roselaina
Major TW for the birth story told from the father's POV. I'm not normally one to give away spoilers, but putting a story of infant death in the middle of a collection of positive birth stories is a horrendous move. It triggered some major anxiety for me, as I have epilepsy, and the baby died as a result of complications from the mother seizing during childbirth.
Other than that, I didn't like some of the dated language and the condescending attitude (and frankly, some of her takes on medical things are flat-out wrong -- her insistence that gestational diabetes doesn't exist, for instance). However! I did enjoy the birth stories and the positive perspective surrounding vaginal birth. There was some great information about the birth process. It's a useful book if you are preparing for an unmedicated birth, as I was.
Contains spoilers
Nina LaCour's writing is beautiful, as always, but it could not save this book. To be fair, my opinion is probably impacted by the fact that I read it right after Pachinko, so I really just wasn't in the mood for another lots-of-bad-things-happen-in-a-row book. But like...it wasn't even *just* that. But throw in my mortal enemy instalove, and a bunch of weird, deep conversations and interactions like no one actually has, plus requiring an incredibly deep suspension of disbelief regarding Emilie's whole storyline...eh. Overall, very much a disappointment and a waste of a beautiful cover.
This book has one of those worlds and magic systems that are so original and interesting that I want to stay there and explore and even write my own stories. I am obsessed. 😍
Contains spoilers
I just want to start by saying that I appreciate this book's critique of the criminal justice system and police bias. That was not my issue with it at all. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing I did like.
Baldwin has some great turns of phrase here and there, but overall, I do not understand the popularity of this book. The characters are shallow, some to the point of being caricatures, and most of the few existing plot points are completely unbelievable. The book drags despite its short length. I usually enjoy books that are more character study than plot, but that only works if you actually flesh out your characters. I felt like I barely knew Tish by the end, even though the entire book is told from her perspective. The only character who actually feels like she has some substance is Sharon.
Some specific issues:
- Why, exactly, are we supposed to love the guy who abuses his wife?
- What the actual heck is this quote?
I think, in fact, that she was raped and that she has absolutely no idea who did it, would probably not even recognize him if he passed her on the street. I may sound crazy, but the mind works that way. She'd recognize him if he raped her again. But then it would no longer be rape. If you see what I mean.
- Pretty sure Baldwin never talked to anyone who has actually been pregnant in the course of writing this.
- The unnecessary sexual scenes (Specifically, the gratuitous masturbation scene and the disturbing sexual encounter told through the eyes of the couple's child. Just...why?)
- The depiction of Puerto Rico (or, as Baldwin likes to refer to it, the home of trash, garbage, refuse, and more garbage, where everyone looks like they're related but somehow not in a racist way)
- The super misogynistic opinions, gay slurs, and antisemitism. Obviously you can't hold an older book to the standard of the current day, but when I was already struggling to continue reading, these definitely didn't help.
- The abrupt ending
Some things I did like: the Spanish restaurant, getting to see more of Sharon's character during her portion of the story, the fact everyone believes Victoria is telling the truth about what had happened to her even if she is mistaken about Fonny's identity
All in all, I love Baldwin's essays, but this definitely should not have been my introduction to his fiction. Not every book can be an author's best, so I hope that the next one I try lives up to the hype.
This is a very important book, and I'm glad I read it! While I did not agree with 100% of the author's points, I absolutely support her main idea and think more people should read this book and others like it to raise awareness of anti-fat bias and strategies for dealing with it.
I will say, it was frustrating that the author didn't apply the same rigorous critical thinking to the studies she liked as to the ones she didn't. It seemed unbalanced at times.
But overall, I would still recommend it.
George Lucas: Hey, R.A., how'd you like to write a Star Wars book?
Salvatore: I'd love to! Quick question: any limit to the number of times I can use the word "diminutive" in it?
Lucas: Um...no?
Salvatore: Perfect.
*4.5 stars
You know those times when you've been building something up in your mind for so long that it inevitably lets you down when you finally read it?
This was not one of those times. ♥ ♥ ♥
(Review originally posted here at The Book Barbies.)
Ripple fell smack dab in the middle of “average” for me. It wasn't by any means terrible, but it wasn't great. My favorite thing was probably the premise, followed closely by the fact that it had an older heroine (18). The romance was good, although I wanted more from it. In fact, I really wanted more from several aspects of this book. More characterization for the MC, her best friend, and the love interest. More character development from the MC. It had a pretty good twist and a fairly enjoyable story, though.
