i breezed through this and couldn't stop thinking about it while i was away from it
the writing is haunting, absolutely beautiful absolutely stunning.
i breezed through this and couldn't stop thinking about it while i was away from it
the writing is haunting, absolutely beautiful but also totally gross and dark at the same time.
it's a story about family but also not, a story that has so many twists and turns you don't see coming and then an ending that makes sense but also breaks your heart
not going to forget about this one for a while...more
matt haig literally takes on the most extensive topics like life decisions, regrets, and parallelthis book is a therapy session between pages.
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matt haig literally takes on the most extensive topics like life decisions, regrets, and parallel universes, and does it with incredible tact.
it follows a woman named nora who is especially unhappy with her current life situation and finds no fulfillment in anything. events pass that make her find herself in a library suspended between time with endless books, each containing another life she can slip into.
each new life nora gets to experience in these parallel universes leaves her with a new, deeper understanding of life, choice, and her personal regrets.
i personally thought this book wrecked my life because wow did i feel DUMB when the parallel universe/science-y stuff came into play. matt haig's brain is so powerful to encompass all this philosophical information and then put it into coherent thoughts!!! i could never!!
"What do I do now?" "You open the book and turn to the first page."
on a personal level, i really enjoyed this book. like the conversations it brought up felt like it was JUST PERFECT for my current life state. it made me think so deeply about so many topics especially on making choices and feeling regret
there were many moments of this book that felt repetitive to me and yes, i guess that's the whole point of parallel universe realities but there were times i felt it was hard to keep reading and easy to put it down
the ending of the book was amazing!!! the perfect ending to nora's story!! any other ending would have left me with endless disappointment so im glad matt haig pulled through.
i'm definitely going to pick up the author's other books bc he is clearly incredibly smart and talented and knows how to give me a proper existential crisis
"Because a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward."
If the only good Indian is a dead one, then she's going to be the worst Indian ever.
2.5 stars
i'm like split down the middle on this one, i really realIf the only good Indian is a dead one, then she's going to be the worst Indian ever.
2.5 stars
i'm like split down the middle on this one, i really really really liked the ending bit. i thought it was really emotional and powerful and beautiful
...but the road to getting there was kind of difficult. i had a hard time focusing on what was going on, it was very confusing for my small brain to comprehend. i also found the pacing veryyy slow until the action started and that's when i got really invested.
it's definitely one of the most unique books i've ever read. i'm not big on horror (i honestly read like a negative amount of horror books a year) so maybe i'm just very unseasoned in this genre and you're probably, most likely going to love it, like everyone else
this was genuinely one of the creepiest books i've ever read (am i a baby? perhaps i am, but that's besides the point) and i really enjoyed the struggthis was genuinely one of the creepiest books i've ever read (am i a baby? perhaps i am, but that's besides the point) and i really enjoyed the struggling father-son relationships featured, fantastic parallels were made ...more
ok i feel really dumb for not understanding this ending. there was a lot of creepy build up (and i really liked the creepy build up) for the ending took i feel really dumb for not understanding this ending. there was a lot of creepy build up (and i really liked the creepy build up) for the ending to just fall flat.
i just.......i just don't understand what happened?? my three brain cells are screaming, someone explaIN
- how did kara get pregnant and deliver a baby in 3 days??? science is shaking - WHO IS THE SHADOW MAN IN THE WATER?? IS THAT KARA'S DAD?? IS IT HER LOVER?? I THOUGHT THAT WAS DEATH?? IM SO CONFUSED - what was the point of the hook up scene between presscott and kara?? i genuinely dont understand why that was needed? like was it meant to drive olivia in a mad panic to a point where she overdosed bc it didn't have to be done so sloppy - WHAT is the curse? can we get some backstory? WHY IS KARA OBSESSED WITH MEN ON DEATH ROW I JUST WANT SOME ANSWERS (hide spoiler)]...more
im absolutely mystified by what i just listened to. the story, the writing, the narratbook #7 done for the contemporary-a-thon ✔
this book is haunting.
