Nicole

This was a hard one to rate, for me. It incorporates the super timely trad wife controversies and felt really unique in that regard. I'm a little biased because I find that phenomenon fascinating. On the other hand, I sometimes felt like it incorporated too much scene detail. Little moments about what characters were doing during conversations helped me visualize the moment but also felt unnecessary sometimes. Also, it was difficult to suspend my disbelief about those conversations at times. Like Finn immediately getting that close to Del. It was almost explainable once we knew his involvement, but not really when he says he wasn't involved from the start. It's hard to put my finger on it, but something about the writing style felt off. Overall, I did enjoy the story, though, and was left with the impression that the author was onto something special.

I was actually really turned off by this at first, but it ended up being something special. I had read the Handmaid's Tale right before it and was therefore unacclimated to the grammar of contemporary fiction/romance, so that was jarring. Plus the whole spectacle about the grenade felt ridiculous. But that was nothing like the rest of the book. I cried at least 4 times. It really drags you down into the depths of grief. Not since the GOT series have I read a book with this much death in it.

This is a true romance book - no spice. Maybe like a bell pepper; that's it. It was heartwarming to read compared to other romance books I've encountered. It explored greater emotional depths than most books.

One of my major gripes about romance books was absent. I cannot stand when the entire plot of a book could be completely eliminated by people simply communicating. Yes, we had the thing Hugh literally refuses to tell Kate, but in doing so he's cluing her into what's going on with him even if he's not telling her the whole story. She does some mental inferring a few times, but ultimately asks him or brings things up, rather than continuing to spiral or act on her assumptions.

I also appreciated that people acted somewhat rationally. There were times when they couldn't/didn't do things because of various restraints that didn't just magically disappear. For the most part, I believed that people could actually do the things they did in the real world.

The distraction of the neighbor Justin in the beginning before pivoting to Hugh as the actual partner added something, too. Almost like as a reader, we didn't consider Hugh as a love interest, either.

It's not quite one star because I spent most of my time going, "eh? 🤨" instead of, "ugh 😵‍💫" but it was another case of me putting a book on my tbr because I saw it somewhere once and didn't look into it. I don't know if it was because I had the audiobook, but the entire time I felt like I just wanted to ditch it and read a summary instead. I struggled to connect the stories with any actual point or takeaway. The conclusion at the end helped but otherwise I felt like, what are we doing here?

Is it too on the nose to say I devoured this book? It could have something to do with it being the first physical book I got to read in a long time, but I was immersed. There were multiple times when Hazell set the scene so well I could feel the tense emotion in the room. And, having experience losing control around food, I felt like that emotional unstoppable train wreck was depicted very well.

The fact that people seem to not like this book makes me a little embarrassed to admit this, but I really enjoyed it. I was taken away on a unique character journey that I feel like I've never experienced before. I kind of hated Maggie most of the time, but in a good way? I kept wanting to come back for more. But then also I would occasionally see myself in some of the less-appealing things she did or said, which has some implications I guess. Then, since she was so unpleasant in the beginning, I was almost rooting for her as she started to move on and work on herself, because the change was so noticeable.

Oh man this one deserves the popularity! It was vivid and immersive. It toed the line wonderfully between heavy and comedic. The characters were so well-rounded. They were perfect for the story but also believable. I especially liked how Garmus wrote Six-Thirty to have an entire mental life as a complete character.

I wasn't intending to review any of the pregnancy/birth/childcare books i was reading, but wanted to add my notes for this one. It's not complete trash, but if you're wanting an unmedicated hospital birth, this might rub you the wrong way, as it did to me.

Stuff i found helpful or encouraging:

• Reinforcement of the fact that moving around during labor and using alternative positions can be beneficial.
• Listening to your body for cues to push may lead to a more successful birth and less risk of tearing.
• Actionable breathing and vocal tools to use during labor.
• General insistence that you are strong and capable of an unmedicated birth if that's what you desire.

Not so great:

• Comes across super discouragingly of pain medication, or any medical intervention as well as hospital birth in general. I think it's one thing to educate on the pros and cons, but this stance is not that. It trends towards fear-mongering, too.
• I had to grimace at too many instances of her reminding that we can decline any recommend medical procedure. I know what i want, but i certainly don't know more than my doctor and value her expertise for the safety of my baby and myself.
• I had the updated version, but it still felt outdated. Some of the things she laments that hospitals don't support were included in my intro paperwork as standards of care.
• The Farm gives mega cult vibes.

Get it from the library or secondhand.

I learned about the author's issues after getting it used, but before reading it, for what it's worth.

Well that was something. Sometimes annoying but sufficiently disturbing, for me.

