Tea

I really thought that I would love this book when I first picked it up a couple months ago. I was only able to get about 50 pages in before I was unable to pick it back up and finish it over the past several weeks; however, the small snippet that I got really drew me into the story. I really enjoyed Joy's and Benny's relationship, wished that the podcast was real, and fell in love with Xander in the process. As the book proceeds and develops, the traits that characters held that I once really liked quickly became annoying (e.g. Benny's adoration of Joy and how distraught he is throughout this entire book was a major one for me). I also feel like I'm left wanting and wishing more depth within the book, its clear that the entire focus is on Joy and Benny because at the end, I realized that I didn't know much about any of the side characters despite feeling like getting even some more of that information would help to add layers to the story or flesh everyone out a bit more. While there is so much that can be inferred about the characters at the end of the day, every character feels a bit hollow and surface level. They're basically incredible puppets, they have a personality and feel real while reading the book but the moment that they're taken out of the context, the moment the story ends, they all feel a bit more on the empty side of the spectrum to me.

The following is going to be spoilers to the book, but will hopefully better demonstrate my point earlier about never really learning much about the characters through actually speaking about the characters and some of the things that I wish that I learned more about them. I do understand that ultimately, this is a book centered around Benny and Joy, so side character depth will need to be lessened to heighten the focus. However, the execution in the end feels as if the focus became too narrowed in on the pair and has completely neglected the rest. Granted though, it feels like we spend a lot of time in Benny's head and he doesn't care about anyone in the cast besides his family (sister, Joy, and his parents) so he doesn't know much about the side characters anyways.

For example, why Xander acts the way he does now it could be simply the author trying to tie a bit more of reality into the fictional world and show us that he never actually cared or loved Joy but rather that she was effectively the perfect medical case for him to dote over and ensure that she's totally reliant on him. But why does he want people to be totally and absolutely reliant on him? We know that this is something that's been a thing since he was a teenager and I'm left wishing that there was more information about Xander rather than leaving him as a greedy, manipulative and abusive (in all regards) who happened to strike gold and was trying to capitalize on everything. I want to learn more about Luna (why did she become a divorce lawyer for example), Charlotte (why is gardening her hobby and potential escapism method), Mallory (how she actually feels towards Xander beyond "its a bit complicated"), Quinn (how much did she actually know in the end), Emile (how did him and Charlotte get into their "helping friends when needed" business), and all the other side characters beyond the surface level depictions that we get from them.

I started this sometime in December, knew that it would be a good book but I put it down for some reason until several weeks ago (I started in August, put it down, picked it up in December and thought "oh, this is going to be a really good book" then put it down for some bizzare reason I can't remember, picked it back up June 12 and have been absorbed ever since).

Between reading it in snippets with every pocket of time that I had available, getting towards the end of the book and being able to tie everything together, knowing that my rereads are only going to be better than going in blind because I know everything, and the reactions that I couldn't hide while I was blasting through the final hundred pages in a coffee shop (I literally held my head in my hands for several points but I just couldn't stop reading). I knew that this would be an incredible book with an ending that leaves me yearning for the next book.

This was the first book that I read in a while where I enjoyed how it was written and it felt correct for this book. Getting the snippets of each characters perspective as the story moves along, how unique everyone was, that I was able to feel for every single person. Typically with multi-pov books I tend to prefer a select few (or even just one) pov's and then when it gets to a character's pov that I don't like, I end up skimming through it, just enough to get the idea of what is going on but not enough to really read it just so I could get to what I viewed as the "better" pov's. This was the first book where I loved to read every single character's pov. Sometimes the pov chapters felt waay too short and I knew that the character could add more to the story but overall everyone added to the story and the multiple layers woven through was fun to slowly discover as time went on.

I could keep going but I'm slowly realizing that book reviews aren't my strong suit. So I'll leave it on this note: If I remember to, and ever have the chance to, this will be a book that I re-read time and time again.

I'm not much of a romance reader, but I wanted to try and branch out of my wheelhouse with this book. I ended up getting it in time for my trip and I don't know if it's the wonder of the trip or if I read this book at the perfect time but I might be more of a romance fan than I thought I was.

