Giuli

Good evening\n\nI was thinking about what to write about this book\nI won't get into much detail because if you want to find an angry review, you will easily\n\nSeriously, WTF HOW DOES THIS HAVE 4.33 STARS?!?\n\nI'm trying to calm myself down thinking those ratings are older than 5 years old because 2021 people, please\n\nIf you identify as a woman, have ANY respect for yourself or other women, specially people (in general) physically harmed in their lives, GO AWAY, SKIP THIS ONE\n\nthis was the first book by this author that I read in five years, and I just remembered why I stopped in the first place\nAnd looking back I just feel like Colleen was holding back her wish to write mystery and suspense before Layla and Verity - like she was putting every single element of the genre that she could into romance novels before she wrote those, because I can't think of other romances that I've read that have the same amount of plot twists, like dear god\n\n Also, I feel like for you to accept the ending of this book, you have to be a very forgiving person, and I don't mean just as a reader - if any of what happens to Fallon happened to me, I don't think I would EVER forgive the lie (and I don't mean the fire, I mean THE LIE/OMISSION)

First read (2016): 5 + favorite\nSecond read (2021): 4.5\n\nRegarding the story, this book is still pretty good. Medium-paced, enjoyable and feels-like-a-pioneer to the videogame book world. However, some dialogues didn't age well. They were not seen as deep-rooted prejudice/misoginy when I first read this book, because the discussions on ““things that you don't mean to sound bad, but do sound bad”” (unintentional prejudice) wasn't around - at least in my country - and speech consciousness wasn't discussed. Even my younger self passed by them notionless. Considering this book is plot-driven and we don't get much of a deeper insight of Wade's mind, the dialogues said by him look like, and by the context, are probably unintentional/speech mistakes (we'll never know 100%), which is fine, we're all learning. But they did stood out to me and I was, well, disappointed. It took a little bit of the good feeling and lost its favorite badge, but I can't lie and not recognize that this book marked me as a reader, brought me good things and joy - though I don't think I will recommend it further.\n\nThankfully, the newly (to me, cause I'm late to the game) found out weird porn-loving gamer personality of the author doesn't leak through the book, but unfortunately, he won't earn any more places in my shelves. I personally don't think it deeply affected this story for me, but it can be disgusting to other people so be aware if you want to read it. Trust me, the journey is worth it, sometimes the builders of the road are a bit broken, but it doesn't mean that the road doesn't work. Anyway, I'll just ignore him cause he doesn't look like the kind easy to fix. \n\nIf you, reader, still want to read this book, just be aware, don't further these misconceptions any further and please reflect and discuss on the topics <3

RATING: 4.5 (but also 5! why not? this book is a gem)\n\nI read this book reading the two versions in parallel. First, I read the uncensored, then I read the ““censored””, which I would call “revised version”: AND I RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE DOES THIS!!\n\nThis is one of the best classics I've ever read, one of the most timeless classics, the discussion is still extremely up to date without being moralistic, which is impeccable. Oscar Wilde is also one of the best writers I've come across, with beautiful phrases (seriously, I used so many post it flags), paradoxes that make perfect sense and many painful truths that you accept because they are true. For those afraid to read classics: this book is a great starting point, the writing is simple, even though the book is from the 19th century.\n\nABOUT THE SPECIFIC VERSIONS\n(There are no spoilers, but there are detailed comments, if you want to read the book 100% without knowing what's going on, the review ends here)\n\nAbout the uncensored version: this was my favorite version, but not because there is content that has been deleted, but precisely because there is hidden content, which make this version better by not displaying everything firsthand. Oscar doesn't direct your thoughts to a place, turning the protagonist into a victim of his time, which I think is exactly what happens when we discuss the subject of beauty.\n\n Still, the character seems to regret it much faster, and the structure makes more sense, because we follow Dorian all the time. My only complaint, which can be overlooked, meaning it doesn't affect the quality of the book, is that I got lost a lot with the passage of time, but this may have been intentional because the character doesn't age. The rhythm is awkward, accumulating the best happenings at the end, but acceptable as it seems to reinforce Dorian's superficiality in a theatrical structure. \n\nAbout the censored version: I would call this version revised because it only adds text and rewrites three sentences throughout the book.\n\n This version has a change of point of view, which seems undocked (literally the only chapter of the censored version that could be erased). There is a more frequent presence of the character Harry, making Dorian look even more influenced, as the author intended. \n\nHowever, Dorian also appears to be meaner in this version, because there are more events that make him demonstrate his true nature. The “victim of his time” completely fades, and some things seem to happen for much more superficial reasons. \nI liked it, but I think not as much as the first one.\n\nOne of the best books of the year, wow!

