Lauren Henderson
Both of these characters were broody and stuck in high school. I did not like them at all. The dialogue was cringey. There were lots of snippets from the past or side plots about other people in each of their current lives that felt pointless. Just didn't like anything.
The MCs are in their mid thirties, so this could have been a good story about growth and finding the right person after so many years.. but all they were doing was going backwards and holding on to past feelings. So yuck. I gagged almost out loud so many times.
This entire story felt like the author going down memory lane for her own sake of telling some secret she needed to get out. I've read other Rowell books, and I think she's mostly a decent author, but this one was just really not good.
This book sucked me in.. and what a relief. I have started (and not finished) so many books in the past few months, so much so I was beginning to wonder if I would ever figure out what I like to read now.
This story was a light whodunit with great pacing. It kept me engaged from page one to the very end. Of course, it was mostly surface level as far as character development but on par with the genre from that perspective.
One thing that really stood out was the author's creative way of incorporating descriptions via showing. I really enjoyed the writing style and look forward to seeing how this series develops!
Look mom!! I finally read an Ann Patchett book.
This was a beautiful story of a woman who could have been famous but chose a quieter life she was immensely happy with. I loved sinking into the feeling of her story as she told it to her daughters in first person through memories. Lots of nuance and musing without sounding forced or preachy and balanced with the “showing” we cant help but hear about as writers.. I feel like that probably takes a lot of skill.
It hurts my soul to have to rate this one two stars. I LOVE The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, so I had high hopes for this one. But unfortunately, I didn't love it.
When Women Were Dragons has some beautifully written scenes.. extremely so, but there are so many themes and allegories and points jam packed in, and they really detract from the story amd come across as preachy (where you can tell the author is trying to “say something” but mostly forcing it and interrupting the story flow).
Someone at my book club said it's like Kelly Barnhill knew she was only going to ever write one adult novel and tried to put everything she wanted to say in it. And that about sums it up..
DNF at 50%, so I'm marking it read. I loved this book at the beginning, but after the spirit came into the story not as much. I kept trying to read it, but the spirit stuff interrupts the whole story and feels forced. So I called it quits. Jesmyn Ward's writing style is beautiful though, so I'm going to try her other books.
This is an excellent resource for dream interpretation with a spiritual/Jungian lens. It's extremely well organized with a lot of information packed in.
A lot of the descriptions lead you on a trail to other related meanings, so I'm usually able to find something I connect with when struggling to understand what the eff I just dreamed about. Spirit guides (subconscious, angels, whatever name you choose) get loud sometimes, and we just need a little help. And this book helps. Can I get an amen?
Thank you Theresa Cheung!
Quick thoughts: I loved the story. Both main characters were very well developed, and the side characters had a lot of depth as well. My only issue is that the line-by-line writing was lazy in a lot of places. For example, using the same descriptive word twice in one sentence, and saying the same thing worded just slightly differently at the beginning of consecutive paragraphs.
Review to come..
Lark Ascending was the September pick for my book club. It's not necessarily a book I would select on my own, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. I loved it! And that's why book clubs are awesome! (I just joined one after years of thinking about it and then letting my social anxiety get the best of me.. 10/10 recommend... the book club, not the social anxiety).
The story has the same general mood as Station Eleven (which I loved). For such a short book, there is intense emotional depth. Short scenes make it bearable though, which I found masterful from a writing perspective. I blazed through and cried and smiled and reflected and worried and sighed with relief. So heartwrenching at times, but so good.
I will definitely read more Silas House.
Kate Morton's books take me to a cozy place reminiscent of curling up with my book as a child with no other care in the world, and I'm always sad for them to end. The language and sentence structure she chooses are soft but strong, whimsical but direct.
But I also find myself skimming a lot because the plot moves so well and I REALLY want to know what happens. It's a double-edged sword, I guess. But one that would make a re-read so worth it.. once you know the plot, you can settle in and soak in every ounce of such fine literary prowess.
This one definitely lived up to my love of Kate Morton and may actually be my favorite.
