Sign in with Facebook
emma's Reviews > Acts of Service
Acts of Service
by
by
emma's review
bookshelves: diverse, lgbt-plus, literary-fiction, non-ya, recommend, beautifully-written, 5-stars, reread, owned, favorites-2022, unpopular-opinion, reviewed
Jun 01, 2022
bookshelves: diverse, lgbt-plus, literary-fiction, non-ya, recommend, beautifully-written, 5-stars, reread, owned, favorites-2022, unpopular-opinion, reviewed
Read 2 times. Last read August 26, 2022 to August 27, 2022.
i am never happier than when i feel special.
i’m a longstanding opponent of the not like other girls trope (i’m on the record since like 2015, which means this hatred significantly outlives most of my opinions, relationships, and sweaters), but i do like to be unlike other people. i turn the average meal-to-dessert ratio on its head. i stan dunkin over starbucks. i am in the midst of a lifelong quest to have the single most disturbing sleep schedule i can.
and of course, above all, i am an appreciator of a good unpopular opinion.
however.
i don’t think my opinion of this book should be unique.
this book has a devastating 3.19, and this is in spite of being complete perfection from beginning to end.
i picked up a library ebook of this, and while several of my very favorites in the world loved this book, i kinda expected to 3.5 it and move on into my resting state of complete forgetting as soon as possible.
instead, i found myself highlighting swaths of text, almost buzzing with that oh my god is this is a five star this might be a five star feeling, resonating with the emotions depicted and stunned by how lovely and clear the writing was.
and then i finished it, bought a copy, and reread and annotated it barely a week after reading it for the first time.
it’s really an easy five star, filled with taboo topics and fascinating characters and revealing dynamics. it’s about love and sex, gender and power, and how to find yourself or even know what that would look like. it’s about searching for happiness and meaning while being unable to admit that’s what you’re doing.
it’s everything that i think about the most.
bottom line: read it!!!
--------------------
reread update
nothing says five star read like rereading after a week
--------------------
pre-review
never happier than when i love a book everyone hates :)
review to come / 4.5 or 5 stars
--------------------
tbr review
the best thing that can possibly happen to a person is when they get very into a subgenre that is also simultaneously the single most trendy and common subgenre there is.
i am going to live forever
i’m a longstanding opponent of the not like other girls trope (i’m on the record since like 2015, which means this hatred significantly outlives most of my opinions, relationships, and sweaters), but i do like to be unlike other people. i turn the average meal-to-dessert ratio on its head. i stan dunkin over starbucks. i am in the midst of a lifelong quest to have the single most disturbing sleep schedule i can.
and of course, above all, i am an appreciator of a good unpopular opinion.
however.
i don’t think my opinion of this book should be unique.
this book has a devastating 3.19, and this is in spite of being complete perfection from beginning to end.
i picked up a library ebook of this, and while several of my very favorites in the world loved this book, i kinda expected to 3.5 it and move on into my resting state of complete forgetting as soon as possible.
instead, i found myself highlighting swaths of text, almost buzzing with that oh my god is this is a five star this might be a five star feeling, resonating with the emotions depicted and stunned by how lovely and clear the writing was.
and then i finished it, bought a copy, and reread and annotated it barely a week after reading it for the first time.
it’s really an easy five star, filled with taboo topics and fascinating characters and revealing dynamics. it’s about love and sex, gender and power, and how to find yourself or even know what that would look like. it’s about searching for happiness and meaning while being unable to admit that’s what you’re doing.
it’s everything that i think about the most.
bottom line: read it!!!
--------------------
reread update
nothing says five star read like rereading after a week
--------------------
pre-review
never happier than when i love a book everyone hates :)
review to come / 4.5 or 5 stars
--------------------
tbr review
the best thing that can possibly happen to a person is when they get very into a subgenre that is also simultaneously the single most trendy and common subgenre there is.
i am going to live forever
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Acts of Service.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
June 1, 2022
– Shelved
August 18, 2022
–
Started Reading
August 19, 2022
–
Finished Reading
August 26, 2022
–
Started Reading
August 27, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
K
(new)
Aug 19, 2022 10:45AM
5 stars what?! Is it April 1st already?
reply
|
flag
Hah, I've been wondering what book(s) you actually like!
K wrote: "5 stars what?! Is it April 1st already?"5 stars mAYBE
Åshild wrote: "Hah, I've been wondering what book(s) you actually like!"all my opinions are unpopular ultimately
(still exercising restraint, but:) mood
l. wrote: "(still exercising restraint, but:) mood"so cute of us
Debra wrote: "Great review, Emma!"thank you!!!
the only reason i just bought this book is your review, it's gold. thanks
Haha I relate this is my fav subgrenre too and I hate being so trendy
Hey girl, just saw this - I hope you live forever too, you’re the only person that can make me laugh while reading a book review 💕
Yes!!! This book is ridiculously good and underrated
Your review is singlehandedly making me read this book!
insta TBR. Also, I too am a Dunkin girl. Sipping as I type :)
Amanda wrote: "insta TBR. Also, I too am a Dunkin girl. Sipping as I type :)"dunkin girls unite
Ana-Maria wrote: "Your review is singlehandedly making me read this book!"i hope you love it
kylie wrote: "Yes!!! This book is ridiculously good and underrated"really truly!
Amanda wrote: "Hey girl, just saw this - I hope you live forever too, you’re the only person that can make me laugh while reading a book review 💕"the nicest thing anyone could ever say to me: a wish for my immortality
em wrote: "Haha I relate this is my fav subgrenre too and I hate being so trendy"it doesn't come naturally
✨pawn✨ wrote: "the only reason i just bought this book is your review, it's gold. thanks"wow please enjoy!
I also really enjoyed this despite the low rating. Why do you think others didn’t? Sometimes I think ppl get their knickers in a twist about “immoral” topics.. but the blurb tells you how this is going to go. So confused by reviews slamming the unlikeable characters or storyline.
I personally did not rate it so highly, though I can see where you’re coming from. I just felt disappointed that the book touched on so many interesting concepts but it never fully committed to any of them. And it was so frustrating to see Eve barely develop at all throughout the story. To me she just doesn’t seem to have much character development at all and I wish I could’ve finished the booking knowing she had gained a deeper understanding of herself or some self awareness but it really didn’t feel like that to me. It kind of just felt like things ended almost the same way they were in the beginning.
i totally agree with you. I think many people don’t love a unsatisfactory ending, but it seemed so logical to me that eve didn’t really knew whatshe wanted. So the book is sometimes a little vague about stuff. But i loved that, it felt like you are in your 20’s feeling.
