sneha
These are just early thoughts on the book.
Rumours of spring — it's a coming of age story set in Kashmir in the 1990s. It's haunting and beautiful and heartbreaking. I felt shame and sadness while reading it. Shame because I had no idea how terrifying life in Kashmir was and maybe to date it still is. Covid feels like a baby compared to the terrors and loss these people live through every single day for years. Sadness because it isn't in past and elements of it still exist. The book was also beautiful because it shows small slices of joy and normalcy. For a debut novel, it was so well written! The narrative structure and flow were very well done. Each chapter was seamlessly able to focus on a new character or event or place and tell its complete story while sitting to the overall arc.
this felt like an AI writer compiled all cop story cliches and wrote a book. no real person or relatively experienced writer could come up with this. my 4 y/o friends' crayon sketch animals have more layers than the characters in this book. this is just James Patterson's cash grab and I don't feel good about it. if it wasn't a free audible book I would have never consumed it. very very disappointing, ugh.
Is it wattpad-y? Yes.
Is the “silly simple doe-eyed girl” trope slightly annoying? Yes.
Am I invested in this slow burn between the King of Underworld and Flower Girl? 100% YES.
Will I inhale the remaining books in this series? Heck yes, watch me.
I understand why people did not enjoy this book as much as they enjoyed Evelyn Hugo. That one was a league of its own. The book starts promisingly, well a vast cast of characters. The hyper-realistic characterisation is something TJR always nails. Throughout this book, you meet SO many people, and you remember them all because of how well they are introduced to you.
But at some point, I wanted more than just well-done characters. I wanted a plot that moves further than “then this happened and then this happened”, especially when the book starts with the ending. If this book was meant to be a biography of the Riva family, it succeeded, but I also felt like, “okay, but what's the point of this all”. It felt like Malibu Rising had so much potential that it stayed unfulfilled. In every chapter, you feel like the crescendo will finally rise, but it continues to plateau from start to end. The only reason I did not DNF this was because 1) TJR writes a compelling story with her characters 2) the audiobook was well narrated. I mean, I did finish this book in a little over 24 hours so def not a bad one.
I know for sure, if I was reading the book I would have ciao adiosed it. Anyways, I stared and ended the whole damn thing for Carrie Sotto and was adequately entertained for the most part, so I ain't complaining. I understand the writer can't replicate perfection in every single book.
Keegan-Michael Key narration, energy and sheer talent made this tightly written piece even better
A very simple written book, If You Come Softly portrayes the joy, excitement and challenges of teenage love in face of society and it's perceived norms.
I enjoyed how the narration changed with the characters and how well their backgrounds were set up. It's a small book that packs a punch. The ending will leave you a little jolted, if not hoping for a better world. What a wonderful little book.
oohhh i had so much fun listening to this. didn't know Canada had such eccentric hesut cases. not only where the stories curated very well, the experts input were aligned with the theme and entertaining. the sound production on this was chef's kiss
I literally did not realise how i finished it so fast.
started strong and then it tapered off. for stories like these, when you know exactly what's going to happen, the style and characters set it apart. unfortunately for this one, the characters were okay-ish and the style felt very wattpaddyy so yeah - meh.
this is a satire of the genre, right? because if not, wtf was this book?!
the plot, dialogues and overall narrative felt like it was either mocking itself or taking the whole “mystery” too seriously. really weird book, glad it was free with audible plus.
two stars only for the performance.
3.5/5
I got this book blind on a rec from a local bookstore.
It is not the usual murder mystery I would have gone for, but def enjoyed the new style. It's based mainly on emails, text messages and legal documents. The format and approach were def exciting but I do the think it dragged out a bit too much in the middle. The murder took too long to happen which is interesting in itself but would have liked a faster murder (lol)
All in all, give this a shot. The style of this book was novel and engaging and the story was def fun.
** I don't think I was the right audience for this book**
I didn't particularly enjoy this book. The 3 stars are for the content and the lovely graphics but I have a ton of issues with this copy.
This book is essentially an essay stretched into a hardcover. It packs some quality wisdom and advice for young writers who want to get creative. It is practical, refers to classic works of literature from the yesteryears. The tone is inviting and breeze. It also shares actionable steps on writing your first piece of fiction. Overall, if you're a teen, go for it!
But if you're slightly older and are aware of the basics of writing, this will just feel bland and toddler talk. Go for a more serious writing book like “On Writing Well” by Willaim Zinsser. It's a personal favourite and a book you'll often revisit for it packs a punch.
Lastly, this is a note for the publisher, not the author. If the material is an essay, publish it as an essay. Please don't make font super big and add a ton of free space and doodles to justify it as a book. Mr Bond writes plenty of meaningful material to convert them into valuable books. This just felt like someone finishing an assignment the night before.
A very Aciman “missed love” story with a small supernatural twist (?)
Edoardo Ballerini is what made this a fun listen, so dreamy and relaxing.
I know comparing books by the same author isn't exactly reflecting my understanding of “nuance”, but them some themes are similar, so it's fine (?) why did I feel that august was a side character in her own story? I saw more personality in her flatmates, even the pancake shop owner than in August. Like the only time, we saw august was through Jane's POV. I thought that would shift in the second half to reflect the character arc but nope :/ The book's pacing felt off midway, almost DNFed it then. But overall, interesting, fun story. just don't get the massive hype tho :3
an enemy to lover trope that actually works.
my annoyance with romcoms is how they end of making “hopeless romantic” characters very stupid, irks me so much. but Emily did this one right.
the characters are interesting, they banter w/o trying hard, they are witty people whose conversation I totally would overhear in a cafe. they are opposites but not in a tryhard way. they are fun writers who do write. (altho the novel writing process felt a bit unrealistic but that's not the focus of this thing).
they were selfaware, funny people who you want to watch get together. chill fun ride – a beach read for sure. :)
what a comprehensive, well researched and well written book this it. the kind you will revisit and reread multiple time and work through all the activities. perfect pick when you want to re-enter the dating pool and do it right. the central message of intentional love and intentional dating is just :*
If you were to read one book on nonfiction writing, let this be it.
I don't think I can say anything new about this book. It's widely acclaimed as the “best book on non-fiction writing”. It is a heavy one! While Mr Zinsser writes effortlessly, each page is packed with information and learning. My copy has so many notes and highlights and I see myself referring back to them soon!
I keep my copy on my desk, just an arms reach away because there is no bad time to revisit basic lessons on writing well. :)
PS I edit my text messages based on the learnings from this book, its that powerful!