I loved primarily love how well intertwined the past and present was throughout this book. Seeing how the past set up the foundation of what they had today, its easy for authors to say that they're besties who share a lot of history but even getting glimpses of it throughout the book made their life feel more realistic for me. It added depth and layer to what their relationship is now and added stakes to the risk of what it potentially could turn into.

All I can say is that I read this in like 6 hours. I couldn’t put the book down, I felt as if I was the pov character at times, I feel wrung out, this book has probably changed how I see the world now, and all I want is a taste of sunshine myself.

I’ve been majorly disconnected from reading for years and I think that this book has helped me remember why I like reading so much, why I used to be in love with it and now I’m relearning how to reach for it again. I love how gothic, dark, and how oppressive the atmosphere felt. Almost like a really heavy blanket lying atop you but you’re unsure if it’s providing comfort or trying to swallow you whole. There’s so much I like about this book but my brain feels very mushy, so I’ll end this “review” by saying that I wish I read this book earlier instead of having it sit around for a month.

I can't tell you how many times that I've nearly DNF'ed this book. While the essence of the story was well done (and honestly one of the only reasons why I kept reading it) I couldn't get past our main character and the writing style. It took me what felt like two months to try and read this book, which only kept getting extended because I couldn't stand to read more than a couple pages before I had to close it and walk away. In my opinion, the beginning is slow but there's enough happening to keep me going, then the middle was numbingly slow, and honestly my favorite part of this book was the last like 50 pages where everything has happening. I like the retelling of several legends, the fact there was clearly immense effort that went into the book, the ambiance of the story was fun too, alongside the side characters appearing throughout. This is probably one of the few stories where I wish it wen through a few more rounds of revision to be a bit more story-like rather than telling the reader every. single. beat. and. thing. that. happened. I don't regret struggling to read this for over a month, but this definitely is going to be a book that will be donated and promptly forgotten. One thing that I've learned is that a good cast and plot cannot make up for writing quality that I don't vibe with.

I will second the previous reviews in that this combined multiple elements, the mystery was very slow to unfold (at times it felt almost too slow and as if there wasn't any clues for me to pick up on but that could be due to how long it took for me to read the book), and the main character was painstakingly human.

I will admit upfront, that this story isn’t my cup of tea. There were multiple things that could’ve been adjusted (all of which is personal taste preferences, not the fault of the author) however, I can see why countless really enjoy the book!

If I could say the prose was simply how everything was written, I hate to say that I might’ve rated the book lower. However, in a way, the prose becomes a plot device. It’s frank and leaves nothing behind to be minced or obscured. Surface level, it’s a fun read and with every page, every husband, it only illuminates more about Hugo’s life. From beginning to end, it’s easy to see how every moment has altered her and how she’ll approach future situations, how everything (within her control) will be manipulated and ensure her success in the end.

Diving deeper, the story changes it goes from a girl wanting to succeed her mother’s dream, to a young adult where she wants everything and what worked before quickly becomes boring, to someone where the weight of everything begins to splinter parts of herself and she finally decides to choose herself over pursuit of the next greatest thing.

This also could’ve been viewed as a story about insecurity and that no matter how much you exploit it, how well it remains hidden, it doesn’t go away with more fame/money/accolades. It hurts to think that despite everything Hugo still believes that a large part of her career is due to her appearance, due to her ability to incite sexual desire in everyone around her. That when she hits a wall, the same trick (just in a different font) will almost always get her through it and more.

The dry, no-nonsense, repetitive (in my opinion) writing style is crucial to this story working as well as it has. It isn’t simply a way the plot is delivered, instead it becomes a part of the plot. It provides further insight into Hugo’s mind, how she was feeling and thinking about the current situation. It can easily feel detached, it could easily be a couple hundred pages too long, however everything ended up in the right balance.

For waiting several years to read it (I watched a WithCindy review several years ago all of it forgotten but the impact still lives on), I am definitely walking away having learned a lot, with a lot to think on and several things to delve deeper into and potentially analyze at a later date.

