My fault for expecting resolution just because this is the last volume, I guess. (It is, isn’t it? Possibly not the authors’ choice, but it doesn’t seMy fault for expecting resolution just because this is the last volume, I guess. (It is, isn’t it? Possibly not the authors’ choice, but it doesn’t seem like they’re doing any more regardless.)
It’s unfortunate, because some things left hanging very much don’t work as unresolved as they are. Lottie and Caroline’s relationship actually does, which surprises me; this series has been so resistant to resolutions and solid answers, it’s weird that these two landed with the feeling of a final note. I could even see a continuation of the story having Sunny be the main character and Lottie a major secondary, because she’s now figured out as much of the mystery as she cares about. It’s Sunny who’s wrapped up in the mystery now, and he’s related enough to other ongoing plot lines (like Meg and Ashley’s marriage and whether Lottie will ever learn to manage her mess better) that it could work.
This was so, so sweet and I can't stand it. It wasn't at all the book I thought it would be, but it was absolutely perfect.
I expected a romcom that woThis was so, so sweet and I can't stand it. It wasn't at all the book I thought it would be, but it was absolutely perfect.
I expected a romcom that would really focus on the romance and the mistaken/faked identity comedy of The Importance of Being Earnest. I forgot that Wilde's play is also hugely about finding your family. Epically Earnest has the romance, but that's not the plot, it's not the complication. The hurdle in Janey's life is—not even finding her bio family, but finding out if she wants to. It's about being on the edge of a huge change in your life and figuring out if you're going to continue to be the same person, or if that's even possible. Whether to dig in your heels against change or embrace it, and believe that it will be for the better.
I still want to read a f/f Importance of Being Earnest retelling that's about the comedy and fake personas and the couples having to struggle to match up, but I don't want Epically Earnest to be anything other than what it is: gentle and safe and funny, with supportive parents and friends and first dates that go well and promposals that go even better. This book absolutely lives up to its title. It is epically earnest. It wants you to know that everything is going to be okay....more
This was really sweet! I love that so much of the cast is queer and I adore Vicky, and Skye's relationship with her, and all their dialogue. It's veryThis was really sweet! I love that so much of the cast is queer and I adore Vicky, and Skye's relationship with her, and all their dialogue. It's very funny. Some books go overboard on making kids either cute or obnoxious but this book is like "Vicky's adorable. And super mad. She can be mean. She's full of love though. Also kind of ungrateful. But also hilarious and lovable" and yeah, that's a real kid.
And it's a very fast read that keeps you moving. Like the main character will get into cringey or embarrassing situations but the book doesn't get bogged down in it in a way that makes you want to put it down and do something else. The main character will be like "oof" and you'll be like "oof" and then it moves on. I think the tone and pacing, the balance between sweet, funny, embarrassing, and sad was pretty much perfect.
The main character has a distinct voice even in her head so if you don't like very "voicey" narration you may not like it, but I enjoyed the humor of it. The only thing I would count as a flaw is maybe some conflation of having a romantic relationship with happiness? Like, it's debatable. I think the book means Skye specifically does want committed, longterm relationships but is too scared to attempt them, but it maybe sometimes comes off like everyone must want those relationships, if only because pretty much every major character has one or is open to one. On the other hand, a LOT of the book is about platonic and family relationships too, so that's very important....more
Decided not to rate this one as I ended up skimming most of it. I was actually really hooked at the beginning, but then it started boring me I guess. Decided not to rate this one as I ended up skimming most of it. I was actually really hooked at the beginning, but then it started boring me I guess. I felt like the writing was trying too hard to be deep even in places that just weren't deep — like this line repeated several times throughout the book as a motif:
"What's wrong with wanting everything?" "Nothing, as long as you know how to get it.”
That line just didn't strike me as particularly meaningful or, well, striking, but it kept coming back. That's the kind of way this book and I didn't click.
And then there's Alex and Irene's relationship, which... sure, I like some enemies to lovers, but their hating each other part really just felt like Irene being rude to Alex and Alex disliking her because of it.
Finally, and I hate to be this kind of reader because it makes me feel old and joyless, but I just didn't buy that five college kids with (almost) no criminal experience, and who didn't attempt any kind of training except watching movies, managed to pull off major museum heists. Maybe if the book didn't linger so much on how unqualified they were, it wouldn't have been so bad? But instead we got things like pages of Alex emphasizing that she's not a hacker, but also she did manage to get into museum security, somehow. Actually, the more I think about it, the more holes my brain pokes in it. What even was Will's role on the team? The mastermind? We barely saw him planning anything, except for ruling out some movie plots. Most of the planning process is the reader being told they were having group meetings over facetime, working it out. And then during the heists they would smash a window and grab what they wanted pretty much.
I just wasn't feeling the excitement. The ideas in it are cool. The exploration of diaspora, home, colonialism and healing... it had lofty goals, and sometimes it was really beautiful! But the writing and plot disappointed me, and I couldn't get into the characters because of it....more
I liked this a lot, but I think it didn't take full advantage of everything it had going for it.
The Simioid encounter could have been a good deal moreI liked this a lot, but I think it didn't take full advantage of everything it had going for it.
The Simioid encounter could have been a good deal more epic, considering how much they were hyped up as super smart and kinda creepy, and having your protagonist pass out halfway through the big battle and wake up to it finished is... a choice I don't love, and the end in general felt like it could have been handled more gracefully. But the final battle was epic regardless, and I love Cas's connection to Bao and how complicated and nuanced Cas and Swift's relationship is. It's a good ending to a great story....more
I wanted so badly to love this book. I took it as a foregone conclusion that I would. But it was just meh to me. So it's a real slap in the face that I wanted so badly to love this book. I took it as a foregone conclusion that I would. But it was just meh to me. So it's a real slap in the face that the ending wraps up very little, expecting you to read the sequel, because I won't....more