3 stars for the first half, 1 star for the last half. What started as an interesting perspective on the different ways autism/AS can manifest turned into something that was part memoir, part really bad advice. Telling people you think autistic people have psychic abilities is a little wild, but it's your personal opinion, so go ahead. Telling people autism can be cured through diet is ridiculous. Telling people not to take antidepressants because they can just make “wise choices” to end their depression is not only untrue but downright dangerous.I am glad that this was a groundbreaking book in some ways when it was first published, but I would highly recommend reading [b:Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age 25519486 Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age Sarah Hendrickx https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432130425l/25519486.SY75.jpg 54051656] by Sarah Hendrickx instead (or at least first). It isn't without its own flaws, but if nothing else, it gives a much more research-based and well-rounded view of autism in women.
(Review originally posted here at The Book Barbies.)
So, the other day this thing happened. It was called a #LitLush Twitter chat. It came up that Magan, Cass, Sana, and I had never read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. And that was, apparently, entirely unacceptable. Thus, an impromptu readalong was promptly set up.
I was always scared this was going to be one of those overly-hyped books. You know, the one you see EVERYWHERE, and everyone loves it. So your expectations are a little higher than they would be for a book you just picked up randomly off a shelf because it looked good. Then you read it...and you don't get it. It's fine, but nothing special. Thankfully, this was NOT the case with Amy & Roger. It is beloved for good reason.
I'm completely in love with the typography. Just LOOK AT IT. ♥
I harbor a lot of adoration for this book. It took me a while to fall in love. While I really liked it in the beginning, it grew more and more magnificent as the story progressed. I finally got a chance to sit down and devour it after a couple days, and I was so grateful! Because by then, I was completely immersed in the the story.
It's been a while since I've been on a road trip, and this book majorly renewed my desire to do it again. There are only three things that are absolutely mandatory for a great road trip: good music, good company, and good snacks. And this book had them all. I LOVED how much music there was in this book. I knew a bit of Roger's music, but I'm a huge musical fan. So if we were to compare our iTunes, I probably would have had a lot more in common with Amy.
I loved both Roger and Amy. They both had their issues to work through. They were in a potentially rather awkward situation, driving cross-country with a near stranger. But they found a way to make the most of it, visiting places they wanted to see, accidentally taking deserted roads, finding unexpected friends, and confronting pieces of their past. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more resolution with Amy's best friend. There was an issue mentioned several times, but it was never really resolved.
The way the book was written was very appealing. Though I know some people aren't a fan, I love the jumping back-and-forth in time approach to books. It keeps you on your toes, and it reveals things as they need to be known. And I much prefer flashbacks to infodumping. You really get to know the characters better that way, too. Matson used the flashbacks very wisely in this book. There were enough to know the story and the characters, but not enough to feel superfluous.
I happened to be obsessing over the new Jillette Johnson album at the time I was reading this. As a rule (although there are exceptions), I don't listen to music with words while I'm reading. I love the music too much and get pulled out of the story because I want to sing along. But there was a really obnoxious bird right outside while I was reading, so I put on this album while I was reading to drown it out. Around the second time around, it hit me that one of the songs was perfect for the book! “True North” wound up sort of becoming my Amy & Roger theme song.
Overall, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour was a thoroughly charming read. If you've yet to read this one, a few words of advice: be prepared to cry a little, swoon quite a bit more, and be bitten by the road trip bug. And if you're like me, you'll enjoy every second! Now, I just need to read Second Chance Summer. After I've restocked all the Kleenaxes in the apartment. I have a feeling I'll be needing them.
Read this and other reviews at Fictionally Inclined!
*4.5 STARS
Holy cow. This book. This book. It was one of the most powerful, intense stories I've read in a long time. I finished it twenty minutes ago, and I still have swollen eyes and a throbbing head from crying. I am going to try my best to explain this book, though it is going to be challenging.
I did not go into this book expecting sunshine and rainbows, obviously. You can tell from the cover and the summary that it's not going to be a happy story. And it wasn't. This book was far from an “easy” read. Everything about it was difficult. Maya and Lochan were basically raising their three little siblings on their own, despite still being in school themselves. The way the tedium and stress weighed them down and how the whole situation was dealt with is just heartwrenchingly realistic. The story is told in alternating POV - one chapter is from Maya's perspective, the next from Lochan's, etc. Lochan's chapters were particularly difficult to read because of all the issues he had. Then you have the nature of their relationship itself. I did not find this quite as repelling as many others might - just as a warning, if you couldn't tell from the summary, it is blatant incest - because I'm just weird that way, I guess. (Just as a disclaimer, lest you think I'm some sort of incest-crazy freak, I do not actually support incest as a practice in real life, despite my liking of a few fictional incestuous pairings.). But the codependence, the seriously twisted factors behind the relationship, the intensity between the two, everything was nearly overwhelming. Thinking back, I cannot believe I read it in one sitting; it seems like the kind of thing that would need to be spaced out if only to give yourself some time to breathe in between. Yet I could not put the book down (well, metaphorically, since I was reading it on ebook).
