Jenn

This is a translated book, and the prose was not what I was expecting. It was very simple and tell not show, which annoyed me at first but I got over. The narrator's internal monologue and reactions are strange and don't seem to meet the moment, but it might be a cultural difference.

This is a cozy little book that is about estranged family relationships, grief, and how we deal with it. It's broken into two parts, the first is more about books and the bookstore, the second focuses more on the relationships.

Pairs well with tea.

I think this is a book you need to be in the mood for to enjoy. I seem to be in that particular mood (curious looking for curiosity?), so I kind of loved it.

I'm pretty sure the main character is on the spectrum and whether or not this is an accurate portrayal of an autistic person's internal monologue, it made me feel so much empathy for her and how difficult society can be when you don't understand the “rules.” And to be fair, a lot of society's rules make absolutely no sense literally anyway.

I see this as is a character study (with some societal critique) and I really enjoy the growth the main character experiences, even in such a confined space of a sub 200 page book taking place primarily in a convenience store.

This was ok. I had a hard time getting into it and there seemed to be a lot of convenient reveals and leaps in characters that were a little out of nowhere. I'll try the next one out though because I still love the author!

4.5. Nearly perfect, it lagged enough in the middle that I put it down for a week, but it fully redeemed itself in the end. This is my first Blake Crouch book and I'll be reading the others. It's a surprising mix of heavy science (no idea how real or accurate it is but it was believable and not eyeroll-y), thriller, and also super emotional with some beautiful writing. It definitely made me think and feel. So good!

Very very slow until the last 25%. The ending was good and I’m excited to jump into the next book which makes me look back on the-almost-dnfed-it 75% with appreciation. Kind of like when you white knuckle a workout and then feel glad you did it only once it’s over.

There was some great character development in Celeana, but every other character seemed flattened to make room. Characters I loved feel like strangers now. The pacing was off too, some really short bursts of excitement and plot movement, followed by several long chapters of something else entirely and not interesting.

It sounds like I hated this book. I didn’t, it just didn’t grab me like the others. Hope the next one picks it up.