Ren
This book was so boring and the MC is such an insufferable brat (she's 39 btw). And her bf has the personality of wet cardboard.
It's clear the author had no idea what kind of book she wanted to write (romance? thriller? murder mystery? who knows??? the author clearly doesn't) so there's 8 different subplots happening and none of them really go anywhere or are fun to read about. The main one - the romance - is so uninspired.
Just all around awful, one of the worst books I've read in a hot minute
This book could have been great. The writing was well done and I was eager to see what would happen next....but after finishing this, I'm wondering if there's 30 pages of the book missing somewhere??
**SPOILER***
10 pages before the book ends she says she is sure that she never even loved Tony at all. Then at the very end she doesn't go back out of love or because she wants to be with Tony but only because she married him and what else could she do??? I hated this. The main character develops so much independence over the course of the book and it feels like the last 15-20 pages or so the ending is completely undone, and unexplained.
I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book, but the ending was so strange and unfitting I just stared at the page wondering where the rest of the book was. As if the ending of this book wasn't frustrating, I read the synopsis for the second book. I'll call it quits here.
3.5/5 stars
This volume is by far the strongest in the series. We get a lot of loose ends tied up (although we get some new questions without answers, too) but most of the important questions I had were resolved here.
The action is non-stop and everything gets VERY interesting. The second volume dragged a lot for me, but we get so much more backstory and exploration that I had really been looking for in the other two books.
The surgery scene came out of nowhere here, and was absolutely bonkers to read. I was chuckling and saying “oh shit” as I read it, because I genuinely could not believe what I was reading. The violence in this one is wild compared to the first two books.
The ending is just okay. It feels abrupt and rushed, but it suffices. It reminds me of how Stephen King's books tend to end. Overall this series was absolutely insane, I can definitely see how Ito was inspired by this author and I really enjoyed the rollercoaster ride this series took me on. Probably not for everyone, and there WILL be loose ends, but I enjoyed the journey.
This volume I'd rate 4.5/5 but closer to a 5/5.
The series as a whole 4/5.
I really wish this book was only about the romance story (which was very cute, exactly what I was looking for, and the banter was perfect) but the politics ruined everything.
Democrats good republicans bad. Politics aren't black and white, and the author's take on this was painfully “vote blue, no matter who” liberal. The MC's mother was written to be the perfect person while the republican candidate had a mile long rap sheet. The caricatures of those characters were insanely boring to read about, and writing political parties in this way leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's unrealistic and takes me out of the story.
I really did enjoy the romance though. We could have taken out all of the politics, left in the ending about Henry and Alex moving to NYC, and removed 1/3 of this book that was boring to read about anyway.
IM CRYING SO MUCH
This book is so beautiful. If you want to read about how to feel gratitude, accept regrets, or how to make peace with grief, read this book.
YOU WILL CRY. A LOT.
I thought about my mom so much while reading this. She passed a few years ago from cancer. She would have loved this book. ♥️
Wow. This is a really tough read, but so beautiful. I can only imagine how incredible it is in Swedish.
A cautionary tale for sure - this epic is dark, bleak, existential. Additionally, it's a challenging read. I read this on my kindle, which made it easier to look up some of the terms and words used and I'd suggest the same for anyone else who is interested in reading this. Although challenging, it's definitely worth the read.
I ended up sitting outside to read most of this, appreciating the sky, the grass, the trees. Even though the passengers are traveling in infinite space, reading these poems made me feel claustrophobic and caged.
The feeling of having infinite possibilities, but nowhere to go, no real home, and holding out the hope for a destination that is nothing more than an ill-fated dream terrified me.
After finishing the last poem, I have so much more appreciation for being on a planet with so much beauty, which readily sustains our bodies and nourishes our souls.
I have a confession to make: I've never seen this movie. I know this book is based off the movie, and the book has a few questionable scenes. The overall message is beautiful though, and the ending completely took me by surprise.
Sticking with a 3/5 because of how women in general are approached in the book, doesn't sit right with me. Guess I need to watch the movie now.
Picked this up at a thrift store a while back. Quick read, and I really enjoyed the dialogue. The characters the main character, Lucia, interviews all feel real. Lucia feels real. Even the history teacher, Samuel, feels real.
The other antagonists of the story do not, they mostly feel like caricatures. I'm rating this book highly because I enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed the unraveling of what was happening at this school, but I did not enjoy the parallel the author set between Lucia and Samuel.
Sexual harassment and bullying/harassment are both horrible, but they are not the same either, and the comparison felt...unnecessary. I wish also that the author would have ended the story about a page or two sooner - what happened after Lucia left her boss' office felt so unnecessary and her final comment to Walter was just really weird. I'm trying to give this book some slack because it was written a while ago, but it took me out of it.
Overall the story here was interesting, I enjoyed the interview dialogue, but the main antagonists and the ending could have been done better imo.
4/5 but closer to a 3.5
I'll be honest. I'm really biased when it comes to the Twilight series. Really, really biased.
This series brings back so many great memories of reading the series in middle school, the hype around the movies, the book release for breaking dawn, listening to the soundtrack over and over and remembering each song.
The gender-swapped Twilight was admittedly not much different. There were minor changes here and there, but the ending is what makes it so much different. I enjoyed the new ending on one hand but...Charlie. That's all I say.
The major problem with this book for me is there's multiple references toward calling Beau a “child” or “boy.” It's really awkward, even when you suspend all of your disbelief for what's going on in the book.
Overall though, this book is just fun. Some of the choices are a bit far fetched (even for this series) so I knocked the review a bit, but if you shut your brain off and just read, it's easy to look past it. I also like that it answered some questions I always had while reading/watching the Twilight series. The book is just plain fun, and a really easy read.
I enjoyed it so much!
I'm back in my Twilight phase again now. Still don't like the name Beau though
The conclusion to this story is so lackluster and feels so rushed.
The big death that happens is over in like 2 paragraphs?
The threat at the end...has this girl learned nothing about just leaving shit alone? Tally just really needs to live in a cabin and not do anything else. She ruins everything, at every opportunity.
This author has a way of making me keep reading, but I really hoped for a better conclusion. Also - Shay was a much more interesting character. I can't help thinking about how much better this series would be if it focused on her. She drove so much of the action and plot forward....
I'm going to try to read Extras since it doesn't focus on this character, but I'm not expecting much.
