Jane
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much as Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that made their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in Chapter 15 - Page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Chapter 10 - Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Chapter 15 - Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
I do recommend listening to the audiobook while reading the book just to know how the places and names are pronounced.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much as Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that made their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in Chapter 15 - Page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Chapter 10 - Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Chapter 15 - Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
I do recommend listening to the audiobook while reading the book just to know how the places and names are pronounced.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much as Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much as Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. Unfortunately, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. However, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know that The Song of Achilles is a well rated book but never had the urge to read it immediately. However, I saw a 1-star review that basically said that Patroclus was a “Bella” to Achille’s “Edward”.
As a person who has vowed to avoid anything resembling Twilight, I was disappointed because that meant the book was not something I’d like. But then I was intrigued. Can The Song of Achilles be that bad? How can it be rated that high and but still have Twilight vibes?
I resolved to borrow it from my local library and find out for myself.
So, was it true that Patroclus was “such a Bella”? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.
Patroclus was very much in love with Achilles. He followed c even when it was more convenient, and safer, for him not to do so. But his devotion was more understandable compared to Bella’s. The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles developed through time. This was not a high school crush that speed up from interest to full on obsession in a matter of weeks. There was also a clear advantage to being with Achilles. Patroclus was an exile. He was sent to be soldier for a king when he has no aptitude for it. His life would have been worse if he wasn’t with Achilles whereas if Bella wasn’t with Edward, her status in life wouldn’t have been altered at all.
As much as my opinion of this book is the opposite of that person, who inspired me to read this, I totally appreciated that review. It got me to check out this book. It also gave me a good laugh.
Now that we are done with whether or not Patroclus is like Bella, let’s move on to the rest of my thoughts on this.
Based on my rating, yes, I LOVE this book. Below are my reasons.
1.
As a person who loved reading Greek mythology as a kid, I appreciated the prose. It was very much in line with how I remember those stories were written.
2.
The characterizations were also, in my opinion, on point. Yes, a lot of the characters here were awful, awful people. Including Achilles. But, again, it was in line with how those characters were portrayed in Greek mythology. They were kings, princes, and/or demigods of an ancient time. Of course, they were filled with hubris and ambition with little to no regard of others.
3
The romance here was top notch. The romantic build-up between Patroclus and Achilles was very much the type that I love.
I am a firm believer that love stories are better received when the readers feel that aspects of that romance are something that they can experience themselves. It’s a lot easier to picture someone falling for your smile than someone killing a horde of monsters for you. And as much Greek mythology is very removed from a casual life of modern times, there were enough non-epic, simple, and normal scenes between Patroclus and Achilles that makes their love very real and relatable.
One such scene was in page 182, where Achilles was telling Patroclus how much he likes Patroclus’ hair, chest, etc. while touching said body parts. That was probably the one of the best foreplay scenes I’ve read. And I say this as a person who has read a good number historical romance books. It was so romantic and goddamn hot.
I loved the romance here so much that I wanted to highlight passages in the book. However, the copy I had was from the library. As such, I cannot deface it. However, I will share a couple of them here.
Page 102: It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me.
Page 183: I think: This is what I will miss. I think: I will kill myself rather than miss it. I think: How long do we have?
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The book basically has 3 POVs going on. The 1st is Libby in the current time. The 2nd is Lucy, also in the current time. Then last there’s Henry who is recounting what the heck happened in the past. Libby’s storyline is basically the catalyst for the “investigation”. Henry’s storyline gives us the backstory. Lucy’s storyline really didn’t add to the main plot. So much so that I initially couldn’t figure out if she was Henry’s sister, Clemency, or some other random person.
The three storylines go on and on until around 2/3s of the book. Then the last 1/3 kind of speeds through the juicy part of the past and the eventual convergence of the 3 storylines.
An ongoing theme in this story is choices. Bad choices. From everyone. Including the author.
All the choices of the adults in the house were bad
1. This is self explanatory.
The choices the kids took before, during, and immediately after the “big incident” were also bad
1. They didn’t carefully plan out their one chance of escape.
2. They didn’t stick together when they ran.
3. They didn’t try to find each other afterwards.
The other adults were also making bad choices
1. Dr. Broughton, who they ran to for help, didn’t contact the authorities or got them proper help.
2. The mom, Sally Thompsen, didn’t look for Phin.
3. The Lamb’s uncle didn’t try to look for Henry or Lucy.
As for the author, personally I am not a fan of the following choices she made plot wise:
1. Readers can pretty much guess how the adults in the past died.
2. Libby’s mother was sort of a surprise, sure. But given how it was revealed so late in the game, it didn’t have as much impact as it would have. Personally, I think that if it was revealed earlier, the 3 storylines would be more inter-related.
