**spoiler alert** Representation: Latina character Trigger warnings: Grief and loss depiction, death of parents, a grandfather and other people in the **spoiler alert** Representation: Latina character Trigger warnings: Grief and loss depiction, death of parents, a grandfather and other people in the past Score: Five out of ten.
Tough read. Why do I keep reading books like this? I wanted to read a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for Fiction in 2023, and The Collected Regrets of Clover fit the bill. It was a piece of literary fiction, too, which made me head in with high expectations. However, when I closed the final page, I only thought it was okay.
It starts with a prologue with the titular character, Clover (as a child,) watching her kindergarten teacher's life cease suddenly when he read Peter Rabbit aloud. Then, it cuts to the central storyline, where Clover now works as a death doula, ensuring people die with dignity. She seems to be experienced, as she witnessed almost 100 deaths, like the scene where an older person dies on a hospital bed. The pacing is slow, as it lasts 310 pages, and it takes a while to get going. The plot only gets going when Clover meets Claudia, who tasks her with finding a person named Hugo.
Unfortunately, the characters are difficult to relate with since they lack depth, which is a shame for a character-driven story like this one. I found it hard to like Clover at first, since she got used to seeing people die by detaching herself from any possible friendships. The only relationship she had is with her grandfather, a stereotypical wise older character. However, he died, but not before he discussed death with Clover. I didn't know what her parents were like, either. There's lots of disconnect, and it only improves in the last 150 pages. I struggle to understand why there's a romantic aspect, which felt shoehorned in and unnecessary.
The mystery aspect tried to change the tone from sombre to hopeful, and it did toward the concluding pages, but one mood overshadowed the other. The finish is heartwarming as Claudia find Hugo with Clover's help, marking the conclusion of her arc. Perhaps literary fiction is not the genre for me....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Suicide mentioned Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
In Paris With You by**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Suicide mentioned Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais is like a novel where the presentation is incredible but the story itself is more than lacking. I wanted to read another novel-in-verse after previously enjoying one, so my expectations were high until I saw negative reviews. When I closed the final page, it was underwhelming despite the premise.
It starts with Eugene and Tatiana initially living separate lives in 2006, but there's a catch, they start to develop a relationship but then they head off in different directions, but that feels like an extended prologue to the central storyline. Now it's 2016, but it doesn't feel like anything significant changed other than people using different social media platforms. Why not show more? The pacing is slow for a book lasting 340 pages, but it feels like 400.
Remember the presentation? That is in the form of the poetry, and it uses various poetic devices (like rhyming and concrete poems) and not spaced out prose. If the story was as excellent as the poetry, I would give it a higher score than five out of ten and be done with this review. Unfortunately, I'm not done yet. The characters are a prominent flaw as it was difficult to connect or relate with them, much less believe they had chemistry. A unique aspect is the narrator, which is a character themselves. I thought I would get a third omniscient POV but then the narrator started talking to the characters.
I don't go outside of Paris, but I should've expected that considering Paris is literally in the title. I don't get to see any side characters like Lensky, who only occasionally and briefly appears for a few pages. Dedicating more page time to him and adding depth could improve the reading experience, though. Anyway. This narrative is a second chance romance, meaning those looking for literary value should look elsewhere. As the term implies, the couple comes back together, and they do, which should've created a heartwarming conclusion but I was done with Beauvais' creation. It could've been better....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Alcohol use, alcoholic father, gambling addiction, bullying, physical assault and injury in the**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Alcohol use, alcoholic father, gambling addiction, bullying, physical assault and injury in the past Score: Two out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Wildfire was as awful, if not worse, than Icebreaker. Perhaps I should stop reading from Hannah Grace, as all her books have been overhyped. I wanted to read this one for a while, hoping it would be much better than Icebreaker, but unfortunately, it was at the same level as Icebreaker. The ratings were low, the blurb didn't seem intriguing and I was underwhelmed.
