if you can get over the fact that the mc says things like “doggo” or “chaos gremlin” or “zoom zoom juice” unironically (and often) then this is prettyif you can get over the fact that the mc says things like “doggo” or “chaos gremlin” or “zoom zoom juice” unironically (and often) then this is pretty cute ...more
- this was a well written, emotional, quick, and captivating read - the characters were well rounded, flawed, and overall felt wel3.5 ⭐️
what i liked:
- this was a well written, emotional, quick, and captivating read - the characters were well rounded, flawed, and overall felt well developed - on a personal level, i really enjoyed the setting. as someone who grew up in the bay area, it was fun getting to say “oh i know exactly where they are, i’ve been there!” whenever they’d take the BART or go to the rose garden
what i didn’t like:
- i didn’t expect the majority of the romance to take place while they were in high school. that’s not inherently a negative thing, but when i pick up an adult romance novel, i’d prefer to not spend most of the story reading about 17 year olds - speaking of them being teens: the way the characters spoke as teens vs. how they spoke as adults was exactly the same. they felt too mature as teens, because their behavior at 17 was interchangeable with how they were acting at 28. so they never really felt like teens when they were supposed to be - tw rape/sa: *mild spoilers* there’s a plot point in this book where one of the characters gets drunk at a party wakes up with no memory that they had sex with someone, and thought they were with someone else. they’re confused about the situation for years afterwards, and even had an emotional breakdown the next time they tried to be intimate with someone. i found it odd and uncomfortable that the characters, and the book itself, never really addressed this/framed it in a way that blamed the character for the situation...more
from a writing standpoint, this is easily 5 stars. but overall, the story left something to be desired. i althis book was not AT ALL what i expected.
from a writing standpoint, this is easily 5 stars. but overall, the story left something to be desired. i also didn’t find this to be as devastating as most people say it is. it’s objectively a sad story, but to me it was more disturbing than anything else.
no one who recommends this book ever says what it’s actually about (also i rarely read synopses), so i had no idea that this is speculative fiction and not literary fiction. so to say that i was shocked when i got to some of the more sci-fi elements would be an understatement loll ...more
if you love character studies of unlikeable, unreliable narrators, this is the book for you. i was hooked from the start, and while i do thin3.5 stars
if you love character studies of unlikeable, unreliable narrators, this is the book for you. i was hooked from the start, and while i do think the book drags slightly in the middle, it was fascinating and hard to put down and i read the whole thing in one sitting. ...more
edit: after thinking on this for a couple months, reading other reviews, and reading up on a bit on the author, i’m realizing that my gut feeling was edit: after thinking on this for a couple months, reading other reviews, and reading up on a bit on the author, i’m realizing that my gut feeling was right; that this reads like anti abortion propaganda
original review: a fascinating concept and i loved certain elements of the story. it was shocking and disturbing and it’s definitely a book that will make you think. but overall the world building and the message fell a bit short ...more
“I think there’s a natural goodness built into human beings. You know when you’ve stepped across the line into evil, and it’s your life’s challenge to“I think there’s a natural goodness built into human beings. You know when you’ve stepped across the line into evil, and it’s your life’s challenge to try and stay on the right side of that line.”
i put off reading this book for 3 years because i was afraid i wouldn’t like it. but suzanne collins never disappoints and i never should have doubted her...more
Loading...
