kae

What an absolute TREAT this book was. Incredibly written, in-depth, expansive, worldly, kaleidescope of a novel. I am so happy that my book club is reading this and I cant wait to discuss. There was just so much to unpack in this novel. Love, adventure, independence, survival, history, ARTTTTTTT, longing, sadness, sacrifice, revenge. This novel follows a girl named Addie Larue who ends up selling her soul to the devil to live a life different from the one she has at the moment the deal was made. She lives over 300 years and in that time span, she touches so many artists, their lives and their art and minds, although there are circumstances to her ‘marks'. The intricacy and delicacy in which VE Schwab weaves her story is painstakingly beautiful. I cried several times throughout this novel because of its wholesomeness. It was one of those books where I wish that there was more, but at the same time I'm glad there wasn't because it was all wrapped up so well. I would highly recommend diving into this book and shutting yourself away from the world to submerge yourself in Addie's world. 5/5 stars.

This was a fantastic book. A really fascinating historical fiction novel that focuses on feminism and hardships associated with society's views of who you are versus who you know you are. Set in 1940-1950s India, the nation has just broken free from British rule and it has left the country divided on a lot of counts. There is a national identity crisis going on and it plays a large part in the novel. The main character struggles with her identity after fleeing an abusive marriage to make a life for herself undefined by no man - only to be defined secondhand by her ungrateful, naiive sister who escapes their village and finds her in a large city. The identity crisis also merges with class issues. Identity and entitlement of the rich versus the suffering and injustice done to the poor. Double standards of men and women, especially in a country such as India where the family roots run deep. Shame can easily be brough upon families for silly things that stain the reputation for decades to come. This book touches upon these and teeters the delicate balance of all.


Honestly this book was STRESSFUL (because of above reasonings). I loved it though. I thought it was a beautiful work that handled all topics very skillfully. I have not read any books set in this historical setting and I enjoyed it 110%. I can also see why it made Reese's Bookclub, because the main character is a feminist icon who has to deal with all of the societal bullshit of the patriarchy and “traditions” that favor only men. It was a hard read though, there were several elements that I really wish didn't happen. For examples, although I think it is important that the book ended the way it did to really hit home the plot of inequality and hardship but I really would have loved if this book was like 800 pages long and you could “chose your own adventure”. I loved learning about the main character but I honestly hated her sister, who played such a big part. I wanted to know and read more about the royal ladies that she served and their lives and how she rose to be such a skilled Henna Artist. I mean the author does give a good amount of background so you are not guessing. But in the 13 years that she fleed her abusive marriage and her sister found her in the city is a lot of time to make up for. I just really wish the sister wasn't part of it. For someone who grew up with so little and was given so much when she found her sister, she was so mouthy, entitled and honestly ungrateful. Everytime she talked I was like “dude please shut up”. There were also a few parts where I was like ‘just leave your sister you barely know her', but I understand the sister was the main character's cultural karma for disgracing her family. Again, a lot of things happening and lots to consider. It was such a fast read. I would NOT be mad about it if the author decided to write more about this time period and setting (just sayin').

This was probably one of the best books I read of 2020. It reminded me of Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson. The story follows Elle, an outsider who has had to work hard for everything in life, through her “high school” academic years. Sounds potentially problematic, right? What with the social anxiety, no friends, bullies, etc..... well add in trying not to die. That's right, in this ‘Hogwarts' the castle school is literally trying to kill you so it can have energy to function. Not everyone who starts makes it out.

The plot in this book was absolutely outstanding. Everything about it was unique, so well thought through and thoroughly original. I hung on every word (I listened via audiobook), and was totally mesmerized by the ongoing twists and turns. The author painted such a vivid portrait with every scene and there was just so much to digest. I am SOOOO happy this is planned to be a trilogy!! I can hardly wait. If anyone is debating, PLEASE READ it was one of the best books I've ever read. And that is saying a lot, because ya girl HATES YA!!