It starts with Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meeting and briefly interacting with each other in a college party, but Aurora escapes before Russ asks for her surname, then it cuts to a summer camp, where Russ and Aurora meet again. Everything looks typical except for one rule, the camp staff can't develop relationships, much to their dismay, but I know what's going to happen. They develop a relationship anyway. There is little plot other than that, and all the issues I saw in Icebreaker reappear in Wildfire. First the characters are difficult to connect or relate with, making me disconnect from the central storyline. While the length of Wildfire is less than Grace's debut creation, Icebreaker, clocking in at less than 400 pages, the pacing is still slow and continues to be this way, which made me enjoy it less.
I didn't feel like Russ and Aurora had any chemistry or character development, since they lacked depth and never changed from the beginning to the end. Adding more depth and development would've improved the reading experience. Wildfire has no literary value, as it is nothing more than a mere contemporary romance, meaning those looking for diversity or literary value should look elsewhere. At least the setting of the camp was interesting, but I would've liked to see more of the side characters, like Anastasia, of which there aren't many. The writing style is enough to keep the plot going, since it's accessible and there's nothing too literary. I don't think Grace will improve based on this one. I'm done with her now. The climax is heartwarming though, as the couple is together....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Sexism Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I would've enjoyed**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Sexism Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I would've enjoyed When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon if it received some improvements. I wanted to read this one for a while but I put it off for a few months until I picked it up at a library. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem like a romance between two Indian American characters, but when I closed the final page, it was okay.
The low ratings were a sign I should avoid this one, but I read it anyway. It starts with Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel living separate lives in the opening pages, with Dimple wanting to go against her parents' expectations, instead wanting to attend a program for web developers like her. Rishi is the opposite of her, firmly believing in traditions, which leads to them attending a smaller version of Comicon named Insomniacon soon after, where they spend the rest of the narrative. When Dimple Met Rishi tries to go for a slow burn pacing, with a length of nearly 400 pages, but it didn't work as the characters lack depth, making it hard to connect or relate with them, especially considering Dimple hits people sometimes. She's less likable now when I think about it. Side characters, like Ashish Patel, don't get much dedicated page time, unlike Dimple and Rishi, which have a lot of time in the spotlight, but I guess I should expect that considering their names are literally in the title.
There's not a lot of plot to When Dimple Met Rishi other than the romance, except for the brief discussions on sexism and Indian cultural traditions, which I found intriguing but underexplored. Diving deeper into those topics would've improved the reading experience, though. There is, however, a subplot revolving around Dimple and Rishi entering a cosplaying competition, providing a much needed break from the romance, and at least I appreciated that part, but that was only toward the concluding few pages. Once the central storyline ended, there is some bonus content, including a novella, which I liked, but even that couldn't make me enjoy When Dimple Met Rishi more....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: N/A Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a disappointment that was.
I w**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: N/A Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a disappointment that was.
I wanted to read Never, Never cowritten by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher, but I put it off for a few months before finally picking it up at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too intriguing, as it is only a romance. I lowered my expectations after seeing the low ratings and when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.
Before I begin: Never, Never was three separate novellas, before being combined into one singular novel, which is the reason the chapter numbers reset each time I read a new part. Anyway. It starts with Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash in a relationship in the opening pages, until all their memories of them being together were gone, perhaps due to someone wiping part of their memories.
Now, Charlie and Silas must figure out why they seemingly forgot they were together for the remainder of the narrative, but Hoover and Fisher missed many opportunities to improve it. Never, Never is a YA romance. It could've been an epic combination of multiple genres, including sci-fi and mystery, but it predominantly focuses on the more realistic aspects. Why? I'm unsure. Hoover is a popular author but I've only read one of her creations a few days ago, making me think I missed the hype, but her other works could either be at, below or above the level of Never Never, but I can't say for sure until I read more from her.
