Xiaoyan

Enjoyed this one a lot! Can't say there are a lot of horror novels that got me actually scared, but this one definitely creeped me out. Love the format and the way there are enough hints provided along the way to allow the reader to piece things together on their own. 

I enjoyed this one! To be fair, as a big fan of fungi, anything involving fungi will always have my heart. But I also personally really enjoy the author's writing style. It was such a delight to read her characters and their antics.

I kinda understand Maddy a bit. Like yeah, if I found out some fungi could learn to talk, I would be hella impressed too. Oh Maddy, you would have loved modern scientific research and methodology. 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's is not just a story about mass hysteria. It is also a story of sisterhood, of female rage, of women's identity (as a girl, a woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister), of women's voice. It is a story about finding your voice, and about listening to these voices.

This book is in equal part scary and comforting. Terrifying, but full of heart.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year, and glad to not be disappointed! It was gripping and hard to put down, and with every twist, I was drawn to keep on reading to find out more.

Though it certainly did not go to the direction that I initially expected. I had legitimately thought they would have completely lost it and started killing each other out of sheer anger and frustration, lmao. The plot took quite an interesting and unexpected turn, and while if feels a little far-fetched at first, I grew to enjoy it.

This was fine. Have to admit that I found Frances and the other 1960s cast to be more compelling than the casts in the present time, lol. Still, pretty enjoyable.

Tense and unnerving. While the ending does leave a lot to be desired, I certainly respect the artistic intention for ending it the way it does.

What the author would like to convey, I believe, is this: If they didn't know how it would end—with night, with more terrible noise from the top of Olympus, with bombs, with disease, with blood, with happiness, with deer or something else watching them from the darkened woods—well, wasn't that true of every day?.

Maybe there are better way to execute the concept and message that the author would like to deliver, but for now this book deliver it in its own strange and compelling way.

Fun, funny, and entertaining. It was a nice lighthearted read; the characters work really well together, and their dynamics with one another is one of the highlights of the book. The action was great, the way they execute their assassination was very fun to read. In general, an okay enough read. However, the execution to me felt quite underwhelming, especially since the premise was highly promising.

To be honest, my biggest disappointment is the motive of the main antagonists'. It was definitely commonplace and believable enough, but in my opinion, there are a lot of other conflicts that could be highlighted from a Western-centric spy/assassin agency's constant intervention in non-Western countries. But I guess it would have made this book a very different type of book.

tldr; fantastic book. Enjoy this a lot. Love the characters, the relationship, and the sex. Left me feeling… somewhat hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Ultimately, I really like this book because I truly enjoy it as a Romance. By no mean is this book perfect, yet, any of the flaws pale in comparison to the absolute joy this book brought me.

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Rom-com has always been a hit and miss for me. More of a miss than a hit, to be honest, and there have been moments that I contemplate giving up on the genre altogether. But I am so, so grateful I have this book a chance, for this book is a fucking excellent read and I enjoy every single second of it.

1. Mr. Nicholas “Coal” Claus, the man that you are…! Truly one of the best MCs I’ve read this year. Love his particular brand of loverboy-ism that leads him to treating Hex in a worship-y way that borderlines sacrilegious.

Hex laughs.

Someone help me, please, because this guy makes me want to learn hymns but only recite them if I’m moaning and I think that might be sacrilege, but I’m okay with damnation if he’s the reason, I just want to know for sure which way is up.</spoiler>

I dump us to our sides on the couch.

“Just let me kiss you for a little while,” I tell him, that low murmur like I’m worshipping at some altar.

Every moment of touching him has left me rattled like I don’t know what I’m doing, but no one else mattered before him, no one else could have prepared me for him. There is power, such power inherent in desire, and in this moment, I’m playing out the creation of a whole new origin story with him. It’s so easy to create gods or monuments of importance or cruxes of joy, and I’ve done that for him now, I am his most fervent steward.

The way he describes his feelings, his needs, and his desires towards Hex scratches the right itches in my brain. And the fact that he is like this™️ despite the contemporary setting? This is how men SHOULD yearn. Sorry to the MC & ML of my next read, the bar set is not an easy one to pass.

2. Thoroughly enjoy the romance and the relationship dynamics between the main couple. Honestly, I cannot think of a way to really describe why exactly I enjoy them. Similar to many other rom-com couple, they are sweet and wholesome. Yet… they are not so saccharinely sweet that it feels bland, if that makes sense. There’s something that cause them to hold such a strong grip of my brain.

Not to mention, it often felt like the author had somehow found a way to target everything I like in a romance.🧍‍♂️There was a moment where I thought, man, Coal should lift Hex up, lol. And he did, literally a few paragraphs later. Let me tell you… I was gagged. 🧍‍♂️

“But, fuck, sweetheart”—I drag my hand up his bare arm, watching goose bumps trail my fingers—“the moment I become fluent in your shivers, it’s gonna be meteoric.”

I will never in my life be given a greater honor than the way he painstakingly chooses his response for me.

“I love you too,” he says.

I kiss him again, a clumsy layering over of our smiles, and we’re laughing and this, here, is my victory. He is my spoil of war, the most vital piece in my new-forming foundation.

Also! Hex saying, “If you need to make a joke, I'd be happy to give you some kind of setup.”? As a fellow Joker™️, this is the most romantic thing someone has ever said in a book.