If you also loved The Secret Garden as a child, please go read all of Kate Morton's books.
This book took forEVER to get going. The first half was pretty boring. But I stuck it out because I thought the story sounded really good (if we ever got to it), and I have liked JoJo Moyes' other historical fiction books. And it was worth it.. the second half was excellent.
I think the biggest issue with the first half was that it didn't switch back and forth between the past story and the present story like you expect from the blurb. So the present day story isn't introduced until (almost) the entire story from the past has been told. Then it switches back and forth. Ellie's (present) story could have been much more dynamic and complete if introduced earlier.
However, the story was very sweet, and I still really liked the plot line - a classic star-crossed lovers trope. But a trope is a trope for a reason, and I'm a sucker for a well done love story. This one was well done in theory... just not in pacing.
Is Literary Thriller a genre? Because that's what this is. Literary themes on humanity/psychology are used all throughout this book without being forced. They include themes and situations I identify heavily with. So sentamentality.. check. Expert writing... check.
I loved this book.
However, I can see why the people who are like “I was promised a thriller!!!!” are upset. Luckily, I just saw this book at the library and picked it up.. and then didn't get on Good Reads to mark it as Currently Reading and accidentally start looking at reviews. And I totally missed the Reese's Book Club sticker on the front. So I guess I accidentally read this for what it is, and it's liberating! (We should all try this.. remember when we were kids and we just read something we wanted to maybe because one friend was reading it or maybe because we saw it, read the book blurb or thought the cover was cute, and wanted to read it? The days.) It's definitely not the same kind of book as other contemporary thrillers. It tiptoes up to the line of some thriller tropes, but doesn't touch the line. And is not even close to crossing the line. Writing like that is fucking expert, if you ask me.
Overall the story is creative and engaging. It switches between time seamlessly, and the pacing is superb. Every part felt purposeful. On a line basis, the sentence structure was short, sometimes with staccatoed phrases. Which I find poetic and relaxing although this is a thriller. I can't imagine it's easy to find that kind of balance in your writing.
5 stars. But not actually because I thought it was perfectly executed. There was one plot point I didn't think was woven in as well as the others, and there was overuse of “as” phrases, which I know has become very popular but it's too passive, especially for fiction and everyday conversation. (This is just my soap box.. I digress.) One of these is my trauma, and the other is so slight that it doesn't detract from how much I. Loved. This. Book. I think I will probably look back on this book as one that I connected with deeply and maybe return to it a few times in my life. At least I hope.. I love those books that are like hugs.
Also, this book dropped some brief (but shocking) history lessons about Guatemala. My mind was blown. So bonus points for teaching us important things in fiction.
Overall, if you're suuuuper into contemporary psychological books, you may have a hard time with comparing and not letting yourself enjoy this one. But if you can go in without expectation and just take it for what it is, I think you would really like it.
(Also, if you want to lament about “as” phrases, I'm ya girl. Holla.)
Loved this book. The dedication is “To all those who have grown old enough to read fairy tales again”. I was immediately hooked. It's a very unique and heartwarming story, and the illustrations (by the author) are fantastic!
(Let's bring back books for grown people with illustrations! You know.. one every few pages.. like Roald Dahl or The Secret Garden.)
This book also made me realize I love stories that use telling vs. showing. In the writer world, it's all about “showing” these days. But telling in the right context is so soothing and nostalgic. This story is an excellent example of “telling” done well!
There are also many nuggets of wisdom throughout this story. I love when an author deliberately weaves in their personal experience and what they have to say to the world, and it's done really well in this story. I feel like I got to know Teresa Agnes just a little bit.
Thanks, Teresa, for sharing your heart.
I got about 75% into this book and then, unfortunately, had to put it down. It just hit a little close to home for me and was causing some mental health issues that I didn't care to push through.
However, I think the writing is superb. And that's why I tried so hard to push through. It's pretty obvious what the book is about from the blurb, so if you don't think it will be triggering for you, I highly recommend reading.