The characters could've been improved as they lacked depth and I couldn't go deeper into them, but putting more of that could improve the reading experience, and Charlie and Silas didn't have any chemistry. The pacing is slow for a story under 300 pages, even with the premise of a sci-fi mystery which the authors never used. There isn't any page time dedicated to any side characters, but there's a lot of time where Charlie and Silas are in a relationship. Adding them would provide a break from the protagonists. I might read from these authors again, but I'll lower my expectations from here....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, physical assault, restrictive dieting, implied anorexia/bulimia Score: Tw**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, physical assault, restrictive dieting, implied anorexia/bulimia Score: Two out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Short review: Icebreaker was awful.
Long review: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace was the worst book I've read this year. I wanted to read it after seeing it in my recommendations, then I got it when it was ready at the library. I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem intriguing, but I lowered my expectations after seeing the ratings. When I closed the final page, I was disappointed.
It starts with Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins, each living separate lives, with Anastasia being part of the USA ice skating team for three years, and Nate being part of the ice hockey team. The opening pages are slow, and the pacing continues to be this way. A slow pace only works when I like the characters, but unfortunately, I found it hard to connect or relate with them. I didn't like them either. There's only one plot in Icebreaker: the relationship between Anastasia and Nate, but the author didn't write them well, so I didn't feel like they had any chemistry. I would've liked to see more of the side characters, but Icebreaker didn't dedicate any subplots or page time to them, and the narrative still managed to span more than 400 pages. Removing filler pages and adding more subplots would've improved the reading experience. There's no literary value or diversity either.
Icebreaker sent a worrying message of unhealthy eating when I saw Anastasia dieting, meaning she didn't eat as much as she should. Even worse, she gets away with it for most of the narrative, and her issues are only visible when she gets bruises more easily. Where are the support systems? There aren't any as far as I can see, much to my dismay. Ten chapters have spicy scenes, which I found hard to read, and I almost gave the work a DNF, and I should've. The jarring juxtapositions detracted from the storyline, as sometimes there can be discussions of serious topics, contrasting with the overall lighthearted tone. At least the climax is a high note, with Anastasia and Nate continuing their relationship....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters Trigger war**spoiler alert** Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Body shaming, internalised body shaming, racism, internalised racism, cultural appropriation, eating disorder, restrictive dieting, grief and loss depiction, death of a father in the past Score: Six and a half out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
This one was alright. I wanted to read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado for a while but put it off for a few months before finally getting it at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too unappealing, but the ratings were below four stars, so I lowered my expectations. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.
It starts with Charlie Vega recounting her life as a self-identified Fat (uppercase) brown (lowercase) girl with her (white) mother, and her dynamics with other people at school. It sure sounds like a slow beginning in the opening pages when I think about it, and the pacing continues to be this way from there. I liked the message of accepting yourself as who you are, but Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tried to do too much and I didn't know what the central storyline was supposed to be.
There are two narratives: one is a romance and another is a discussion on issues like body shaming and racism, and the narrative tried to do both at once but didn't concentrate on any, but perhaps only focusing on one would be better. I found the juxtaposition between the lighthearted first theme and the serious second theme to be jarring, too. The giddy tone was hard to read at times, and so was the toxic dynamic of Charlie and her mother, but at least I liked the characters, though they were not easy to connect or relate with, even though Charlie developed her character. The exploration of intersectionality is also an appreciated touch. Did I mention Charlie's (Latino) father passed before the plot started? The climax is enjoyable as Charlie starts a relationship with Brian, then they broke up, and then got back together again....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Implied biracial (half Pacific Islander and half white) character Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a child and de**spoiler alert** Representation: Implied biracial (half Pacific Islander and half white) character Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a child and death and murder of a partner from a gun shot and other people in the past mentioned, gun violence, blood, grief and loss depiction, physical assault and injury, near-death experience Score: Six out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Well that was a bizarre book. I got Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor from a library giveaway, and I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem intriguing, but I headed in with low expectations considering the equally low ratings. When I closed the final page, it was only okay, and could've been better.
