Carina
This book ended up being so good, but I definitely need to read it again to fully understand it. I so appreciate the (slightly) open ending, and I like that the author takes no time to spoon feed you the plot and details. You have to gather them all yourself and come to your own conclusions.
I really loved the air of mystery and urgency some of the testimonies had. Overall, I thought this was a really unique and memorable read, and I'd actually rate it 4.5 stars with a potential of 5 if I can throw all of the facts together the next time I read it.
I really enjoyed this read (it was like a nice hug). I definitely can see how people would be disappointed with this if they were expecting a full-fledged autobiography... but as someone who just wanted a little bit of insight on RuPaul's life and philosophies to help me feel more confident/brave and continue seeking security in my femininity, I really loved this. Definitely a light read - there was only a paragraph or two per 2 pages. The wisdom varied from fashion and makeup to work ethic, finding your voice, developing confidence, and more. I would definitely peruse this again in moments of despair - wish it was a little longer because I enjoyed it a lot.
It was so good. I was honestly so sure I was going to despise Clover throughout the book but the way she begins to interact with the other characters (most of which I LOVE with some strong female leads) is so cute and you really start to feel for her as she begins to navigate the world and learn how her loss and rejections made her fearful of getting close to others and that's why she's like that in the beginning of the book
I know so many people who can find comfort in this book and I feel like it highlights so many important things when it comes to death, love, and regrets — I love love loved it so much and I'm going to keep it in my heart for a long time.
I definitely enjoyed the TWIMSTS of this book. I liked the different directions it took and all of the continuity surprises there were, but there were definitely times were I felt like there were some gaps in what the author assumed the audience already knew and I had to go back and be like ............ who and what .... And Mayhaps why...........
Also I don't really understand what happened with Clara... like was she going to snitch on EVERYONE? Just Cassidy, Ian, and Josh? Why?
But overall I enjoyed it I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery thriller type stories
Okay, so it started off pretty slow and almost casual. I chose this book because I really wanted to understand what the protagonist was going through and how her friends were able to support her throughout her diagnosis and treatment. The beginning felt very fluffy, even though the diagnosis comes pretty early. The first half seems like a lot of inner dialogue and jokes as a coping mechanism, which is valid and okay, but I was really looking for something more raw and vulnerable.
The second half of the book focuses more on the characters' challenges and how they are working through them, and this is when things get more intense.
It really did end up being worth reading. I feel like I learned a lot and was engrossed in the story about 60% of the way through, and I commend the author for writing something so raw and poignant to her own experiences.
Definitely the best book I have read so far this year. It is honestly so heartbreaking the entire time - not because sad stuff happens the whole time, but because you start to carry the trauma of protagonist as he continues to talk through his experiences as they do (and don't directly) pertain to his mother.
The book itself is a letter to his mother who can't read English. It talks about the lives of him, his mother, and his grandmother through PTSD, abuse, war, drugs, culture clash/assimilation, death, and sexuality. It's definitely a heavy read, but I really liked that everything tied back into the protagonist's relationship with his mother and growing understanding/appreciation of her experiences. It's reminiscent of how relationships with your parents change throughout your life and how context/familiarity can bring you closer.
This book was SO BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING. It is easily one of the best books I have read to date. It focused a lot on growth after loss and making the most of your situation. I really liked the “now what” following what was basically an ecological apocalypse perspective of the book and accepting non-closure. I would 10000% recommend reading, especially if you're
• navigating/grieving bigger changes in your life
• interested in the environment/global warming and survival
• looking for a book that will emotionally hook you
Oh man. I wanted SO BADLY to love this book, but it ended up striking out right at the end.
You are immediately aware that our protag is a jerk (if that bothers you, you may want to avoid this read), but I really enjoyed learning about the intricacies of his life and how the relationships between the characters developed in Part I.