For example, how Hugo managed to state everything as plainly as possible, but she still manages to be a mystery and how that simply is a part of herself that she can’t give up, that there might’ve been truth hidden in the truth that she doesn’t know exist or can confront just yet. Almost making the mystery of Hugo something that creates a sense of allure of the world towards her, but a defense mechanism (or sorts, that phrasing feels a bit too harsh or too niche to best describe what I’m thinking) for what has gone unsaid throughout the story.

If you're looking for dystopian, it's not in the room with us. It's going to be more accurate to approach this book as a romantasy that has a dystopian visual filter on it.

Otherwise, the things I liked about this book was few and far between. However, I really did enjoy reading the second half of the book, despite feeling like the first half was a bit of a drag at times.

There definitely were moments where the plot felt very vague, I couldn't understand why attraction was such a large factor throughout the book (this could just be me, not having enough life experience), some chapters it felt like were thrown in to simply beef up the page count and kinda allude to something else in the story or the characters. I am more of a person where even a good side character will help keep me reading and I fell in love with multiple characters throughout this book. I also loved the idea of sharing several reports/assignment grades throughout the book! It was really fun to see a bit more about the other characters and what they might've thought and could behave like.

The hard choices made honestly, were impossible to make especially in the situation that the mc was in. However, with every choice made, it becomes more clear that the mc prioritizes their conscience being as clear as possible, over the desires and wants of the other person. Then expects the person to forgive them within a couple months, since what happened was significantly better than what should've happened. The mc also is incredibly lucky that main romantic lead, happens to be who they are because if they weren't this book would be fundamentally different on so many different levels but also the plot (or what little there typically is there) would have to be different, since so many things that happened in this book only happened because the romantic lead is who they were.

Some of the twists throughout the book had me shook, others felt very cliche, some were easily predictable. Plus, plenty of people haunt the narrative. The main character at the beginning and end of the book they do feel a bit unrecognizable in some aspects in both a good and bad way, they're in a constant state of tug-of-war and they find comfort or solace in specific people. Almost a constant war inside them to do what they must to survive, but it also requires them to go against some of their most fundamental beliefs about themselves.

I don't quite know where to start. So I'll start talking about a line of thought that I have at the moment and hope that this turns out coherent in the end.

The overarching plot felt a bit lackluster, I mean I just finished the book (started it yesterday) and I'm struggling to remember what happened over the entire book. This could be me reading this entire book in about 4 to 5 hours (this is atypical of me, I try to read about 100 pages per day), so all the details have blurred together somewhat and I didn't allow myself to sit with the book as I was reading it. This could be taken as I was so engrossed and intrigued in the book I couldn't help myself but blast through it or I've caught myself in a bit of a reading kick. Regardless, I'm struggling to remember details and considering how I was fine putting the book down when I had about 30 pages left and go to sleep, probably says a lot about my feelings towards this book.

Throughout reading, I caught myself waiting until I was at another part with Kat as the pov. I don't think I was ever too interested in the mother/daughter dynamic and Kat's feelings towards Cleo (feeling like she's failed Cleo, wanting to reconnect but everything she does is wrong, Cleo distancing herself from Kat, etc.) but it was crucial since this is a large part of what drives everything that Kat does. I think I was more intrigued in her job however and just, I'm in awe and if I could figure out a good route to do what she does for a living, I think I would love to do it for a couple years.

Also, the title is absurd. I finished the book and reread the title and I was just gobsmacked I think. This title tells you so much about the book and while there are blatant hints throughout the book, that did make it feel like beating a dead horse (Cleo looks identical to Kat is one that's almost obnoxious with how often it comes up). I for some odd reason, didn't pick up on their frequency as a *hint, hint, nudge, nudge* and was only getting annoyed at how often some details were mentioned throughout the book (I swear Cleo looking like her mom was mentioned at least once every time we flipped to Cleo's pov. I got it, she has her mother's genes, can we get on with the plot?) I do think I'm not meant for mysteries though, since unlike another reviewer I couldn't tell who was the culprit within the first hundred pages. I don't even think that this person is even mentioned within the first hundred pages, now that I'm thinking about it. There is a lot of skirting around Kat's past and honestly, the reveal really fell flat for me. I think it might've been better to have the first introduction be in Kat's pov and then have Cleo find out about it.

