Susan, formerly Jennifer, has been living a very quiet life since leaving her old one; it's imperative that no one get close enough to spot any hol
Susan, formerly Jennifer, has been living a very quiet life since leaving her old one; it's imperative that no one get close enough to spot any holes in her stories. But that's changing, as she's let herself fall in love, and she and Rob, her now-fiancé, plan to marry. As she frets about how she's going to manage, two things happen: she appears on a TV show about missing persons, and the discovery of a murdered schoolgirl dredges up memories and slips of the tongue.
I just happened to spot this book on the library shelf and the word "swimming" grabbed my eye. So even though I was a little hesitant after reading the jacket flap, I checked it out.
I'm surprised this book has so little readership and so few reviews (61 ratings, 9 reviews). Is it great, can't-put-it-down, breathless writing and storytelling? No, but it's perfectly decent and moves at a good clip. Susan/Jennifer's voice is a combination of pragmatic and guarded (she reminded me of Sookie Stackhouse). I found myself really absorbed into her inability to be authentic and her desire to get past that and have a real life with Rob. The reveal as to why she left her old life was well-paced. And the air of suspicion that was so easy to hang over all of the men in the story -- could they each reasonably be a murderer? -- was creepy and true to how women have to consider men on a regular basis. The atmosphere of the book was well done and leaked into my real life. So it's a good thing this is pretty short!
My only complaint is that there is a long -- reeeaaally long -- climax between Susan and the villain that goes on forever. And while it is a pretty clever manual as to how to save your own life in innumerable situations, there are just too many situations.
But then the ending was really sweet and I felt genuinely happy for Susan.
So all around, this was a satisfying story for me and I'm glad the hand of serendipity pushed this into my hands. ...more
3-1/2 stars This was a weird book, but definitely enjoyable. It's a suspense thriller in which some people have disappeared without a trace and some pe3-1/2 stars This was a weird book, but definitely enjoyable. It's a suspense thriller in which some people have disappeared without a trace and some people are in hiding, and bad people are out to find them, combined with a story of a quirky town filled with unusual people who were looking for a home and found a welcome there. I'm not sure the two stories actually sat well together -- I completely forgot about the suspense part for a big chunk in the middle of the book, and the treasure-hunters part of the plot really didn't make any sense -- but the book was mostly fun, and I sailed through it.
If I could stop forgetting what I know, I'd remember to pick up the first book in this series. But sadly, this title is a little too effective. :-D...more
Hayes Figuereida just wants to make movies that no one else will ever watch and be left alone. His best friend is dead and he doesn't care much abo
Hayes Figuereida just wants to make movies that no one else will ever watch and be left alone. His best friend is dead and he doesn't care much about life. But then he is essentially kidnapped by the handome physicist Yusuf Hassan and taken to a laboratory, where a machine found on an asteroid may hold the keys to accessing the multiverse -- and the scientists studying it believe Hayes may be able to unlock the secret.
It's been a while since I finished this, so that's a pretty feeble summary but it carries the gist of the plot. Naturally, opening the multiverse leads to all kinds of unintended consequences and adventure.
This was well-written and I believed in the future in the story, complete with queer AI androids. I loved that this is at its heart a romance, with a Hayes and Yusuf couple in every single universe with people in it.
One cool thing that happened while I was reading this book: I was on the train and a guy asked if he could take a picture of me reading, because he's friends with the author. Of course I said yes.
This was definitely entertaining, with high enough stakes that I was strongly invested in what would happen next and how on earth there could be a satisfying ending that fixed the problems created by messing with the multiverse.
Is there? Haha, read the book and find out. ...more
When Mica accompanies her elderly grandmother from Israel to Warsaw, she assumes they're just going to try to reclaim a property that was stolen fr
When Mica accompanies her elderly grandmother from Israel to Warsaw, she assumes they're just going to try to reclaim a property that was stolen from her great-grandparents by the Nazis. But her grandmother doesn't do the things Mica expects, or go to the places she claims to be interested in. And a man from their flight keeps turning up everywhere Mica goes. Is there a different story behind this trip than what Mica was led to believe?
I picked this up on a whim when I was looking for another graphic novel, but wasn't sure how much I really wanted to read it even when I started it, since it sounded pretty sad and I've been going through a rough period.
But I was immediately pulled in to this always-surprising, complex story. It's got a little bit of everything: suspense, twists and turns, modern romance, past romance, grief, and hope. Every character has their own motives, that may or may not mesh with anyone else's. And they all have some secrets.
I really liked the artwork, definitely a plus for getting through a graphic novel. There's one startling incident to me, art-wise, when one character draws another in pencil -- and the drawing looks like a "real life" sketch of a person, if that makes sense. It was really odd to me to be forced to see that character as they would look if I met them on the street, not like a comic character.