3. I think Lucy and Henry’s storylines should have been switched. Lucy’s POV in the past seemed more interesting given how it turned out that she’s Libby’s mother. As for Henry, what happened to Henry after the adults’ death seemed more interesting because, quite frankly, he seemed to have become quite nuts.
I was told that there’s a sequel to this. But I am unsure if I want to read it.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The book basically has 3 POVs going on. The 1st is Libby in the current time. The 2nd is Lucy, also in the current time. Then last there’s Henry who is recounting what the heck happened in the past. Libby’s storyline is basically the catalyst for the “investigation”. Henry’s storyline gives us the backstory. Lucy’s storyline really didn’t add to the main plot. So much so that I initially couldn’t figure out if she was Henry’s sister, Clemency, or some other random person.
The three storylines go on and on until around 2/3s of the book. Then the last 1/3 kind of speeds through the juicy part of the past and the eventual convergence of the 3 storylines.
An ongoing theme in this story is choices. Bad choices. From everyone. Including the author.
All the choices of the adults in the house were bad
1. This is self explanatory.
The choices the kids took before, during, and immediately after the “big incident” were also bad
1. They didn’t carefully plan out their one chance of escape.
2. They didn’t stick together when they ran.
3. They didn’t try to find each other afterwards.
The other adults were also making bad choices
1. Dr. Broughton, who they ran to for help, didn’t contact the authorities or got them proper help.
2. The mom, Sally Thompsen, didn’t look for Phin.
3. The Lamb’s uncle didn’t try to look for Henry or Lucy.
As for the author, personally I am not a fan of the following choices she made plot wise:
1. Readers can pretty much guess how the adults in the past died.
2. Libby’s mother was sort of a surprise, sure. But given how it was revealed so late in the game, it didn’t have as much impact as it would have. Personally, I think that if it was revealed earlier, the 3 storylines would be more inter-related.
3. I think Lucy and Henry’s storylines should have been switched. Lucy’s POV in the past seemed more interesting given how it turned out that she’s Libby’s mother. As for Henry, what happened to Henry after the adults’ death seemed more interesting because, quite frankly, he seemed to have become quite nuts.
I was told that there’s a sequel to this. But I am unsure if I want to read it.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise was interesting enough. The protagonist, Nora, was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest, Charlie, very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares Nora’s core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them were blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I clamor for…this.
I am not averse to normal people being the subject of romance. But the story should somehow convince the reader that they find each other very interesting. I didn’t get that here. Again, there was no build up. There was just attraction, some sad background, and then bam, they’re in love.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in a month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the scenario that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There was awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Quite a few folks loved this book because the protagonist remained true to herself and didn’t give up her life for the sake of love. It also had a guy who loved her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. Yeah, yeah. Applause for the protagonist and the dude. Boss Babes rule, and all that. But that whole thing was ruined for me by Nora’s sister.
Libby, who loves and understands Nora the best, undermined her by trying to trick her into doing what she wants. And yes, there’s a lot of issues going on between them that would explain why Libby would go this route. However, I think Libby’s actions infantilized Nora. It’s almost as if Libby saw Nora as a child that you have to play “airplane” with in order for them to eat what’s on the spoon.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise was interesting enough. The protagonist, Nora, was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest, Charlie, very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares Nora’s core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them were blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I clamor for…this.
I am not averse to normal people being the subject of romance. But the story should somehow convince the reader that they find each other very interesting. I didn’t get that here. Again, there was no build up. There was just attraction, some sad background, and then bam, they’re in love.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in a month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the scenario that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There was awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Quite a few folks loved this book because the protagonist remained true to herself and didn’t give up her life for the sake of love. It also had a guy who loved her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. Yeah, yeah. Applause for the protagonist and the dude. Boss Babes rule, and all that. But that whole thing was ruined for me by Nora’s sister.
Libby, who loves and understands Nora the best, undermined her by trying to trick her into doing what she wants. And yes, there’s a lot of issues going on between them that would explain why Libby would go this route. However, I think Libby’s actions infantilized Nora. It’s almost as if Libby saw Nora as a child that you have to play “airplane” with in order for them to eat what’s on the spoon.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise was interesting enough. The protagonist, Nora, was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest, Charlie, very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares Nora’s core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them were blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I clamor for…this.
