ren sparks

very much camp. very much ambiguous. very much an ode to the horror genre itself. almost loved but liked a lot.


also, are Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones besties or something? like why did he name a character after him that was super random

3.5. when you “girl boss” too close to the sun = eugenics

“you care when it matters, that's all that matters”

3.75. something i've learned about me is I really enjoy time travel mixed with themes of family/relationships. so wholesome with a good balance of fun and sad.

also loved the acknowledgements

2.75 tbh

i'm convinced this is non fiction and this literally happened to melissa broder cause she's just crazy like that

not even sure what this was about. seemed like random ramblings that did not tie together in any meaningful way.

soooo funny. I wish it wrapped up a little better though

3.5. I think I'm biased because I loved the movie when I was a teenager. (yikes)

I liked the vibes but i wish the narrators weren't the little weirdo neighborhood pervs. I don't mind that aspect of the story itself because it really paints the picture of how “elusive” the girls seem to be, but I definitely would've preferred an omniscient narrator.

anyways, rip to the Lisbon sisters y'all would've loved Lana Del Rey.

3.5. mostly just because i love anything multiversal so this kept me entertained.

gave NOTHING.

why was this SO long. I do appreciate the author and all of their hard work in the historical aspect, but this dragged on!!!!! I genuinely feel like you could take entire chapters out of this book and it wouldn't change a thing in the plot.

settled in the middle cause I hate the mc but also I get what the author was going for, and also I have been like the mc, but also I feel like the author didn't commit enough to the satirical bit. where was the progression? this could've used a stronger plot to anchor it.

i said it before and i'll say it again, idgaf about your swim meet.

omfg. finally!!!!!! i finished this. this was just not for me. i didn't feel connected to the story or the characters. the “plot”, if you can call it that, was so bland. maybe it's just the high school drama/sporting life problems the main character was going through that i just couldn't relate to, but i literally was so bored and could not care less about what was going on. the writing was fine but nothing super unique about the narrative or tone that stood out to me. so yep, it's a 2 from me.

2.75 cause sometimes i would get into it and other times it just felt so ......? like it was going no where and didn't mean ANYTHING. the story line that faded in and out was interesting but I think the author was doing other things that I just don't get.

felt like a sequel just for the sake of having a sequel. i wish there would have been another big jouneey/mission like in the first one.

way too much going on and the author, despite their very best efforts, could not get me to care about any of it. so sorry :/

some of the essays were weird and funny and absurd. and then some were just weird and absurd. let's just say, i'm glad the author is in therapy <3

liked the premise. not a fan of the way this was split into 2 parts/timelines.

i really was into the first half but the “climax” fell flat and then just went to a goofy place from there. love the atmospheric writing style as always from t. kingfisher. will definitely read more from her!

this woman is essentially in a downward spiral and she knows it, and yet she's actively trying to seek help in the weirdest ways imaginable. there is a good balance of the “slice of life” and actual storyline-esque plot structures, which made everything flow very well. really gives all the sad girl vibes.

i mean... we get it.

way too vague to get the author's points across. the idea was there but the execution was lacking for me.

the movie was better and not just because of Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy, although I am literally obsessed with them.

the movie actually ruined this for me.