RATING: 3.5\n\nSaga is cool. I started volume 1 out of curiosity, because I heard a lot of people say good things about it.\n\nIn reality, for an “adult” comic, it's great! Usually, I don't like adult comics, maybe because I find some situations weird when they're presented graphically.\n\nI didn't love it, I liked it, but I also don't intend to continue because it's them running away and being chased for I don't know how many volumes?\n\nI'm also not very fond of the incessant repetition of the +18 scenes (violence and sex). But I thought it was cool to read the first volume to get to know the universe and characters. It is well written and very well drawn. I'm just not a fan of comic series, I prefer the stand alones haha.

perfectly imperfect like the women in the book! <3\n\nRATING: 5\n\nWHAT DID THIS BOOK DO TO ME my god??\n\nREAD IT, PLEASE! IT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT! It has LGBTQIA+ Black women on leading roles, as well as important discussions about religion and family!\n\nThis collection of short stories reminded me of my love for short story collections. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SHORT STORIES, GIVE THIS A CHANCE! Usually you start a collection already expecting the not so cool short stories in the middle, but it's impossible not to fall in love with all the women in this book.\n\nBooktuber Noelle Gallagher's description that “a collection of short stories is like peaking people's lives on the street” is just perfect. And I don't know if it's because I live in a very religious country, but I felt like I knew these women, and even if I wouldn't do everything they did, I understood them!\n\nIn addition to the author's impeccable writing, that makes you immerse yourself in the moment, the choice of words is simply mindblowing. She doesn't need to deliver a complex speech to make an impact.\n\nOther than that, the book has so much representation, in so many ways, that it left me with an extremely warm and full heart. Voices that aren't heard often, that should be heard are the protagonists of this book! And I just want more and more! This collection could be kilometric! And the feminism in this book, which leaves its mark without presenting itself politically... I loved it.\n\nHere I leave my honorable mentions:\n -the audiobook available on Scribd, narrated by the impeccable narrator Janina Edwards, which brought another dimension to the story!\n -my favorite short story “How to make love to a physicist” <3\n -the short stories “Peach Cobbler” and “Instructions for Married Christian Husbands”, which slap the hypocrisy of this social circle in the face.

RATING: 4.5\n\nThis book was more than I had ever expected, and I expected a lot\n\nWOW, just wow\n\nSabaa, you have a gift, talent and effort that pays off every second.\n\nThis book was much better than the first one, even though both are incredible. But what I mean by that is that usually we don't expect much from second books in series, but this one was spectacular!\n\nThe only reason I felt the need to give it a 4.5 out of 5, was the fact that I did feel the pace was a little bit off. This one took me more time to focus at the beginning and to carry on forward after a few things happened that separated the main characters.\n\nI must said that the addition of Helene's POV was INCREDIBLE. I love Laia, but Hel would win the fight between them. All of the new circles we got access to because of Helene made the story much more interesting and I must confess that a few times I wanted to keep moving along with her instead of Laia and Elias. That's the main reason why I felt the pace was a bit off. But in the end, this was inverted a bit so I expect something from Laia and Elias in book 3.\n\nI hate a few characters in this book, but because they are complex and supposed to be hated. Which means that, in fact, they're all perfect. If Elias was divine, in this book he becomes a God. I can't even descobre how big of a heart he has, his conversations in the afterlife realm were just, wow.\n\nLaia is still a strong main character but I felt like she was left behind in this book. But this was still so incredible, the mystery of her power was still very good.\n\nCan't wait for book 3!

