Michelle
this ones tricky for me to review but i'm gonna try my best :
i'm not gonna go into a summary of the book but i'll say this : it's a wild ride with a lot of starts & stops.
the premise of the book is GREAT : dude works at a video store in the 90s, get reports from customers saying there's weird clips on some of the tapes, he tries to figure out where they came from.
the execution of that premise : not as great in my opinion.
i love movies that leave you asking questions & even though i'm giving this a 2.5 (rounded up to a 3) star review, i think this would make a really great movie by A24.
the writing is wonderfully done & it's one of the main reasons why i kept reading at all. the narrative switches from 3rd person to a few random parts where it's in 1st person which is both confusing & also a little jarring. from the first time “I” is used vs names being used, it leaves you with a creepy feeling, wondering who the “I” is. i liked the way the book is sectioned up into different times & for the most part, it does all come together at the end. it leaves you with questions but it does make sense for the most part. i had to read someone else's review to make sure i understood things correctly though lol the author is amazing at creating a vivid picture of the story in your head even if you've never been to the midwest & i love that about this book!
the characters themselves are... interesting. sometimes off putting. you can sense the shift in their emotions after watching the tapes which i found very interesting. it's not written down but you can just feel the change in things. you can feel how they feel when watching the tapes & it makes the reading experience enjoyable.
there really isn't much that happens in this book. there's no huge climax & the ending can seem slightly disappointing but i didn't think even once about not finishing it & i thought about it consistently. if i didn't have a headache the past few days, i would have read it in a day or two!
if you like A24 or have read / watched & liked I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, you'll probably love this book! i wouldn't be surprised if it gets turned into a movie sometime down the road but it seems too unknown for that. at least at the moment
i saw the trailer for movie on Amazon prime & ended up watching it. a half hour into the movie I looked up if it was a book & to my pleasant surprise, it was! when I saw it was a short story I thought “I can just read it before finishing the movie” but I got about 15 pages in & realized I just wanted to finish the movie. After finishing it, i kept reading the book & finished it the following night & it was really cute!
i don't read many short stories but this was a fun one for sure! the characters are interesting even though there isn't much room for really detailed writing, i think there's just enough to set the tone & paint a clear picture of the characters & the little town they're in on their repeating day of august 4th. i can imagine this would be great as an even longer book with more elaborate adventures of finding perfect moments but i gotta say, this just hit the perfect spot for me! i don't think it needed any more than what we got for it to work!
if you're looking for a short story that's cute, fun, a little educational & just overall a good use of an hour... check this out!
wow wow wow wow wow!
i came across this book a few days ago & heard it was a beauty & the beast retelling. since beauty & the beast is my favorite disney movie, i decided to give this a try! i rarely like any books that aren't contemporary & i rarely read any sort of fantasy books unless they're contemporary but this was so fun to read!
you're transported (didn't mean for this to be a pun but i guess it is since the main character is also transported there) from present day Washington DC to another dimension where there's a castle, a beautiful prince with a dark secret & medieval style times.
the main plot is very similar to beauty & the beast : an arrogant prince gets cursed by a beautiful sorceress & can only be saved by true love. the only difference here is that Rhen is cursed with living the same season over & over again as a normal human but at the end of the season (the day before his birthday) he turns into some sort of beast (it changes each time). all that's left is Rhen (the prince) & his guard Grey until Harper is brought to their time by Grey to try & break the curse. but time is limited as this is his last chance!
i throughly enjoyed this book! the characters are charming & fun & exciting! the writing is done well & i like the two different perspectives between Rhen & Harper. the story is still just as enjoyable & it's nice that it's slightly different than the original.
i can't wait to continue reading this trilogy! i'm going to start the second book now & hopefully finish before the 3rd book comes out on the 26th!
the whole thing is very repetitive. i felt like i was constantly reading the same poem over & over that someone gave a classroom & said “rewrite this in your own words.”
i didn't connect emotionally either so i found myself skimming the longer poems. maybe this is good for someone that can relate to everything being written but it wasn't for me.
the whole book is basically someone not being able to move on from an ex over the course of years & so they wrote a couple hundred poems about it in different ways.
the writing style is nice & i like the different lengths of poems & the addition on pictures. the cover is also pretty! those are basically the only reasons i'm giving this 2 stars. sorry.
i came across this book on bookishfirst & i was lucky to win an ARC of if.
while reading the first few chapters, i immediately knew that this was a book for me. growing up, i've always dealt with being a little overweight. doctors have always told me i needed to lose weight & like the main character Ellie, my mother has been making comments about my weight ever since i was around 11 years old.
