Mollie

I really thought this book had a strong start, but to me fizzled out a bit. I felt like the first third felt so grounded and realistic, but the second half seemed too clean and tidy. It also began to feel rushed to me- the pacing of the book from the first part to the second are just vastly different in a jarring manner. The romance develops way too fast and just doesn't feel realistic either.

Longer than I needed it to be, but overall it was an average read that I don't regret.
I think the only character I wasn't constantly annoyed by is the Grandma, everyone else is a mess. I also am just not sure of the whole point, other than that blending families is complicated.

Maybe closer to 2.5. My main issue with this book is that it, as a whole, is inconsistent. There were chapters, especially in the beginning that I really enjoyed and related to the way Hameister describes here anxiety. But then it just felt so flat at other times- just felt like a first draft instead of a final book, and editing could have really made it into something better.

The people in this book make chaotic choices that are less about being interesting and more about forcing a storyline to work combined with little nuance.

Liked the historical fiction parts and characters there, but really didn't understand the motivations or logic of the modern day main character.

Very contrived, overly and unnecessarily dramatic, with dialogue that was beyond unrealistic- especially for the age of many of the characters.

An important topic, yes, but very much held back by the very basic writing contained within this book. The dialogue between characters was especially troublesome, and lacked nuance, intrique or any reality. I think the narrator is quite hard to like too, and I'm not sure that's all that purposeful in this case.

2.5

Felt a bit off with pacing- times where it felt slow and other times where it felt incredibly rushed. Either way, an interesting look into a disaster I didn't know about, but ultimately felt like we were missing a bit of the more meaty retrospectives or greater themes.

2.5
This seems like the type of book I am supposed to love but actually really did not enjoy. It's shockingly sad? It's a lot less a reflection on nature and lot more about loss. Sometimes I had a hard time with how much the author seems to fuss over nature- it almost feels infantilizing the natural world? But the ways of the world care little for our emotions. Certainly they spark feelings in us and are important roadways to advocacy about nature, but ultimately to focus it upon human feelings is a narrow view and elevates us to more importance than we deserve. This toed that line that for me.

I know the point is that I'm supposed to really kinda hate Nate, but dear god, that doesn't make listening to his endless self indulgent inner thoughts and drivel any easier to read. I can't really stand anyone in this book. Maybe that's the author's point/and showcases her skill. I just didn't really need a couple hundo pages to show me the depravity. I will say I learned some vocab words and that's about the only nice thing I can think of.

2.5- I really liked the way this book is focused around two historical events I was unfamilar with, but it was just so slow paced at first and unnessecarily long.

Not bad. Characters were just a little flat for me, but I enjoyed the cross country adventure. I did enjoy the nostalgia from my teen years based on the playlists, and the fact they still had to use actual maps! I really hated the ending- it was so abrupt and felt like we rushed to nothing.

More like 3.5 stars, maybe? Feels like it should be required reading if you are a person who has a fascination with true crime (to clarify- not as in the crime is good/something to be a fan of but more like it makes the world a little less scary to know the monsters by their names, to know what to look out for)

This is a long one. Took me a little to get fully invested, but I'm glad I did.
I learned more about Ethopian history that I ever had before. Reminiscent to Poisonwood Bible in the way the learning of country's people & challenges feel very grounded and authentic (Obviously in this case, Verghese used a lot of his own experiences to shape that- you can tell- it's affecting and profound.) There is one scene that fueled a lot of dislike of the narrator for me. Until that part I had mostly been able to understand why he made the choices he did, but one part got me a little angry and ultimately soured my taste towards him. I can't tell if that was intentional or not, but it was certainly a choice. Overall, very well written and a glimpse into a world I've never really known much about- even including the parts in America.

3.75. I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a NYT food crtitc. Reichl writes with purpose and feeling, and her thoughts on food are especially lyrical. At times I found myself a bit put off with her- but that is also the point of the book, I think.

Listen. I'm an ideal reader for this book. You can catch me with my partner at a NWSL game on a regular basis. But there's a shockingly low amount of soccer actually in this book (the author clearly knows the league and is a real fan but I missed soccer!) and I felt like the relationship felt a bit shallow and somewhat immature. The end of the book feels so rushed compared to the beginning. Neither of the main characters feel fully fleshed out, and the villain feels flat, too. It's still heartwarming as a whole to see the representation of a community I care about/feel apart of, but I was let down a good bit by it. Maybe I just had unfair expectations. It is a fun read though.

I found this book compelling and a realistic look at how someone's ideals are worn down by toxic environments. I was however so confused by the end being so abrupt- what happened in those years?? Just didn't feel like it was a well crafted conclusion and due to it's shortcomings made me speculate to why that was the case.

Listen, I'm so very happy she gets to make her own choices now and the hell her family and the media put her through is horrible. That said, if I'm rating this as a book and thoughtfully approaching the memior and writing itself, it's a bit rough. Very surface and not well written. I'm glad she's able to use her voice and for that alone I'm happy to support it, I just can't give it a high rating on literary merit.

The characters feel made out of cardboard and the parents are more like ideas than actual beings. Also- they own a lot of property in NEW YORK CITY of all places yet feel downtrodden? Like yeah, the business might be tough and failing but at the end of the day, they have a huge asset. 2nd Also- how do you get a culinary scholarship with no ability/interest in cooking at all? Too many plot holes.

I feel like I'm supposed to love this one. But really, it gets a 2.5 from me.


I know much of this is based on the author's own experiences, so it feels bad to critique it, but I felt like we were lacking some exposition. It felt unrealistic. It felt like there was more that should explain what was driving this character's choices beyond it simply being addiction.

I do appreciate the use of poetry here.
I also always pause when it seems like a baby “fixes a person” as some sort of plot in YA novels- I've seen it numerous times in various iterations. (Though I appreciate the author's forward that explains this part a little more.)

If there was a deep meaning to this book other than don't let someone irresponsible be your idol, I did not find it.

3.5

Is this earth shatteringly well written and super original? No. But it's entertaining and easy to breeze through and sometimes you just want something simple to bring your brain some joy.

This was a slow read for me at first, but I really grew to enjoy this book.
I will always be drawn to a higher rating for a book that changes my perspective on the world, and teaches me actual history through human stories. I knew very little about the actual history of Congo, only that it was tumultuous and “bad.” (Note that I'm using bad here as a reflection of my limited understanding and ignorance.) I certainly can't claim to fully understand the Congo and its people after reading this, as it is a very complex place, but I now understand the complexity that exists– and the fault the US played in the conflicts and death there.

Also, Kingsolver writes about nature in a way that would make any biologist/ecologist/naturalist proud. She sees nature like only a person who is connected to it deeply can- and draws out the intricacies and revelations with wonder, but with fairness- nature is a force here, not a thing to conquer or be pacified.

4.5

I found myself turning the pages quickly on this one, completely drawn in and needing to know the ending. To be clear, this is the first of any of her novels- certainly, upon reading some of these Goodreads reviews- I'm intrigued further and have no background for some of these reviews, so I won't be commenting on that.

But, what I can say, is this is a compelling novel that focuses on an unreliable narrator whose thoughts are at once completely unhinged,racist, and unrelatable, yet also grounded in a way where you can follow every thread of her twisted logic while regarding it with complete distaste. It feels unforgettable and novel. Everyone in this book has complexity and insecurities, there is no good and unmarked soul here- everyone reeks of desperation and loneliness.

12 year old me who blasted “Stupid Girls” on her iPod daily has some apologizing to do to Paris. I'm not claiming she's perfect but she reveals a depth and a journey here that is incredibly important. What awful things- things that still happen today. I was shocked by how good this was.