This book served where I wanted it to. I found some of the side characters to be underdeveloped and leaning on tropes, but the spicy scenes, all of the scenery exposition, and the likability of the main couple made me stick around. Paranormal Romance is a genre for me, no doubt. Demons, hauntings, murders, cults, witches, and set during Halloween? Bless.
i LOVED this book. It shares the perspective of Daniel, head chef, Julie, his wife, and Hannah, a waitress and victim of the chef. Daniel's perspective seemed so real to so many men around us post MeToo Movement- falling into false victimhood, in denial of the harm they cause. The end had me in tears. Hannah and Julie's story really hit home for me. Beautiful, tragic, intense. What a fucking amazing novel.
I loved getting to learn about the Coast Salish peoples through Sasha's point of view. America is painted so differently when told through an Indigenous perspective; still beautiful, but so much loss. This book is a must read, in my opinion, if you live in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
I stopped and picked up this book twice since May and while I find the prose to be stunning- I was bored.
I've read Blackwave three times, which is a lot for me. I love Tea's descriptions of San Francisco as a teen who grew up exploring San Francisco with great (naivete) curiosity. This book also spoke to me as someone with climate anxiety- the way Tea describes the apocalypses continues to feel more and more real than surreal.
This book was the catalyst to a long & loving relationship with Roxane Gay's work and other queer writers and creators. I would give a trigger warning for survivors of SA, however I felt more seen and understood than triggered by the content.
When my professors first assigned this book to me all I could think was: BORING. Now it's been almost five years and I think about this book A LOT! Just read it. It is NOT BORING!!!
I was reading an online arc of this while at work to pass the time. I enjoy the premise, but I've got lots of other books I want to get through this year.
I first read Normal People in the summer of 2021. I absolutely loved Rooney's writing, her dialogue and her social commentary. The situationship between the two main characters kept me reeling until the end- I was STRESSED. So when I originally finished it, I wasn't stoked, but I continue to think about this book all the time. One day I'll be brave enough for a re-read. <3