Unpopular opinion: this book was a big ass whiff. I am extremely disappointed. It is not that I hated it, it was just that I wanted to like it so much. It took me so long to get through this ( I re-read the first 30 pages twice) and I could not get into it. There was not that inital “pull” that was so vitally needed in such a small novel. All of these characters I thought were extremely underdeveloped (the book follows 4 main characters and it is only 250 pages). At first I read that the book takes place over the span of a day in Paris, but actually the book is primarily spent drawing on past memories of each of the characters. I think that the organization of the book led to this pitfall. with 4 perspectives, all the chapters were sequential. This was a lost opportunity because at certain points certain story lines were extremely compelling but after the chapter about said person (some were only 3-4 pages) you had to wait a whole round of people to get back to that. By the time it got back to that person I was thinking to myself, “oh yeah I forgot about this.” And I was referring to things that you, as the reader, should certainly not forget (!!!!) I am so so saddened by this book because I just wanted so much more from it. Also, I have a slight problem with the fact that this book was written about (primarily) French people living in France, but the book is in English. I kept reminding myself that they are actually talking to each other in French. The subtle hint at french words here or there was a miss for me. There is something just so exquiste and romantic about the French language that gives so much to their country and the city of Paris. Because of that lack of language, there was a “gap” in the story. Overall, so much was missed in terms of opportunity in this book and I mourn for it. The 4 characters were okay (I very clearly liked 3, and 1 felt like an extreme waste for me). Also, there were many historically relevant people who were brought into the book but like why? They did not add anything to the story or the character's lives and were there so briefly that the desired impact of their presence was not achieved. If Alex George wants a redo, to take this and edit it to make the story 1. more in depth 2. organize/flow better and 3. think about hierarchy of character, I will gladly read this again.

i LOOOOOVED this book. Frederik Backman has such a way of combining humor and saddness, struggle and understanding into one complex package that highlights all the things in the spectrum of emotions. He gives you all of this while still supplying moments to breathe and rest within the story to recover. I would highly highly highly recommend this book to all people in all areas of their life and at all ages. There was a spectrum of challenges and ages affected by the plot. It is very special when you find a book that says “life is hard, and that is okay. It's okay to feel and to fall and to get up and try again. At least you'll get a good laugh out of it at some point.” Humble and powerful, I hope we many many more like this soon.

3.5 ⭐️/5. Intriguing book that was very fast paced and kept me interested through the end. The last 30 pages semi-dragged, but I feel as though that is because the ending wasn't as intense as I thought it should be. I did appreciate the sequencing of events the author did and the fact that the lucid dream theme tended to blurr the lines a little bit. The ending with the solider and the slit wrists returning to the shadows was a good Easter egg, I just wish that there was a better pattern. 2 incidences is just a coincidence, but 3+ is a sequence. Pretty good though and with a nod to the authors debut, the whisper man, I'll move onto that one next.

This was good. The plot did not really seem to do much or move to great heights anywhere, but honestly that is what the book was about: stagnancy. There was a lot that was said by the author by not being said in the book fully. Hints of racism, being an immigrant in a foreign country, betrayal, addiction, love, family ties and bloodline. I thought that this book hit upon a lot of things. It was definitely wholesome and looking back I feel like it took me to a different place and mindset. With an undertone of melancholy, this book left me at a low because it was low the whole time. I do not regret reading this but it was not the best I have ever read.

2.95/5⭐️ predictable, sappy ending. Feel good read. This light hearted read was done in an effort to take a break from my typical murder thrillers books before I started up again for fall. This was a cute read. Definitely not worth the physicality of readying it (much better in audio). I guess there was a lot I loved and a lot I hated, so it really just rounds out to this being an “okay” or likeable book. I had a hard time with some scenes because I felt like the author was rephrasing the same point over and over and over again. But then again I guess I understand and it was her attempt to capture the spiraling of thoughts that death of a loved one puts us in. I wanted to hear more about the bad side of Freddie though. We only get one glimpse of it and i don't know. I know that it would have screwed up the plot but I just have reserved feelings. I really feel like the characters needed more work. I had a hard time relating to or investing in them. This book did drag and there were times I didn't think it needed to be as long as it was. Plot points didn't make the book any better and were unfollowed closely enough to have made it matter. Overall okay book as a “palate cleanser” for better romance books or books of different genres.

Ooooooooo I absolutely loved this book. I have read a lot of works that are part of this ‘self-help' genre, but Tara's take on self-love and acceptance was completely different than those that I have read previously. She embraces the messy, chaotic, sticky, uncomfortable truly exasperating things about being an individual with lots of trauma and hardships to work through. Instead she writes about how hate is okay and how angst and absolute loathing of situations, people and yourself is an essential part of the process. I feel as though other authors just state “let go”, but HOW am I supposed to f*cking let go when I literally spent my whole teenage experience in heavy eyeliner and a bad attitude (the angst has not changed). I saw so much of myself in the stories that Tara told about her life and it made me feel seen, It's okay to be angry and feel shitty about your childhood, your lack of significant other, feeling behind, your career, your friendships, etc. But write that down, work through it. Tara gives a billion (literally so many) simple exercises/ways to combat or work through things that are so low stakes you have to be absolutely nuts not to try. I really wish that this came with a workbook though (I listened to the audiobook though) because there was just so much to absorb and so much good to hear. TARA, ARE YOU LISTENING???????????? You can credit K$ with the inspo via GoodReads. Also, like can we just be friends? I love you. Please do book signings so I can give you all the hugs and convince you to come have 3 drinks max with me at a local bar in western Mass. Love you love you love you and cannot wait to see what else you have up your sleeve! -K

