Erin Darlyn

I really wish this book had been available when I was a teenager and in my college years. Perhaps some of the harmful messaging I received would not have been so prevalent in the religious circles I frequented at the time if it had been. Alas, I cannot change the past; but this book gives me hope for the young girls who are being raised now in environments where the women are reading Sheila???s books and deconstructing the narratives they inherited.

If you work with teen girls, college-aged young women, or females in general, I hope you will read it. If you???re a dude, please don???t be put off by the pink cover. There is so much of value for you in here too.

Original Review

I found Nightwork to be an interesting story in that it focuses primarily on the life of a male main character who has faced hardship and loss and been a thief since he was quite young. Following a MMC who is a sort of anti-hero is something I don???t see a lot in the types of books I have read thus far, so it was entertaining to read a story that was a bit different from what I am used to reading. I liked that we got to learn about Harry???s back story and see how he came to be the man he is later in the book.

That said, I did feel like about a third of the book could have been cut out and I wouldn???t have missed anything. The pace was leisurely, with some of the scenes not really moving the plot along or adding much to the story. There were instances where what I was reading felt like a rehash of a scene I had already read with a couple of minor details changed.

I found the ending to wrap up a bit too tidily without delving into the more realistic mess that would have come along with the circumstances as well.

Overall, the story was entertaining but parts of it were also skimmable.

2.5?????? rounded up.

An enjoyable read with a warmth to it that I found refreshing.

Marcellus (an octopus) was my favorite character in the book, and I found the scenes written from his POV endearing. The scenes in which he interacted with Tova were heartwarming and the book had a unique charm to it.

I did feel there were several characters who didn???t really add anything to the story and when we were learning about them, it felt as if nothing was happening to move the story along.

Overall, I liked the book well enough, but didn???t love the whole of it.

3.5?????? This book is like the screwiest of screwball comedies, set in space and complete with a robot that has the personality of Eeyore. There really isn???t much plot or character development but the writing is so hilarious and full of little brain tickles that I didn???t really mind.

3.5?????? rounded up