the Off-Campus series closely followed by The Deal, then The Mistake, and I honestly probably could have skipped The Score (sorry Dean). While this is an easy read, it's not as fluffy and doesn't quite follow the same format as the others. Tucker is patient and reliable. Sabrina is incredibly driven and focused. Two levelheaded main characters make for somewhat more mature writing. Even the humor was a different caliber and I laughed fairly often and terribly hard at times. Tucker is one of the best book boyfriends ever and I'm glad I know someone a lot like him.

If reading about some womanizing asshat is your thing then have fun with this, but I'm not down. I don't need another book where the male MC is a creep and ends up insta-reformed by someone with The Magic Vag which seems like where this is going.

3% in and we already have:

...always make sure hook-ups drive themselves so they don't need anything else from me when I'm ready to dispose of them.

Once they've spread their legs in my bed it's adios for good.

I just finished Star-Crossed and I'm so exhausted. Done-in. Emotionally drained. I've just been on one tempestuous journey, and it wasn't always very easy to keep going but thank god I did.

I almost gave up on this book at least 3 different times. I was seriously so frustrated with how awkwardly hard it was trying. Having them perform Romeo and Juliet while reading Lolita at the same time? C'mon now, really? So disgustingly obvious I almost couldn't take it. Yet there was this little voice that kept whispering about how much I was liking Kaitlyn and Will Tennant's interactions. It kept saying, “Who is Mr. Tennant? What will he do?” I will be honest that I skimmed a lot just to get the gist of things and get right back to Kaitlyn and Mr. Tennant.

For me, Will Tennant made this book. Kaitlyn may be the main character and did the most evolving, but I silently saw everything from Will's perspective even while it's Kaitlyn's voice guiding and telling the story. He's my age so I easily put myself in his shoes. I've even had someone years younger than I am make an impressive attempt to woo me into a fling with more confidence than someone their age should rightfully posses. It was disconcerting for me to say the least. I also totally understand how some people and relationships can transcend societal barriers. Some people just connect and the rest almost pales in importance.

Both Kaitlyn and Will had a lot to figure out internally. Different kinds of growth spurts haphazardly come throughout life. There's no guidebook on how to grow up and sometimes it hits hard and devastates while it's happening. So yeah, Will made me cry. I literally started bawling for him I couldn't even see to keep reading. It surprised the hell out of me how much I empathized with his pain.

I would definitely recommend this book to people. It might not be easy to get through but do what you gotta do to keep going because I found it absolutely worth it by the end, faults and all.

I can't read any more. I can't spend every page hating every character. I just can't! I love sci-fi. I love space sci-fi. I freaking love sci-fi where a freaking planet is conquered. I don't care how much I want to read about Mars. I refuse to sit around gnashing my teeth constantly hoping it'll get better. Love triangles can take a hike; I hate them. Maybe this just isn't for me, which is why I don't really want to put a rating. Either way, from what I did read Chalmers is like the homicidal Holden Caulfield of Mars. Fuck them both.

Me: starts reading
Kindle: 8 hrs 5 mins left in book
Me: Hmm ok, I'll have to put this down for bed, but that's alright.
Kindle: 1% done
Me: If the rest of this is as good as the first 8 pages I'm in trouble...
Me: 5 am I didn't put it down. I don't regret my decision.

We Are the Ants is the perfect blend of the human condition, bittersweet nihilism, and tenacity of hope. I saw myself reflected in the cynicism and dry sarcasm of Henry, the main character. I keenly felt the paralyzing fear of choices through this book. I laughed until I almost couldn't breathe, got choked up, paced in circles around my house, and even woke someone up in another room with an uncontrollable cursing fit from the emotional roller coaster at one point. Whoops!

I can safely say We Are the Ants is 1 of my top 3 books this year.

Nope. Can't finish this. DNF at 17%. I'm all for literary smut, but I want my poetry to be teasing and my erotica to be sultry, not in-your-face crass. I don't want to feel like a voyeur or 3rd wheel into Leav and Faudet's relationship (or whatever is going on there). Reading this was like sitting on a couch while your friends have sex next to you and occasionally you get a foot to the head. I just don't need the mental images.

DNF at 24%
I got bored reading so many disconnected stories leading up to the robot apocalypse/war. Just get to it already. The individual stories are interesting, but how freaking many are there and I'm only 24% in? Not fast paced enough to keep me hooked.

I'm convinced it's the artwork that kept me reading this series. It's SO beautiful. I was amazed at the expressiveness in some of the panels. It's enough to make you stop reading and just stare for a few seconds.

Koharu ends up in a polygamous marriage with a man who already has two wives. I don't have any issues with polyamorous relationships. I know people in healthy relationships with multiple partners. The thing is is you're not in a relationship with one person who's also in a relationship with 1 or more other people. Not in the kind of situation in this series at least.