Solid 3/5 stars. Seriously though, idk why everyone is so upset about this book. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great (especially coming off of Behind Her Eyes). The reason why this book scored lower than the original 3.5 that I wanted to give it was because honestly, it was just gross. The level of detail the scenes went into sexually or otherwise made me uncomfortable. Not because I am uncomfortable with addressing and talking about the act of sex/sexual preferences, etc. but because this just didn't seem like the right place to do it. There was also an element of Voodoo in this book that had some pretty graphic parts that honestly were gross as well. Between the excessive descriptive sex scenes and that, there were parts where I literally wanted to skip forward or actually felt queasy (and I have a very strong stomach). Anyways, overall the book combined classic psychological thriller with a who-dun-it, set in high modern society in the southern United States. There were many layers to this books and there was a lot going on in character development, plot details, etc. that I did not actually guess the ending. I wasn't wowed by my inability to guess the ending, but I still have to hand it to the author that I did not guess one of the main people to be involved. Looking back was it a cliche ending? I mean maybe, but not entirely. I thought it wrapped up pretty nicely. 3.5 stars - .5 stars as mentioned above to bring it to a nice 3 stars. Pretty easy read once you get past the middle.

4 stars but only in the sense that its a 3.9 for me. Not sure if I'm big on urban fantasy. Its weird thinking about vampires using cell phones or the potential for the Autumn King to order pizza delivery...

I think that this book could have been better in terms of the depth of relationships in it. ACOTAR was really good about creating relationships between all the characters and so when things happened or decisions were made, you as the reader could understand why. I feel like there was a lot of examples of events happening in this book where I was like “okay, I guess we are doing this now.”

Normally that really really irks me, however, I fully acknowledge that this may have been done intentionally. I understand that all of the SJM books fall into 1 universe where they interact with one another, so perhaps there will be other opportunities for me to understand why certain decisions were made by these characters in a semi-‘dramatic irony' sort of way. I would reread this again, but it is not taking up my brain space and consuming me whole like ACOTAR did.

Also, I'm sorry, but Hunt Athalar is literally an annoying lax bro who does the bare minimum. Bryce did everything for him and I feel like he didn't even scratch the surface. Real pro- Ruhn though in a separate sense and I am really excited to see how he develops in the next book.

I have some thoughts about this book that make it hard for me to really give a review. First, I love Ali Wong. Her stand up is probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen, and her book was funny too. BUT the whole point of this book was a letter to her daughters. I get that you want to be honest with them and think that this is a good format for telling them about tour life. BUT I sincerely feel as though you cannot write a book addressed to your daughters and sell it to the general public and have both parties feel as though this is a great thing. There is a LOT of stuff in this book that Ali spills about her previous sex life that I just didn't really care for. Not because I was like “oh this isn't appropriate talk for a book”, no I really don't care about that. But I literally think that this was predominantly a book about her talking about all the dudes she's been with and all of that. And at one point she says “I'm all for free the nipple but I'd rather you girls didn't expose your breasts.” This is coming from a woman who flashed the audience her butt crack and pussy in her OG stand ups back in the days. So yeah I was confused by a lot. I was so relieved when she broke up the sex talk to talk about her cultural experiences and travel all over the world and her growth at finding her true identity through life. The end chapter was read by her husband and I really appreciated his raw and honest opinion about his marriage, fatherhood and being the butt of all jokes. That chapter kept the book super grounded, which was what she said he did for her during her life. Final opinion: liked it but not loved, prefer her standup specials to her memoir writing.