And maybe that is it. Maybe the reason why I’m so deeply enthralled by this book is because I simply enjoy the Romance between the two of them, that it negates any other complaints I may have.

3. The author’s sex scene writing skill is fucking incredible. The reason why the last chapter’s sex scene was fade to black is because it would have ENDED lives had it been explicit. 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

4. A lot of reviews pointed out that this is not a typical rom-com due to the political intrigue element. But, guys… the political intrigue is minimal. The political intrigue not as relevant as the family drama, which I felt is the main conflict to the plot. And, yeah, I will admit—the political intrigue is not all that intriguing. It was resolved quite easily, too.

They did not even ONCE consider murder. Killing the dad would have fixed quite a lot of the dilemmas they were in. Yeah it’s a modern setting and they love their dad, but hey, a real political intrigue would have murder on the table.

It may be a little more plot-y than a typical rom-com would be, it’s not too heavy or too dark that it undermines the cozy holiday romance theme this book has going on.

5. Audiobook narrator (Ellis Evans) did one hell of a job. Really enjoyed his narration.

6. On a more personal level… to see Coal grows and changes means a lot to me. I found myself and Coal to be somewhat similar—disaster bisexual with self-worth issue who’s hiding it behind hihi and haha. (Granted, he has the charisma and confidence to pull it better than me, which I really envy, but I digress.) There is something so… comforting about seeing someone you can see yourself in being able to better himself. In a way… It gives me hope? Comfort? To witness that possibility, to witness him being able to find his way.

Coal’s journey is best simplified by this one line in a book: Maybe one fuckup didn’t have to define the rest of my life like I let it. And I… just really need to hear it right now.

So I’ll keep going. And going. And I’ll learn and do better and sometimes I’ll hate myself for not giving up and I’ll rage at the shit around me but I remember what it’s like to look at the world with uncomplicated hope and I can’t stop until I get that back. What’s the alternative?

It just takes one joyful moment. One by one by one.

I’m relying on that. I’m counting on joy to be stronger than whatever’s waiting for me.

I read this part when I was feeling particularly down… and I might have cried, lol. Other times, the more cynical and pessimistic part of me might just scoff at it… but… I dunno. I guess, this books has a way of offering you optimism that is hard to completely shut down.

This book was written just for me so it goes without saying that it has caused irreparable damages to my life and psyche. The moment I finished the drama and movie, I know I have became a changed person, and reading the book only confirms it.

This book is definitely not for everyone; you either love it or hate it, and I personally really, really love it. Some people may not get Them but I DO. Author-sama you are so #real and so #right. Your brain is so big and I need to delve into whatever you’re cooking next. I genuinely had a lot of fun reading this. The 8 hours i spent to finish this volume passed by like it was nothing. I love every second I’d spent on this. Especially when the characters are Going Through It.

I LOVE obsessive guys who love their partners a little too much, who worship their partner and regard them as their god, who will do anything for their partner, who is a little creepy and freaky about their partner. Hira is EVERYTHING I have always liked from a character and more. I love the fact that his obsession is his most defining character trait YET it is also his flaw. I love how his reverence towards Kiyoi is the main conflict in their relationship! The author did really well in showing how Hira’s reverence affects both Hira and Kiyoi, how it brings them together, and how it divides them.

The whole “my partner is my god” trope is my favourite and I love the way the author portrays how excessive reverence & devotion can still bring issues to a relationship. I support Hira in his endeavour but there are many things still that he has to learn and understand. To put someone in a pedestal and a throne is to leave them alone, but you can place them as your god and still let them have you as a lover. It has been #Done. Your predecessors have successfully done it before. I really love the spaces being given to allow the characters & relationship to grow. Can’t wait to read the next volume to see how the author will explore it ❤️

It’s honestly hilarious how different their POVs are. Hira is being all “my god, my universe, my king” through it all while Kiyoi is just having a rather typical coming of age romantic woes. Hira is going all “I would let Kiyoi do anything to me, I can’t live without Kiyoi, I’m not worthy of Kiyoi, Kiyoi is my god” etc etc while Kiyoi is just “i gave my number to the guy I like and he hasn’t called me???????? Does he like me or does he like his friend better????????? Why won’t my situationship fuck me??????????” It’s so crazy but so funny 😭😭😭😭

And okay. Let’s be real here: Hira /is/ creepy. He is creepy and freaky and a little crazy, that’s why we love him! That’s why /Kiyoi/ loves him. It’s what makes him such a loveable and compelling character. And Kiyoi is also a little crazy!!!! When Koyama called them both crazy, I was feeling vindicated because THEY REALLY ARE. I love their joint #Freak4Freak-ism and I support it.

Also #IStandWithMyProblematicWife and so does Hira. He definitely also stands with his problematic wife. Something about Kiyoi really makes it hard for you to look away. And this is not just because Hira spent a lot of his narration going Kiyoi Kiyoi, reading Kiyoi’s POV makes me so endeared to him. He is like a cat to me. And he is such a high-maintenance guy but at the same time he wants such simple things. He is so dear to me!!!!!!

All in all, I have a lot of fun reading this. It came to me at the most perfect time considering the state of my actual real life, lol. It brings and fills me with uncomplicated fun and tender moments of two lonely people that are so different from each other finding and fighting for each other.