Miranda

Nearing the end of the book I was like:


I loved this from beginning to end. The first half of the book was much better than the first, but I really did love it all. I can't wait to start the second one!

edit: don't ask ab the splatoon gif.. i was doing that boogie mentally while driving home from work this book had me so pumped

man...... i kinda like it

This was definitely a page turner. I was hooked after a little while, wondering what was next and what the big twist was going to be. It was stupid. I hate this main character. I fail to understand the rhyme and reasoning behind his actions. I hate how much of a white knight he thinks he is, how he needs to “save” Alicia. This is what I get for listening to the masses.

I like the dynamics, and this is something different for me which I enjoyed. However, there was little to no plot.

shut the fuck up. i fucking loved this book. i read a majority of it in a single day. this is so so good, and i feel totally seen by Stella. currently refusing to take any other opinion into consideration. very very happy with what i have read.

goodreads suggested this to me bc i read an abridged version of the iliad............... ok.......

not very interesting :/

got bored 18 pages in. maybe i'll try it again someday

yawning. boring. sloppy.

Wonderful book if you're creating a character and know they suck but can't figure out exactly how and why. It really helps you turn your character from 2D to 3D.

‘uuuggghhhhhhhhh' is all I have to say. a wonderful story, I loved every minute; I was hooked. I just kinda wish, oh I don't know, that there was more than this?
Besides that, I genuinely enjoyed the story, and every twist and turn it held. Interesting characters as well, and riveting stories told within. I would recommend it to those who enjoy sci-fi like books, and a good mind-blower.

ok. i can't do it. it's too much.

i like horror, i do. i don't mind gore either. i don't mind violence. the DETAILS in which the author goes into animal genitalia? unacceptable and unnecessary. what does this add? the random blurbs that feel so out of place, what does it add? i couldn't finish the book, it turned me off so much. i really wanted to like this, but it just felt like oh no mommy and daddy are werewolf people? and we all have a birthmark???? oooooh so scary. i wanted to cringe reading because of how horrific the content is, not because of how unnecessary and disturbing-but-not-in-a-good-way it was. DNF!

If Alex Michaelides has one hater, it's me. If Alex Michaelides has no haters, I'm dead.

Y'all ready for another book where the plot is thin and you get to see Michaelides flex on his knowledge of Psychology and Greece?

I don't even think I'm gonna give this book a shot. After reading The Maidens and The Silent Patient, I cannot stand the way he writes women and thinks he knows sooo much about psychology and greek history. Please get a new hobby, thanks.

I gave this a 4 star rating but I never reviewed it. 5 years later I'll write my review now LMAO

possible spoilers head, read with care
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I read this book as a sophomore in high school, but there's a lot of backstory to it. To make it short, I read the Iliad and became hyperfixated, like full swing. I read fanfic after fanfic and found one that really resonated with me. Turns out, it was a fanmade version of this book from the perspective of Patroclus. When I saw that, I was like “omg if this is a fanfic, imagine how good the book is!”

boy was i wrong

this book is by no means BAD. there's little parts that i cringed at and was like “yeah, this is so aimed for preteens looking for another m/m to fetishize and romance over,” not to mention the use of “spurt.” that really set me off. like why? what??

because of my insanely overwhelming obsession with the iliad (it is still my favorite book to this day) i was so highly critical of every. little. detail. you can imagine my frustration seeing patroclus portrayed as a measley little manwife, tending to wounds and holding onto his big strong hero. like, did we skip the part that he posed as achilles in war and no one realized it wasn't achilles? homie caused absolute devastation and was a powerhouse of a human and all i gathered from Miller's rendition of the story was “he stayed in the tent and helped heal wounds :)))” like girl what???

besides all my critiques, no matter how trivial, this was a well written book loved by MANY. there were many heartfelt moments that made me sit and stare at my wall for a few minutes pondering my existence. but, knowing how the iliad itself ended, and how i basically knew every detail of the epic down to each individual characters non-existent social security number, i was really disappointed.

pushing all of my useless, useless rage aside, it's a good book. no hate to madeline miller, she clearly made a banger of a novel that is loved and treasured by many. i'm happy for the success of TSOA, it just was not for me. perhaps my mind will change after a reread of it, which I may do someday :)

this is the cutest thing i've ever read

I cannot rightfully describe how much I love this book. Preface: I listened to this as an audiobook.

For starters, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry is an incredible writer. Each time I pressed play I felt like I was right there with the characters. Everything felt so tangible and real, it was beautiful. The way the characters are composed and put together are just as good. I fell in love with each of them, as if they were friends of my own. As a 20 year old American, I know absolutely nothing about Europe, yet alone Soviet Russia. History classes were poorly taught, and often acted as nap time for students like me who could skid by high school with A's and B's. I feel like, although a piece of fiction, I have learned more reading (well, I guess listening?) to this book than I have all history classes I've sat through. I never knew the Soviet Union was more than just Russia. I never knew it was happening during the 80's. I had never known what anyone had went through during those times, young or old.

Not only did I get to learn a lot in this book, but it felt all the more sentimental and genuine coming from someone who was there. I made sure to stay for the Author's Note, as other reviews had suggested, and by god was it worth it. I hope Kristina knows just how much I love and appreciate this piece of work. I will be reading, and maybe even watching, The Cherry Orchard someday, and I will be telling all my friends about this book. It tugged on my heart strings, had me gasping in the car, and googling all sorts of places and people during this time period. I will be thinking about Anya, Milka, Trifonov, and Lopatin for the next few weeks, and I will be thinking of Kristina, who had went through it all herself too.


TLDR: This book is awesome please read it rn if you love historical fiction and coming of age 5/5 stars
TW: rape, abuse

i read this senior year of high school and i remember being very bored but interested in the individuals lives

I loved the pace and the premise is super cool but the ending left me :/

giving up on adult books tbh

something about this book changed my life

i read this in high school before i ever read TSOA and loved it SO much more than TSOA

I don't understand the negative reviews for this book. I think this was phenomenal. I find Tilly and Oliver way too relatable, and their relationship is cute although corny. But, what else do you expect going into a YA romancey book like this? Of course the cute guy on the plane is gonna be her boyfriend. And of course she is going to make a fool of herself.

Suspending my disbelief, I had so much fun reading this book. And the ending wasn't that bad!! The absolute worst part of the book was the fact that our MC's name is Tilly. Tilly Twomley, Twomley. Twomley.... what the hell????

A good choice for beginners, but it can be a bit overbearing as it is more focused on a Christian audience.

just realized this is harry potter fanfic... oops..