This was a quick read with a deep, touching story, and I absolutely loved it. ...more
Raina has promised her Nani that if she is still single on her 29th birthday, she'll let herself start being set up for an arra
A solid 3-1/2 stars
Raina has promised her Nani that if she is still single on her 29th birthday, she'll let herself start being set up for an arranged marriage. When that day comes, Nani has a list ready.
But Raina isn't really ready to like any of those men. She's still hung up on a guy she knew when she was studying in London. He wasn't ready to settle down then, and probably isn't now either, but a sense of unfinished business is hard to shake.
But as Raina tries to avoid admitting to Nani and her best friend that she hasn't moved on, she spins a lie that has wider-reaching effects than she would ever have guessed.
I enjoyed this book, but it is a bit of a sprawling mess. That cover and Nani's list on the first page of the book made me expect a romance. It is not. It's a literary coming-of-age-at-long-last story, and it covers the entire year between Raina's 29th and 30th birthdays. So it's a bit long-feeling. And it covers a lot of territory. There are at least two subplots in here that, IMO, the author could have saved for use with other books (with different characters), because there were just a few too many things going on.
And yet. I found Raina appealing, and appreciated spending time in her head, even amid all the painful circumstances in this book. She struggles, she faces her worst choices, and she grows. It's a well-done story. The cast of other characters are also interesting, and I enjoyed getting to know each of them as well.
I could have done without the series of flashbacks to pivotal events in Raina's life. The stories were interesting, and one in particular helped create empathy for Raina's wandering mother, but they were just a bit much in a book that was already a little too much.
This review sounds a bit lukewarm, but my 4 stars stand. This was an admirable, ambitious debut effort that achieves everything it sets out to do. Just in a somewhat winding way.
Content warning: Raina's Big Lie is majorly problematic and goes on waaay too long. If you want to know what it is, plenty of other reviews for this book will tell you. I was deeply uncomfortable with it, but at the same time, it showed such a wonderful side of Nani, and provided a powerful positive punch at the end of the book, so I'm forgiving it and I think all my squirming while I was reading it was worth it. YMMV, of course....more
When Azere Izoduwa's father died when she was 12, she promised him she would marry a Nigerian man and stay true to her culture. At 25, A
3-1/2 stars
When Azere Izoduwa's father died when she was 12, she promised him she would marry a Nigerian man and stay true to her culture. At 25, Azere has held to her promise and dated only Nigerians, even after she, her mother, and sister moved to Canada to live with her uncle. But then she meets Rafael, a white Spanish-Canadian, and feels an irresistible attraction. But Azere's mother was there when she made that promise, and believes it to be unbreakable. Will Azere be forced to choose between Rafael and her family?
This gorgeous cover caught my eye when I was looking for a different book at the library. And even though my to-read pile was teetering, I checked it out.
This looks like a romance, and kind of is, but it's also mega family drama. It also felt to me like a Jane the Virgin fanfic (or maybe I just thought that because I pictured Rafael as looking just like Rafael Solano). And despite the story having one of my least-favorite romance subplots (view spoiler)[immediate surprise pregnancy. Heck, it's not even a spoiler since it's first introduced on page 17. And it definitely supports my Jane the Virgin-as-inspiration theory (hide spoiler)], I did really enjoy this book, even the family drama, which was seriously difficult.
To me, the biggest weakness in the story was Rafael's past, kept secret much too long, and not for a reason I found particularly persuasive. The excuse felt completely manufactured for literary tension, which then took the edge off how genuinely traumatic his history was. I would have liked to have had a little more time to feel for him. Instead it all felt rushed -- sad story reveal, but boom, happy ending, everything is okay now!
This really read like a debut novel, but it was a good debut. And I usually hate romance epilogues because they're too sugary and perfect, but I actually really liked the fairy tale-with-a-wink epilogue to this story. That ending got this rounded up instead of rounded down.
Sorry this review isn't the most coherent -- it's my bedtime and I think my brain is there already. ...more
Ten months after her fiance, Ben, committed suicide, Anna Beck gets an alert on her phone, reminding her that it's the day they were going to leave
Ten months after her fiance, Ben, committed suicide, Anna Beck gets an alert on her phone, reminding her that it's the day they were going to leave on a Caribbean tour on Ben's, now Anna's, sailboat ... a trip that was supposed to culminate in their wedding on a beach in Trinidad.
Anna has been barely functional since Ben's death. Maybe that's why she decides to start the trip by herself, just to get the hell out of Fort Lauderdale. But she quickly realizes she needs help if she's going to make it to Puerto Rico. Enter Keane Sullivan, former competitive sailing superstar. Keane is haunted by his own loss.
As they make their way through seas calm and rough, sailing together brings friendship and healing to both Anna and Keane.
