H
Loved this book. Rereading it for a class helped solidify this feeling.
Update: read it for the third time, still love it. Suh a haunting take filled with so much meaning and ideas to reflect.
Loved this book. Rereading it for a class helped solidify this feeling.
Update: read it for the third time, still love it. Suh a haunting take filled with so much meaning and ideas to reflect.
Found this book in my college library and it intrigued me, so I read it during one shift. Short and a quick read due to the style of writing. I personally liked the family sections more than the ones about her relationship, but I felt like there were discrepancies in how she described her parents. I was trying to get a sense of her relationships with them but couldn’t quite understand.
Found this book in my college library and it intrigued me, so I read it during one shift. Short and a quick read due to the style of writing. I personally liked the family sections more than the ones about her relationship, but I felt like there were discrepancies in how she described her parents. I was trying to get a sense of her relationships with them but couldn’t quite understand.
I listened to this audiobook because I really like one of the narrators (she did Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat). I like the premise of this book: a curse that affects the subsequent generations of women in the Falodun family - allowing no men to truly love them and stay with them. Initially, this was a bit tough to get into because of all the names and everything going on, but once it settled into the two main POVs and timelines, it was easier to keep track of the characters and storylines. This was such an interesting listen (with excellent narration) and I could relate to the relationships the women had with each other, especially the mother-daughter dynamic. I liked seeing the parallels between Monife and Eniiyi and how similar yet different they were. Overall a wonderful multigenerational story of women, love, sisterhood, and finding oneself.
I listened to this audiobook because I really like one of the narrators (she did Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat). I like the premise of this book: a curse that affects the subsequent generations of women in the Falodun family - allowing no men to truly love them and stay with them. Initially, this was a bit tough to get into because of all the names and everything going on, but once it settled into the two main POVs and timelines, it was easier to keep track of the characters and storylines. This was such an interesting listen (with excellent narration) and I could relate to the relationships the women had with each other, especially the mother-daughter dynamic. I liked seeing the parallels between Monife and Eniiyi and how similar yet different they were. Overall a wonderful multigenerational story of women, love, sisterhood, and finding oneself.
I just finished a multigenerational book, and I happened to pick this one out next. Must be a common theme lately. I’ve read this author's debut novel and didn’t love it, but this one has good reviews so I decided to listen to the audiobook from hoopla.
There are three main character: son, father, and grandfather. Each of them has their own narrator, which helped distinguish the POVs. Narration was excellent overall. The story itself was intriguing: family drama, relationships, sexuality, politics. However, it didn’t feel real to me. Shane was an insufferable, try too hard character that annoyed me with every appearance. Some of the other side characters were cool, like cousin Ava and Zip Lamb.
What I didn’t like was the demonization of the ayatollah and the Islamic republic. Sure, the author is Iranian and is clearly sharing his personal views in this book, but I don’t appreciate the propaganda. Especially with current world events and the rampant Islamophobia that prevails in society. Okay, every ruler has their faults and no one is perfect, but I didn’t like this angle and it really turned me off. Probably won’t read more from this author.
I just finished a multigenerational book, and I happened to pick this one out next. Must be a common theme lately. I’ve read this author's debut novel and didn’t love it, but this one has good reviews so I decided to listen to the audiobook from hoopla.
There are three main character: son, father, and grandfather. Each of them has their own narrator, which helped distinguish the POVs. Narration was excellent overall. The story itself was intriguing: family drama, relationships, sexuality, politics. However, it didn’t feel real to me. Shane was an insufferable, try too hard character that annoyed me with every appearance. Some of the other side characters were cool, like cousin Ava and Zip Lamb.
What I didn’t like was the demonization of the ayatollah and the Islamic republic. Sure, the author is Iranian and is clearly sharing his personal views in this book, but I don’t appreciate the propaganda. Especially with current world events and the rampant Islamophobia that prevails in society. Okay, every ruler has their faults and no one is perfect, but I didn’t like this angle and it really turned me off. Probably won’t read more from this author.
I listened to this audiobook because I really like one of the narrators (she did Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat). I like the premise of this book: a curse that affects the subsequent generations of women in the Falodun family - allowing no men to truly love them and stay with them. Initially, this was a bit tough to get into because of all the names and everything going on, but once it settled into the two main POVs and timelines, it was easier to keep track of the characters and storylines. This was such an interesting listen (with excellent narration) and I could relate to the relationships the women had with each other, especially the mother-daughter dynamic. I liked seeing the parallels between Monife and Eniiyi and how similar yet different they were. Overall a wonderful intergenerational story of women, love, sisterhood, and finding oneself.
I listened to this audiobook because I really like one of the narrators (she did Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat). I like the premise of this book: a curse that affects the subsequent generations of women in the Falodun family - allowing no men to truly love them and stay with them. Initially, this was a bit tough to get into because of all the names and everything going on, but once it settled into the two main POVs and timelines, it was easier to keep track of the characters and storylines. This was such an interesting listen (with excellent narration) and I could relate to the relationships the women had with each other, especially the mother-daughter dynamic. I liked seeing the parallels between Monife and Eniiyi and how similar yet different they were. Overall a wonderful intergenerational story of women, love, sisterhood, and finding oneself.
