libraryoftori

4.5
Loved the majority but it got a little tedious towards the end

This was a ride honestly and I still can't even process that ending



lowkey though... I knew it

What the fuck

Call it cheesy, call it cliche, whatever. This book hit me hard. I loved it

Solid 3 stars. It wasn't bad necessarily but I wasn't a big fan of Julie and the way she acted in spite of everything. I found her to be quite selfish and rude (especially to her also grieving friends and family???) and although I know part of that was her grief that she needs to get over, even after that I just didn't care for her character. (Like when she claimed that the reason she decided to hang out w her grieving friend is because she “has empathy because she's a writer”??? And only bc he offered to pay??? Then she proceeds to buy THREE SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM??? Grief doesn't make u entitled and greedy). Her relationship with Sam also felt slightly flat, like I didn't really feel the sadness or the yearning between them. Their conversations were really cheesy and felt superficial. I liked the side characters much more and cared more about their relationships with Sam than Julie's - although even with Mika and James who get to speak to Sam the emotion felt... off? I was really disappointed by the lack of explanation behind the phone calls too. My heart aches at the concept of this book but the execution unfortunately just did not do it for me. That being said though I probably definitely would have loved it if I had read it when I was 16 and can understand why people would love this book, but there were just a few too many things that bothered me and I was disappointed that it didn't make me cry like it promised to. So yeah. 3 stars.

3.5

The most beautiful book I've ever read. A new favourite. I cried multiple times.

3.5

Before picking up this book I was expecting some sort of horror comedy similar to Santa Clarita Diet but this was not that at all. I really enjoyed the themes of feminism and capitalism and how these were intertwined with the exploration of motherhood - it reminded me of something I would have studied in school. That being said, I think this book may be enjoyed a lot more by those who have experienced motherhood. Although it was really interesting, eye opening and fun to read at times, overall it just missed the mark for me.

What the hell was that

Edit: lowered rating from 3 to 2

Read for the first time November 2021

Reread December 2022: solidified the fact that this is absolutely my favourite book of all time

3.5
I wanted to love it so much more. It truly was so strange and creepy, and I loved the design of the book, all the little details were so fun. But the ending really disappointed me. An extra line or two could have finished it properly but unfortunately the ending me feeling dissatisfied and lowered my overall rating.

Personally I didn't love it nor hate it. I felt it was just okay. I prefer R.L. Stein's novels more but I think this would be a great graphic novel for middle-grade audiences!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for review

This was a really incredible read. I'm always so fascinated to hear about experiences with people such as Elinor and I really felt for Helen and the pain and anguish she had to live through because of her mothers manipulation. Having the audio book narrated by Helen herself was a really nice touch and I felt that it made me connect all the more hearing the story told by her.
I do wish there were more excerpts of Elinor's diary entries just to further display the inner workings of her mind but overall I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an audio arc in exchange for a review

The art was stunning and I love the idea of the “haunted” house that sees all the evil conducted within its walls. Although I was confused about what was going on throughout most of the story, I was still delightfully creeped out and enjoyed it!

This is a new favourite, I loved it SO MUCH

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The format of the book is so creative and the premise sounded good, but the execution just didn't do it for me. I wanted so much more out of the characters and the story. I feel maybe it would've been better if it was longer - there were a couple weird sections in terms of writing but as a whole it felt almost rushed? Pretty disappointed tbh

4.5 rounding up

Never has a book tugged on my heart strings so much at the same time as giving me goosebumps from the creepiness. I had chills and tears in my eyes the whole time. This book deals with grief and fears so. well.
I adored all the characters and their friendship warmed my heart. This is a new favourite, I love it and am definitely looking forward to more from Daka Hermon.

Technically a 4.5, but emotionally a 5 if that makes sense? There are some technical aspects of the plot and the story that fell short, but the emotional ride that this book took me on (coupled with the fact that I stayed up until 2am to finish it) made it a 5 star read.

The premise of this story excited me so much I've been waiting to read this for a while! I loved Sankofa's characterisation and her development through the story, I felt so much love and empathy for her and found myself really invested in her journey. The writing was so good and I found the plot to be so interesting! although I was disappointed by such an open ending and not getting any answers, I had more appreciation for the overall story so I'm not too fussed about it but would love to read more of Sankofa's story

3.5 stars

I love slow burn, simmering thrillers where the unease creeps up on you and this was definitely one of them.
Already knowing the crime and the offender from the get go, this story focuses more on how we got from the perfect nanny to a brutal murderer. And while I think this book was very well written (although I only read the translation), I was so disappointed and ANNOYED at the ending. I completely understand leaving it slightly open ended and not explaining exactly what drove Louise into her madness (I suppose to keep up the motif of still not knowing Louise fully no matter how close we are to her) but I still hated such an abrupt ending. I would have rated it 4 stars if it had more closure.

I hate myself for not picking this up sooner. The world building and Marie Lu's writing was so enchanting and beautiful, and I adored the sibling relationship between Nannerl and Woferl. I also really appreciated that there wasn't a romantic plot line and that the emotional aspect focused on family. Anyway, such a gorgeous book I loved it and would definitely recommend it!!

DNF @ chapter 5. I tried so hard but I just could not finish this book. El pisses me off. The story telling is boring. I don't care about any of the characters, and it feels like there is no plot. I'm so disappointed, I was so excited for this one.

3
I'd like to thank StrangeBooks for gifting me a copy for review – all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magic is littered with metaphors and different ways of perceiving life as we know it, through eyes so much more innocent and accepting than our own. I think we can all learn a thing or two from Charlie about appreciating life and seeing the beauty and magic in ordinary things that we might have never thought to be extraordinary. Making flowers grow is no less magic than making them appear out of thin air, and standing on this Earth is no less magic than levitating above it; life is magic, and it surrounds us all.