I have only one thing to say about this book: it was absolutely perfect. A perfect story, well-paced, sweet, sensitive, and never tone deaf as Anna works through her pain. A perfect adventure, filled with marvelous characters, great food, and beautiful scenery. And a perfect romance. I fell in love with both Anna and Keane. I love them separately, and I love them together.
This book contains the following immortal lines:
"If I can promise you nothing else, it's that I intend to leave this world old, stooped, and with white hairs sticking out of my ears. And if that image hasn't given you second thoughts ...well, I'm yours for as long as you want me."
and
"While you were gone, I learned ... I can live without you. [But] I don't ever want to do it again."
This story is so wise, and so touching. It never falls into sappiness. It's light-handed all the way through, and that subtlety -- Trish Doller's trust that her readers will get it, with no prodding or knife-twisting -- made it all the more moving for me.
Thanks so much to Susan's Reviews for putting this book on my radar. I've read a couple of Trish Doller's YA novels and enjoyed them, but I'm not sure I would have picked up this adult debut from her if I hadn't seen Susan's glowing review.
This was an awesome romance to end the year with. And I sure hope Trish Doller writes a LOT more adult novels in the years to come. ...more
The night Dannie Kohan gets engaged, she falls asleep and experiences the most vivid dream she's ever had — of herself in an unfamiliar loft, with
The night Dannie Kohan gets engaged, she falls asleep and experiences the most vivid dream she's ever had — of herself in an unfamiliar loft, with a man she’s never met but is nevertheless very intimate with, on a date shown on the television to be exactly five years in the future. That vision haunts her for the next four and a half years — when elements of it start turning up in her real life.
I was very intrigued by the premise of this book.
And it started off promisingly enough. Dannie has her life planned out “by the numbers,” and right up to that night of her engagement, it’s following the script. Clearly something unexpected is going to happen. But what?
Then the story fast-forwards through 4½ years, so whatever is going to change has to occur pretty darned quick. And it does, in one of the worst ways possible. I enjoyed the book less and less with every page. I hated The Vision more and more with every page. I hated that continuing to try to figure out how The Vision fit into the story distracted me and kept me distanced from the rest of what was happening. And most of all, I resented the blunt hammer-bashing Message of this book: “You can’t plan your life and the unexpected will constantly throw you off. Even if you see a scene from your own future that you will repeat word-for-word down the road, you will misinterpret it and have no idea what it means.”
I appreciate what the author is saying, and I admire the challenge she gave herself of coming up with The Vision so that it worked (um, sorta) in both contexts. But wow, I hated getting there. And when the story did, my reaction was just “Eww.”
Also, I avoid (view spoiler)[cancer (hide spoiler)] books as a rule and for reasons, and if I’d known that was the plot of this, I would never have read it, so that soured me on it as well. I guess I should have read more reviews before I picked it up. So to be fair, this might never have had a chance of getting a glowing review from me, despite its friend-love plot, which I normally adore. But there were just SO MANY things that annoyed me about this book. I would have DNF’d it if it weren’t so short.
Not recommended unless you’re deliberately looking for a book to make you miserable.
Two random complaints:
(view spoiler)[Almost as soon as Aaron turned out to be Bella’s boyfriend, I thought, “the only way The Vision can come true is if Bella dies.” Oops. (hide spoiler)]
And mild spoiler (view spoiler)[Does the internet not exist in this book? If I had that vivid a dream, and read the guy’s name in it and remembered it when I woke up, I absolutely would have Googled him just to prove to myself that he did not exist! And then either he wouldn’t exist and I could just get married and leave The Vision in the past, or he would turn out to exist and deciding what to do then would turn this into a different story. But I couldn’t believe Dannie didn’t even try just for the hell of it. (hide spoiler)]...more
I don’t have too much to say about this book. It continues the story of Charlie and Nick and their romance, and starts getting into how to come out toI don’t have too much to say about this book. It continues the story of Charlie and Nick and their romance, and starts getting into how to come out to parents (Nick) and how to start letting their friends in on what’s going on. The plot focuses on determining when people are ready to do things as individuals and as a couple, and emphasizes compassion, understanding, and good communication. And it is consistently adorable, sweet, and heartwarming.
This is an awesome series to give to any LGBTQ+ teens you know. These books are positive and hopeful and full of promise. I wish all the kids I know could have first relationships as healthy as Charlie and Nick’s, and that they could be surrounded by such supportive friends and family members. ...more
Charlie, Year 10 (ninth grade in the US) gets seated next to Nick, Year 11, when his school decides to start having vertically integrated homerooms
Charlie, Year 10 (ninth grade in the US) gets seated next to Nick, Year 11, when his school decides to start having vertically integrated homerooms meet every morning before classes. Charlie, who was involuntarily outed as gay the previous year and bullied, doesn’t expect Nick, a jock, to be nice to him. But Nick acknowledges Charlie every day, and a friendship blossoms. And … maybe more? But isn’t Nick straight?
