Ryan Hampton clearly has the passion and expertise to speak on drug policies and the human impact of the fentanyl crisis. Unfortunately, while I didn'Ryan Hampton clearly has the passion and expertise to speak on drug policies and the human impact of the fentanyl crisis. Unfortunately, while I didn't fundamentally disagree with the points made here, I did feel that the writing was poor and relied too heavily on pathos and anger to be explicitly persuasive--I'm on the author's side in this and he mostly annoyed me....more
This was awesome! Such a fantastic balance of action, humor, and heart. I really enjoyed reading it. Excerpts about the dolls or different corporate iThis was awesome! Such a fantastic balance of action, humor, and heart. I really enjoyed reading it. Excerpts about the dolls or different corporate interviews made the world feel immersive. The humor and social commentary were sharp and also trusted the reader to understand. ...more
Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book does a great job of incorpThanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book does a great job of incorporating a lot of world-building in a low word count, while keeping up a quick pace that will engage reluctant readers. I appreciated the emotional resonance, as well; Veny's relationships with both Mateo and Nano felt meaningful....more
This is marketed as a dystopia. How? Why? This is... not a dystopia. This is set in, as far as I can tell, the modern world.
So there's not enough worlThis is marketed as a dystopia. How? Why? This is... not a dystopia. This is set in, as far as I can tell, the modern world.
So there's not enough world-building to be particularly engaging for that.
Main character Seb is beyond passive. He slouches along, doing what he's told, even after the way-too-late midpoint that should move him from reaction to action. (Frankly, I'd barely call what he does reacting. I understand the book was trying to make a point about obedience, but after a while, "Look at how this guy just does what he's told," gets stale.)
The whole thing was just dull. It really wants to be something. It's not....more
Some of these stories were genuinely creepy! But overall they were just too repetitive. When you know every story has a bad ending, there's no dramatiSome of these stories were genuinely creepy! But overall they were just too repetitive. When you know every story has a bad ending, there's no dramatic tension, and more of the stories seemed more about looking hard at the gruesome/disturbing stuff.
This is the horror of someone influenced by Bush-era horror films, and that is simply not my taste....more
This had a lot of potential, but the driving external factors were powerfully referenced and never portrayed. As a result, the book feels likDNF @ 40%
This had a lot of potential, but the driving external factors were powerfully referenced and never portrayed. As a result, the book feels like it's written to carefully omit its conflict. It would've been fine if I were 2/3 of the way through, but when I realized it wasn't even half... ...more
I heard about this book--I think everyone did!--and what I mostly heard amounted to it being Katherine Rundell having leveled up. And oh boy was it evI heard about this book--I think everyone did!--and what I mostly heard amounted to it being Katherine Rundell having leveled up. And oh boy was it ever! I really enjoyed this one, the story was enthralling and fantastic in multiple ways, it set up enough open ends for a sequel, I did NOT BELIEVE certain things... this was an awesome ride. ...more
I can see why people like this book, I truly can! But it so very much wasn't for me. The characters felt beyond simplistic--Red was always right, AdamI can see why people like this book, I truly can! But it so very much wasn't for me. The characters felt beyond simplistic--Red was always right, Adam was always whiny, the parents were well-meaning, the kids were Protective Big Sister and Trusting Little Brother. But I just despised Red and Adam. And since they had the most page time, that... made this tough to enjoy.
Also, I was frustrated by the reference to characters who have special powers... like... Sarah Connor. SARAH CONNOR???? Are you kidding?? Sarah Connor was a waitress in the 1980s who was forced to become a soldier in the future's war. She didn't have special powers. That was the point. That bit frustrated me. And I was already frustrated with the book....more
Literally what is the point of this book? It's clearly written just to pad a message, which as far as I can tell is... "immigrants are people too". SoLiterally what is the point of this book? It's clearly written just to pad a message, which as far as I can tell is... "immigrants are people too". So it's kind of weird that the story spends so much time on Olive, who as far as I can tell, is indifferent to her boyfriend's blatant racism because reasons.