Please don't be deterred by the length of this book, or concerns that it might be too dry or dense considering the subject matter. I kept putting it off because of those reasons, but I found it very engaging. I am a language fan, though, so that could have some influence. Until the revolution, it gives excellent dark academia vibes. I'm hesitant to say it, but it felt at times like a Harry Potter for folks who care about social justice issues 😬 but so much more. It's much more in-depth, educated, and intelligent. I found myself feeling blown away by Kuang's knowledge.

I had never read a book by Colleen Hoover before, but this was so hyped by everyone at work that I had to check it out. Well, apparently we have very different tastes. At one point, i had to flip to the end to find out if she leaves him because if she didn't this was gonna be a big fat DNF. Once I got back to the ending, i do admit that i appreciated it and the fact that the author was actually trying to say something about domestic violence. But personally, it didn't make up for the way it previously felt like it was romanticizing DV.

Ryle immediately gave me the ick because he was so coercive from literally the moment he met her. It didn't come off as assertive or dominant - just nasty. I dunno, maybe it hit a little too close to home for me but I hated him so much.

At different parts of the book, i had trouble suspending the disbelief for the plot. Like, you get an immediate-hire employee your first day you open your business and she also becomes your best friend (then sister in law and also neighbor)? Stuff like this can be fun, but i need to be convinced sometimes I guess. I have a hard time describing what I mean by this, though, or what makes it so unbelievable sometimes.

And every time they said, "naked truth," i wanted to vom.

If it weren't for the ending and for Atlas, i would've given this one star. But it taught me i like a partner indecision trope, for whatever that's worth.

I almost didn't read this book because the topics of celebrity and fame don't interest me. Luckily, BookTube convinced me to check it out and I'm so glad I did. It wrecked me in the best way. The characters are so well-crafted and I was completely invested in them. I kept looking forward to reading it. So if you're feeling lukewarm about it, I'd say it's worth your while.

Picoult did a great job of capturing the fear and complete floundering we experienced during the beginning and worst of COVID. One scene in particular struck me as especially poignant and I was reminded of how difficult it was to sometimes have different stress levels in a relationship. But, I really kept feeling the entire time that it's too soon to release a book about the pandemic. 

I mostly enjoyed the storyline in the Galápagos, though it felt like a Hallmark movie and the way she wrote about Beatriz's self-injury felt pretty cringe, though I can't articulate why.

But then after the twist, I became increasingly more frustrated with Diana and the book became repetitive. I didn't understand what she wanted from people or what she was trying to accomplish when she kept insisting her time on the island was real. Like, how? Eventually an explanation was concocted but then it felt like a really unconvincing, woo attempt at sci-fi. Plus, so many paragraphs kept ending with, "He said this but if only he knew I thought that."I thought the ending was appropriate and am glad she ended the relationship with Finn. Real or not, her experience showed her that her heart was not in it anymore. The pandemic really did change so many things for us, even if we were privileged to stay healthy and employed. So, despite my grievances with a lot of the book, I do support the end.

Even as everyone was talking up this book, I was hesitant to read it because despite my witchy interests, Greek mythology has never appealed to me. Circe was so well-written, though, that doesn't matter. The characters are so interesting and the epic stories that get incorporated into the plot actually feel natural. Fantasy has fallen out of my favorite genres since I was a kid, but reading Circe made me feel like I used to reading those fantasy books. Plus, it's basically my dream to be an immortal with alone on an island with only animals and sporadic visitors.

I was kinda into the story for a while, but then it was trying to be too many things while excessively descriptive. I also definitely didn't peak in high school nor do I obsessively reminisce about those times, so I didn't get that vibe, either.

This was ultimately not the book I needed, but I learned some valuable lessons (looking at you, responsive desire) and it included recommendations for books in the realm with which I do need help. At a time I was feeling quite broken, it also showed me how much is going well and normal that I do have to be grateful for.

I went into this expecting it to be kind of silly and it was. I am a basic bookish bish though so the theme suited me just fine. Some of it was frustrating, especially when she was daydreaming about the creator of the bullet journal being a woman out to create a prettier planner focused on calligraphy and stickers and I was just yelling about who on the research team let this slide because it was created by a real dude and it was originally supposed to be simple and utilitarian. (Don't get me wrong I love a good Instagram-worthy spread and have so many stickers it's just a personal pet peeve when people don't know where it started.) Bit then on the flip side, the scene with the Inner Animal crowd had me actually laughing out loud and it's been a long time I had that reaction from a book. As a major introvert, I don't believe someone who likes solitude as much as Nina can be as social as she is, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Classic case of: Nicole blindly chooses a book based on social media popularity, the pretty cover, and one quote she saw somehow that ended up being the opposite of what the author was saying. I didn't hate it (which would be 1 star or DNF) but I wouldn't go so far to say that I liked it.

Well, I finished it, but I've never skimmed a book so hard in my life. The main point about waking up early to give yourself a valuable hour is legitimate. The activities suggested to fill the hour are worthwhile. If I could design the perfect day, it would have a lot in common with the structure suggested here. But this is a lot of book to say that and the structure of it being a novel really just felt like a circle jerk of haughtiness and randomness. I'd suggest skipping it and just looking up the core concepts.

