Elizabeth

I really don't enjoy the “stupid woman gets duped by the charming man” trope.

My first Kristin Hannah novel - is she always this bleak??

Definitely a fun read. A few plot holes that kept me from rating higher, but I wanted to keep turning pages to see how it all played out.

I mean, it was fine. It reminded me that I really do find this world fascinating. I do not, however, give a flying f**k about Snow, so that was a bit of a drag. Honestly I was much more interested in the secondary characters than the lead. It was fine.

Prayer as poetry, prayer as lament, prayer as connection to your body and soul, prayer as examination of your beliefs and politics and actions....this slim volume contains so many different practices to reframe prayer in your life. Practical and beautiful.

This was I think mainly a pacing problem for me. By the time the novel got to the part I cared about - what were the doors & who were January's family - I had been plodding along for too long & barely cared about the answers anymore.

OMG I need a Murderbot/ART buddy cop movie immediately!!

Yes please give me all the books about the grumpy robot killing machine who just wants to watch its soap operas and gets irritated when it discovers it actually kinda likes its humans. Yes please. 

This book has me feeling a LOT of feelings.....

I will never not love a well done YA fantasy romance. It's like catnip. It just makes me feel so good.

I grew up in an evangelical environment so none of this information is really even new, and yet it still stings so hard. 

Loved all the 80s music and culture references and was very impressed with the way the author nailed how middle and high school friendships can be so toxic while feeling so good.

This book was FUN. I read a lot that is heavy, and this just felt delightful - even though it deals with some rather serious topics. Very enjoyable, will definitely read more by this author.

This was a fun read but felt like it got a bit muddy in the middle. Will be continuing on with the series.

This book was very much NOT what I was expecting going in. I never felt like the two separate storylines ever came together in a satisfying way.

Strong read about a couple in England wishing but unable to conceive, and the varied consequences their choice to pursue surrogacy brings about. Interesting cast of secondary characters and situations in England and India propels the narrative.

This was not, in fact, a perfect novel - in fact, even as I type this I can think of plot issues and character inconsistencies. What it was, however, was competely delightful through and through, and a wonderful way to round out 2020. I truly enjoyed myself the entire time I was reading The Extraordinaries, and honestly what more could I ask for from a book this year? Pick it up. It's just so dang much fun.

There really was a lot to enjoy here - where it fell short, for me, was that I didn't realize going in that it was a YA novel. My expectations were just for something with a bit more substance, and this felt just a tad surface level for much of the read. Definitely entertaining!

This started out a little shaky for me - I had expected a more serious drama, and it was delivering very much a straight romance. By the end the story won me over, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

I picked up this book because I had just finished watching the excellent The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix and thought it would be interested to compare that story to it's source material. I found the audiobook, narrated by Emma Thompson, and let's be honest - she got me through.

The Turn of the Screw turns out to be one of my least favorite of the Victorian era tropes, which is “are all these creepy things really happening, or is the lady just GOING CRAZY because she's a lady...” It also does that thing where the entire climax of the novel happens on the last 5 pages, and then BOOP we're done. What?? What just happened??

Turns out we've gotten better at telling stories over the last 150 years, so good for us. (Also, if my kids ever have to read this for school I will definitely be giving them the Emma Thompson version.)

This is delightful and every school library should own a copy.

Probably more like a 3.5/5 - didn't enjoy it quite as much as My Lady Jane, but this was still quite fun.

It is, to be honest, a bit sacrilegious. It's definitely subverting the intent of the original author. And yet, somehow, just a sweet romance between two characters I've grown up enjoying just really felt satisfying. I think, in all the weird times we are experiencing, spending time with Jo and Laurie - and giving them a happy ending - just felt comforting.

As is fairly common for me when reading a horror novel, I enjoyed the reading of the majority of this book and then it kinda fell apart for me at the end. Something about the big, final “battle” or whatever of the horror plot always just leaves me feeling....like I missed something? Or something more needs to happen?

Anyway, mostly quite enjoyable book about a boy who discovers his family has been generationally haunted by a particular monster.

David rating - 4/5
Sophia rating - 4.5/5
Mommy rating - 3.5/5