I am not averse to normal people being the subject of romance. But the story should somehow convince the reader that they find each other very interesting. I didn’t get that here. Again, there was no build up. There was just attraction, some sad background, and then bam, they’re in love.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the scenario that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There was awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Quite a few folks loved this book because the protagonist remained true to herself and didn’t give up her life for the sake of love. It also had a guy who loved her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. Yeah, yeah. Applause for the protagonist and the dude. Boss Babes rule, and all that. But that whole thing was ruined for me by Nora’s sister.
Libby, who loves and understands Nora the best, undermined her by trying to trick her into doing what she wants. And yes, there’s a lot of issues going between them that would explain why Libby would go this route. However, I think Libby’s actions infantilized Nora. It’s almost as if Libby saw Nora as a child that you have to play “airplane” with in order for them to eat what’s on the spoon.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise was interesting enough. The protagonist, Nora, was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest, Charlie, very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares Nora’s core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them were blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I clamor for…this.
I am not averse to normal people being the subject of romance. But the story should somehow convince the reader that they find each other very interesting. I didn’t get that here. Again, there was no build up. There was just attraction, some sad background, and then bam, they’re in love.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the scenario that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There was awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Quite a few folks loved this book because the protagonist remained true to herself and didn’t give up her life for the sake of love. It also had a guy who loved her for who she is and didn’t try to change her. Yeah, yeah. Applause for the protagonist and the dude. Boss Babes rule, and all that. But that whole thing was ruined for me by Nora’s sister.
Libby, who loves and understands Nora the best, undermined her by trying to trick her into doing what she wants. And yes, there’s a lot of issues going between them that would explain why Libby would go this route. However, I think Libby’s actions infantilized Nora. It’s almost as if Libby saw Nora as a child that you have to play “airplane” with in order for them to eat what’s on the spoon.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was another book I almost DNFed. Why? Because I was well into the middle of the book and I still could not get myself to care about the protagonist or any of the characters.
The summary of the book basically said that Ying went off to the capital to find out why her father was murdered. Uh, we all kind of find out why at chapter 1. The author may not think so but I do. The real question was who was behind the whole thing.
Given how Ying was supposed to be finding out who was behind her father’s murder, there was very little investigating. Sure, she found stuff but it wasn’t because she was intentionally looking for it. For goodness sake, the three 12 yr. old kids in Harry Potter did more investigating than this 18 yr. old. And she didn’t even have to contend with professors or a custodian roaming about the halls looking to give demerits to students. She could have done a lot more which makes me think that she wasn’t all that invested in solving her father’s murder. It came off as if she was more invested in getting into the Guild than finding the real culprit.
But even if she was, I still couldn’t get behind her actions. She wasn’t like Bruce Wayne who was left with no family to care for them, except Alfred. She had a family who probably needed her. You know, since their dad died. The whole thing came off as self serving. Which I could have gotten behind if they were more afront with it. Blind revenge-seeking rage is understandable. What Ying had was…not that.
And Ying had weird reactions to things in certain instances.
1. A person is missing from the assembly, Ying was immediately suspicious. It’s the 1st assembly and she doesn’t even know how things work in the Guild. There was no basis for it.
2. A person said something off putting to her benefactor and she was “seething” even when she basically had the same thought as that person.
3. Then she goes on blaming another person for being complicit in her father’s death. In reality that person was as guilty in her father’s death as Martha Wayne was in her and her husband’s death. How dare Martha wear a necklace that caused the mugger to rob and kill them. Yes, I am still going with the Batman references.
Other issues I had with this book were some word/phrase choices that just took me out of the setting because they were so out of place. Below is the list.
- parked (should have used the word “dock”)
- baby’s got an engine issue (sounds modern)
- scrap piece (scrap and piece are the same)
- cute (sounds modern)
- Bullshit! (sounds modern)
- Kid (sounds modern)
- rosary (sounds Western in an East Asian setting)
- restaurants (sounds modern)
- gang (sounds modern)
- tick off (sounds modern given its usage)
- bored (sounds modern)
What saved this book from becoming a 1 star were the flashbacks of her father. Those actually softened my perception of Ying. Whenever those come in, I could understand why she started this whole thing. Another thing that saved it was the ending. Possibly an unpopular opinion but I appreciated the ending given what happened in the plot.
So, was this downright awful? No. Would I recommend it? If the person was young and getting into fantasy, sure.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was another book I almost DNFed. Why? Because I was well into the middle of the book and I still could not get myself to care about the protagonist or any of the characters.
The summary of the book basically said that Ying went off to the capital to find out why her father was murdered. Uh, we all kind of find out why at chapter 1. The author may not think so but I do. The real question was who was behind the whole thing.
