Jess

Wow! What a book. I absolutely loved it even as the last 30 pages had me stressfully reading passages and then looking at the next page then jumping back because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. And the ending just leaves you with your heart in your throat. The structure mimics pulling a bow taut and then letting the arrow fly.

If you're not a fan of unique syntax and punctuation (e.g. no quotation marks, no full stops in certain sections), this book will probably not land for you. Unsure of how the audio will be.

This was my first book by Paul Murray and it won't be the last. Glad I sprung for the UK edition!

Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!

Okay, I kept going with this one because the narration was great and kept me entertained, even if the plot and HEA were predictable.

Pros:
- Great narration (Natalie Naudus is now on my list of narrators to keep following)
- Loved the cast of characters on the bus trip

Cons:
- The main character is completely nuts
- MC's friends were a bit boring and kind of unnecessary, also the birthday gift premise felt a bit like mockery
- Given the hype over Zane's voice, it would have been ideal to have a male narrator for his segments

Unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me. I was pulled in by the initial premise - small-town girl meets city guy in Irish rom-com, and the focus is on the heartwarming town and community. But I found the instant love a bit boring and Hallmark-like, and the conflict fairly mild. The book felt altogether too long, and it took me a surprisingly long time to finish it.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley to read and review in exchange for an honest opinion.)

Loved the shorter, alternating chapters going back in time to give us context and clues, and I felt much more invested getting to part 2. However, most of the characters' actions and motivations made no sense to me, even if we assume a suspended dystopian future and Franny's generational trauma.

I guess in the end it felt too much nature, and falling into tendencies or expectations without processing them until it was too late.

At about the 30% point I was hooked and had to see the book out but good grief, this went in some questionable directions. 

One of the best debuts I've read in a long time, but absolutely gut-wrenching at times.

Phew, this one was a doozy. This one is very dark compared to most of the other Gamache books, but also absorbing and hard to put down.

I went into this book without many expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed this meandering, lyrical journey. It's in parts a humorous take on the world and the story of many generations of the Swain family. It's also a very tragic book that touches on how people handle grief in different ways, and how nature and the world around us play into that.

I also enjoyed how each of the “main” characters - Abraham, Virgil, and Ruth - have to reconcile their realities with their interests, and how they manage to do so. The result is wryly funny.

I knocked a star off because the meandering - while evocative of the very rain and rivers that come up so frequently in the book - eventually wore me down a bit and I felt like it became unruly.

The synopsis for this book leaves out the main impetus for the siblings getting involved in one another's lives, and it's for good reason but also would make for SUCH a good hook to pull people in. I got frustrated with Dimple and other characters throughout the story, as I think you're supposed to, but it made for well-handled emotional development.

Overall, if you did not like Queenie I don't think this one would be for you. However, if you loved Queenie, this one does something different and pulls in a wider cast of complicated characters to root for.

Tremendous exploration of love (platonic and romantic), loyalty, aging, and ownership. I found some parts a bit tedious but overall it was compelling.

This lovely and somewhat bittersweet book in verse would be great for children interested in marine mammals or before visiting an aquarium. It explores themes like wildness vs. captivity, endangered species, and accepting reality and change by showing instead of telling.

I'd describe this one as “quietly brimming with observations.” At times it felt like a book mourning what life could have been but ended with some openness.

I'm not sure I loved the twist to this one (compared to the first book), but still very heartwarming and enjoyable.

Charming and heartfelt!

I spent some time reflecting on this book and it's a great book, but not in the ways I expected. To be honest, the characters themselves did not draw me in. But I loved what the author did with the Anna Lee motif, the references to Shakespeare that enhanced the tragicomedy, and aphorisms. Still an excellent read but not at all what I expected based on my experiences with A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young.

A touch overdone at times and I thought some of the moving pieces going backwards and forwards felt a little forced - but I loved the internal reckonings and characters that developed.

Overly convoluted, and character development and plot lines seemed to start and stop in fits with no rhyme or reason.

5 stars for enjoyment! And isn't that what reading is all about? This one is bonkers and I couldn't put it down.

3.5 stars rounded up. I was so excited for this one! And it was entertaining, and a nice mental escape. But it was also a little over-explained and the conflicts/family secrets felt obvious to everyone but Melody.

A very solid debut and one that covers a time period and region that hasn't been well-addressed in historical fiction until recently. I felt kept at arm's length for most of the book though, and had a hard time connecting with the characters as I felt there might be an opportunity to.

Devoured this basically in one sitting - please tell me there's a sequel coming!!

It's been fun seeing how Mia's voice and emotional maturity develops over the course of this series, and I hope that there will be an opportunity for Yang to pivot this series to YA over time. This one dealt with tricky subjects like visiting your home country, differing speeds of economic development, family expectations, gentrification, and everything related to middle school.

3.5 stars but I definitely am continuing with this series. Also, you do not need to read the first book (can be read as a standalone).

Conflicted on this one – it was a fast read, and I thought there were parts that were quite satisfying, but I felt like I wanted more layers before we started to figure things out.

Thank you to FSG and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book. I was not compensated for this review and these are my honest opinions.

Even though I'm not watching much of the Winter Olympics, I felt inspired to pick this book up in spirit. And I'm glad I did! This heartwarming book takes place in the Adirondacks and centers around Maxine's experience as a middle school student and rising figure skater.

What I loved about this book is that Maxine is really just a normal kid. She has talent as a figure skater but she also isn't necessarily the best of the best, or the underdog. I also thought this book got serious with racism in a way that felt very apt for the age group and also the times we're in. I'd highly recommend this.