The Most Precious Substance on Earth

Favorite book of the year honestly. I told myself that if the whole teacher/student thing wasn't spoken about again before the book was over that I'd be unsatisfied. It gave me just enough and I knew it was a 5 star for me at the end. I felt like we were looking into a million different moments in this person's life. The book's about growing up and finding yourself, despite having a lot of repression and a lack of desire/will. It's less about plot, more just following this MC as she goes from a teenager to her mid-30s. It doesn't sit with any period of her life too long. It felt like a mix of the Never Have I Ever show (for the cultural references and general goofiness/small faults of the MCs) and My Dark Vanessa (without all the detail of abuse). I was just really impressed at all this book encompasses. The ~font~ was giving YA, but even the section when she's a teen felt reflective and literary in a way that's not quite YA? Point is, I think this would be most enjoyed if you're not looking at it strictly for that coming-of-age angle. And if you want coming-of-age, be open to that extending farther into adulthood than usual. Very very good book. I don't even really know how to talk about it.

There is one moment where she talks about ratemyprofessor and I wondered if the author had ever used it, because they don't even let you accuse a teacher of favoritism on that site, let alone comment on a teacher's body. That was one of the only moments that took me out lmao.