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I chose to read it mostly out of curiosity and slightly because I knew I needed a kick in the pants for a few things in my life. I really don't respond to blunt, tough-love advice to basically just suck it up, so I wasn't expecting to benefit much from the mentality. However, it came across as inspiring, overall.

There were many moments where I rolled my eyes or shook my head at how much unnecessary damage he did to his body by lack of preparation (as he even mocks the “nerds” who reasonably plan for the ultras) and how his support people have to handle the consequences - rushing to provide medical assistance and likely being concerned for his wellbeing the whole time. Even with all this, though, the advice doesn't seem to be, “Do what I did,” but rather, “You can do more than you think you can.” You can see this in the challenges, where you're asked to be better than you were before - not necessarily to conquer the world. Additionally, he does come around in the end, literally taking up stretching and mobility work for the first time nearing forty.

There IS some problematic stuff, though - misogynistic military language, the fact that this dude would've benefitted from therapy but likely felt it wasn't an option to keep being tough, and the consideration that most of us value our family/relationship obligations enough to prevent us from chasing our goals this hard.

That being said, It was casual enough to move quickly, which I enjoy. It approached the threshold of feeling unprofessional sometimes but didn't quite hit it. Luckily, he cools it on the f-bombs a bit as the book goes on. Cursing is great and all, but when it gets excessive it comes across poorly.

Definitely gonna take some notes before returning this one to keep in my back pocket.

Gave up around page 299 after trying too long to give the book a chance. There were multiple days I didn't read it at all because of how much I wasn't enjoying it.

This made me want to read Atomic Habits again because that was such a better-written book. I saw another review state that this one reads like an infomercial and I completely agree. With all the talk about the conferences and certified coaches, it really feels like he's trying to sell you something. I didn't find that necessary. I would think that most people choosing to read a habit book already believe in behavior change and trust the author's expertise to some extent. Plus, the amount of definitions he created felt excessive and took away from the core information, for me.

There are some valuable tools here, though. First, the act of celebration is something I haven't seen in any other habit methods. I'm not a peppy person by nature, but I will be using this tool in my habit journey. Sometimes habits themselves don't bring us enough joy and satisfaction (especially at the beginning), so it would absolutely help to do something to force yourself to feel good and accomplished after you do a new habit. Second, the recommendation that you rehearse a habit multiple times before inserting it into your existing routine probably helps. This is something I came across while reviewing research on sleep habits while getting my Psychology degree. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to now that this book helped me realize my unreliability getting out of bed on time is really going to limit my ability to incorporate positive habits into my morning routine. Lastly, the author takes the concept of the small habit further than anyone else, and that will really help some people.

Overall, I think maybe a book just wasn't the best vehicle for Fogg's expertise. I bet if I heard him give a speech it would come out more authentically.

DNF. Made it to page 163. There were things I should like about this book and it was really hyped up, but I just couldn't get myself to care about any of the characters or plot enough to continue. It was super meandering, which I like sometimes, but this was frustrating. Just not for me, I guess!

This was one of four books I received in a recommendation box from my library. I wouldn't typically pick a book about fairies because they're my least favorite supernatural creature for some reason, but the book had a lot of other themes I do enjoy. It was historical fiction, a dual storyline between present day Ireland and ~1910s England, and had lovely descriptions of the garden and other nature themes. Plus there's the inherited bookstore, Something Old, which is probably what Heaven looks like for me.

The story largely focused on a woman breaking an undesirable engagement and starting a new life in a new country and I usually do enjoy narratives of someone getting a chance to redesign their life for the better. The characters she meets in Ireland are almost all wonderful people happy to help her - which was heartwarming but also a little unbelievable. It adds to the fairy tale vibe which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.

Another thing I did like was how Frances's story made me remember what it was like to be a little kid and to find the magic in places like the Cottingley garden and to be able to entertain yourself with your imagination.

I can't quite put my finger on why I chose 3 stars instead of 4, but it's what felt most appropriate for me. I did have the large print version, without a visual need for it, because that was all that was available at the library so that's the version they included. I'm curious about what impact, if any, that might've had on my experience.

Having already been exposed to the author via social media, I may have been biased to like this book. Regardless, I flew through the first 50 pages in one evening and looked forward to having time to get back to the story. It was very much paced to be difficult to put down. Each chapter seemed to end on a cliff-hanger. Every once in a while it almost felt too dramatic, as if it were fiction for entertainment rather than a true story. But, most of the time it was captivating in a good way. It was an inspiring story that helps put one's own struggles in perspective while still being motivating.

Abandoning this one after 140 pages. Normally I'm into excessive descriptions and meandering but not this time. I have too many other books I want to read to stick it out for the remaining 369 pages.