Given how Ying was supposed to be finding out who was behind her father’s murder, there was very little investigating. Sure, she found stuff but it wasn’t because she was intentionally looking for it. For goodness sake, the three 12 yr. old kids in Harry Potter did more investigating than this 18 yr. old. And she didn’t even have to contend with professors or a custodian roaming about the halls looking to give demerits to students. She could have done a lot more which makes me think that she wasn’t all that invested in solving her father’s murder. It came off as if she was more invested in getting into the Guild than finding the real culprit.
But even if she was, I still couldn’t get behind her actions. She wasn’t like Bruce Wayne who was left with no family to care for them, except Alfred. She had a family who probably needed her. You know, since their dad died. The whole thing came off as self serving. Which I could have gotten behind if they were more afront with it. Blind revenge-seeking rage is understandable. What Ying had was…not that.
And Ying had weird reactions to things in certain instances.
1. A person is missing from the assembly, Ying was immediately suspicious. It’s the 1st assembly and she doesn’t even know how things work in the Guild. There was no basis for it.
2. A person said something off putting to her benefactor and she was “seething” even when she basically had the same thought as that person.
3. Then she goes on blaming another person for being complicit in her father’s death. In reality that person was as guilty in her father’s death as Martha Wayne was in her and her husband’s death. How dare Martha wear a necklace that caused the mugger to rob and kill them. Yes, I am still going with the Batman references.
Other issues I had with this book were some word/phrase choices that just took me out of the setting because they were so out of place. Below is the list.
- parked (should have used the word “dock”)
- baby’s got an engine issue (sounds modern)
- scrap piece (scrap and piece are the same)
- cute (sounds modern)
- Bullshit! (sounds modern)
- Kid (sounds modern)
- rosary (sounds Western in an East Asian setting)
- restaurants (sounds modern)
- gang (sounds modern)
- tick off (sounds modern given its usage)
- bored (sounds modern)
What saved this book from becoming a 1 star were the flashbacks of her father. Those actually softened my perception of Ying. Whenever those come in, I could understand why she started this whole thing. Another thing that saved it was the ending. Possibly an unpopular opinion but I appreciated the ending given what happened in the plot.
So, was this downright awful? No. Would I recommend it? If the person was young and getting into fantasy, sure.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have not read anything that was described as “Cosy Fantasy”. This is probably the 1st book I’ve read tagged as such.
It’s a good representative of its genre. It was light, easy to read, and relatively small-stakes. It’s very feel-good.
There is a specific thing that I have an issue with. Had it been fixed; I would have liked this a whole lot more. It’s the timeline.
The bulk of the story happened within a week or two. While it made sense that the protagonist starts to experiment with magic almost immediately due to need, it would have been better if suspicion and the fall out from her actions were delayed. Let her worry about it, settle into the possibility that she got away with it, and then have suspicion build up slowly. But there was basically the worry phase and then someone immediately got suspicious and started a ruckus. There was no suspense. No build up.
It’s the same with the relationships that formed. In that short time, she developed tight friendships and a love interest. I am not a fan of that kind of pacing. I know this is a fantasy but I still find that unbelievable.
So, is this exactly what I want to read in a fantasy book? Not really. I have to be in a certain mood for it. But I won’t say no to reading more of it. In fact, I just saw a second book for this. It’s not a sequel from the looks of it, more of an off-shoot of a character that was mentioned in this book. And I am already thinking of getting it.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have not read anything that was described as “Cosy Fantasy”. This is probably the 1st book I’ve read tagged as such.
It’s a good representative of its genre. It was light, easy to read, and relatively small-stakes. It’s very feel-good.
There is a specific thing that I have an issue with. Had it been fixed; I would have liked this a whole lot more. It’s the timeline.
The bulk of the story happened within a week or two. While it made sense that the protagonist starts to experiment with magic almost immediately due to need, it would have been better if suspicion and the fall out from her actions were delayed. Let her worry about it, settle into the possibility that she got away with it, and then have suspicion build up slowly. But there was basically the worry phase and then someone immediately got suspicious and started a ruckus. There was no suspense. No build up.
It’s the same with the relationships that formed. In that short time, she developed tight friendships and a love interest. I am not a fan of that kind of pacing. I know this is a fantasy but I still find that unbelievable.
So, is this exactly what I want to read in a fantasy book? Not really. I have to be in a certain mood for it. But I won’t say no to reading more of it. In fact, I just saw a second book for this. It’s not a sequel from the looks of it, more of an off-shoot of a character that was mentioned in this book. And I am already thinking of getting it.