It took quite awhile for the wives to start bonding and talking about how they deal with the tensions their relationship can cause. Throughout most of the first book this lifestyle is portrayed in a manipulative and abusive way more than I was comfortable with. Yes, I understand that there needs to be drama, tension, and humor to keep readers engaged, but I think these things could have been accomplished without the seemingly unnecessary unhealthy actions of the characters at certain times. This series may be aimed at men, but the story could have still progressed without manipulation and extortion of women. Then again, we haven't seen every motive as this series is till ongoing. Perhaps I'm looking for the best in characters when I shouldn't be. Remains to be seen.

I had to regularly keep in mind to look past the culture differences of gender roles. If you're able to do that then this series is rather engaging. Again, the art!

DNF at 39% because the insulting comments about women and marital rape make me want to set my kindle on fire to purge it of this.

His name fell from her lips, and in the recesses of her blurry mind, she realized this was the first time she'd used it.

Not a very satisfactory visit back to the wizarding world. The format doesn't lend itself to a pleasant reading experience. I had to remind myself almost constantly that I was not reading a slow buildup fanfiction of a m/m romance.

Well, that was much more delightful than I anticipated. I honestly thought I'd end up abandoning this because the blurb sounds out there for me. Wolf-men? This could go so badly... It was rather entertaining instead. The adventure is fun and the romance is sweet. The people aren't overly wolfy. Some fur, pointy ears, and slightly sharp teeth are no big deal. I was also rather fascinated with the world building and legends of the people. More stories Riggs, more stories!

This book can totally be read as a standalone. Anya is a character from the first book, but there's only one small reference that might make someone pause to decipher.

DNF at 8%. I wanted to stop at 2% but forced myself to keep going until I couldn't stand it. Absolutely not for me.

This is obviously not the kind of story where someone locks eyes with a dragon and ends up telepathically linked or some such. No, this is about science and study, but not in a boring way. This is still an adventure. Smugglers and murder and intrigue. Oh my!

Now in her older years, Isabella has decided to write a series of memoirs. I usually quite like memoirs. The people writing them tend to be interesting or they wouldn't have a story. Isabella has a story, and it's a good one. I just wish she wasn't so damn arrogant.

At times in the first half of the book she'd take us out of the story and talk to us, the readers, as if we're beneath her.

“You may think you see plenty of stars, friend reader, but you are wrong.”

Someone let me borrow their small child please. I need a little person to read this treasure to. I promise I'll creatively skip over the swearing bits if you want.

If you came for the tell-all you'll do a lot of skimming, like I did.

I was consistently disgusted with Andi Dorfman for the first half, but then the tone changed slightly and by the end it had actually seemed like she'd grown as a person. At least a little bit. She's either more clever than I thought and managed to do this on purpose or she has a great editor who whipped this shitshow into some slight semblance of redemption.

Dorfman still comes across like a spoiled, sheltered, mean-girl no matter what though. There are so many unnecessary catty explanations for her behavior. I'm not convinced she drank and mentioned alcohol as much as she did because she was going through a breakup. You can be a functioning alcoholic and mostly drink wine.

“Atny” she abbreviated to complete my nametag.
Though she'd abbreviated my profession incorrectly, I decided to let it slide, since I was, after all, there to make a good impression.

I informed the group that we would all be taking a lie detector test! Yay! The horror on their faces made the feminist inside me squeal with excitement.

I couldn't risk impulsively using him for sex, since clearly my urge had not yet been satisfied, and though the feminist in me kind of wanted to “hit it and quit it,” I wasn't ballsy or bitchy enough to do it.

Or when your friend has a baby exactly eight months after her wedding and everyone plays along with the whole it's-a-honeymoon-baby bullshit.

Good Lord, what if I have to go number two?

The fireplace catches my eye... I'll burn it all!... First up, the striped pima cotton t-shirt... I see the tag still on it.

I grasp the sides of the waistband and go for the power tug. That's when I hear the dreaded sound of a rip... That seam is not stretched, it's split. I quickly roll the leggings down my thighs and, in an effort to hide my mortification, hang them back up and slip them in the middle of the rest of the hanging pants, before sprinting out of the dressing room without trying on another item.

He hates red lipstick, just like every other man in this world does.

...recognizing the simple yet impactful meaning of friendships.

While I've chosen to abandon this book it doesn't mean it was bad. It just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it. This could have been partly due to the fact that I watched the movie before trying to read this and that the movie seemed to do a good job of following the book. Or at least what I read of it.

If you want to read poetry and blurbs that seem like they're written by a 13 year old then this is totally for you. We get it: you fell in love with someone, had your heart broken, and you like to write and draw. Can we move on now?

DNF at 36% and wanted to quit at 21% but slogged on

Holy hell that was god awful. I slogged through this and it was so hard. This teetered on actually being great but then it would just slide back into blah blah snooze fest so many times. It took me a long time to get through this because it kept literally putting me to sleep. I'm not interested in the 3rd book now. I can't risk torturing myself some more.

I honestly seriously debated if I should keep reading this a few times throughout the first part. I so almost quit. I was frustrated. Some things just didn't make sense. The author seemed to contradict his own writing, didn't explain things as well as I would have liked, or seemed to write things just because. But I pushed through. I told myself that maybe the world building just took time to fully grasp. Maybe it would get better. Thank fuck, it did!
Once I hit the second section I pretty much didn't put this down until I was done. I ate while reading. I fed my dogs with one hand because I was holding my kindle. This isn't a perfect book, but it'll keep you reading as it's consistently well paced.