This was probably one of the best books I've read in my lifetime. The characters are fascinating, as they should be in a character-driven storyline. This book ranged over 50 years in time, mentioning storylines that happened before the main plot. The nature of Danny and Maeve sibling relationship and the developments it underwent throughout their lives was truly dynamic and solid. I believe the great love of this book came from a total sympathy for Maeve being an older sister and sacrificing in her life for her younger sibling in the face of parental absence. Both emotionally and physically. The cast of characters evokes so many emotions— love, sadness, grief, confusion, wholesomeness, tightness, pride, support— everything, I felt it all through these characters. Narrated by Tom Hanks and told through the perspective of the younger brother, Danny, this book was a modern masterpiece. Everything in it planted seeds for later in the novel. I could not speak any more highly of this novel. I will read it time after time. 5⭐️/5

Dear GOD, I am so glad that this book is FINALLY over. What an absolute waste of a good story and excellent characters!! I am so disappointed in this book. First, I gave it 2 stars: 1 for the awesome beginning (I listened to this book and I believe that it was 13 hours, so the first 3-4 hours were great). Another star was for the ending, because it wasn't awful (it could be because that meant the book was finally over and I didn't have to listen to it anymore, but we will give the benefit of the doubt.) The good ending was about 1-2 hours. That leaves 7-9 hours of absolute GARBAGE. I felt like I was listening to the same chapter over and over and over again. I don't know if it just me and my feminist disposition, or not having grown up in the south, but these women were SO afraid of their husbands and their husbands controlled their lives!! Like they had no opinion?? Like they didn't matter but were just baby machines who also conveniently cleaned the house and cooked and let them do whatever they wanted while they cheated and gave them STDs and didn't care?? SO INFURIATING. I hate this. I feel so bad for the women of this part of the country. That seems like actual hell. Anyways, I guess there was a dude who was a vampire but he was really just a sexual satist and rapist so what's worse? Id say the rape. Anyways. this was so bad. I was gonna read her other book but I'm not going to bother now. Game over dude. RIP.

I have to say, I love JoJo Moyes and I love her ability to tell stories. The depth and truth to her stories? It lacks. Let me explain: the Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson was immensely researched and beautifully raw. Do I think JoJo “stole” this book from kim? (See the buzzfeed drama) the answer is no. They are 2 different branches of the same tree that have grown differently and endured different lives. Do I think that it's questionable that this exact book, with its very original content and unique niche story location/historical plot came out a mere 5 months after the Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek? Yeah, I do. I have my reservations. I feel as though they should be read as a pair (Bookwoman first), so you get all of the good detail before a “spin-off” (giver of stars). Loved them both.

4/5 stars. Really amazing, well written novel. I did not expect to love it so much. The range of characters and depth of character for each character was a unique coming together of unity. Everything seemed to be incredible tense and all events left you at the edge of your seat. So much was at stake for the characters and their lives that it made their experiences incredibly heartbreaking. Each substory was endearing and filled with so much hope. The difference between this novel and other Underground Railroad historical fiction was the main character and his internal processing. Many of those historical fiction novels were written from the perspective of a woman. Seeing these events from a man's perspective and watching the wheel turn to understand his relationship to the hardships of the women in the story was hard, but really essential. Also, the culture and history turned semi fantasy was fantasic, like there was an extra layer to the events that was alreading happening and that so many who know of the Underground Railroad are familiar with. I especially loved the humanizing of Harriet Tubman and how the author dove into her background a little. I feel like it really encaptured a spirit. I would read this book again and again because I feel like there is so much to unpack in this novel, I have surely missed something.

This was a pretty good, pretty fast read. I did not see it taking such a culty turn. Basically, without giving too much away I would say this was ‘The Silent Patient' meets anything having to do with the Manson cult minus the blatantly obvious killing and writing “piggy” on the wall in blood. I really appreciated all of the perspectives of the story as it juggles 3 totally different people's lives. Starting, the narrators have nothing in common, ending, they having everything in common. I don't really think this was the best name for the book. Very intriguing, but the family upstairs didn't really happen for very long. But this was a good book, worth the hype. I would recommend. All the characters were believable, and I believe that the audiobook's choice in narrators was what really made the book and plot believable. Especially the guy who played Henry and woman who played Lucy. Very raw and emotional performance on both their parts. I liked them both very much. The ending? Maybe could have wrapped up better. Personally I prefer more tragedy in my psychological fiction, but this was good. If anyone wants a lighthearted ending (perhaps?) this is for you. Would recommend and would probably read again.

Ya know, honestly this book wasn't awful but it there best. I felt HYPE to finally read it after seeing the movie so many years ago with Tom cruise and Brad Pitt as well as Kristen dunst and Antonio banderas. Loved the movie. Lol Louis has got to be the most boring vamp ever. I listened to this and found myself completely zoning on his long monologues about good and evil, etc. The beginnings were always good but this dude needs a psychotherapist. Will I ever get around to reading the others

“Symbols are for interpretation, Mister Rawlins, not definition.”