It starts with River (who has no last name) and Sky, living on a place called Island some distance away from American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean (which they call Ocean) in the opening pages. Everything looks typical until they end up in California, which is new to them. I liked the concept of people arriving at a new place, but the execution had so many flaws I didn't know where to begin. The pacing was slow for a story under 300 pages, which made me disconnect from it at times, and Cantor didn't write the characters well, so I didn't feel any chemistry between Sky and River. Sky only had two attributes: she wasn't afraid to hunt and new to California and River's only trait is the unwillingness to hunt.
The writing style was strange, substituting some words like bathroom tree instead of toilet, which disengaged me from Searching for Sky. Perhaps avoiding word replacement would've improved the reading experience. The flashback of the time Sky found it easy to swim but River didn't was filler and the narrative could do without it, and so was the mystery behind the deaths of some characters in the past. The worldbuilding was lacklustre since it mentioned 'the accident' without going into detail. Putting more detail and answering worldbuilding questions would've made Searching for Sky more enjoyable. The conclusion was unrealistic as some people suddenly appeared and killed River, finishing the fictional work on a low note....more
Representation: Biracial (half Black and half Asian) character Trigger warnings: Death of a father and brother in the past in an accident and suicide mRepresentation: Biracial (half Black and half Asian) character Trigger warnings: Death of a father and brother in the past in an accident and suicide mentioned, hospitalisation of a child, medical content, near-death experience, physical illness, child neglect and abuse Score: Five points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I wanted to read Everything, Everything after seeing it in my recommendations, and when I discovered that a library I visited had this, I immediately wanted to read it. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem like an intriguing read, despite its unoriginality. However, when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.
(view spoiler)[It starts with the first person I see, Madeline, living at home for her entire life due to an illness making her allergic to the world. Everything looks typical at first until a new neighbour arrives, Olly. Nothing happens in the opening pages save for the slow relationship developments of Maddy and Olly. My most prominent gripes with Everything, Everything are the characters and plot. I couldn't connect or relate to any of them, even though Maddy has a crippling disease, and the plotline wasn't engaging. It was more monotonous and tedious to read than enthralling. I didn't like the decisions Maddy made as she escaped her home for the first time to meet Olly in person, and then went holidaying together.
Everything, Everything says, "The greatest risk is not taking one." I disagree. The greatest risk is a risk endangering one's life. Which is the risk Maddy took, which nearly cost her her life. I get that she doesn't want to be stuck at home all day, but she has a life-threatening illness. How can she risk her life so carelessly and recklessly? I don't get that. The plot twist is so contrived it's challenging to comprehend. Maddy didn't realise she never had an illness but her mother made her think that? I have no words to describe that. The conclusion wasn't great either as it petered out Everything, Everything. I wished I could've enjoyed this fictional composition, but alas, I did not. (hide spoiler)]...more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Death of a father in a car crash and cheating in the past, sexism mentio**spoiler alert** Representation: Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Death of a father in a car crash and cheating in the past, sexism mentioned, sexist slur Score: Six out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I wanted to read Check and Mate (the winner of the Best Young Adult book award in 2023,) hoping it would be an improvement over Ali Hazelwood's debut, The Love Hypothesis, but no library had it at the time so I resorted to buying it instead. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem up my alley, but I gave it a try anyway. When I closed the final page, it was okay.
It starts with a prologue spanning a few pages, with Mallory unexpectedly beating Nolan in a chess match, then the plot begins with those characters living separately at first, with Mallory not wanting to play chess because of some events that happened. The first few pages are slow until Mallory and Nolan meet and then start a relationship, all while Mallory plays the game she didn't want to play again, chess. I hoped Hazelwood would resolve the problems I had with The Love Hypothesis in Check and Mate, but I was wrong, since I couldn't connect or relate to Mallory, Nolan or any other character, but that was only the beginning of the issues I saw. Perhaps adding depth to them would've improved the reading experience, since Mallory and Nolan had no chemistry, and the romance felt shoehorned in (they only bonded together over chess and nothing else. Really?) I used to like Mallory until I read some irritating lines when she didn't speak about her family kindly, and even though that was a one off, that left a sour taste in my mouth.