RATING: 4\n\nAm I happy that this book exists? Yes, for sure!\n\nI won't be extreme and say that I have never read a romance with so much representation, BUT this one is definitely on top 3. All of the characters are amazing, extremely well written, you care for them and you know their mistakes are mistakes that are okay to be made. I just can't <3\n\nI have seen many readers disappointed by the fact that Stella‘s autism is treated in a superficial way, and while I do agree, I think that the author's will was literally to do that, to not make it such a huge thing! The Author's Note at the end clarifies it and literally makes me cry, because I am so happy she did so! I do know that we are in a period where books about autism and with autistic characters are rare to be found, and every single one of them should try to bring consciousness, but I still think Helen has done a great job and completed the task! I'm not part of Helen's community, but if she feels represented, that's already a long step taken forward!\n\nI loved reading from Stella's perspective and getting to know her point of view, even if it was just a glimpse. I know there are many more layers to be explored, and I am willing to discover them, especially after all reading that Helen herself had no clue that she is autistic and it made me wonder how many people around me don't know that! (I personally have hEDS, and while I know it doesn't compare to autism, because it is a physical condition, it's also a very misdiagnosed and undiagnosed condition, so I felt really empathetic by that)\n\nLiterally, the only thing that made my grade go a little bit down - AND IT SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN AS A REASON TO NOT READ THIS BOOK! - was the fact that I felt like the author had many opportunities to solve situations without the typical clichés while also discussing a little bit more about the autistic perspective (in a not-negative way for Stella)\n\nRestraining myself from giving spoilers, because I think this review needs to be open, for example the ending was written based off of such typical situations that happen, that the last 15% were really repetitive and they were an AMAZING place to discuss more about the autistic perspective and point of view - even if the objective was to normalize it, it felt off here.\n\nPLEASE READ THIS BOOK, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT! AND IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY!

RATING: 4.5\n\nI can with certainty say that I am completely in love with this book, this is one of my best books of the year and I certainly consider it in my top 3 favorite classics.\n\nEmily Brontë has a writing style that makes you do not want to put the book down, she finds the right words to make you lose patience slowly and gradually over a character, which is more difficult than making you love them.\n\nAs a friend of mine said, this book is proof that you don't have to love the characters in a book to love the book! And really, I went through hate, anger, I wanted to blow everyone up, but they were all extremely complex, well written and - due to their cruel natures - strangely real.\n\nI don't know how to convince anyone to read this book, but I will always ask them to read it. It provokes in your mind an essay on hatred, envy, possessiveness, selfishness and the nature of man. Worth every minute of reading.\n\nAnd if you don't love to hate like I did, but hate to hate, DNF it! Don't be angry for nothing! But if you decide to climb the heights with me, I hope that if the tomato you throw in Heathcliff's face, hits him right in the middle of the forehead!

NOTA: 4.5 /5\n\nO conto de Wesley é impecável, uma das escritas mais belas que já vi e um dispositivo metafórico incrível que aprofunda e ao mesmo tempo confere leveza ao enredo e assunto pesados.\n\nMinha única questão com o conto foram uma falta de empatia com a avó, mesmo depois de tudo que aconteceu e ela se arrependendo, não consegui sentir por ela algo piedoso ou empático por causa de suas atitudes, acho que no início foram pesadas a um ponto traumático pessoal meu. Isso infelizmente deixou um pequeno salto no final do conto pra mim, o que me fez pensar se não seria melhor ele ter algumas páginas a mais para desenvolver isso.\n\nMas vale a pena a leitura, sem sombra de dúvida, a metáfora das memórias serem sombras me deixou completamente doida de tão bela e me deixou refletindo e teorizando por horas! Não quero que certas memórias se tornem sombras ):\n\nMaravilhoso, já quero mais dessa linda escrita!\n