Things got weird with the “hands had a mind of their own” bit ... wasn't sure if I was supposed to take it literally until the very end (I started to wonder if the “horror” aspect was possession with ... hands? Mouths?) and both Billy and Timothy's deaths seemed poorly justified given the “morality tale” categorization of the work. Not only does Todd realize/acknowledge the deaths well after they have occurred, but they have little bearing on the plot yet somehow squeak their way into the end. They had to die because they ... knew about the book? That Timothy liked the book? If this was really a cautionary tale against writers exploiting women to become successful, how did their deaths make sense and why did Quantick turn Helen into a ruthless and senseless killer with Todd's “friends”?
And ... if her killing criteria included male writers who killed women in the pursuit of or as an effect of potential success, how did it make sense for Todd to die for killing Brehm..? I feel like that greatly sullied the point.
Super open to theories/anything I may have missed in the book.
I did enjoy the body horror descriptions in the book and the character development itself, but the horror plot was kind of a miss, and that was surely disappointing. 3 stars for being a fun read and keeping my interest, wish the horror plot was a little more realized in the end.
I liked it. Kind of disappointed that the most (if not only) somewhat likable character gets murked in the end, but it was definitely an interesting read.
None of the characters are especially likable - I felt like I didn't get to know the MC well enough to root for her. I loved the references to Japanese history, folklore, and art. I REALLY could not stand Talia and I almost felt sorry for Faiz (but not really). I appreciated how real the ending was and the kind of dumbness that followed. Overall, it just felt like I was bearing witness to a disaster - but it was an enjoyable one.
It was pretty good. I liked how it linked up with references from the first two books, and I liked how Pip's character continued to develop to depict her rage, sadness, numbness, fear, and loneliness. I think the pace was a little inconsistent - it got a little dry at times and then picked up again at others. I did really fall in love with Pip, Ravi, and Nat's characters. Overall, it was a good series and I think I would read it again.
I actually liked this one better than the first - I think the story itself was a little more pleasant to follow (not that the theme was pleasant) but the strength of this particular book was the author's depiction of rage and hopelessness. I really liked Pip's development as well as the development of a few particular characters, and I hope Ant and Lauren don't come back for the final book.
This book made me feel numb after reading it. It touched on a NUMBER of upsetting themes like miscarriage, suicide, child death, rape, alcoholism, cyclical trauma, and so much more that I was really not expecting, though I could have if I'd properly read the reviews on the back of the book. Regardless, it started off with the recollection of a child's broken relationship with a mother who hates her and makes her childhood miserable. Throughout the book, you become intimate with the plight and sacrifice of mothers and feel great sympathy for them. You follow the story of the protagonist through a recollection of her past from the time of her birth as the perspective switches to the present, where she is trying to find her missing child. You also witness generational trauma at play, which can be really sensitive. It is bleak the entire time- there is really no light. This book is dismal, but it really made me appreciate all that my mother has sacrificed for me and inspired me to treat her with more tenderness. Overall, it was a high quality book, but I did not give it 5 stars because it made my heart ache.
This was my first feminist lit novel. It was written in 1899 so the language wasn't super accessible to me and it took a little more effort to get to the meat of the story. It featured a lot of luxuriated romantic description and I felt like the plot was really like 50 pages long if you cut away the pages and pages of setting description. Ultimately, this was my first encounter with the drowned self-actualized woman motif and I felt extreme pity for Edna. One of my greatest fears is being discounted or feeling trapped, so I easily sympathized with her. Still, my heart hurt a lot when I finished it and it felt very bleak. I felt like I learned a new perspective from this book, but it didn't have any immediate takeaways - however, I did notice that the feminist themes in the book were limited to affluent white women and the role starkly contrasted with the roles of the Black and Hispanic women in the book. I can't help but wonder if that was intentional as a part of the irony of the story, but given the context, I don't think that would make sense. Overall, I rate it 3/5 (really 3.5) stars because I respect the book for its revolutionary qualities and appreciated the depiction of women's relationships in the 1800s. I wish it didn't make me feel so empty after I finished it, but it was good and made me want to read another novel of similar caliber.