The writing style and pacing are enough to keep the narrative going but the latter can be slow at times with nothing much happening. That kind of progression only works when there are well-written characters, but, unfortunately, there aren't any. At least the plot is easy enough to follow. Hazelwood's second latest creation (at the time of writing) has a narrow target audience of either chess enthusiasts or romance fanatics. I'm not particularly into either of them, which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've. The climax is bittersweet as the couple break up, and an epilogue follows, abruptly finishing the fictional composition. Perhaps I'll give this author another shot by reading more of her stories, but my expectations are low....more
Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Death of girlfriends in the past by burning and physical illness, murder, grief and loss depiction, pregnancy andRepresentation: N/A Trigger warnings: Death of girlfriends in the past by burning and physical illness, murder, grief and loss depiction, pregnancy and childbirth, divorce mentioned, infertility, near-death experience, fire, explosions, military violence and war themes, World War II, shipwreck, colonisation, car crash Score: Five points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Oh, look, a Romeo and Juliet retelling. A person I knew picked this one up and tried to read it. Unfortunately, it quickly disinterested her, so she gave up after a few pages. However, The Hundred Loves of Juliet intrigued me, so I picked it up and read it. When I finished The Hundred Loves of Juliet, it disappointed me. It could be better, but it didn't meet my expectations (I should have lowered them in the first place, considering the low ratings and reviews.)
It starts with the first character I see, Helene, whose last name remains undisclosed, moving to Alaska to write a novel. She wants to write a romance involving two people when suddenly, she meets Sebastien, who comes right off Helene's pages. Here's the catch: Once Sebastien starts a relationship with Helene, he tells her he is immortal, but the Juliet incarnation dies every time he tries to fall in love with her. The Hundred Loves of Juliet has such an intriguing premise, but the former squanders the latter by fumbling the characters, my biggest gripe. Sebastien and Helene talk like two cheesy philosophers, making me groan inside. I've had enough of people who converse like that because it's unrealistic, and after reading another story with that type of dialogue, I didn't want to see it again.
The Hundred Loves of Juliet's flow was hard to follow at best and chaotic at worst. The narrative can jump back a few years sometimes to show the previous versions of Romeo and Juliet, where the former survives but the latter meets her demise, but that quickly gets repetitive. I also noticed the lack of diversity and saw that the author missed some opportunities to add more types of characters. One member of the couple that existed during the colonisation of America could've been Native American. The twosome in the Sahara could've been Black and the one in World War Two era Japan could've been Japanese. You get the idea. I couldn't connect or relate to them in the first place.
The conclusion is a high note, as Sebastien and Helene break the curse as the former hacked some computers so that nothing could go wrong, while the latter had her first child. The Hundred Loves of Juliet mentioned divorce, but the author quickly glossed it over, which I disliked. It was apparent that Evelyn Skye used YA writing, which didn't translate well in her debut in adult fiction. To summarise, The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a promising Romeo and Juliet retelling, but the negatives outweighed the positives, disenchanting me....more
Representation: Minor Asian character Trigger warnings: Death of a person and suicide attempt mentioned, physical injury, blood depiction, coma Score: SRepresentation: Minor Asian character Trigger warnings: Death of a person and suicide attempt mentioned, physical injury, blood depiction, coma Score: Six points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Oh, look, a Romeo and Juliet retelling. I picked this one up after seeing the intriguing title but I didn't know what to expect from it. Waking Romeo is a time travelling story set in the future whilst interweaving two classics: Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights. Unfortunately, when I picked it up, read and finished Waking Romeo, it was such a disappointment. I don't want to reread this novel. Also, why do I keep misreading it as Walking Romeo?
