Gabriela
4.5 rounded up. I absolutely LOVED this book. It consumed my thoughts any moment I wasn't reading it. Some aspects were a bit predictable, but I loved how this story developed, its characters, and how it was written. It was a very fun and stressful read.
I had one of the best times reading this book. It was weird, funny, creepy, existential, and reflective. I was confused most of the time, but in the best way possible. It also satisfied a voyeuristic desire to see people's DMs and get a 360 view of all the office gossip. :dusty-stick: for me. This was a very quick read that felt corporate-core, but in a satirical way. It gave me a similar vibe to Horrorstör in terms of interweaving the social commentary into the mysterious narrative. I did not expect to like it this much.
“We love to say the digital is fleeting like a concept but these scraps of ourselves we fling into the ether will outlive most of us, like the sun”
If I could give it six stars, I would. This book is an absolute delight to read. Open Water is written in some of the most lyrical and poetic prose I've ever read; its words feel like music. I rarely do this, but I had to read most of this book aloud because the rhythm and lyricism demanded to be experienced that way. I underlined and tabbed so many amazing quotes and many profound ideas. I love it.
This book is about love, music, language, identity, joy, and the fears that unfortunately come with the black experience in many cities. It's subtle and brutal at the same time. This is a book that both softly sings to you and loudly screams about how much pain there is in love, in being, in being perceived, in being vulnerable, in being reduced to a body. I encourage you to listen to this book with the Open Water Spotify playlist nearby; the music will only enhance and help tell this delightful story.
I cannot recommend this highly enough. And I'm pausing my book-buying-ban to go buy Caleb's new book immediately!
This series never misses, but I know I'm biased because of how invested I am in these characters already. I love how Alice handled the changes and decisions they are facing. The conversations they have show a level of vulnerability and communication skills most adults I know don't even have. Some might think it makes it less realistic, but my hope is that in reading this it helps others come to terms with their own experiences, feelings, and decisions. If you already like the series, you don't need any convincing to read this. It's great. It's iconic. It's perfect.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself desperate to know where this went, on the edge of my seat with every chapter. The end was more subtle than I expected, but as I grapple with my expectations, I am also fascinated by how this story was told. It takes time to understand this story, told through the lens of the mothers of several generations. It's a study on motherhood, the expectations people put on women and mothers, grief, and generational trauma.
The book's climax was undeniably in the middle of the book. The second part of this book explores grief in a very detailed and compelling way. But it also loses a bit of the tension by punching you in the heart early on, as we try to understand that event through the eyes of someone we don't know is a reliable narrator or not.
What holds this book back from a 5-star rating is its ending. I kept expecting a huge twist or some chapter that revealed something that made everything suddenly make sense. We didn't get that, but rather we confirmed the suspicion we had all along. For as thrilling and confused as I was throughout the chapters, I wanted something more impactful as an ending.
A very sweet and emotional coming of age story from the perspective of a kid who struggles to feel emotions. This book felt like a love letter to what makes us human and connects us. It was very sad and tragic, but also full of hope, moments of curiosity, and hope. A quick read that I will surely recommend to others. And short chapters!
This is a solid collection of short stories. Usually, short story collections have a low hit rate for me, but with the exception of one (Alcatraz) I liked all of these stories. The novella by the same title of this book was especially powerful, insightful, and interesting. I also want to highlight how much I loved Boys Go To Jupiter and Anything Could Disappear.
These are stories about the African American experience, about Black history, about white supremacy, and how about class, race, and gender affect the trajectory of one's life. It's topical and relevant. I recommend it!
3.5. Very cute, but I definitely didn't connect with this one as much as with the first one. Still cute, still sexy, still good amount of character depth. So far, this series is all about that relationship baggage and learning to trust again. And I'm here for it! I do recommend this book. I listened to it in one day because I couldn't put it down! But ultimately, it didn't blow me away.
3.5 (rounded up). Quite an entertaining book. This one is for the fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. It was fast paced & thrilling, which makes for a great page-turner. This definitely reads with that overly-dramatic tone I often associate with YA books, with our main character's inner monologue being especially guilty of being full of platitudes and cliché phrases. When I first started reading it, I rolled my eyes a few times. However, as the story went on, it managed to capture me. As long as you go into it knowing this is written in this particular way, you are likely going to enjoy this plot. I'm not sure I care enough to read the sequel, but maybe if I can find it through Libby.
This made me feel...A LOT. If you already love them, read it. But be prepared to suffer. It's a beautiful rollercoaster of emotions.
3.5. I did enjoy reading this, but not as much as I expected. It was interesting, definitely more character-driven than plot-driven. This falls in a weird spot for me because, of course it's disturbing, but also not disturbing enough to feel like it was challenging my thoughts or expectations. I know that's a weird thing to say, but I just think Irina had very clear psychopathic tendencies so I didn't find her actions to be that unpredictable. In a way, I did feel like I understood this character's worldview, which is to Eliza Clark's credit. I liked reading it. I can see why some people loved it. It was good, but not great.
Merged review:
3.5. I did enjoy reading this, but not as much as I expected. It was interesting, definitely more character-driven than plot-driven. This falls in a weird spot for me because, of course it's disturbing, but also not disturbing enough to feel like it was challenging my thoughts or expectations. I know that's a weird thing to say, but I just think Irina had very clear psychopathic tendencies so I didn't find her actions to be that unpredictable. In a way, I did feel like I understood this character's worldview, which is to Eliza Clark's credit. I liked reading it. I can see why some people loved it. It was good, but not great.