This graphic novel was a very fast read. Many pages don’t even have dialogue, just lots of gestures and facial expressions. And the action and character development were communicated clearly through those visuals.
This is a super sweet story and I enjoyed every page. I loved the sports subplot, the depiction of a bad boyfriend, and the age-appropriate and accurate portrayal of teens. Both Charlie and Nick grew on me as the book progressed, just as they grew on each other.
Upon closing the covers, I immediately put a hold on Volume 2. And I’m happy to see that there is a Volume 3 being released in the near future. ...more
Theoai was born to be Queen of Yamarr. But when that expectation is derailed, she instead leaves her desert land and sails to the far north to marry U
Theoai was born to be Queen of Yamarr. But when that expectation is derailed, she instead leaves her desert land and sails to the far north to marry Uldarana, Prince of Silinga, and rule there instead. What should be simple and straightforward is complicated when another girl is found stranded on an iceberg and taken into palace life along with Theo. “Shell” cannot speak. But she is beautiful and captivating. Theo is not prepared for the presence of a potential rival, especially before she’s even officially betrothed. But she is prepared — and firmly determined — to stay the course and become the queen she’s been raised to be.
My description makes Theo sound cold and ruthless. And she is. But she’s also a teenager who has left her familiar surroundings and is trying to feel her way into a new life, and her sharp edges are softened by relatable nervousness and even some vulnerability, despite her attempts to hide it. I found her an interesting, relatable, and real character. She’s very much her Mother’s daughter, but the events of this story force her to figure out if that is who she truly wants to be, and whether she has a choice in who to become. As you might be guessing, this is a character-driven plot, and I thought Theo’s character development over the course of the book was believable and impressive.
Also impressive was the worldbuilding. Silinga is equivalent to a Nordic country, while Yamarr seems to be inspired by Morocco or the Middle East, as it’s located in a hot, dry desert. The cultures are of course very different, as are the religions. I appreciated that Theo’s thought processes shifted some depending on whether she was thinking in Silingan or in Yamarri, and that her oaths are consistent with her homeland (the Triple Gods oversee “Three frosty Hells!”). (I also found it interesting that the entire story transports Theo to a sort of frosty Hell, seeing as how she’s put through the wringer in the depths of Silingan winter.) Both countries felt like real places, and I like to think that these two lands are on the same planet as the settings of Zoë’s other books.
Speaking of those other books, this one has less direct magic because Theo is not “Blessed,” as they say in Yamarr. But magic does play a large part in the background of the story, and presents some difficult ethical issues that added philosophical substance to the plot (view spoiler)[child separation and company-store-slavery (supposedly you can buy your way out but good luck with that since your debts keep piling up) (hide spoiler)].
Slightly more random reflections: The other characters are just as complex and self-motivated as Theo, and their decisions and reactions kept me hanging on every turn of events, as almost nothing that happened was what I would have predicted. The pacing was excellent, with new information being revealed at just the right moments (such as when I was chafing for it!). I was especially pleased to learn how this book got its name, which is integral to the story.
And true to Zoë’s always-deft emotional maneuvering, there was a point near the end of the book where I yelled “nooo!” and nearly chucked the book across the room, never to pick it up again because I could not believe what had just happened. But luckily, I was reading that while eating lunch, and after fretting for two hours, I got up the nerve to finish the story on the train home from work, and am very glad I did.
The one thing I’m left wishing for was the chance to know Shell better. But she’s presented almost entirely through Theo’s experience of her, and I accept that that is the right way to have told this story. I just have to imagine her life for myself, and that’s part of what a good book should do — make me want to imagine beyond it.
This book took some stale fairy tale tropes and turned them into a beautiful, satisfying, feminist story that made me say “ahhh!” at the end of the final page. I really enjoyed this....more
This is a collection of memoir/commentary essays about reaching physical/sexual maturity as a USAmerican female. It is chilling and terrifying. (I kepThis is a collection of memoir/commentary essays about reaching physical/sexual maturity as a USAmerican female. It is chilling and terrifying. (I kept thinking that if Liz Phair hadn’t already used the title Horror Stories for her memoir, it would be the perfect title for this book.) Melissa’s experiences and reactions are deeply personal, but also universal. And I say that as someone whose life has been very different from hers — and yet so much of it has been similar.
Melissa reached puberty early, developing an adult shape at eleven. That shape profoundly changed how people viewed and treated her, especially male people. She finds herself approached and fondled by boys her own age, her friends’ older brothers, and adult men. She doesn’t exactly say no to these encounters. But she doesn’t exactly say yes, either. She finds herself trapped in a grey area that the patriarchy/rape culture deliberately keeps vague in order to excuse men’s terrible behavior and hold “women” — including people like Melissa who are not at all adult women, but still fairly young children — responsible for what happens to them.