im absolutely mystified by what i just listened to. the story, the writing, the narrator, the pain, my god it felt so real im still doubting whether this could be fiction
rene denfeld floored me with this debut. the story she writes is gripping, intense, and incredibly captivating in every painful way possible.
i have so many questions, so much is left up for interpretation and i absolutely want to reread it and try to pick up the details that im sure i missed (though idk if my brain can handle that) but wow i think i found a 2019 favourite ...more
the writing, the building of the historic malay setting, the audiobook narrator, the way the story develops and ties back to the beginning, that was sthe writing, the building of the historic malay setting, the audiobook narrator, the way the story develops and ties back to the beginning, that was some amazing stuff
but i had a difficult time keeping track of all the characters and all the mythology (mythology is not my strong suit) and the step-sibling romance wasssss definitely not my thing
beautifully woven story but i was thrown off by the magic realism and the romance
this wasn't a bad book. honestly, i know everyone in the world seems to hate it, but it really wasn't.
i think i was all over the place and kinda, a lothis wasn't a bad book. honestly, i know everyone in the world seems to hate it, but it really wasn't.
i think i was all over the place and kinda, a lot, weird but i think it had a lot of potential to be a really great book
there were a lot of new, inventive ideas introduced, it was creepy in a captivating way,the characters were very flawed and genuine, and the ending was VERY realistic, i liked that the most
but everything else pretty much didnt work for me. the writing, the way it went from 0 to 100 REAL FAST, the main character. i guess she was written to be unlikeable, but i just honestly didn't like her and didn't find her to have many redeeming qualities. it wasn't a memorable book for me, a lot of times while i was listening to the audiobook i was just uninterested.
but i dont think its a bad book. if you're into weird, strange, fairytales, definitely give this a go
i was really excited to read this book when i read the blurb bc it sounded so precious. modern inspired story of beauty and the beast?? epic
sadly, it i was really excited to read this book when i read the blurb bc it sounded so precious. modern inspired story of beauty and the beast?? epic
sadly, it was not.
usually, im not too critical with insta-love, it doesn't bother me all that much bc i can find it somewhat believable (in MOST books) but in this book it was just SO over the top. the insta-love was so instantaneous, they were beyond help after their FIRST meeting (AND THEY DIDNT EVEN SEE EACH OTHER)
GIVE US SOME BUILD UP PLEASE
still, i held hope that it would improve bc the plot was interesting enough and i wanted to find out about the sub-plot that takes place in the past and how it was related to the mystery at hand. definitely a better written story but it was so minor in comparison to the main story
and then as the book progressed, i became less and less interested bc the whole romance was just so baseless and overwhelming and just,,,,,stranger danger my dudes
AND THEN THE ??PLOT TWIST?? was supposed to be shocking but i was just annoyed
my pros for this would be the sub-plot and romance between angelina and her mans forgot his name soz was very well written. the writing is descript and beautiful and easy to read throughout. the relationship between clara and her father (WISH WE GOT MORE OF THAT). clara's love for dancing, i enjoyed reading about that. the ending tied everything nicely together, i'll give it that.
yeah that's it. i didn't hate jonah but i didnt find him compelling enough to invest my emotions.