PASSEI MAAAAAAAAL\n\nGente o que rolou esse livro é tudo??!????? sou completamente apaixonada por Peter Pan e essa história me fez eu me apaixonar mais?!???\n\nprimeiramente 10 pra tudo relacionado à representatividade, Nova Eldorado é tudo pra mim\n\nsegundo: TODES US PERSONAGENS SÃO INTERESSANTES EU QUERIA UM SPIN OFF DE CADA UM\n\ngente o poder do Julian eu to passada eu amei amei amei amei amei\n\neu não sei o que falar só surtar, leiam esse livro\neu AMEI que eu dei uma chance apesar de a amazon ter vendido como mistério (e eu odeio mistério policial)

RATING: 2.5\nTW: sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, drugs, mental illness, pedophilia, emotional abuse, physical assault, exploitation\n\nso um... I thought a lot about what I'd say or how I'd review this book... it took me way too long to finish and it had nothing to do with my bad history with thrillers, because this is not a thriller\n\nbasically, I think it's a good and important story, well thought out, truthful and some characters are very well portrayed, but overall it's messy\n\nits structure is confusing from middle to end, there are too many unimportant characters that leave you lost, enchanted is told to be mature but shown as the childishiest girl, I couldn't (simply couldn't) root for her or care for her at the beginning, and at the end I HATED the back and forth with the mental illness thing\nI felt like I was reading a childish romance at first and idk, I know Korey was well portrayed as an abuser, I felt the hate, but I just couldn't connect with the main character\nalso many situations seemed rushed and badly explained, I still am not sure if Enchanted killed him or not but I guess she did\n\nalso why are people calling the mystery solve a twist, I saw it coming from a mile away\n\nI can't say I had high expectations because I didn't, I'll recommend it but not too much due to TW and to bad structure (not writing)

RATING: 5\n\nI just re-read this book after 8 years and oh my god now I know why this book made me into a bookworm\n\nFor some dumb reason my young self thought this book was okay but after reading many many distopian novels and fantasies throughout the years, this is the OG SH*T IT'S INCREDIBLE \n\nI will never understand how this is YA, cause the social issues and the description of hunger were hard to read, but also very true to the time we're living in\n\nSUZANNE COLLINS YOU GOT YOURSELF A CLASSIC I'm so glad I got to read this book when it first came out and fall in love with it with everyone else and now my dumb self has just favorited it and turned it into a must read for everyone\n\nUgh I just can't, I'm not thinking properly\n\nAlso, Tatiana Maslany, WHAT WAS THAT AUDIOBOOK GIRL YOU KILLED IT

RATING: 4.5\n\nI don't think I have much to say, it does what it proposes and it is extremely necessary. A sentence that expresses the idea behind it is ““Feminism has always, and must always, involve educating women about their own bodies.”\n\nThere's a very clear notion too, that sexual misinformation is widespread, when censoring only the vulva/vagina but not the penis. And the author discusses how this censorship of the vagina affects EVERYONE, not just the people who have one.\n\nThe writing style may bother some people, who might expect it to be a little more fluid, and perhaps some kind of essayistic reading, when in fact the book has a more talkative/educational tone. The writing is extremely didactic, but this is a good thing in my opinion, because all the information is very clear. Also, the structure of the book, presenting subtopics related to the bigger theme (the vagina) is very good to have a break and a general sense of how the matter will be handled.\n\nWhat might shock some people that have been having trouble when it comes to discussing vaginas and feminism, specially amongst the recent gender discussions: this book links feminism (which fights for a more equal society) to empowerment and knowledge of the vagina, BUT IS LGBTQIA+ friendly. It is important to say that it is extremely difficult to read, there were chapters that I had to stop and breathe, take a while - and that impact comes specially if you are part of the group of people who menstruate. But it is precisely because of this fidelity to reality that it becomes a very important book, which perhaps expresses things for us, that we want to say but cannot explain.\n\nMy rating literally isn't 5 just because I would like the author to do more subdivisions and talk about more issues related to pre-adolescence and the young adult group - which is the range I am in.\n\nI'll ask everyone to read this book.