I love memoirs, especially when the author narrates the audiobook version, so I was excited to get my hands on this from my library. I remember Alyson Stoner from the Missy Elliot video, as most people do, as well as some Disney shows and movies. Being a child star is tough and I was anticipating learning about what they went through growing up. It’s fascinating to learn about someone’s life and to have access to so much - it really fills my curiosity. It’s hard to rate memoirs since it feels like I’m rating someone’s life, rather than the presentation and writing of it. This was an interesting listen and had some difficult parts to hear about, but this book was written well, narrated excellently (forgot they were a voice actor) and kept my interest. It was nice to see Alyson evolve and find their true purpose and identity in life, and I wish them much success in their personal and professional life.
I love memoirs, especially when the author narrates the audiobook version, so I was excited to get my hands on this from my library. I remember Alyson Stoner from the Missy Elliot video, as most people do, as well as some Disney shows and movies. Being a child star is tough and I was anticipating learning about what they went through growing up. It’s fascinating to learn about someone’s life and to have access to so much - it really fills my curiosity. It’s hard to rate memoirs since it feels like I’m rating someone’s life, rather than the presentation and writing of it. This was an interesting listen and had some difficult parts to hear about, but this book was written well, narrated excellently (forgot they were a voice actor) and kept my interest. It was nice to see Alyson evolve and find their true purpose and identity in life, and I wish them much success in their personal and professional life.
I love this author and I was interested in this collection of short stories. Although I am not a romantic at heart, these love stories were based of myths from various countries and I appreciated the non-white focus of characters. Some of the stories stuck with me more than others but overall it was an enjoyable listen with good narration. The author and her mom narrate the last one as it is the story of how her parents met, cute.
I love this author and I was interested in this collection of short stories. Although I am not a romantic at heart, these love stories were based of myths from various countries and I appreciated the non-white focus of characters. Some of the stories stuck with me more than others but overall it was an enjoyable listen with good narration. The author and her mom narrate the last one as it is the story of how her parents met, cute.
Super good book! I feel like I haven't rated a book 5 stars in a while but this was worth it. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were wonderful: one for Marcellus the octopus and the other for the rest of the characters. I was cheering right along when certain plot points happened and there was a nice balance of different emotions being conveyed. Highly recommend!
Super good book! I feel like I haven't rated a book 5 stars in a while but this was worth it. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were wonderful: one for Marcellus the octopus and the other for the rest of the characters. I was cheering right along when certain plot points happened and there was a nice balance of different emotions being conveyed. Highly recommend!
Super good book! I feel like I haven't rated a book 5 stars in a while but this was worth it. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were wonderful: one for Marcellus the octopus and the other for the rest of the characters. I was cheering right along when certain plot points happened and there was a nice balance of different emotions being conveyed. Highly recommend!
Super good book! I feel like I haven't rated a book 5 stars in a while but this was worth it. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were wonderful: one for Marcellus the octopus and the other for the rest of the characters. I was cheering right along when certain plot points happened and there was a nice balance of different emotions being conveyed. Highly recommend!
Okay Alice Feeney, I see you. This is my third book from her and I wasn’t too impressed with the first two. They say 3rd times the charm, so guess it worked. I wasn’t sure where this was going with the main “twist” but the subsequent discoveries and connections kept me interested. I liked the parallel similarities between the characters (parenting young girls, the house, work, etc). The ending was interesting, had a feeling there was more to the story and that was it. Overall a solid story. I listened to this audiobook and the narration was great, plus it helped keep the multiple POVs distinct because of the two narrators.
Okay Alice Feeney, I see you. This is my third book from her and I wasn’t too impressed with the first two. They say 3rd times the charm, so guess it worked. I wasn’t sure where this was going with the main “twist” but the subsequent discoveries and connections kept me interested. I liked the parallel similarities between the characters (parenting young girls, the house, work, etc). The ending was interesting, had a feeling there was more to the story and that was it. Overall a solid story. I listened to this audiobook and the narration was great, plus it helped keep the multiple POVs distinct because of the two narrators.
Hmm this is only my second book from this author and I’m not super impressed. The narration was great as both narrators did a good job. The plot was okay, but wasn’t sure where it was heading. Lots of little clues and hints to why the island felt off. The reveal towards the end of Grady trying to kill Abby seemed to come out of nowhere…once he explained to Kitty it did seem to make more sense but I still didn’t like it and it was so silly that he was lying in the road dressed as a woman. An island of only women sounds great to me though, men cause enough problems. Having Grady as an unreliable narrator was disconcerting cuz at times I was sympathizing with him, but once everything fell into place I wish they would’ve just gotten rid of him straightaway.