but hey, i hold the very unpopular opinion, so maybe you'll enjoy ✌️
i've pretty much come to terms with the fact that magic realism and i, do not get along
ever since i read maggie stiefvater's raven cycle series (back i've pretty much come to terms with the fact that magic realism and i, do not get along
ever since i read maggie stiefvater's raven cycle series (back in 2016) i thought it was going to be the genre that spOKE TO MY SOUL no, it just turns out that maggie's thing
anyways this year it kinda came to my attention (after reading 2 anne-marie mclemore books and being in the constant state of emotion of: ¿??¿?¿¿?¿?¿¿?¿?¿¿) that perhaps magic realism,,,,,,isn't my thing
SO WHEN I HEARD THIS BOOK WAS PART OF THE GENRE I WAS SCARED I WOULD HATE IT
turns out, this book was pretty darn great
- to start off, its a retelling of romeo and julliet - come on guys, forbidden romance with generations of family hatred - the angst is real and i am here for it - ft. a magic house that grows cherries that taste like sunshine - a mc, june, who is hilarious (“What can I say? I’m not like other girls. I’ve literally never eaten a salad in my life.” QUEEN) and soft and still grieving over the 10 year old death of her father and trying to write down his story to keep his memory - honestly the memories and stories she has from her father is so touching and sweet, even if some of them are ridiculous - 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 - the love interest dude is a Cute - he's slightly older (20, to her 18) and HIS CHARACTER COMPLIMENTS HERS SO WELL - like their sense of humour and wholesome relationship that literally stems from their families hating each other,,,,,,QUALITY CONTENT - MIKE WHO ISN'T TRYING TO HARD - june's little brothers are terrors (and adorbs) but arent all little brothers?? - i actually LOVE the relationship between june and her step father, there's no bad blood and hate between them, and i just love to see wholesome family relationships - now onto the magic realism aspect - it takes some time to grasp bc the author just throws you in right from the start - essentially, june (this only applies to people of the direct Jack bloodline) can see ??magical things?? in her house and they can show her things and its really strange - but they aren't scary,,,,most of them at least - and its not a weird thing, like the rest of her town are totally chill about it - HANNAH, JUNE'S BEST FRIEND IS A GIFT TO THE WORLD - also, the writing is absolutely gorgeous - i was so impressed and captivated - the audio narrators were also fantastic, so if you're thinking about that, definite yes - my only complaints come from the fact that, while yes i enjoyed it and the ending was satisfying it felt very flowerly at times and lacked //substance// - things were kind of ambiguous and just left for the reader to piece together - its a book i'd remember fondly but probably wouldnt revisit, just a really nice read
actual footage of me throughout the entirety of this book: (ಥ﹏ಥ)
I want to go back to the person I was before I read this book, honestly one of the woractual footage of me throughout the entirety of this book: (ಥ﹏ಥ)
I want to go back to the person I was before I read this book, honestly one of the worst books i've ever read
when i first started it, i was going to compile a list of reasons why i disliked it but by the time i got to chapter 2 i realized that would be futile bc i'd have to compile a list that 74 pages long
just know that the main character is a self centered piece of trash that hurts everyone around her, is incredibly judgemental (sis how you gonna be judgemental when your life is like this??), and continuously laments over how awful it is to be alive
...she only concerns herself with which guy wants her (🤢) and her thought-process is vile like i was listening to the audiobook while eating breakfast and,,,,,,,wouldn't recommend
actually wouldn't recommend this book at all
also she continuously fed her sister's dog (who is diabetic) tranquilizers so that she could obsessively sleep with a merman, on her sister's couch
...yes, you read that right, a m e r m a n ....
y'all I COULDNT MAKE THIS STUFF UP IF I TRIED
anyways, im gonna go bleach my brain bc i cant deal rn
tw: animal abuse/neglect, attempted suicide (also lots of talk on it), self harm...more
the writing. the composition. the way jason reynolds narrated it. the emotion. the power. i am floored (lol)
seriously the conceptthis was incredible.
the writing. the composition. the way jason reynolds narrated it. the emotion. the power. i am floored (lol)
seriously the concept of the plot is so fascinating and unique. i love the family history, the stories told in such a short time, the depth of pain and emotion that is only glimpsed for a few seconds bc you can't show emotion when you gotta follow the rules
how jason reynolds told the stories of so many lives in 1 minute (or 1 hour and 43 minutes, depending on how you look at it) i will never know...more