I like the idea of this book, I truly do. I like the idea of a girl who just doesn't notice until she has to just what her loved ones are like. But that story requires a stronger writer than this one had....more
Would've been two or three stars but the consistent thread of antisemitism pissed me off.
All right, now let's look at some of the reasons, other than Would've been two or three stars but the consistent thread of antisemitism pissed me off.
All right, now let's look at some of the reasons, other than antisemitism, I didn't like this book. (Spoilers ahoy!)
First of all, nothing the characters do actually matters. The purpose of Laylah's attempts to get her pills, from a narrative standpoint, is clearly to show what it's like trying to get birth control in Texas. Her story shows how hard it is, the dangers... and apparently how all the women trying to provide services are unprofessional and terrible?? Meanwhile, Noor is just plain wrong about everything, to the point that I wondered if her story was just to pad the word count. The one thing that matters that either of them does is tell Laylah's nanima. That's it. This wanted to be Nanima's story, and you know what? If it were, I might've enjoyed it a lot more. Honestly even The Guide, which is a huge part of the story, didn't matter at the end.
Second, there's definitely a "right kind of victim", in the logic of this book. It literally tries to pull a, "Rich people will always have access," (true) using the same woman who was puking in the vet's clinic next to Laylah. Okay, weird choice but there you go. Also she somehow accessed the pills that apparently Laylah needed/deserved more but was also in Vegas at the end? Makes no sense, but this isn't a book that cares about making sense. It's also never acknowledged that Laylah spends the entire book insisting she only made one mistake--implying she doesn't deserve this! Other people maybe, but not Laylah! I understand two factors at work here. One, Laylah is deeply ashamed that she's gone off her schedule. And two, the author wants us to know how absolutely amazing Laylah is. Laylah's job is to know all the facts so she can tell us, the reader, the real info.
Third, there really isn't any rise in tension. There's a ticking clock, but that's it. Laylah doesn't seem to feel any more desperate; the events of the book don't seem to impact her. She gets shot at and barely seems to notice or care. (She also may have caused that to happen by keeping her cell phone on despite being warned repeatedly not to do that, but this book isn't really about exploring how Laylah could've ever done anything wrong ever.)
Also, yes, I do think the Ruth Bader Ginsburg crack was absolute bullshit. RBG did more for gender equality than most of us could dream of achieving. She fought until the very end. And if you want to vilify her but then have the hero be the grandma? Um, okaaaay, nothing suspicious here. There are people who actively worked to overturn Roe. It was a concentrated, decades-long effort. Mitch McConnell literally refused to even hold hearings for any of Obama's nominees for the last two years of his term--oh, but it's not Mitch McConnell's fault. It's not the fault of the Justices who actually voted to overturn Roe. It's not all those voters for whom Hillary Clinton wasn't good enough. No, apparently it's all RBG's fault. For dying....more
This book has so much potential and so many strong elements! I loved the potential in the diverse cast and the initial scenes, while necessarDNF @ 30%
This book has so much potential and so many strong elements! I loved the potential in the diverse cast and the initial scenes, while necessarily repetitive, showed off the characters' personalities well. But the book didn't give its characters enough time. I didn't feel enough connection with them to care about what would have been meaningful flashbacks if I knew these folks at all but instead I'm hearing, "Oh, this wasn't like Newt!" Dude, I don't know what's like Newt, you have got to establish your characters if you want to subvert them!
So, DNF'd this one because I was a third of the way in and still trying so hard to care....more
I listened to the audiobook for this one and thought it was great! The reader and narrative really evoke the era. It's not a simplistic story by any mI listened to the audiobook for this one and thought it was great! The reader and narrative really evoke the era. It's not a simplistic story by any means, and the depths of secondary characters made this a satisfying read; the conflicting desires between Mazie and Jesse, who both had their own dreams but loved one another, were well developed.