This book explores the ill-defined and impossible burden placed on girls and women:
We are supposed to be the person who stops sexual situations. BUT: We are also supposed to value men’s emotions, men’s wants, and men’s comfort far above our own. So we are not taught how to say “no” and mean it; We are not taught to value our own safety and boundaries in a way that allows us to say “no” without often immediately wanting to take it back in order to keep the man we’re with happy; We are not taught how to tolerate men’s disappointment and frustration; and Even if we have learned how to say “no,” the fear of angering the man and risking greater harm can still make women unable to say it safely, which leaves a lot of women having a lot of not-exactly-consensual sexual encounters with men who believe they have a right to women’s and girls’ bodies (and a right to shape girls’ “reputations,” another fraught, can’t-win-for-losing area).
This cultural conditioning is difficult to navigate even as a full adult. It is profoundly harmful when you are a child. I was lucky to be a late-developing ugly duckling; I got a lot less interest from boys and men than my prettier and/or shapelier friends did (although I had enough uninvited, creepy encounters to realize that no one perceived as female is safe from men). I watched a number of my high school girlfriends get treated the way Melissa did, and while I was aware that the male attention wasn’t always welcome or flattering, this book has made me reframe my perception of what was happening.
If you are a man who has made it this far in this review, I strongly recommend that you read the chapters “Intrusions” and “Thank You for Taking Care of Yourself.” If you’re a friend of mine here on GR or just follow me, you’re probably a decent, feminist guy. Nevertheless, these two essays describe so vividly what it feels like to grow up female and navigate rape culture as a woman that they took my breath away. Then, after you finish, speak up and speak out. Girls and women shouldn’t have to be living our lives this way. But it will require men resisting rape culture messaging and men actively working to change the greater cultural narrative about women’s bodily autonomy to achieve broad results.
Melissa writes like a person who has been through lots of therapy, with lots of empathy and compassion for her young self. This book would have been unbearable without that kindness running through it. I also appreciated that she’s gay, and her very different, and yet sometimes not all that different (controlling girlfriend), experiences with men and women broaden the perspective of these essays.
I found this book deeply moving. It has also left me incredibly angry. I think this is a strong and worthwhile addition to rape culture awareness, with its blunt examination of the many situations that are not defined as rape, but are nevertheless violations, erasures of a person’s humanity, and that add up to a heavy psychic toll.
I apologize that this review sounds so straight and cis-female. The experiences and situations addressed in this book can obviously happen to anyone, and our culture hasn’t granted members of the LGBTQ+ community much sexual dignity or humanity, either. But I read this through the lens of my own life.
I’m a track and field fan, but because Alexi Pappas ran the 10k for Greece in the Rio Olympics, she wasn’t on my radar. Instead, I saw an excerpt fromI’m a track and field fan, but because Alexi Pappas ran the 10k for Greece in the Rio Olympics, she wasn’t on my radar. Instead, I saw an excerpt from this book, and knew I wanted to read it.
Alexi faced a big challenge as a little kid: When she was only 4, her mom died, and due to her mother’s mental health struggles, Alexi’s memories of her are not all good. Her dad stepped up as well as anyone could to raise two children, but it is very difficult to be a motherless girl. Alexi compensated by watching her friends’ moms, and by gravitating towards women who could mentor her in the activities she loved: writing, acting, and sports, especially soccer and running.
When I started the book, I assumed that “Bravey” was Alexi’s nickname, but instead it’s from a poem she wrote that became popular among her Instagram followers: run like a bravey / sleep like a baby / dream like a crazy / replace can’t with maybe. This poem pretty well sums up Alexi’s approach to life: She loves to run; she doesn’t skimp on sleep and recommends that everyone get plenty of it; and she’s determined to use a combination of hard work and good luck to make her craziest dreams become reality. So far, she’s been very successful at that.
This book is both gritty and inspiring. Alexi is absolutely truthful about all of her experiences, the beautiful and the ugly, and all of her reactions to those experiences, good and bad and truly awful (the severe depression she went through for nearly two whole years following the Rio Olympics). The writing style is mostly chatty and upbeat, but there’s no lightening the weight of some of what she’s been through. Her personality really shines through, and she seems like a terrific person to know and hang out with.
This is written as a combination memoir/self help/guidebook, with tons of advice from Alexi. And, in my opinion, most of that advice is very good, especially since it stays “advice” rather than being presented as the only way to approach life (“this is what worked for me” is the tone). I’m definitely outside of the target demographic -- this book is probably best read when you’re 14 to 25 years old. It speaks to anyone who is creative, athletic, or especially both.