It starts with the first character I see, Juliet, living in London in 2083. Here's the catch: In an optimistic version of 2023, people invented time travel but only forward and so many people wanted to see what would happen in the future, the world fell apart. If the author thinks we would think of that in 2023, she was so wrong. Alas, there is no time travel yet in 2024, which I think is for the better. Only a select few, Deadenders, have the technology to also go back in time. One of them is Ellis. Jules already formed a relationship with Romeo, but, unfortunately for him, he is in a coma. Ellis tasks Jules with waking Romeo with both backwards and forwards time travel, then they briefly travel to 2056 to form a plan. Waking Romeo's most prominent flaws lie in its characters and plot as they were hard to connect with. The plotline was bizarre; one of the most I've seen. Did I mention Waking Romeo is non-linear and jumps around the place? Jules wakes Romeo (much to my dismay Romeo immediately wants to marry Jules. I get that Romeo and Jules already have a relationship, but that comes off as too soon.) Ellis meets Emily Bronte in the 1800s, concluding the narrative.
To summarise, Waking Romeo was a fractured fairy tale about Romeo and Juliet which showed much promise but in the end, it underwhelmed me....more
Representation: Black character Trigger warnings: Death of a father and another person Score: Seven points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraphRepresentation: Black character Trigger warnings: Death of a father and another person Score: Seven points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
So this one won Best Romance. I haven't read from Emily Henry until I got this one alongside others from the library. After reading a heavy novel, I didn't want to experience another one like that. I eventually picked it up and read Happy Place and found it a pleasant surprise. I can see why it would win an award, and after reading this, I wonder if Emily Henry's other works are as entertaining.
It starts with the first two characters I see, Harriet and Wyn, whose last names remain undisclosed, living their ultimate hedonistic lives where nothing could go wrong. Except that Harriet and Wyn broke up but they don't want to tell anyone about that. But over the course of the narrative, I struggle to comprehend why Happy Place said Harriet and Wyn faked their relationship, because it felt more genuine than superficial. Is that the point? It must be. With that out of the way, Happy Place shines in its pacing and characters which are engaging and likable respectively. The former can drag at times and sometimes I can't connect or relate to the latter, but at least I can like them. The conclusion is a high note where Harriet and Wyn use their second chance to restore and restart their relationship. What a story....more
Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Cancer mentioned Score: Six points out of ten. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
RemembeRepresentation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Cancer mentioned Score: Six points out of ten. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
Remember last year when I tried to find The Love Hypothesis, but I had to settle for Our Missing Hearts instead? I missed this one the first time around, but not the second time. I headed in with high expectations, considering the equally high ratings and reviews. However, when I finished The Love Hypothesis, it was only okay. It starts with the first character I see, Olive Smith, or Olive for short, working at Stanford and living a typical life in the opening pages. Here's the catch: Olive believes she would be better off if she didn't fall in love. Yet, Olive starts a fake relationship with another professor: Adam Carlsen. The pacing is alright but The Love Hypothesis' most prominent flaws lie in its characters, since all of them are flat and hard to connect or relate with. Did I need to hear Olive gushing over Adam's attributes? Anh is only there to prove a point and to show that there are not enough women, particularly minorities, in science. Look. If that side character was Black or Latina, the point would still be there. Her only purpose is to tick a diversity box and not add anything significant to the story. Olive develops a genuine relationship with Adam, but another person, Tom, wants to tear her down, but not before she recorded everything. Adam saved Olive from her predicament, but I didn't like how the issue was over so quickly. The conclusion finishes the narrative on a high note. By the way, I'm looking forward to reading Check and Mate to see if the author has improved....more
Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Sexist and other slurs, physical injury and assault, blood, grief and loss depiction, murder, death of people, diRepresentation: N/A Trigger warnings: Sexist and other slurs, physical injury and assault, blood, grief and loss depiction, murder, death of people, dismemberment Score: Six and a half points out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
So this one is the last ever novel I read in 2023, and simultaneously, I finished it in the early days of 2024. All the libraries closed temporarily and I burned through all the other fictional works I owned, except this one. Now I had to pick it up and read it because this story is the only one left I haven't read. Did I mention I had it for years, but I left it untouched until now? It's also lengthy. When I finished it, I thought it was enjoyable, but it has flaws. A Glimpse of Stocking starts with a prologue set in the 1970s with a message from Christine explaining why she had to kill some people to protect Annie, but then it cuts to the late 1940s where Annie is unknowingly about to start her career as an actor, but in the opening pages, Annie lived through her childhood life. 200 pages in, Annie began her adult life and began her career as an actor for a seatbelt ad out of everything. Afterwards, another significant person, Damon Rhys, offered her an opportunity to act his movie, A Midnight Hour, leading to Annie's success. People even said she is the new Marilyn Monroe, which was surprising.