I appreciated that the author chose to make her novel's secondary focus queer subcultures. I liked that Mazie wasn't automatically open-minded but chose to educate herself rather than giving in to a smaller mindset. However, seeing this marketed as LGBT was annoying. It's not a queer book, it's an A+ ally book. ...more
I liked the idea of this book, and definitely understood the feelings Riley had--the bubbling-over anger, the resentment at her mistreatment. The ghosI liked the idea of this book, and definitely understood the feelings Riley had--the bubbling-over anger, the resentment at her mistreatment. The ghost story itself was a touch underdeveloped; yes, it was a framing device, but it still needed to be fully built and it just wasn't. And overall I just found this a bit frustrating, because Riley's anger seemed out of control but justified, and her mistreatment was largely overlooked.
Felt like that meme. "I can excuse bullying but I draw the line at self-defense."...more
This book has a story that could be so fascinating: a judge becoming part-owner of the juvenile detention to which he condemns children as young as 8 This book has a story that could be so fascinating: a judge becoming part-owner of the juvenile detention to which he condemns children as young as 8 for transgressions as small as swearing. Unfortunately it suffers from muddled prose and a lack of direction. Engaging anecdotes about the children and their families pepper a book that is, at its core, a textbook-esque recollection of a scandal.
I wanted it to be so much better. Instead, I found it overall dull and slogging....more
The first half of this book was really strong. The representation is spot-on where I know (anxiety, queerness) and powerful where I can't (POC narratiThe first half of this book was really strong. The representation is spot-on where I know (anxiety, queerness) and powerful where I can't (POC narratives). The second half felt under-developed and in need of several rounds of editing. Overall, it started to feel contrived, like when one person after another fell out with Sadie....more
I was very interested to read this book, but... then I did. And it is bad. It is dull, preachy, self-contradictory, and absolutely smacking of grievanI was very interested to read this book, but... then I did. And it is bad. It is dull, preachy, self-contradictory, and absolutely smacking of grievance. I would be interested to know how any Native readers felt, because to me, the portrayal seemed very "noble savage".
Monroe writes with a lot of vitriol toward liberals who see people like them as worthless and uneducated. (This is not backed up with more than a single anecdote.) But here's the problem... they come across as pretty damn uneducated. Not worthless, mind you, just narrow-minded, and therein lies the problem. This could've really worked as a personal memoir. Instead, it's someone who is determinedly not an academic trying to make a broad, humanizing study of a subject on which they are heavily biased and openly emotional.
You can kind of tell they're not used to looking outside their own community by the way they present this screed as if it were a research paper. And it's a damn shame, because in this era, we need calls for compassion like this wants to be....more
I wanted to like this book, I liked the ideas of this book... I think it just didn't quite fit any audience. It's written like a children's primer on I wanted to like this book, I liked the ideas of this book... I think it just didn't quite fit any audience. It's written like a children's primer on openness and tolerance, but without the sense of fun and whimsy that keeps a children's book entertaining. Overall, middling at best and exceptionally difficult to recommend because I'm not sure who would really enjoy reading this....more
I really love how this series progresses, building out the world and lore with each new book and exploring what belonging means. I adore Sumi and she I really love how this series progresses, building out the world and lore with each new book and exploring what belonging means. I adore Sumi and she was in peak form in this book, but really, I love all the characters... but after this one, Kade needs so many hugs.
Strongly enjoyed and looking forward to whatever's coming in the next one!...more
This reads like a second draft. There aren't any major grammatical errors or anything, it's not super messy, and there are some strong pieces. But it'This reads like a second draft. There aren't any major grammatical errors or anything, it's not super messy, and there are some strong pieces. But it's not good.
The pacing in this book is just so, so bad. The doubt is there, but the mystery isn't until about 70% in, and the twist really only works because the cop acts like a villain, which could've been fine if it seemed intentional but instead it was a red herring. The conclusion was... wow, barely anything at all. See, that's the problem, if 70% of the book is a pretty solidly okay story about a girl adapting to a new life after trauma, the conclusion should about that recovery. And it wasn't. The mystery element was so background to Bex's experience.
That said. This is not a terrible book. I liked the secondary characters, who were nuanced. The prose is easy and quick to read--yes, very "YA", but I'm not knocking it down for that, this is a YA book. It was, I suppose, quite okay....more