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First of all I didn't buy most of this. Second of all, this is a romance? Really? When does the romance happen? Wyn is just kinda there the whole time. Third of all, Sabrina is the worst friend, but don't worry she remembers Harriet doesn't like to be touched by strangers so it's okay. Fourth of all, maybe I just don't like Emily Henry's books.
I read Of Boys and Men in advance of attending a keynote speech by Reeves (for work). I'm really glad that there is an increasing interest in addressing issues faced by men — I don't think that it's helpful to assume that because a group has historically held more power, opportunities, etc that they don't also deserve and need support. Especially because we know that they do. Just look at the data regarding deaths of despair, education, and violence to start. We can't put it on individuals alone to pull themselves up, especially when we demand systemic change for other social issues. As Reeves says, we can support men AND women, we don't have to choose.
I think that this book is a good start to get the conversation going. My main points of contention are that sometimes facts can feel glossed over — some of the assertions I felt would be better supported with information about the methodology and the context of the research. That said, nearly half of this book is references (truly) which makes it nearly impossible to provide context for all facts. I still needed a little bit more though. My other gripe was a lack of exploring why men are having these issues. You can kind of infer some of the reasons, but I would have appreciated a stronger exploration on the why. I get the sense that this isn't fully laid out because people don't actually know the reasons why — yet.
I appreciate Reeves being willing to put himself out there to start addressing issues facing boys and men. He says that if we don't step in now to help, other groups will (and are), and they're probably not the groups that we'd prefer are doing so. I think he's right. He's certainly an interesting, engaging live speaker — the book was just okay for me though.
Starling House is about Opal, who I can only describe as Applejack from My Little Pony. Applejack is inexplicably drawn to Starling House, the mysterious house with a mysterious resident. She starts working as a housekeeper at the house, and becomes more and more engrossed in uncovering its secrets.Starling House is a modern gothic with a romantic element, and interesting/exciting magical realism. In thinking about other comparable books (gothic with emphasis on the house) I've read recently, ([b:Tripping Arcadia 55073801 Tripping Arcadia Kit Mayquist https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627460785l/55073801.SY75.jpg 85872762], [b:A House with Good Bones 60784409 A House with Good Bones T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664972416l/60784409.SY75.jpg 95849240], [b:Mexican Gothic 53152636 Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607462569l/53152636.SY75.jpg 73647361]) it has a more satisfying resolution and believable storyline/characters than most.I think the first-person southern perspective was a little overdone (see: Applejack comparison) in some places but it didn't take away too much from the storytelling. I did generally prefer Arthur's point of view, which is written in third person and more neutral.Reflecting back, I think my biggest issue was with Jasper, Opal's brother. There was some build up that was resolved, but still felt like a missed opportunity.Also, I would have liked to have seen how Opal & Arthur got from the end of the main book to the beginning of the epilogue. It's probably ok left to the imagination, but I had to wonder if the author even knew how they got there.To its credit, I did find that Starling House really hooked me in about halfway through and I found it unputdownable after that. 4.5 stars rounded up for me.