I liked the stars of the narrative, like Annie and Damon, but I don't understand the need for other POVs from insignificant players in the fictional work. The pacing was A Glimpse of Stocking's biggest drawback, as it was an unnecessary drag, clocking in at over 600 pages. I understand that the page count allows for deeper character development, but the piece of literature would be better without any filler. Also, splitting A Glimpse of Stocking into two would be a much needed improvement, as combining them would bloat it. After an incident, Annie spends time recovering from it; following that, Damon hires Annie to act in his last movie, The Fertile Crescent. Her character dynamic with Christine is intriguing, but the spotlight is mostly on Annie. That ending was dramatic....more
Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Domestic violence and abuse, displacement, physical injury, cheating, attempted kidnapping, divorce Score: Six poiRepresentation: N/A Trigger warnings: Domestic violence and abuse, displacement, physical injury, cheating, attempted kidnapping, divorce Score: Six points out of ten. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
Oh dear. I wanted to read this for a while and then after I saw it in one of the two libraries I go to I finally picked it up and read it. Though I enjoyed most of the book some aspects did not sit right inside me and that made me uncomfortable reading this, by the way did I mention this is no ordinary romance novel? It's heavier than I expected and not a light one by any means. It starts with the main character Hannah whose last name I forgot who lives in Leadsham which is presumably set in the UK based on the name and other information. She left her husband because the relationship was what I would best describe as on the verge of breaking, like there's barely any connection between them at this point when suddenly there was a police officer named Brody who helped Hannah when something happened to her. An intriguing thing about this is that soon Hannah discusses about meet-cutes and technically this was one (Hah! Meta!) This is the first time I've seen a novel like this do something like that. Sooner or later Hannah further develops her relationship with Brody which made me feel uneasy, like when you look at it it does not feel right because I don't understand why Hannah has not divorced with her partner whose name I forgot, it might be something to do with the domestic abuse/violence happening which forced Hannah and her daughter to be on the run. Or something else entirely. The ending was dramatic but at least there's a divorce, the police arrested the antagonist and there is a high note....more
Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Racism, maternal abandonment, depression This review can also be found on The StoryGraph. Score: SevenRepresentation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Racism, maternal abandonment, depression This review can also be found on The StoryGraph. Score: Seven points out of ten.