Ellie has to deal with being bullied at school, called names by her classmates because of a nickname given to her by her own sister. at home, she has to deal with more personal bullies : her brother who seems to have some deep hatred for her “ruining his life”, a sister that sits back & watches it all happen & a mother who's constantly making fatphobic comments, trying to shame Ellie into losing weight, making her go on diets & pushing the idea of weight loss surgery... on a 12 year old.
All the while, her best friend has moved across the country so she feels alone until meeting her new neighbor who makes her feel better about being who she is. with the help of Catalina, her therapist & her father, Ellie is able to overcome some of her fears & trauma. she's able to starfish & not be ashamed of her body!
this is a beautiful story & the way it's written is lovely! the chapters are written in the style of poems with titles for each chapter & it's broken up to look like a poem. i'm not sure if there's a specific word for this style of writing but i thoroughly enjoyed it. i spoke with the author over instagram & she's absolutely lovely! i hope lots of young teens read this one!
Rudy is a wonderful author! I really enjoyed Helium but this one just wasn't for me. BUT i think that's ONLY because i didn't resonate with the topics of divorce & being a person of color. the parts about depression resonated with me & made me feel things just like the rest of his poems that i relate to have done. this was still very enjoyable to read, i just wasn't able to relate to all of it. but for anyone that does, i'm sure it's wonder so it probably deserves more than 4 stars!
thanks to netgalley for the copy!
3.5 • rounded down to 3 since i really just finished it bc i felt like i needed to after reading half of it
I've read a few of Jenns books now & they've all been lovely! i can't say this one was my favorite but it wasn't bad either!
the characters are cute & the storyline is somewhat realistic which makes it an enjoyable read.
i personally didn't identify with any of the characters but it was still a fun read!
I've been hearing about this book everywhere lately so naturally, I made sure to pick it up. I was NOT disappointed at all!
Clara is a socialite that moves across the country to live with her long time childhood crush. She wants a change of pace in her life & to take risk, something she's never done before. So she leaves her life in NY & a big job to live in LA in the hopes of her crush realizing his love for her & starting a life with him. Things don't go as planned. Instead, he ditches her as soon as he picks her up from the airport & drops her off at his house to live with a stranger he met on Craigslist.
Long story short : Clara & Josh (the roommate) are very opposite in their views but there's also something there... a spark! Josh has an interesting job title & Clara is fighting with her fears & trying to come out of her shell. Together, they teach each other a little about their world & soon Clara forms a business proposition that works for both of them.
It's a steamy romance so if you can't handle some smut, this one probably isn't for you. But the plot & the characters are all wonderful! The writing style is easy to read & it's just an overall good book! I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a cute romance with some steamy bits for a little excitement! I wouldn't say it's perfect but I also can't pinpoint a fault. I did find myself skipping over long paragraphs here & there about Claras socialite life that seemed irrelevant but for the most part, it was a fun, interesting read!
I never understood the hype around Milk & Honey. It was fine but I didn't see it as this astounding collection of poetry like it was hyped up to be but this one is deserving of the hype!
Rupi tackles mental health, growth, depression & accepting yourself in a beautiful way.
my personal favorite:
“i'm either romanticizing the past
or i'm busy worrying about the future
it's no wonder
i don't feel alive
i'm not living
in the only moment that's real
- present”
I still can't say that i'm as obsessed with her poetry as a lot of people seem to be but this one was definitely her best work, in my opinion!
The first half of the book was very enjoyable but as someone without kids, who hasn't been married, the rest isn't as relatable for me. I find poetry to be most enjoyable when I can relate to it or feel it. It's all very well written though & I can imagine if you're a mother & a wife, those poems would be just as good as the rest!
I'm not very picky when it comes to books. I'll start something & if it doesn't grab my attention within the first few chapters, I'll usually put it down but when a book can at the very least, keep my attention, I have a hard time rating it badly. Saying that, I still rarely rate books with 5 stars. There's always something that makes me say “it's not perfect so I'll give it 4 stars.” Not with this one...
The characters were extremely relatable & well written. Matt's relationship with his parents. His relationship with his brother Danny. His love for his family even with those issues. Matt's relationship with his friends. His friends themselves. The love of a family away from your blood relatives & the appreciation you have for that family away from your family. Evans relationship with Maggie stuck out to me a lot since I'm very close with my dad as well!