RATING: none\n\nCW: drugs, suicide attempt, domestic violence, domestic abuse, moral assault, bullying, violence, death of a parent, internalized transphobia, homophobia\n\nI won't rate this book, due to events coming into the public eye about the author, relating to abuse committed by her against her ex-partner.\n\nI'm glad I read this book, even though I unfortunately found out the author's an abuser too after reading it. That is because the brings out a lot of very important discussions and risks of a failed support system to a trans child/adolescent that I haven't still come across yet, but it's tough to look back at the story and evaluate it when violence is so explicit in the book and the author has charges pressed against her for something similar. Also, it's important to point out: this book was advertised in the wrong way. This is more a drama than a romance.\n\nI don't promote cancel culture, so I chose to write this review in order to display information for those interest and leave you to your research and choices (just like I made my own). If you're interested in knowing more, go to a trustful source. I do not support any kind of violence, abuse or phobia.

RATING: 4.5\n\nCW: suicide, explicit description of injuries, war and claustrophobia/drowning\n\nWhen I started reading this book, I was finding it extremely similar to Dark Matter, written by the same author (a book that I almost dnf).\n\nIn fact, the elements of these books are COMPLETELY the same, the whole structural basis of the stories only changes the names, because the relationships, the motivations and the characters are practically the same, but the development of this book is much better than Dark Matter's. To sum it up, Dark Matter is a “police novel”, and Recursion is a true sci-fi (a beginner sci-fi, but a sci-fi!).\n\nThis book really blows your MIND, turns the world upside down and gives that existential angst, that feeling that there is NO way out, that all good science fictions bring.\n\nI don't want to be comparing this book with another one by the author, but really the protagonist of this one draws much more attention, Barry is much more sympathetic than I expected and ouch, my heart ached more for him every new chapter. The issue supposed to be solved is very chaotic, spot on sci-di, and in addition, it is a realistic thing that is taken to the extreme to show how the human race has a thirst for power. Unlike Dark Matter, in which the environment seems to be much more fantastic and hypothetical (I would even classify it as scientific fantasy), Recursion really hits you in the stomach and leaves you extremely distressed by what may come next in our own lives.\n\nStructurally, the book doesn't stop for a second! For some reason, the division in (sub)”books” worked very well - something I do not like in all books, I was even a little worried when I realized when I started reading, but it was as if I had read an 800-page book in just 300 pages.\n\nFinally, after wearing out our brains and disturbing us with existential crises regarding our lives, Recursion finishes with the simplest solution, that has never crossed your mind.\n\nThe rating is not 5, JUST because the book is still a perfect copy in a matter of elements of Dark Matter - the fact that the author followed a formula is clear and I, personally, as a person who detests police novels (known for using formulas), was very irritated by this and I would rather not have read Dark Matter to be able to give this one a 5.

RATING: 3\n\nGreat world building, bad character development\n\nLiterally every single aspect the characters learned/changed about themselves was sudden or abrupt, I felt it was unnatural\n\nThis is not a bad book, it's great, I had a great time, but the story starts at 50% and the solution is very simple and quick\nPlus the amount of plot twists in got tiring, the explanation for same thing changes 3 times?\nIf the first half was turned into 25%, the second half was turned into the rest of the book with more plot complexity it would be gold\nBut truly a great start for a debut novel\nEXPECTING MORE from now on BECAUSE THIS WORLD WAS VERY WELL BUILT, it just needed a more complex plot (I felt like this plot was a seed)\n\nAnyway, Kamai is lovely but she doesn't seem as strong as the author wants us to believe she is\nAnd her asexuality? Spot on when it comes to the representation, thought it could've been better connected with the world and the plot, and VERY vague/shallow in character development, explanation and self discovery (I talked to an asexual friend before expressing this opinion and sure everyone's self discoveries are different, but I didn't feel the confusing she was talking about. I was just being told she was disgusted and confused, but in all of the scenes we were supposed to notice that, I didn't?)\n\nLast but not least, I was very confused and taken aback by the whole Nikha situation, because of the way Kamai referred to Nikha even after they talked? This could've been more developed in order to avoid misunderstandings