This book was possessing. From the very beginning there was an element to it that I can only equate to one thing. Dutch Golden Age landscape paintings are created in the vision of plein air realism but contain blackness and darkness. A hulking something that you cannot quite put your finger on: it just looms. This is called “the sublime” and this is part of the novel, The Starless Sea. Everything within this book was lavish and detailed however paralyzing. The writing was in depth and reading this was quite a spiritual ritual. I found myself paused and paralyzed—totally captivated and in the moment when reading this, not wanting to miss any luminous detail. I docked a star for the ending. Though “stories don't end as long as they are told”, I wish there was more closure. This book could not top “The Night Circus”, but I am looking forward to reading this again someday. Morgenstern's writing is as intricate as a woven tapestry, the longer your look the more you see and the farther you wonder the more you create for yourself. The story loosely references ‘choose your own ending' children's books and games, and I think this story itself is on par. If anything to take away from this novel it is this: we create our own world. Options are presented to us and every decision we make and door we open envelopes us in our own story. We always have a choice, no matter the perspective and circumstance.

Alright, so I'm going to shoot you straight: this was not great. It was actually a pretty bad book. First, it was more or less a rehash of Julia Quinn's third book in the Bridgerton series (peep my review of that last month for the scoop). I am not saying that the details were 100% the same, but the storylines were pretty similar (60%?). Also this book is wild in its descriptions. Like 50 shades crazy. And honestly its not that the content was bad its just that I expected a lot more from the author.

“I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.”

Evie, come on. I heard so much about this book from BOTM to forums, etc. and I guess I just expected more. I knew Julia Quinn's ‘An Offer from a Gentleman' was not going to have the best quality writing and yet it was somehow better than this. Yikes

There were just so many characters and so much going on I found myself searching for some plot between the large amount of intimate scenes and then I was lost because the story was all over the place. Needless to say, I probably wont be reading the sequel. 2.75 stars/5.

3.85/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. Not only is this a book about books but its also a book about architecture (a win-win for this girl). I loved the character development, ingenuity and overall depth that this book reached. Because the storyline was so precise and very intricate, us as the reader were able to explore many worlds, themes, and time periods, which is not something that happens in many books. Usually the author choses one time for the book to happen. However, this can be a slippery slope because if the writing isn't concise and the sequencing of events is not clear, it can be a hot mess. I am honestly surprised that this book was so good, because it is considered YA. For those of you who have read my other reviews, you know that ya girl is not a huge fan of YA because it always leaves for something to be desired. Brilliant ideas are not usually explored to their full potential, which makes me sad. Harrow, however, did NOT disappoint. This was beautifully written and the characters were amazing. In the end I think that my only criticism was that I wanted more, and not of the main character. The people who were in her life, whether good or bad, were much more interesting to me throughout the story. I found that when the author went into sub-stories explaining the history of some of these people, like January's mother in particular, I was enthralled and I couldn't put the book down. At times January came across as very naive and spoiled. I don't think that her judgement in situations reflected maturity (this was the YA coming across), but she was not an unlikeable protaganist. I will come back to this book in the future to revisit these characters and their stories because there was just so much detail and love put into this book that you could not have possibly caught it all in the first round. I am very curious about this author and look forward to reading their other books!

My path back to spirituality brought me to this book. I am a huge believer in the law of attraction and I have implemented that in my life for as long as I can remember. Going beyond that and having weird experiences with Catholic schools and organized religion, it has been hard to get back in touch with my spirituality beyond this law of attraction point. This book identified that the way that I feel about that whole experience was OK and also there was a place to move forward. This book you gave me hope. Overall this book identify that there are many names for the things going on in the universe that are a higher vibe and out of our control. Whether you believe in God, spirit, the universe, whatever you name it, it's all the same thing. This book boiled down the basics of what really is taught in a lot of religions and it focused on one thought. The thought is that we are all beings with vibrational energy that can either match or separate us. Every day we wake up we choose to either be love and one with the universe and one another or we choose to be separate and live in fear and lack. I highly recommend this book for people of all religions. I also highly recommend this book for people who are in my boat: grew up under the guise of forced religion and sup-consequently grew up and revolted against what was shoved down our throat. Leaving us only to believe that we must control everything because there is no such thing as a higher being or faith. Let go with this book. I am looking forward to reading many others of Gabby's and her down to earth approach to the spiritual teachings of the universe.