The writing style was never boring. I never found myself skipping over text or boring descriptions of scenes to get to the good parts. Saying that, the scenes were still vividly written & really made you feel like you were there in New York, Mexico & Nebraska. Reading this felt like I was watching a movie & that feeling doesn't come along often for me when reading.
The pacing of the book was wonderful! There were a few times I had suspicions of characters being the killer but then more evidence would be revealed & I'd be off on another theory but the author didn't jump around over & over making you think it was someone. The repetition of “it's this character!” then “no, it's not.” over & over in books like this can be boring but that was never the case. It leaves the guessing up to the reader with subtle clues & hints.
I didn't know who the true killer was until the last 10 or so pages & I think that was wonderful! You're kept guessing the entire time & I was hooked from the very first page! I can't wait to read more of this authors books in the future! I highly recommend it if you enjoy murder mysteries!
I read Starry Eyes last year I think(?) & I really enjoyed it so when I heard about this book, I thought I'd check it out. I started it sometime around when it first came out & read the first chapter but didn't get really into it until a few days ago when looking for something chill to read.
This is basically a romance with a little mystery thrown in & I really enjoyed it! I didn't enjoy it as much as Starry Eyes but it was cute & the characters were fun! Plus, it's set in Seattle so it's right up my alley seeing as I live in the Seattle area! It was fun reading about places I actually have been to & know fairly well. I thought the author described the city really well other than the fact that she left out the terrible traffic & extremely busy city, especially downtown where a lot of the story is set.
Overall I enjoyed it! If you're looking for a chill, quick read, pick this up! But I'd definitely recommend Starry Eyes before this one.
This one took me a while. I came across it in 2018 at Dollar Tree & picked it up. Started it that night & got about 50 pages in before forgetting about it. Maybe I moved on to another book. Fast forward to 2020, I heard about the movie based on the book that was coming out soon & decided I'd pick it up sometime before watching the movie. I read some other stuff & finished a couple darker books & decided it was time to just finish it. So I did!
I'd like to give it a 3.5 star rating but that's not possible so I'm gonna have to round down with this one. It was a good read for me but nothing fantastic by any means.
There's some really beautiful pieces of writing in this book. I definitely think I'll find myself bookmarking them & coming back to them later. I enjoyed the story & the way that it wasn't your run of the mill ending. It was real & a little tough to read sometimes if you've ever dealt with similar situations to either Grace or Henry.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • not sure why i didn't rate this when i read it but here goes (6 months later) •
well, i've found that people either hate this book or they love it. i'm definitely leaning towards the latter!
so let's get the obvious out of the way : i got serious twilight vibes. human girl gets thrown into a school with a bunch of monsters she never knew were real. there's a vampire she's drawn to & a dragon that's gotta crush on her that she just wants to be friends with. for me, that was kinda where it ended.
the characters are fun! the different types of students are vampires, werewolves, dragons & witches. other than that, they're super relatable! everyone's in their own clique & thinks the most interesting thing is the new girl aka Grace. it's fun learning about them along the way since the writing is done to where a lot is a mystery when it comes to who's good & who's bad. you can really start to feel the difference in each type of paranormal. the vampires feel dark & brooding. the dragons feel fun & mysterious. the werewolves see scary & reckless. the witches feel unique & colorful.
i was going to say it almost felt like two books with how the first half is Grace learning all these new things & almost dying a few times & then things change & a whole other plot like opens up but i wouldn't say that's a bad thing at all. the story flows really well & it feels natural & you really feel like you're there with her.
if you liked twilight or like fantasy books along that line : check this one out! maybe you'll really like it like i did! it nowhere near groundbreaking writing or super original plot wise but it's a fun read & i liked it enough to continue the series!
oh & there's quite a few harry styles references so that definitely helps!
This is definitely just your average contemporary romance but I found it pretty enjoyable since I was able to connect with Pennys quirkinesses. I found myself skipping over parts about school or Pennys story for class just because it didn't seem important & I was more interested in her relationship with Sam (& Jude / Mallory) but it was good for the most part!
I'd definitely recommend this to someone looking for a chill, easy romance! It was a really quick read for me & I'll definitely be checking out more by this author when I want something quick & easy!