The dynamics of this family are very intricately explained.. you are inside their head. Because of that, it's a telling vs. showing type story, but in this case it works. It moved very quickly at the beginning. You get an in-depth look at a situation, then everything would skip ahead. So you're getting a snapshot of their lives with examples, I guess you could say. When you get to the college years, things slow down a little. I felt like the pacing was slightly off there. Their entire childhood is covered in the first 100-150 pages, then the story stays in their college until around page 300. But that ends with a bang and is worth hanging on if the college years bog you down.
A note: It's written in third person, and there are some jarring uses of the word “our” that threw me for a loop. But I had faith that the author was being purposeful with that... and I was right. So if this type of thing would bother you too, it's also worth hanging on through.
Good shit, Colleen Hoover. Good shit. I LOVED the ending. This whole story was masterfully woven, and the ending just put the bow on top for me.
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(more in depth thoughts)
Several friends have recommended this book to me, and I put off reading it for a long time... basically because I have a chip on my shoulder about domestic psychological thrillers (is that what we call these?). They just got very popular for a while, and it felt like EVERYONE was writing one. So naturally, I didn't read Verity or any of them (hi.. super Aquarius over here).
I have now been humbled and would like to step off my high horse.. because holy everything, I loved this book. The writing is superb. None of the characters are either likable or unlikable. How? CHARACTER DEPTH. THAT IS HOW... and that is what makes this book great!! THANK YOU!! ALL HAIL COLLEEN HOOVER!
The main character (Ashleigh) seems like the hero at first, but as the story goes on I liked her less and less. But not in a I-want-to-stop-reading-this-way. More in a wow-she's-pretty-fucked-up-and-what is-she-actually-thinking-kind-of-way. Same for Jeremy - he seems like the perfect husband, and we start seeing his cracks little by little and start going back and forth wondering what he is capable of. And Verity. What a psycho crazy bitch (maybe?).. because we're even questioning our conviction of that by the end. This story is a slowly unraveling wild ride.
The chapters switching between Ashleigh and Verity's story are so masterfully woven. It's a brilliant choice because it keeps the story moving so well. Usually, when there are two points of view, there is one I prefer over the other. But I looked forward to hearing from the other person every time. And it was also never confusing. I never had to look back to remember what was going on with the character before the last switch. This is no easy feat, but Colleen Hoover made it look easy.
THE ENDING. There is only one other book with an ending I loved as much as this one - and that is 11/22/63. One of those where all the pieces add up and makes so much sense. And just when you thought you knew exactly how it was going to end, the author adds a little sprinkle of detail to blow your mind. I don't care if I like it plot-wise or not - I am not a plot-motivated reader. So that's not the point. The point was that you go through this whole mind fuck (involving the build up and deterioration of each character's motivations) and then a little extra sprinkle of mind fuck to put the cherry on top. I laughed. Out loud. Because it was so amazing. I don't know if it's because I was so engaged in the story that I didn't try to figure out the ending, or if I just didn't see it coming. Either way.. such an excellent choice.
And now I shall proceed to go read more Colleen Hoover books like all of booktok. Aquarius tendencies be damned!!
This grabbed my attention at the beginning because of the light and quirky way Austin is able to talk about heavy mental health topics. By the end, it kind of became monotonous though. I kept reading because I wanted to find out how Grace died.. the revelation was pretty sudden at the end of the story. The pacing was pretty off the whole story and made it hard to stay engaged after about halfway through.
This was on my “Read” list on Goodreads... but I have literally no recollection of finishing it. I've been wracking my brain. And I'm pretty sure I got bored and stopped reading it... which I also don't remember ever decidedly determining I would not finish it. But here we are... I think I just didn't return to it one day, and I have no desire to.
The plot is basically identical to the first book.. just with slightly different circumstances. Not my cup of tea for a series. I want to see the characters grow and have new adventures and stories.. you know, like life.
This was a really really great story. It was quite gut wrenching at times.. mostly because it felt so real. The emotions are so genuine.. everything is so well-connected. It's easy to imagine this happening to myself or a friend. Even though it's something I wouldn't want to go through, it still hooked me. This felt like real life.