Obvious influences and references I picked up on:
- Greek and Roman mythology to the max
- Harry Potter (People in houses based on personality and intelligence? Do you need the sorting hat?)
- Lord of the Flies (But also with girls.)
- Ender's Game (There's an actual reference to Wiggin by name.)
- Divergent (Factions, but even more caste system like.)
- Battle Royale and Hunger Games (Goal isn't to kill to win, but there aren't rules against killing to win.)

I love this movie, but goddamn this was like reading a textbook. This is a great example of what it's like to take a highly interesting subject and make it duller than a box of rocks. Actually, that's not fair; I find rocks to be interesting at times.

Honestly, this might just be a case of it's-me-not-you. I don't care for Capote's style. Hell, I didn't much like Breakfast at Tiffany's either. I think the real kudos go to filmmakers for being able to pull classics out of some really rote writing.

While reading this I realized I'd read it in my early teens, but I barely remembered it. This was actually probably the book where I learned the word coitus. Who needs sex ed. when you've already read most of it in books?

Anyway, I certainly know a few things bothered me this time around. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas definitely writes somewhat unbelievable events and disjointed actions by characters to clearly further the plot. That being said, this is actually still worth the read. Just be warned that you may find yourself skimming a page or two to get back to the story line you're actually interested in.

List of things that bothered me (and yes, I have to spoil all over the place):
• The main character Yanan dies, becomes a spirit, and you learn this really early on. So the only reason to keep reading is to figure out how she dies I guess.• Spirits can turn into animals. Thomas makes us read unnecessary side plot sections of the spirits as animals. Skim skim skim.• Yanan knows basically nothing about sex. Seriously nothing. You don't grow up hunting or being around animals without figuring out a little birds and the bees. WHY would no adult ever explain menstruation, pregnancy, or birth to a girl who is expected to eventually experience it? If you want the next generation to survive you teach them everything you can. When a girl gets married you take her aside and explain everything if she hasn't already seen it first hand from watching the adults.• Yanan is pregnant and no one older figures it out. I find it almost impossible to believe that people can live in a lodge in close proximity depending on each other for survival without being all up in the minutia of each other's lives almost constantly. When someone starts puking everyone else would pay attention. People would notice someone else being exhausted and sick. You'd have to be blind and deaf to not notice someone acting differently, especially in winter when you're in close proximity even more. And I bet unobservant people died a lot faster 20,000 years ago.• Combining the last two points here. Childbirth is horribly dangerous. Explain and help prepare a first time mother for it. Then maybe Yanan wouldn't have thought it was a good idea to go off to give birth alone. Why not take advantage of the knowledge of older women who have done this before? Oh, because they might make fun of her. Yeah... right. Sure.

There were a few times (a lot of times) I considered chucking this book, but I actually finished.

Reasons why I almost quit:
1. Outrageous names like Six, Sky, and Dean Holder-but-of-course-he-goes-by-his-last-name.
2. Slut shaming.
3. Gay bestie trope.
4. Creeptastic and volatile male lead.
5. Teens who have dialogue that is either completely unrealistic or should be coming from the most ridiculously well-rounded adult ever.
6. The constant, and I mean freaking constant, misuse of lay/lie. It hurt. It hurt me so much. Ow...

Reasons why I kept reading:
1. Must know big twist.
2. Must see if I'm right about a possible second smaller twist.
3. Must see how the actions of the male love interest are explained away and if it's satisfactory reasoning. Verdict: meh, kind of?
4. Actually awesome sexual tension. That was intense and obviously where Colleen Hoover excels.

Focusing on Mr. Intense Dean Holder for a minute. I've read worse. He could have been way worse. I see a lot of reviews ragging on Holder for remembering small details, but I've been there. I've kind of been Holder. I'm intense. I have an uncanny memory for recognizing people, remembering names, dates, or just general info about someone. This freaks people out. I've been freaking people out for years. My good memory has traumatized people before. Poor me. And hopefully poor Holder settles with age. Man, stop punching things. Therapy will help.

I almost need therapy after how much turmoil was in this book actually. That shit was rough. Someone needs to add some trigger warnings somewhere.

Music that fits
Oh Wonder - Livewire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjgnOP8f5NU
Made In Heights - Murakami https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEy1yZwJ-ko

Decided to give up on this half way through the seventh chapter because I couldn't take one more minute of these characters' stupid head games and abusing the word no.

This book is a freight train. It might take a little while to get up to speed, but chum, when it does you're going for one hell of a ride!

Make sure you've got a few hours of uninterrupted time for the last 2/3 of the book. If you're like me you won't want to put it down because you HAVE to know what happens. And um I wish someone had warned me to have a tissue handy. I was so into the story and characters that I wasn't trying to analyze anything so it sort of socked me a little hard.

The formatting was superb. I don't think I've ever seen a book done quite like this. Very curious to see if they keep the same style. I don't want to rush the authors for the 2nd book but... no, I'm rushing them. I NEED IT!