Suzuma's work is absolutely stunning. First of all, she did a marvelous job with the storyline. She presented the relationship and characters in a nearly hauntingly realistic way. She addressed the issues behind the taboo and illegality of the practice of incestuous relationships. One of the things I found most impressive of all was simply the writing itself. A lot of times with alternating POVs, I've found that while the voice changes, the writing does not tend to. Yet with her, you could feel whose head you were in. In the voice, the word choice, the length of the sentences and paragraphs. The way she crafted the evolving relationship was perfect, from the acutal happenings to the reactions and realizations of both Maya and Lochan. The scenes when things are first coming to a head between them gave me goosebumps, even made me tear up because I was so conflicted, right along with them. The writing was consistently good, but every once in a while, there would just a line that was so powerful. For instance, this one:
❝I mean, at the end of the day, what the hell does it matter who I end up with if it can't be you?❞
Reading the author's note at the end made me feel bad about how disappointed I was with this book, so I won't be sharing details. But...yeah. Disappointed, to say the least.
DNF at page 108.
Extremely disappointing. I've read three LaVyrle Spencer books before, and I loved them all, Morning Glory especially. I expected another well-written romance that would quietly tuck itself into my heart and surprise me with the intensity of emotions it would evoke.
What I got instead was a mess of forced, inconsistent “banter” (an insult to the word, honestly) and characters that made no sense. Jesse was awful from the start, but I tried to keep going, sure it would get better. And then Jesse forced Abigail to kiss him (not a peck - a three-page-long ordeal) by freaking PULLING A GUN ON HER, and I had to put the book aside in disgust and disappointment.
“But this was written in the 80s!” you argue. “The heroines were always kissed into submission against their will.”
And yes, to a point. Usually, I go into books written in this time period with certain expectations. When those scenes occur, I read them, uncomfortable, but knowing it's a stage the romance genre went through to get to where we are today.
But there are limits to things I will not tolerate, regardless of publish date.
This was not a ~she put up a token resistance but almost immediately became an enthusiastic participant~ situation. Not only did he use a weapon to force her into the act (and basically verbally threatened to do more at a later date), at the end of the ordeal, she feels “filthy” and “violated,” not only from the assault but because she eventually started to enjoy it a little toward the end.
I wanted to retch reading that.
And to make it EVEN WORSE (that would have been enough, but this is the piece that just makes it even more incomprehensible to me), Jesse ISN'T EVEN THE VILLAIN train robber he's accused of being. He is a photographer. Just a regular guy. Who?? Thinks this is okay?? And then LAUGHS after she leaves the room, his own private joke because only he knows that the gun has been empty the whole time.
Spencer can do a million times better. That saying, “I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed,” comes to mind, but it wouldn't be true. I am extremely disappointed, as evidenced by how many times I've used that word in this review, but I'm mad, too.
If you like the premise of this book, read The Outsider by Penelope Williamson.
If you want quality Spencer, read Morning Glory.
Whatever you are looking for in a romance, I sincerely doubt you'll find it in this book.
(Find my thoughts on this book and the entire Fever series here at The Book Barbies.)
You know how we say “ALL THE FEELS” about books all the time? This book makes that look like an understatement. I elated, crushed, enthralled, repulsed, confused, amused, and surprised. I cried both sad and happy tears. Quite the emotional roller coaster, but hands down, my favorite book of the series.
Side note: NEVER in my life have I been so tempted to look to the back for spoilers. And speaking as the world's biggest spoiler-phobe, that's saying something.
(Read this and other reviews at Fictionally Inclined.)
*3.5 STARS
Lisle and Olivia first appear as children in Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase, which I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed. When I discovered that these two had their own book, I obviously needed to read it immediately. Which I did, through car rides, bad concerts (well, only one concert, really), and numerous distractions, courtesy of my much beloved little sister. How did I like the book? Well, it didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it didn't disappoint, either. I really liked it.
First of all, I would like to talk about the characters. While you do not by any means have to read Lord Perfect first, I would recommend it. I loved getting a look at their personalities there because it made me appreciate them in this book so much more. They stayed true to the personalities established in the first book, while still developing over the decade that passed between the two. Olivia was such an original, quirky, and lovable character. I have seen such characters attempted before, but she is the only one that actually seemed natural and genuine, as if she were a person I could have run into at the supermarket rather than a figment of an author's imagination. As for Lisle, he was slightly less original, I suppose, but no less wonderful. I always adore the logical hero, and Lisle was, nearly to a fault. But it worked for him. It was endearing, really, and it balanced with Olivia's wild and impulsive personality perfectly. Oh, and a review of this book would not be complete without mentioning their chaperons. The two older women were bawdy and inappropriate and altogether hilarious; I always laughed when there was a scene with them.