I especially related to the chapter about how young female athletes are treated, and how it needs to change. My college swimming coach used to do weigh-ins, and whatever we weighed, we were always pushed to weigh “less.” There was no attempt to determine what our ideal competitive weight might be, or to make sure we were getting enough calories (especially the right kind of calories) to support strenuous training; there was just the attitude that less of us was always better. Surprise, surprise, we were all tired and injured all the time. And this still seems to be the dominant attitude in many sports, particularly among male coaches of female athletes. Alexi has strong words about this, and more power to her.
I’m glad I read this, since I really liked Alexi and her voice. I’m a little sad that this book didn’t exist when I was 16 -- I would have gotten a lot from it then, and the advice about recognizing when to seek help for depression would have been invaluable. Whatever Alexi does with the rest of her life, it’s sure to be amazing. ...more
Emma Blair is eating dinner with her parents and fiancé when something utterly unexpected happens -- she answers a phone call from her dead husband
Emma Blair is eating dinner with her parents and fiancé when something utterly unexpected happens -- she answers a phone call from her dead husband. She had a good life with Jesse. She has a good life with Sam. So now what?
I really loved Maybe in Another Life by this author and wanted to try another by her. But ... if this had been the first book I read by TJR, I never would have read another.
This wasn't a bad book. But the idea of it is so much better than the book itself is. The opening was awesome and absolutely hooked me. But the rest of it? Meh, meh, meh. There is a loooong flashback about how Emma and Jesse met, got together, and got married. Then there is another looong flashback about Emma and Sam. The tension & stakes part of the book, where Jesse reappears and Emma must choose the rest of her life, is a pretty short section. And by the time I got there, I (a) could tell who she was going to choose, and (b) didn't really care, because I wasn't really feeling her relationship with either of these men.
This might be more my problem than a flaw with the book. The author did a good job of showing sweet moments that illustrated why Emma loved both Jesse and Sam; Emma's grief over losing presumed-dead Jesse is not sugar-coated or glossed over. I'm not sure why I wasn't very emotionally invested in the story or the outcome, but I just wasn't. And I appreciated the message of the book as a whole: True love means loving truly and wholly, and that's achievable with one person for a lifetime for some people, and multiple times in a lifetime for other people, sometimes by choice and other times forced by circumstances. It's beautiful and positive. And yet for me, the message as presented by this book landed with a thud rather than soaring upward with me on its wings.
I wanted a book that was 200 pages of Emma's present struggle with choosing between Jesse and Sam, not a book that was 200 pages of past and only 50 pages of the present. So finding myself reading a very different book from what I'd anticipated just didn't do it for me.
I'll definitely read another TJR book as a tie-breaker. :-)
And don't just take my grouchy word about this novel. There are a zillion 4- and 5-star reviews for this book. Go read one of those!...more
Briddy's boyfriend, Trent is begging her to get an EED, a neurological device embedded in the brain, so they can have a deeper emotional connection
Briddy's boyfriend, Trent is begging her to get an EED, a neurological device embedded in the brain, so they can have a deeper emotional connection. Her loud, boundary-free Irish family — who keep barging in on her at work. And at home. And in her car. And pretty much everywhere else too — are dead-set against it. As is C.B. Schwartz, an antisocial genius who works in the basement of the cell phone company Briddy and Trent both also work for. Briddy is determined to make her own choice for once. But unintended consequences have a way of derailing even the most straightforward plans.
This is the fourth Connie Willis novel I've read (along with one collection of short stories). Her books/stories seem to fall into two categories: dark and heartbreaking, or comic and a little silly. While I appreciate both kinds of stories, I think I lean more towards Willis's more serious works. (To be fair, Passage did meld heartbreaking and absurd very well.) This book falls into the comic, homage to P.G. Wodehouse, Willis territory.
Crosstalk is very typical Willis: much of the story unfolds during long, rambling conversations between characters, with many interruptions and digressions. This is pretty true to life, except as readers we're used to getting the condensed version of conversations, rather than this kind of reflection of how people actually talk and interact. I enjoy this writing style, since it creates a sort of game of trying to pick the pertinent information out of all the background noise. Sometimes I grab onto what actually does matter, and sometimes I follow the distraction and get completely surprised by what happens next.
I definitely enjoyed this book, and lived it in my head while I wasn't reading. But at the same time, it's also a good 100 pages too long, and bits of it got pretty repetitive. If this had been by any other author, I would have 3-starred it. But it's by Connie Willis, which means that the wisdom and insights tucked throughout the story are well worth getting to, and even worth reading too many pages for.
My biggest quibble is that a big plot point hangs on trying to make cell phones do something I found utterly unbelievable (view spoiler)[There’s this idea that if you can get people to be able to read each other’s minds via the implant, you would also be able to extrapolate this to non-invasive/non-surgical cell phone technology. There’s no logic there whatsoever. How is that supposed to work at all? (hide spoiler)].