At the time I picked this up and read it it was a new arrival at one of the two libraries I go to and at first, I didn't know what I was going to read but I expected it to be an enjoyable romance book but when I read it it was not what I expected and went in a completely different direction. That doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't enjoy this however the novel was a struggle at times. It starts with the main character Natalie whose name I forgot and she doesn't believe in romance but is it me or am I getting major deja vu from this... That being said she lives a typical life in Australia since she and her family immigrated there sometime before the book is set, at first Natalie acts preachy since she lectures me explicitly about issues like racism, sexism, you get the idea but soon enough the novel starts to get intriguing mainly from the latter half and beyond. The theme about parental expectations being unrealistic and outdated is something people can relate to so that's a nice touch. During the last few hundred pages Natalie has enough privilege and money to go to Abu Dhabi where she spends some time alongside her friends, it turns out that the vacation takes up a much larger chunk than I initially thought since then afterwards Natalie goes to Greece, Lebanon where she falls for someone although she insisted that love isn't worth it! No way. Then a few pages pass where Natalie starts having this identity crisis only because she doesn't feel accepted in Australia because of who she is or in Lebanon due to her thoughts and behaviour and now? She has no idea who she is anymore so she finds out. That's it I guess....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian and Jewish characters Trigger warnings: Racism, antisemitism, sexism, harassment Score: Four out of ten. Find thi**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian and Jewish characters Trigger warnings: Racism, antisemitism, sexism, harassment Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Okay. Yes No Maybe So didn't deserve three or two stars. One will do.
I added Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed to my TBR, hoping it would be intriguing. I read it but admit this book was unexpected. I thought it was a romance. Instead, it was political.
It starts with Jamie, a Jew and Maya, an Asian. An election looms as Jamie and Maya canvass. The tensions start to build as the election draws closer. There is this meme called Fifi the dog. Some right-wing extremists used that on social media, and then when they saw stickers that said "Vote Rossum!", they replaced it with a Fifi sticker.
Yes No Maybe So is tedious, drawn out and over 400 pages. It said racism is unacceptable but comes off as preachy. Also, this book aged poorly. No one discusses Discord. Perhaps it was more obscure.
Twitter is X now but it's Twitter here. Few play Super Mario Odyssey now. At least the Nintendo Switch didn't age yet. There is a new law called H.B. 28. It bans women from wearing headscarves. The Republicans won despite campaigns. Newton is Georgia's new governor. He passed it. That was bittersweet.
I couldn't relate to the politics since I don't live in America. There is Prime Minister, premiers and mayors where I live. I had problems with the romance, too.
I couldn't connect to Jamie and Maya as they developed an attraction. Saeed and Albertalli put that to the side. Maya had to convert her religion to be closer to Jamie. He's a Jew. I found that unrealistic....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Pregnancy mentioned, death of a mother in the past, grief and loss depiction, cancer Score: Six **spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Pregnancy mentioned, death of a mother in the past, grief and loss depiction, cancer Score: Six out of ten.
Hold on, I need a few moments to take everything in. I wanted to read Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch but put it off for months until it was time to pick it up. The ratings were high so I headed in with equally high expectations after glancing at the blurb. Unfortunately, Welch could've done much better.
It starts with Lina Rossi, a young Italian American girl, moving to Italy from America, where she stays for the entire narrative. I don't think she's been to Italy before as everything is new to her, and she's assimilated into American culture so much she doesn't speak Italian. She has to learn it and experience Italian culture in the process. Lina moves there because her mother's last words were for her to meet her father, Howard. Surprisingly, she hasn't met him before until now.
Lina meets new characters, Ren and Sonya, and she starts a relationship with him a few pages later, but Sonya gave Lina a diary that belonged to her mother, creating a story within a story. Sounds confusing? It is. I struggle to understand why Welch added a subplot like this. Initially, I thought it would be some form of snooping, but when I thought about it, I reluctantly let the events unfold. I wondered who the person named X in the diary was, until I realised it was Howard. Oh.
Even though there are two relationships that developed, I didn't get the character development I wanted. They lack depth, but adding more of that could improve the reading experience. The setting is unique, as I don't see many compositions set in an Italian city. The pacing is slow, making Love and Gelato last 330 pages, and the writing style is serviceable, most likely to appeal to a YA audience. If anyone wants a more elevated form of prose, this is not it. Welch could've focused on one character arc, not two, as that makes everything more convoluted, and the conclusion was okay, but I was glad I was done with the novel, and won't continue the series....more
Loading...