Hmm this is only my second book from this author and I’m not super impressed. The narration was great as both narrators did a good job. The plot was okay, but wasn’t sure where it was heading. Lots of little clues and hints to why the island felt off. The reveal towards the end of Grady trying to kill Abby seemed to come out of nowhere…once he explained to Kitty it did seem to make more sense but I still didn’t like it and it was so silly that he was lying in the road dressed as a woman. An island of only women sounds great to me though, men cause enough problems. Having Grady as an unreliable narrator was disconcerting cuz at times I was sympathizing with him, but once everything fell into place I wish they would’ve just gotten rid of him straightaway.
Hmm this is only my second book from this author and I’m not super impressed. The narration was great as both narrators did a good job. The plot was okay, but wasn’t sure where it was heading. Lots of little clues and hints to why the island felt off. The reveal towards the end of Grady trying to kill Abby seemed to come out of nowhere…once he explained to Kitty it did seem to make more sense but I still didn’t like it and it was so silly that he was lying in the road dressed as a woman. An island of only women sounds great to me though, men cause enough problems. Having Grady as an unreliable narrator was disconcerting cuz at times I was sympathizing with him, but once everything fell into place I wish they would’ve just gotten rid of him straightaway.
Hmm this is only my second book from this author and I’m not super impressed. The narration was great as both narrators did a good job. The plot was okay, but wasn’t sure where it was heading. Lots of little clues and hints to why the island felt off. The reveal towards the end of Grady trying to kill Abby seemed to come out of nowhere…once he explained to Kitty it did seem to make more sense but I still didn’t like it and it was so silly that he was lying in the road dressed as a woman. An island of only women sounds great to me though, men cause enough problems. Having Grady as an unreliable narrator was disconcerting cuz at times I was sympathizing with him, but once everything fell into place I wish they would’ve just gotten rid of him straightaway.
As much as I usually enjoy books by this author, I cannot in good conscience give a high rating to a book centered around AI. I audibly yelped when I found out Rob was not human, I should’ve guessed from the Chatgbt epigraph. The story itself was okay, didn’t love the inevitable love interest, felt out of the blue to me (even with their shared history, still didn’t like it). I would’ve enjoyed this if the twist was that Rob was a hired actor rather than not real. I don’t like AI in real life and I sure as heck don’t wanna read about it! Hopefully it doesn’t become a trend.
As much as I usually enjoy books by this author, I cannot in good conscience give a high rating to a book centered around AI. I audibly yelped when I found out Rob was not human, I should’ve guessed from the Chatgbt epigraph. The story itself was okay, didn’t love the inevitable love interest, felt out of the blue to me (even with their shared history, still didn’t like it). I would’ve enjoyed this if the twist was that Rob was a hired actor rather than not real. I don’t like AI in real life and I sure as heck don’t wanna read about it! Hopefully it doesn’t become a trend.
Aww I’ve finished the series. Hopefully there will be more but this one was released last year so we’ll see. Because I’ve listened to all the audiobooks, I never knew that the “Brew-ha Cafe” was spelled like it is. Lila always referred to it as a pun on the word “bruja”, meaning witch in Tagalog and Spanish. But until I saw it written in the book description, I was confused.
This was another cozy mystery that wrapped up (almost) too nicely. I was able to figure out half of the suspects early on, which I was happy about. I enjoy the recipes at the end but should try making one someday. Gotta get the print version for that.
Aww I’ve finished the series. Hopefully there will be more but this one was released last year so we’ll see. Because I’ve listened to all the audiobooks, I never knew that the “Brew-ha Cafe” was spelled like it is. Lila always referred to it as a pun on the word “bruja”, meaning witch in Tagalog and Spanish. But until I saw it written in the book description, I was confused.
This was another cozy mystery that wrapped up (almost) too nicely. I was able to figure out half of the suspects early on, which I was happy about. I enjoy the recipes at the end but should try making one someday. Gotta get the print version for that.
As much as I usually enjoy books by this author, I cannot in good conscience give a high rating to a book centered around AI. I audibly yelped when I found out Rob was not human, I should’ve guessed from the Chatgbt epigraph. The story itself was okay, didn’t love the inevitable love interest, felt out of the blue to me (even with their shared history, still didn’t like it). I wouldn’t enjoyed this if the twist was that Rob was a hired actor rather than not real. I don’t like AI in real life and I sure as heck don’t wanna read about it! Hopefully it doesn’t become a trend.
As much as I usually enjoy books by this author, I cannot in good conscience give a high rating to a book centered around AI. I audibly yelped when I found out Rob was not human, I should’ve guessed from the Chatgbt epigraph. The story itself was okay, didn’t love the inevitable love interest, felt out of the blue to me (even with their shared history, still didn’t like it). I wouldn’t enjoyed this if the twist was that Rob was a hired actor rather than not real. I don’t like AI in real life and I sure as heck don’t wanna read about it! Hopefully it doesn’t become a trend.