My second biggest problem with this book is that it’s set in 2016, and wow does it feel dated. I was able to accept the alternate futures in Willis’s time travel books (no cell phones!), and Passage felt outside of time in a way, despite some anchoring to the real world. But this one? Most of the real-world references were probably stale before it even rolled off the presses.
Objections to implausible plots and a sense of ancient history aside, this was enjoyable enough that I would consider rereading it despite the bloat and datedness (soon it will feel like a time capsule!). So 4 stars it is....more
When Carl was four years old, his life split. He knew himself to be a boy, but everyone else perceived him as a girl, and, eventually, as a butch lesbWhen Carl was four years old, his life split. He knew himself to be a boy, but everyone else perceived him as a girl, and, eventually, as a butch lesbian. When he turned 50, he decided to become the man he knows he is.
And it’s heartbreaking. He’s overjoyed to finally be seen as his true self. But his friends and his wife are not so thrilled. Having spent years fighting the system together as lesbian feminists, they feel betrayed and resentful. But Carl perseveres, writing out the crazy swinging roller coaster of emotions going on within him and around him.
This is a very short book, but it holds as much emotion and experience as can possibly be put into it. It made me happy for Carl, and sad that his happiness was the source of so much struggle for people he loves (one chapter is a beautiful love letter to his wife; so far as I can tell, they are still married). It also made me very angry, because Carl is still a feminist, and he’s here to tell everyone that white male privilege isn’t all it’s cracked up to be -- it’s SO MUCH MORE than anyone realizes, because either (a) you’re perceived as a white male and you’re so used to receiving privilege that the breadth and depth of it is invisible to you, or (b) you’re not white, not male, or both, and a lot of white male privilege is kept out of sight of people who are excluded from it.
This book was deeply moving. I recommend it, and I’m slightly envious that my niece’s girlfriend got to take a class from Carl at Emerson College. He seems like a very interesting and energetic person, and I loved his sense of humor through this book even as he described the most difficult situations....more
Hannah Kabbah can’t do her preferred job of caring for children, not since a few years back when she took a sledgehammer to the car of the man who
Hannah Kabbah can’t do her preferred job of caring for children, not since a few years back when she took a sledgehammer to the car of the man who emotionally abused her sister. But when widower Nate Davis moves back to the village of Ravenwood with his two small children, he needs someone kind, practical, and capable to help out -- and Hannah exactly fits the bill. As they work and spend time together, they each begin to realize that maybe they’ve found someone to fit into their hearts, as well.
This is my third Talia Hibbert novel, and I loved it as much as the first two. Which is funny, because they’re all a little same-y -- a nerdy, awkward, zaftig woman meets a handsome, adorable, ultra-understanding man, each is convinced the other is totally out of their league, but sparks insist on flying anyway. And yet they are same-y in the most wonderful way.
The stories are definitely romances. But at the same time, they’re comedies of manners, where the characters’ internal thoughts carry the story more than their interaction. And Talia Hibbert has a knack for writing the best internal monologues. She has a gift for seeing the absurd, and letting her characters think and experience it. And she generally doesn’t go overboard with it. I’m moved by what her characters are going through, while also laughing at their wry observations and self-critiques.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am so glad this author has a huge back-list for me to work through! ...more
Attention: This is a book probably best read cold. The library flap description is pretty vague, so by the time I got to this on my pile I’d forgotAttention: This is a book probably best read cold. The library flap description is pretty vague, so by the time I got to this on my pile I’d forgotten what it said. The GR description is much too detailed -- if you decide to read this book, DO NOT read the GR blurb.
When Emmett Farmer is called to work as an apprentice to the local binder -- a woman who makes beautiful books that no one is encouraged to read -- he assumes that it’s because he’s been ill and is too weak to do field and farm work.
And I hardly dare say more. My apologies that this is a bit of a disjointed review -- it’s very hard to talk about this book without giving the whole story away.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s set up in three parts. Part One sees Emmett sent to work with the binder, and, along with showing his learning the more practical side of the art, drops hints about Emmett’s past that left me eager to know more. Part Two confirmed the foreshadowing of a Big Reveal. Part Three changes to a different POV and different tense (Parts One and Two are written in past tense; Part Three is present tense), which really annoyed me for a while, but once I adjusted to it, I enjoyed the final section as much as the first two.
I loved the writing in this book. At the beginning there were too many “as if” constructions for my taste, but they either dwindled or I stopped noticing them. I found the writing visually vivid and strongly emotionally engaging. Many other reviewers have felt quite the opposite, so this is clearly just a matter of personal taste and connection to the words. I loved it even though it’s a bit of a grim and dreary story set in a grim and dreary place -- I imagined much of the story in black and white, even when colors were described. And yet I found the grimness beautiful and compelling. Maybe I’ve just been in a very good mood while I read this.
