Amanda
It was a challenge not to stay up all night finishing this book - I guessed some plot points fairly early on, but Abbott's writing is so compelling I wanted to keep reading to see whether I was right and how things played out. I had a hard time getting into Dare Me, but this was amazing and strangely frightening.
Really interesting look at women's gymnastics and how its new scoring system (along with other things like the end of the Cold War) has brought about changes. Probably not anything revolutionary if you watch gymnastics regularly, but as a four-year fan, I learned a lot. The chapters on Simone Biles, the 2000 American team, and college gymnastics were particularly interesting.
Still adore the supporting cast in this series (can't wait for one of the twins to get her own book), and loved the new additions of Dr. Gibson (she needs a book too) and Winterborne's secretary. Didn't love the plot so much in this one - the villain was a little bit of a cardboard cutout and it felt like Winterborne disappeared from most of the end. I'm still really enjoying this series, and I like the later Victorian setting, but this wasn't as strong as the first book for me.
I really love Kleypas's way with minor characters - West, Helen, and the twins were as vivid for me as the main characters. I think this is the first historical I've read that has a pregnancy scare, and a realistic one, not just an aside about the possibility. It's a minor note but I liked it. Kleypas's historicals also seem a bit more concerned with accuracy to the time period, which is nice. Really enjoyed this one, starting the second book in the series as we speak.
(Probably 4.5, rounding up.) Loved the heroine, probably one of my favorite romance heroines. Mostly liked the hero, deducting a half-star here for how violent he was sometimes, particularly almost killing the countess and pulling Lillian off her horse, which seems really dangerous?. Still love the relationships between the Wallflowers most of all. Really enjoying this series!
Loved the female friendships in this book! I felt like this one went on a bit too long - I understand why, to some extent, but the whole thing with Annabelle's mom stabbing the dude was pretty out of left field and a pretty extreme way to tie up that plot loose end. Other than that, I really enjoyed this one. The chemistry was definitely believable and I liked that the male lead wasn't the usual lord or duke or whatever. Definitely going to read the rest of this series!
Really enjoyed this - the author reads the audio version and does a great job. Favorite chapters: Lindy vs. Dan Savage, the chapter about her abortion, and the chapter about the loss of her dad, which was heartbreaking.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #3 Read a collection of essays, and #19 Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes)
A little slow-starting for me (though maybe that was that I started it, and then had to return it to the library and wait for it to be available again). Once it picked up, though - the first Damaya chapter, for me - I was hooked. I can't wait for the next two to be available, and I definitely want to read more N.K. Jemisin! If you're reading the ebook, be aware there's a glossary in the back and it's definitely helpful, though I was able to figure out most things from context.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #7 Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel, and #16 Read the first book in a series by a person of color)
Loved this - I really want to read her earlier memoirs now! The book has some recipes interspersed throughout. If you think you may want to use them, buy the Kindle or print version. It's hard to cook from an audio recipe. Otherwise, the unabridged audio is excellent and well worth listening to. Loved all the different characters she became and how they informed the restaurant reviews.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #22 Read a food memoir)
Reread October 2022, trade paperback I picked up from a library used book sale. Still extremely fun and readable.
Eh. Liked the MC and her sister, didn't really care for the male lead that much, thought the plot was a bit too overstuffed (and felt like one of the subplots only existed to set up the next book in this series, honestly). Really liked the bread scene, but this is by far the weakest Milan I've read.
Fun (except for the Oscar Wilde chapter, which made me sad), generally lighthearted collection of stories about terrible breakups from ancient Rome to the 1960s. Particular standouts to me were Lord Byron/Caroline Lamb, John Ruskin/Effie Gray, and oh my god, Norman Mailer is TERRIBLE. The author's tone throughout is breezy and conversational, kind of along the lines of a Drunk History narrator but wayyy more coherent. This is perfect for the type of reading I'm doing now, which is short bites after the baby's asleep. Nothing earth-shattering, and sometimes the ends of the chapters reach a little too hard for a ‘moral of the story,' but a good quick summer read (unless you've been dumped recently, I suppose).
... Huh. I really enjoyed this until about 3/4 of the way through, maybe. It was fascinating as a documentation of the early 50s and societal change with (white) women entering the workforce after WWII. I thought it was strongest when it focused on Caroline and April, and probably weakest when it focused on Gregg, who didn't make sense as a character to me at all. My biggest problem, though, was the last 20-30 pages, when it kind of seemed like the author realized the book was over 400 pages and just rushed to cram in a resolution for each character. Basically, no spoilers, but the resolution for Caroline's storyline was so random and out of nowhere (and, I think, out of character for her) that it kind of retroactively soured me on the book. This is probably more like a 2.5, and worth reading if you're interested in the era of early Mad Men, but sigh.
Adore the musical, of course, and this provides a really interesting look into the process behind bringing it to the stage, Lin-Manuel Miranda's footnotes on the libretto, essays about most of the lead actors, and so many amazing pictures! If you like Hamilton you should get this book, it's stunning.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #23 Read a play)
This was fascinating, but also a bit of a slog - not because it was badly-written or boring or anything, just because it's 800+ pages (or 36+ hours, for the audiobook version). I definitely learned a ton about Alexander Hamilton and the Revolutionary era (and the transition from that to a functioning democracy), stuff I hadn't thought about since AP US History, probably. Would I have picked it up without the musical Hamilton? Probably not, but I'm glad I did. And I want a biography of Angelica Schuyler Church now, please. Audiobook is recommended - the reader is excellent and engaging, and seems to dislike Jefferson a lot, which is amusing.
(Grandfathered into my Year of No Men, because I started it before 1/1/16.)
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #6 Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography) and #10 Read a book over 500 pages long)
Really interesting and engaging read - I'm not currently pregnant or planning to be in the near future, but you hear so much stuff about how terrible caffeine and sushi and everything else is for pregnant women, and this book is like a big deep breath in the middle of all that hysteria. I'm going to keep this and refer to it if I ever do become pregnant, because it's refreshing to know what the science actually says about all these supposed risks. (Some of which are real risks, but a lot of which are overblown.)
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #2 Read a nonfiction book about science)
Good: Could really tell how much research went into this, and I feel like it was pretty educational! Enjoyed the cast of characters, especially Sylvie and the boarders. The MC was great and I loved her journey and settling into the town. I haven't read any historicals set in this period before, and this was a good introduction.
Bad: Natalie is basically a cardboard villain, and the writing was pretty stilted at some points, without much banter/wordplay/flirtation. A lot of exposition via dialogue. It seemed like a lot of the plot was crammed into the last 40-50 pages, and it felt a little rushed. I also wanted there to be more sex, or at least longer/more detailed sex scenes? What was there was good, but barely over a page each, I think.
Overall: Eh. Didn't love it, certainly didn't hate it, definitely want to read more diverse romances.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #15 Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900)
Fun while you're reading it, but the more you think about it, the plot falls apart. First, if he planned the entire thing to get her alone in a coach and then the cabin, why was he such a dick to her at the start of the coach ride? Would a driver really intentionally drive his coach and horses off the road? Seems like a big risk and likely to lead to actual injury. I really like the MC and enjoyed the cameos from other Spindle Cove characters, but this is kind of like cotton candy. Fun while you're enjoying it, but doesn't stand up afterward. (Probably more like 2.5, rounding up.)
Quick, inspiring read - I love her voice as a writer and this made me want to rewatch Grey's Anatomy. (It's all the talk about how great Cristina Yang is, which of course.) Probably about a 3.5 star, rounding down because some of the weight loss stuff got to be a little too much for me, though it wasn't super-shaming.