Allison
An interesting look at the back end of dating apps wrapped in a mystery with a dose of family drama.
I really liked this twist on what happens after the fairy tale. No character in this is perfect and I loved all the flaws. Got me out of the non-romance slump I've been in.
I'm impressed. This book could have easily been too dense to get through, but it was fantastic. I loved the play on and use of language throughout the whole thing. And the heavy critique of colonialism was very well executed. The characters were all great too. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like.
Read in honor of my high school 10 year reunion coming up this November. Unfortunately for me no Nerd Herd w/lingering sexual tension to fall back on.
Also burnout is no joke
I definitely did not remember anything about this book when I started reading it so it was a bit of a wild ride. Wasn't expecting a thriller but it was certainly a page turner. Definite suspension of disbelief required for the whole hypnosis concept (especially the eyesight), but I don't think it detracted from the story.
Update: It's been a couple months so I tried to finish this, but I couldn't even get 10 more pages in. I don't care about any of the characters. I hate the main character's internal dialogue. And the constant flipping of tenses was driving me me nuts. Conceptually the story was interesting, but the author needs a better editor.
In all, I made it to 20% complete, this is an absolute DNF.
ARC Review via BookSirens!
I could not, for the life of me, get in to this book. The story did not draw me in enough to distract me from the writing style. The tense and POV changes kept pulling me out and I felt the book needed a lesson in the “show, don't tell” technique.
The main character just annoyed me so much. His thoughts read like the stereotypical “squirrel” representation of ADHD.
I honestly hate DNF-ing books, so maybe I'll come back and finish one day.
Also I find it weird that Book Sirens asks for an honest review but then the DNF page says not to post the feedback publicly.
This entire book is one big miscommunication trope. However, I'd honestly make 95% of the dumb decisions that Olive did so who's to say it's not realistic (also, send help). As a woman in STEM the best part about this book was its portrayal of what the experience is like. I didn't go into academia after undergrad, but the experiences Olive has are applicable to industry too. If anyone thinks the end of the plot is too outlandish, watch the documentary ‘Picture a Scientist'.
Fun romp in a cute town with Halloween vibes. What a great way to kick off the season.
I haven't watched or read Outlander so I couldn't appreciate all the behind the scenes/making of references. But it was a hilarious look at Scotland's history and the making of Men in Kilts.
Audiobook was narrated by the actors and was fantastic.
Fascinating look at where America stands in the world and what we can learn going forward.
This was a really cute YA rom-com that I definitely finished in one sitting.
The MC's mom had passed which was a major/driving emotional factor for most of the book. Which hit a little too close to home personally. I probably should have put the book down when this was mentioned in the first chapter but I decided to cry through the book instead
Great mix of steam and plot. The typical miscommunication at the end didn't bother me at all.
Oh god. It's been a while since I've ugly sobbed through the end a book but here we are.
The audiobook for this was great. I didn't realize how relatable John Green was until I saw his TikToks and this book is an extension of that relatability. I've struggled with pandemic related media, but this was so well done and integrated into the larger stories that I could actually finish. I loved the concept of rating everyday things. I give this book 4.5 stars
I love maps
The concept for this story is fascinating and the fact that it's based on a real fake town is ever cooler.
Certainly more magical realism than actual magic. And I'd consider it more of a mystery than anything else.