At its foundation, this is a love story. And I was rooting for that love through the entire book.
For once, I’m writing an “Unpopular Opinion” that’s a positive one. And I suspect I might have enjoyed this book as much as I have because most of my friends have 3-starred it and written very unenthusiastic reviews -- I honestly thought about just not reading it after looking at those, and went into it with very low expectations. So I ended up very pleasantly surprised.
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Side Note: One reason I really appreciate this book is because to me, it felt like a response to More Happy Than Not, which I found to be utterly disappointing. If anyone else has read both that book and The Binding, I’m curious to know if you see any relationship between the two stories....more
This is probably a 4-star book, but it made me laugh so hard I'm bumping it up
Chloe Brown's life has narrowed in the years since she was diagnosed
This is probably a 4-star book, but it made me laugh so hard I'm bumping it up
Chloe Brown's life has narrowed in the years since she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and found herself tired and in pain much of the time. But when she is nearly killed while crossing the street, she decides it's time for a change. She makes a list of things she wants to do, starting with moving out of her parents' house. Getting her own flat brings her into contact with Redford Morgan, building superintendent. Or should that be "into conflict with," since none of their interaction is good?
I really enjoyed this book! From what I can tell from the other reviews here, people either find this delightfully comic, or they find Chloe incredibly grating. For once I managed to fall into the former category. This had me laughing out loud in public at both Chloe's and Red's wryly ridiculous inner views of themselves, and at the absurd situations they managed to find/put themselves in as they move from disapproving of each other to falling in love.
It's not really perfect. A good chunk of the middle of the book felt like a YA novel instead of a story featuring two over-30 adults, as Chloe gets all insecure and her inner 15-year-old appears to take over. I also found it unbelievable that somehow, every single one of her friends dumped her on account of the fibromyalgia. Maybe a couple people might be such twits that if you can't go out partying all night every night they don't want to be friends any longer, but somehow Chloe has zero friends besides her sisters. This clearly gave lots of readers the chance to think of other reasons why no one wants to spend time with Chloe. And I didn't really feel that much connection between Chloe and Red. But they were so cute and into each other that I believed them about it (half the narrative is from Red's POV).
This was such a fun read for me. I liked Chloe's resolve to get back out into the world and do things that she knew might be very hard for her with her chronic condition (go camping, travel the world with only hand luggage). I liked Red's sweetness and helpfulness. There's a touch of grimness and a trigger warning due to (view spoiler)[Red's previous girlfriend was emotionally abusive and he's still suffering and working on recovery. Luckily he takes to therapy as quickly as he takes to Chloe (hide spoiler)]. But the overall tone of the story is sunshine.
This was a great first romance of the year for me. I'm very pleased to have discovered Talia Hibbert recently, and am looking forward to reading many more of her books. ...more
Ruth Kabbah is the local bad girl -- not the most comfortable position when you live in a small village in the middle of nowhere. Evan Miller doesn
Ruth Kabbah is the local bad girl -- not the most comfortable position when you live in a small village in the middle of nowhere. Evan Miller doesn't know that yet, though. He's moved to town to work for the most important local family business ... run by Ruth's ex.
Okay, not much of a description there. Especially considering that I really enjoyed this book.
It's a bit of a grim set-up for a romance. Ruth is shunned; she's also on the autism spectrum and isn't great at human interaction to start with. Evan lost his mother to cancer and has found himself helping a co-worker going through the same thing, triggering a lot of difficult memories for him. Speaking of triggering, Ruth's relationship with Daniel, her ex, was emotionally abusive, and while none of it is explicitly shown, its tentacles extend into the present story. And yet I loved pretty much every word of this book.
The story alternates between Ruth's and Evan's POV's (third person). I found them both well-done and distinct. I especially enjoyed Ruth's outlook: she's pragmatic, forthright, and wryly comic. (And grouchy! I love grouchy heroines, even if I did think she overdid it with refusing to tell people how to pronounce her last name. I have a last name that generally gets read as "uhhh?" and I just accept having to say it out loud for people.) Evan is sweet, kind, insightful, patient, and sensitive -- everything I want in a man. (Plus he cooks! I need this guy in my real life.) And the romance is slow-burn; don't let that steamy cover fool you. There's not a bit of sex until after the halfway mark, and I really enjoyed that build-up.
I liked the depth that the backstories brought to this book. I also really admired Ruth and her sister Hannah's determination (or stubbornness) to stay in Ravenswood despite their joint bad reputations -- they are brazen women, and Hannah in particular is not willing to be cowed.
I'd never really noticed Talia Hibbert before I saw this book in my friend Juliette's feed (and decided to read it despite her somewhat lukewarm review -- it appealed to me anyway). But a number of my friends have enjoyed her books, and I plan to read a lot more of them now. ...more