roselaina
Hmm.
Good slow burn, and I continue to enjoy the heck out of Thorne's writing style.
But honestly...three stars was a stretch. By the time it ended, I didn't really care. Possibly because I was so confused by the events before the ending that I had to read the same several pages three times over. And I'm STILL not 100% sure on the details. And if things did go down the way I think they did, then those things made absolutely no sense in the context of the story and the characters, and I'm quite baffled.
I tried to keep my expectations normal, because I connected with The Hating Game in a rare and special way, and I knew that it was unlikely that the next book would hit me at the same level. So while I'm sure it wound up influencing my expectations a little, objectively, this book was a bit of a mess. The pacing, the characters, the story...It had potential and a lot of good elements. I even enjoyed a lot of it. But it just didn't come together as a cohesive whole.
That said, though, I will still absolutely pick up anything Thorne writes in the future! Second books are a tricky business (especially when your first one was such a big hit), and I still think she's super talented.
And now for a few words about the Extra Content because...that Hating Game epilogue, though. I could not. stop. smiling. (except for that one line about hate-love between [redacted] and [redacted] because what the ACTUAL heck - has it been so long since Thorne wrote THG that she forgot how much of a disgusting pig ** is? But I digress). But overall, though, IT WAS SO CUTE I COULD DIE. It was everything I wanted.
Is it too soon to reread THG again?
EDIT 2/2:
Okay, after thinking and discussion (and cooling down from the THG epilogue which left me too giddy to be 100% objective in rating this book alone), I have decided to drop the third star. While there were the bones of a good book under here, it read very much like a first draft to me. The pacing was a wreck, the characters were inconsistent, and the romance not compelling at all once it didn't have UST to drive it.
Another round or two of edits/rewriting would have made a world of difference, I feel. But as it stands, I was definitely disappointed. Not only because I know the author is capable of more but because this book itself could have been more, but it ultimately wasn't.
I will keep my fingers crossed for another by Thorne, though. It would take worse than this to take her off my autobuy list.
I'm a little conflicted because on one hand, when I finished this book, I was angry. Like, ranting-to-my-poor-roommate-for-ten-minutes kind of angry.
But then I couldn't stop thinking about it. And then I stayed up until 1 AM binge-watching the entire Amazon miniseries. (So now it will be difficult to separate my thoughts and feelings on the two, but I'll do my best.)
While it isn't my usual cup of tea, if a piece of art impacts you enough to keep you thinking well into the next day, that has to count for something. And I loved the writing! I can't say much else without being spoilery.
So if I had rated this directly after finishing, it definitely would have been two stars (1 for story, 1 for the writing style). But after mulling it over, I have come to terms with the fact that while it wasn't what I expected, it was certainly unique, enjoyable, and well-executed. 4 stars.
A bit conflicted about this one. On one hand, I think she has solid advice and that the actions she advises are - for the most part - excellent. I can see why the method is so effective, and I have already started to implement it.
However, there was most definitely way too much personification of inanimate objects. How am I supposed to take you seriously if you're telling me my shirts will, quite literally, be happier in one configuration over another? Will I be happier? Absolutely. Will my shirts? ...
Also, it felt a bit out of touch with reality. For one, because some items are essential to life, but they're not going to “spark joy.” For another, because it definitely felt geared toward people with some extra money to toss around. “Never worry about throwing out too much - you can always buy more!! Buying in bulk may be cheaper, but it's never worth the clutter!!”
(Also, you can't call yourself a “book lover” and then a couple paragraphs later, say that you habitually RIPPED THE PAGES OUT OF BOOKS because writing down the quotes you liked took too long. You just can't. Take a picture. I guarantee that how offended she was by balled up socks, you could multiply it by fifty and reach the level of indignation I felt at this. Plus her entire attitude toward books simply didn't jive with me at all.)
All that said, though, I really do think she has some excellent ideas! I like the logic behind each step (minus the bit where you talk to your possessions. I like that this made me more aware of my things, but I certainly won't be striking up a conversation with my handbag anytime soon). If you took all the advice in this book and married it with a healthy dose of practicality, I feel like you would have an absolutely perfect, definitive guide to tidying.
*4.5 stars.
Needed a better copy editor, but the content is excellent. Exactly what I needed to hear (which was part of why I kept putting it off for so long after I started it — I knew it would hit me where it hurt, and I was right. But it was a necessary hurt, and one that will be helpful in the long run). Highly recommend!
This book was a solid 4 stars for the most part — the author did a great job with racial diversity, which I appreciated, and the lives of the women she picked were interesting. I wrote down several of them for further reading. However, I had to drop a star for the way she approached Charley Parker's story. Had the author merely stuck to the facts, it would have been a great story. However, instead, she blithely put her own label on Charley's gender (and sexuality, making a few throwaway comments that were borderline offensive) even though she specifically stated that there's no evidence clarifying Charley's feelings on the subject. And while her wrap-up segments for each chapter ranged from thought-provoking to embarrassingly saccharine, Charley's was, in my opinion, the worst of the bunch.
Listened on audiobook, and though the narrator took a few minutes for me to get used to, I wound up loving her.
Three stars is me being generous because of my love for Becky Albertalli and several of the side characters in this book. Plus a good amount of diversity! And musical references! And...that's really all the positive things I have to say. I'm probably going to take away another half star.
To be honest, I expected WAY better from this matchup. It dragged something awful, and I'm sorry but Ben and Arthur had the chemistry of like...two blades of grass. Plus the whole book was this really weird tug-of-war between realistic, down-to-earth elements and being so cliched and predictable that I physically cringed. (And no, that was not a shot at either of the authors because they both did both at different times.)
To be honest, the time I was most into this book was the 20 minutes in the middle when I thought this was all a big Gotcha and they were both going to have different love interests.
Plus there was one point when something happened and Ben worried Arthur was going to break up with him, and let me just say, if I was in Arthur's shoes? I couldn't have dumped him because by the time it would have occurred to me as an option, I would have already murdered him, brought him back to life, and murdered him again. :)
Yeah, I'm taking away that half star now.
*2.5
3.5 starsThe writing was a little rough in the first chapter or two, to the point where it was distracting. And while I was fond of Adrian and Camilla as characters, I wasn't feeling the romance as much as I'd have liked. They needed to spend more time together!However! I still enjoyed the book overall, and I absolutely adored every single side character. Like, bunches and bunches. Oodles and oodles. So much love I want to re-read this book solely for them. I want a book about every single one of them, from Mrs. Martin to Benedict. Most pressingly, Grayson, followed by Theresa. Not to mention this mysterious lady character Adrian mentioned briefly near the end. Don't think we didn't notice that, Ms. Milan. *eyes emoji
There were lots of positive qualities about the book, writing mishaps in the beginning aside. Milan writes diverse characters like it is simultaneously nothing and everything, and I appreciate that so, so much. While the book fell a little flat as a romance, it was still a solid story with many wonderful characters, and I will continue to read everything Milan writes, without a doubt.