I adored how the romance between Lisle and Olivia built and developed. It was a very natural progression for them. Their struggles were original and more fitting for their situation than the typical denial-of-feelings method. It is actually rather difficult to describe without giving it away, so I will simply say that the obstacles to their relationship were realistic and fit them well.
As for the story, I am always a fan of road trips (and the Regency equivalent), so I enjoyed that segment. Once they actually arrived at the castle, I expected not to care as much about the story, honestly. I am not a huge fan of “haunted castle” storylines. This one was well done, however, especially since the castle was not actually haunted. You actually get sections from the mischief-makers' POV, so there is never any question as to whether the culprits are human or ghost. Speaking of these scenes, there were a few too many for my taste, but they were not terribly long or unnecessary, which can easily happen when including a crime-centric plot thread.
My one real complaint is that that it seemed there was going to be a romance blooming between two of the secondary characters. There was foreshadowing and even a scene from the viewpoint of one of the two detailing an interaction between them. But...that was it. The story left off with no mention of anything related to them. Perhaps Chase is planning on writing them their own novel(la)? If so, I would certainly read it. They had such promise!
While this was not my favorite Chase (well, obviously, as it would take a truly outstanding read to surpass Lord of Scoundrels), I did enjoy it very much. I laughed several times, and Chase's writing style always makes for a great read. She never fails to amaze me with the freshness of her style.
Victoria Schwab has a knack for a really lovely turn of phrase.
And that's the only reason this book is getting two stars instead of one.
(Review originally posted at Fictionally Inclined.)
I really enjoyed this book. Elizabeth Scott is such a fresh, unique voice in YA fiction. I love her writing style, and her characters are always interesting and believably flawed. Bloom was no exception. The chemistry between Lauren and Evan is obvious even from the beginning, and Scott captured that initial infatuation and awareness perfectly.
I usually do not enjoy the whole boyfriend-vs-other-boy internal debate. It's always the “safe” choice vs. the choice the girl actually wants. In this book, however, I actually believed her. Dave seemed perfect and worked very well with her world. He was also a fantastic boyfriend. In addition, Lauren had many actual, credible reasons for trying to stay with him. I really felt for her. Lauren grew up a lot in this book, and I enjoyed reading this coming-of-age story.
There were also several great quotes in Bloom. Here are a few of my favorites:
❝...it was only when we actually got boyfriends that I realized without the acquiring of them to talk about, we had absolutely nothing in common. ❞
I particularly appreciated this quote because I could very much relate to it.
❝I love books. I like that the moment you open one and sink into it you can escape from the world, into a story that's way more interesting than yours will ever be.❞
Basically? ♥ ♥ ♥
❝Just once can't I be the kind of girl who can walk into a room and toss her hair just so?❞
Ah, don't we all wish that once in a while?
❝I try not to act like I've melted into a little pile of goo, but really. He just does things to me. ❞
I just love this quote. It is totally realistic and adorable. I love how Scott writes Lauren's internal monologue.
❝I fold my arms across my chest in what I hope is an I-swear-I-haven't-been-rolling-around-on-the-sofa kind of way.❞
This line made me snort with laughter, so I simply had to include it.
All-in-all, Bloom is a great read. It has relatable characters, a main couple with great chemistry, and is a good coming-of-age story. Very enjoyable, and I will be reading more from Scott in the future.
(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)
Julie James really is a never fail author for me. Her contemporaries are among the best, and Something About You was no exception. I actually read Something About You after I read A Lot Like Love, which was the reverse of how they were intended to be read. But there were some comments in A Lot Like Love that made it absolutely mandatory that I read Something because it sounded simply splendid. And it was.
From the first time they appeared on the pages together, Jack and Cameron had chemistry that simply leaped off the pages. There was definitely animosity between them, due to an incident that has occurred years earlier. But the intense dislike clearly also masked immense attraction on both parts. The dialogue between the two was snappy and sharp, but eventually good-natured and amusing as Jack and Cameron began to develop feelings and grow to trust each other.
The book was a fantastic romance with a good dose of mystery and suspense. And glowering. Special Agent Jack McGlowerFace Phallus Pallas was immensely swoon-worthy with his affinity for reading and all his protective, Alpha male ways. I respected Cameron, who was a strong female lead. As much as I loved them separately, they were particularly awesome when together. Thankfully, this was a romance, so I got my fill of that! Something About You was a terrifically satisfying romance. You won't want to put this one down. At least, I know I didn't!