Let's be real honest here\n\nthis book is completely unnecessary to the series, Cassandra why the hell did you think writing a cycle story would do for this? THE ENDING IS THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK AND NOTHING CHANGES\n\nplease, allow me:\n“I wish you had come to this conclusion a fortnight ago, Benedict, and saved us all this trouble.” - Consul Wayland\n\nme too consul\n\nliterally every necessary plot (which sums up to max 200 pages) in this book could've been thrown to Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Princess, if they were a little bit longer\n\nI don't think I've ever read such an unnecessary 2nd installment in my life\n\nsorry but not sorry, here's to clockwork princess, hope it's better

It feels weird for me to say much about this book, because I'm not part of the main target audience, even though it was not limited to children, so I'm gonna try to explain my issue while acknowledging the message and impact\n\nI just didn't have a good experience with it, I don't think it's for me, the writing style made it superficial to me, and obnoxious at times due to some disconnected topics that seemed already solved, and were being brought back by the writer “just cause”\n\nI felt like I was reading a speech (less arguments, more affirmative sentences) instead of a dissertation (arguments and reflections) when he comes to the message behind the story - and I know it's a fable but in 200 pages it didn't get close to the profoundness of the fables I grew up on (that were 25 pages long)\n\nsome things were not as well executed as I am used to when reading children's literature\nthe protagonist seems appealing to children, but for me she should've been a little bit less naïve and innocent, because her innocence was so extreme to the point that made her look dumb, even though I knew she wasn't (she was better than the other animals)\n\nthis just seemed like content for a short story instead of a book, even though it's not a long novel, it began to extend useless things and not get to the point, which left me extremely annoyed and jumping repetitive and disconnected paragraphs at the end\n\nNonetheless, I recommend this book, especially to children, but I do think this book should be read until a certain age, or else it can be conflicted with the need for arguments

raw and necessary! trigger warning list down below\n\nthe book is VERY heavy and has a lot of trigger warnings (SERIOUSLY, don't read if explicit violence, homophobia, suicide and war trauma are too much for you)\n\nit's very strange to say this book talks about our time, but it's amazing how up-to-date a story from the 1920s is\n\nmany people can call me crazy for that, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the situations close to the war that we are living in 2020/2021 (literally a decade after the war portrayed in the book), and how the feelings repeat themselves\nit made me understand a lot about the time in which I live\n[btw: thank you health care workers!]\n\nI have no issues with the book, maybe I would argue that the last chapter was not necessary, but the last sentence of the book justified it and brought more war scars\n\nI freaked out in the first chapter because of a hotel room my god, it already proves that the author's writing keeps you interested\n\nthe book's structure is what prevents the narrative from being boring (I didn't feel that at all, but I thought that if it weren't for the alternation between past and present, some fillers would exist)\nthe characters are absolutely incredible, and every time something happened to them, my heart ached more\n\nthe best boyne book i've read so far, devoured in a few days, good writing that keeps you reading

the message: great, so so sweet, no toxic relationships beginning (only ending) which is good and lovable characters \n\nthe execution: horrible, characters are caricatures (felt like I was reading a book inspired by old spice, where everyone was ripped, which left me distant from the story), also felt like the writing was too 12yo fanfic writer (been there, done that - too descriptive, not much information besides what's happening physically with characters, thoughts were pure emphasis of obvious situations)\n\nstill, a great read, but nothing new, it's that old “let me get my mind off things” book you read in one sitting

what a great way to kick off 2021 reading\n\nthis book is literally a mental letter I wrote to my NOW best friend years ago haha I feel weird, but represented.\n\nso so sweet, she needs to read this\n\nsend this one to your friendly loves of your lives!!