Just as good as The Raven Cycle? I didn't think so at first. I started it last year & barely got 100 pages in before moving on to something else. I think at the time I was just a little burnt out from the whole TRC universe since I had just finished reading the series. I picked it back up a few days ago & found myself hooked again. The beginning is really slow & can be a little confusing with all the new characters but once you understand it & can figure out what's really going on, it gets just as good as any of TRC books! I really really enjoyed this & can't wait for the next book in the series. I really enjoyed seeing things from Ronan & Declans perspectives as well as a little more into Matthews life. I found all of the new characters to be really interesting & enjoyable (even the bad guys). I also like the little bits where Gansey, Adam & Blue were thrown in. I hope to see a big reunion at some point in the Dreamers trilogy though, just one last time!
This is the second “closed-room” mystery I've read. The first being The Westing Game, which I read in middle school & loved. This was very similar in style, just much more mature & intense. I enjoyed it a lot! The characters were a little confusing to keep up with at the beginning since there were so many at once but it was fairly easy to understand who was who about halfway through the book. I liked the sneak peek at someone being alive at the end by the first chapter being a “Now” chapter & I like how it tied it all together in the end but didn't give anything away!
I don't wanna say anything about the book or give anything away so I'll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first half as it was descriptive & almost poetic at certain parts. The second half was... interesting. I thought I was going to really enjoy it all but I ended up being very confused. I will say, it made me feel scared & I really couldn't pinpoint why so that was true! I might come back & change it to a 4 star rating but I just don't know how to feel right now. It's definitely a book that makes you feel things though & I think that's wonderful!
The description for this book really pulled me in. The ideas of two (somewhat) strangers trapped in a library, possibly learning to like each other? sounds cool! The first half was really good, I really enjoyed their time locked in the library & they're both lovable characters but I found myself annoyed by her other friends & Jeff. They seemed to mean well but it just felt like filler whenever I read about them. I loved the concept & it was a cute story but I wish there was more detail about the two main characters. I wish we could delve more into Dax's characters & his home life as well as Autums relationship with her brother since they seem to be really close. It would have been nice to hear more about what happens with Daxs mother & how he handles being in a relationship. Overall, pretty good! I recommended it for an easy, quick read to a friend!
what an amazing end to a wonderful series!
i read through this whole series in about a month & i absolutely adored it. the first book grabbed my attention & i loved it! the second was a fun read with new & exciting ways to add to the supernatural world. (i mean DREAM THIEVES? that's so cool!) the third almost felt like a filler book but it was enjoyable enough. i was a little worried after reading that third book that the final would be disappointing but i was very pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case at all!
i can't decide if this one or the first are my favorite in the series! i love all the characters so very much & i'm so sad to have their story ending (other than Ronan bc of the spin-off series) but what an ending! it's so fun, so exciting & i just loved it so much! it definitely leaves you wondering a few things & you kinda just sit there in shock at the end but it's so good & i'm so glad i read this series!
i just wish there was a spin-off series based around Gansey now too
This book is so funny! I started reading it around midnight before bed & had to get up & go read the first chapter to my mom because it was so funny. Then I found that it was actually really relatable & hilarious! She talks about owning pets, dealing with depression & crazy stories from her childhood all with little comics that really add to the experience of reading these stories. I absolutely loved this book & can't wait to read more of her work!
This might be my least favorite of the series so far but that's not to say it wasn't good! I just felt like the first book was really focused on teaching us about the characters while focusing on Noah's character. The second book was mainly focused on Ronan's character but this third books didn't seem to be focused on any specific character & sort of jumped around in the process. Which could be a good thing but I found it less interesting for some reason. Or maybe the plot just wasn't as attention grabbing? I'm not sure but I didn't hate it! It just felt more like a filler book.
I really enjoyed the plot of this! The concept of the dream thieves was really cool & I really enjoyed how the book was sort of focused on two other characters with the lives of the rest of the characters as kind of the background this time. It was nice to learn more about Ronan & Adam since The Raven Boys was mostly about Gansey & Blue. When I think of these books, I think of TV shows like supernatural where the main characters are focused on a main goal (to find Glendower) but they deal with other issues along the way that make the story feel more interesting & relatable. I'm excited to read Call Down The Hawk after finishing this series!
I LOVED this book! I started it early in the morning before bed (around 1am) & spent the entirety of the day (after I'd woken up at a reasonable time) reading it. I love the characters! I love the plot! I love the banter! I love the setting & the way Maggie describes everything so vividly! I haven't been hooked on a book like this in a long time & I haven't wanted to read a series like this since I read Twilight in middle school. I can't wait to read more!