3.5. I thought I was going to DNF this book when I first started reading it, but I'm glad I stuck with it; the last third of the book made it come together nicely.
I thought the writing was done well and the stories were interesting, but I think this book would resonate more with people who experienced a similar level of fun and carelessness during their teens and 20s. It will also hit harder if you have strong friendships. For me, it just highlighted how much fun I've denied myself and how much I wish I had the same connection to female friends that Dolly describes.
I would still recommend this to people in their late 20s and early 30s. There's a lot of value to be gleaned from the reflections and stories shared. And it's also good fun.
3.5. It wasn't bad, just not very memorable. I found myself not caring too much about what happened with the story. I feel like part of the problem was this “love triangle” because I didn't know who to get invested in. I tried both, but ended up caring about neither. And the main character just wasn't as compelling as I wanted her to be. We also spent so much time talking about her writing and book, but we know next to nothing about this book so I found myself not caring too much about the writers or the lovers aspect of this story.
I'm glad I read it, but I will never think about this book after this review.
This is a difficult book to rate. The story at face value is delightful, heartwarming and inspiring. I fell in love with these characters and their stories. I laughed and teared up in so many moments! I think this story will stay with me forever. The writing and tone of the book reminded me of reading a children's story, while also being incredibly profound.
While reading it, I thought it was quite effective at discussing the harms of queerphobia, xenophobia, and the power of found families. However, I have read that the author took inspiration from The 60s Scoop to develop this plot, an abhorrent period of indigenous genocide in Canada. The final text is not really about that, but it does feel a bit icky to use events from that period as plot points of a feel-good fantasy book.
Ultimately, my rating reflects my experience and enjoyment of the book in its final form, not the author's sources of inspiration. You're free to take that context into account when choosing wether or not to read this book.
3.5. It is such a cute and cozy story! However, because of how short it is, I am left wanting more depth from these characters and the plot didn't really surprise me in any way. It's a quick story that has some of the most beautiful illustrations, but it didn't connect with me on the level I seek from a book.
I loved the story and the concept a lot. The only thing that holds this back from being a five-star rating is the writing style. There were so many times that I wished the author/translator had painted a picture with words instead of plainly describing the scene. It lacked beautiful writing, but it was rich in compelling stories, characters, and moments of devastating emotions. I cried like a baby reading this book more than a few times. I will read the other books in this series because I think the concept of this cafe is special and worth revisiting.
4.5. I ate this up. It was adorable, funny, emotional, and hot. These characters were well developed, their personalities felt believable, and their chemistry was palpable. My cheeks legitimately hurt while I was listening to this because it was so stinking cute and funny! But I also loved the plot beyond the romance, how both of their past experiences, traumas and their dreams were explored and flushed out. I thought the way it explored the topic of chronic pain and invisible disabilities to be very tactful, insightful, and beautiful. I adore these two and I can't wait to continue reading the series and getting close to Dani and Eve.
4.5 - The writing style of this novel is so up my street. I've never finished a book and had the desire to immediately start reading it again. What a wonderful story, full of poetic descriptions and love letters. I expected a bit more from the ending, but that's the only reason this has slightly fallen short of 5 stars. I suspect this will make my top 10 of the year!
This book was insane. Unhinged. But ultimately so enjoyable and fun. My internal monologue was mostly “wtf is going on” but in the best way possible. I really liked it, but it's also the kind of book I can't imagine recommending to anyone I know. It's simply bizarre. So if this sounds like a rabbit hole you'd like to go down into, it will be certainly an exciting experience.
3.5 Let's start with the good things. This couple had great chemistry and the dual povs were great. The way this book approached infertility and chronic pain felt nuanced and compelling, addressing the physical and psychological impacts of them. The side characters felt a bit half-baked, but I know the rest of the series will expand on them.
The reason this was held back from a higher rating is because of specific issues with each main character. Kristen's refusal to just communicate with Josh about why they couldn't be together was infuriating and confusing; it's not like I can't sympathize with the situation, but it felt so out of character for her that it mostly annoyed me. Not to mention the issue being revealed earlier on, when they were just friends, could've prevented him from falling for her (which at the time is what she wanted!).
With Josh, I am conflicted. When we're in Kristen's POV, I like him and I'm rooting for him. When we would switch to his POV, I mostly just got the ick. I'm so sorry, but we spent too many chapters hearing his inner and outer monologue about how she's a unicorn, a cool girl, a “not like other girls” girl; Honestly, props to Abby because I feel like she captured how a lot of men think and act when they're down bad, I just hated being a part of it for so many chapters.
Long story short, I was rooting for them, but this conflict felt avoidable. I am not against the miscommunication trope per se, but wow sometimes it really wants to make you shake the characters and slap some sense into them. This doesn't feel like a must-read series (as opposed to her newer series which is 5 stars all around), but if I can borrow the other books from the library, maybe I will.
3.5. I liked it, but it didn't find the stories as compelling as the ones in the previous two books. I didn't even cry once! I also keep finding the writing style too simple and repetitive. But it's still cute and I'll certainly read the fourth one when it arrives.