RATING 1.5\n\nI was extremely disappointed with this one\nI like V.E. Schwab and I have many of her books on my shelves (ones that I liked and gave more than 3 stars)\nAnd I just don't know what happened\nI was hyped AF with the fact that it took her 10 years to write this, that it resembled Faust (I love Faust) and it she somehow blew it?\n\nThis book maybe could've worked better if it was, for starters, shorter, I legit DRAGGED this reading, I almost abandoned it so many times and I rarely DNF a book (haven't in 5 years)\nBut I just kept going bc definitely had a FOMO and literally everyone I know that read it loved it and has it as one of their favorites\nAnd I started to question myself, do my reader friends have a basic taste (because this became that, Addie apparently had an incredible life but we never get to see that) or am I too rough?\nNEITHER, and it's OKAY TO NOT LIKE A BOOK\n\nThe pacing was hella off for me \nThere were a LOT of CHUNKS of nothingness\nA lot of things were just being told, told and told and it seemed to repetitive for me? I don't know, but I felt like going in circles (a date after the other, sex, misery and new place) and I legit had to force myself to sit down and listen to it, because I just didn't miss the world when I wasn't reading it\n\nI also didn't feel that connected, I wasn't rooting for the characters as much as I thought I would\n\nIt's been 10 days I finished it and some parts have already slipped away\n\nI know I would feel in my heart if that was a 5 stars and not there for me\n\nEven though the audiobook is EVERYTHING, it doesn't salvage the story\nThe FOMO around this book and the hype is just weird, because even though it's different when it comes to writing style (a positive point for Schwab btw), I've seen it before\n\nI just can't bring myself to give this more stars because even though I can see the craft and good writing behind it, it is VERY cinematographic (in a good way, but) to the point where it's unimaginable that it intends to be shown on screen\nIf you want to SHOW that on screen, in an upcoming movie, why would you only TELL addie's adventures when she has already gone through them?\n\nGuess it's another hype train I didn't hop onto\nAnd it's okay, and I'm saying this because I feel like a lot of people aren't confessing they didn't enjoy it as much just cause of the FOMO)\n\nAnd I am SO sorry about this last sentence but, how does this book seem forgettable (in a few months) when it intends to be the complete opposite?

4.5 in fact, and only because I wasn't physically shocked by anything but dear god no flaws!

Destruiu o meu coração, minhas entranhas, e me deu vida ao mesmo tempo\nEu me vi no livro, em tantos relacionamentos, e não só amorosos, vale muito a pena, Sally escreve como se tivesse captado os gestos mais minuciosos e humanos possíveis\n\n“Ele olhou o fundo do copo.” Essa frase ficou marcada pra mim, por expressar tanta coisa, num gesto tão simples (além de ser extremamente cinematográfico, encontra ações que expressam sentimentos e não são correlatas)\n\nDefinitivamente não é um romance romântico e muito menos leve... ele é real, apenas\n\nai perfeição

One of the weirdest books I've ever read?!? And I loved it!\n\nIt was actually a 4.5 because I found the characters' introduction a bit confusing\nHowever, I started this book knowing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about it and lemme tell you, what an experience! If someone came up to me and recommended, I'd doubt I'd ever like a book about a hostage drama\nI'm one of those people who just can't get involved in a regular crime/police drama and this one is waaaaay simpler than other ones but so much more intriguing?!? I don't know, it worked wonders for me\nI do attribute this to the non-chronological narrative, which led me from being annoyed by the characters to completely loving them at the end - which probably wouldn't happen and wouldn't have the same impact if told in order \nAlso, Marin Ireland's narration on the audiobook is PERFECT? I highly highly highly recommend listening to it instead of reading due to many nuances only achieved by audio\nSO WHOLESOME AND PERSONAL\nI, as someone who suffers from anxiety, truly needed this\nTHANK YOU FREDRIK