Another reason I might've been more attached to Kat's pov is because Cleo's really did read like a lot of short stories. There was a beginning, stuff happened, then it ended at a good spot where I wouldn't mind not reading Cleo's pov again. While Kat's pov always left more questions in the air, a bit of tension hovering in the background within Kat's pov due to how much she has going on (no, seriously it's a lot. Like, I don't know how she's doing it physically in our universe and no wonder Cleo mentions a personality trait of Kat because it's required. Kat literally couldn't do her job or survive without that trait.) but also how clear her priorities are in life. She might seem put together externally but she really is screaming inside her head all the time but I doubt that she even knows she's doing this since she easily neglects herself.

I lost my train of thought but like, the end of the book particularly the romantic relationships that are happening in the book I did not see coming. Also, maybe you can be on good terms with your children but try not to be friends with them? That was a really tiny detail that bugged me the whole time.

This is a book that I'm a bit annoyed with myself about, primarily because I've had it sitting on my tbr for almost a year by now.

I think I happened to read this book at the perfect time for myself because I was spending a lot of time recently thinking about happiness and contentment, so reading this book provided an interesting new perspective on everything for me personally. Also, I might be an odd one out, but I really enjoyed reading Mia's perspective throughout the story. It happened to read relatively close to how I think I might react if I was in her situation, which meant that I was able to gloss over some of the faults more easily since it became more immersive for me.

While the mystery was a bit boring at times, I think what really kept me going throughout this entire book would have to be Eugene. This honestly, is another instance where he happened to remind me a lot of my brother, in his mannerisms but also inability to communicate with the ease that they want to. So I spent a decent chunk of the book intrigued about Eugene and wanting to learn more about him, allowing myself to go with the emotional roller coaster that came with this book.

I think the critique that stuck with me throughout the book was how there were moments where it felt a bit empty, or there were things that was skipped that I would've loved to get as a reader, but I understood why they were skipped for the sake of the book.

Overall, this was a fun read, I can see myself rereading it in the future and absolutely recommending it to others as a potentially fun read for them.

I read this book multiple years too late (not that I would've been able to read it earlier, it didn't exist but still).

I'm really torn about this book. For me right now, it honestly was a meh read. I couldn't easily follow the narrative tone (it felt like it switched character pov multiple times within a chapter), I didn't vibe with how it was written, and I really couldn't get invested into the story no matter how hard I tried. The first third of the book felt like it dragged, and the only part that was really interesting ended quickly and felt rather rushed through. Which was probably the point since it was a high-stakes situation (or as high-stakes as this book gets) and it would be best to get in and get out. It was an exploration, a fantasy slice-of-life, a dive into the world that would've enveloped my younger self and appeal to everything that they wanted out of a story. I think for me right now, this book ended up hovering around 3 to 3.5 stars. (I rated the book 4 stars to meet in the middle with my kid self, I might bump it up to 4.5 stars though.)

If it was my younger self reading this story, it would've easily been a 5 star or pretty dang close to it. It had the magic, it had the immersion, the humor, the characters practically leapt out of the page and felt like you could touch them, talk to them, learn more about them past what made it onto the page. I'm sure if I read this story a couple years ago, I would've been jealous of the cast. I would've loved to live in the magical kingdom and I probably would've thrived in it. It felt like home, a place that I could've had the chance to visit but I never got to. I loved how much of their lives was altered due to a child daring to dream, and dream, and dream. A child wanting a family, and a place of belonging, and a home, and a place of safety so strongly that it's changed everything for the cast. A glimmer of home that was inherently gifted but also carved out of love, home, yearning.

I would've loved this book several years ago, so it feels really bittersweet. I right now am unable to fully appreciate this story because it doesn't appeal to my tastes. But reading it felt like I was getting a treat that I thought I couldn't get because my parent's would've told me no, realized I'm an adult and got it anyways. It was healing, it was indulgent, it was doing that wild thing that I've always secretly wanted to do but never did until I realized I could and gave myself permission to do so.

My kid self loves this book and I worry that I don't indulge them enough in my life. It was nice getting a taste of home, of my childhood, of magic, and everything my life used to consist of. I think this book will hold a spot in my heart because of that. It made me feel like a child again and I miss being a child whose imagination was a blanket of comfort.