How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This was a very sweet short book. The author shares personal anecdotes about connecting witHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This was a very sweet short book. The author shares personal anecdotes about connecting with her deceased husband. If you believe in the supernatural, you will probably love this. Even if you don't, it's still very sweet. Anything can be said to have been imagined or not real, and maybe these stories could as well, but regardless of whether they're real or not - you can see the author's love for her husband in the pages. And it is a lovely, heartening story.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I loved this book so much and now I'm sad I'm finished with it. If you love retro gaming, IHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I loved this book so much and now I'm sad I'm finished with it. If you love retro gaming, I'm sure you'll love it too. It's just that the guy who wrote the book seems to be one of those people you can't help falling in love with as you read. You just kind of want to actually know them and hang out with them, cause they're just so wholesome. The last such book for me was the memoir of the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins (Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey).
But of course, it's not just that the author's vibe is lovely, the story itself was lovely to read. I happen to adore pinball and while the story was not about pinball, those industries intersected a lot at the time, so it was remarkably interesting to get a glimpse into the same offices of those legendary pinball companies. I guess I should find me some pinball nonfiction next.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Wow, I did not expect this one to hit me so hard. I thought it would be a light read, but iHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Wow, I did not expect this one to hit me so hard. I thought it would be a light read, but it turned out to be actually so strong and so good. It's a story about a man abandoned by his quite deadbeat father, a man who's suffering from anxiety and generally being unable to thrive in life after certain traumas of the recent past.
A lot of this hit close to home for me, although I can't say my dad has a single interesting bone in his entire body, or any advice to give, as opposed to Will's dad being a misunderstood rockstar. But a lot of what Will has gone through, I've known, and what I loved about this book is being seen - a lot of the trauma and anxieties that come with growing up this way seemed to me to be accurately and sensitively portrayed.
I truly didn't expect this book to move me so much, but by the end I could say I was going to give it 5 stars. It was a great read. Definitely recommended.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Can I give this one 6 stars out of 5? Or, like, 10? It was so good. I feel like it's one of my best CRH books I've read so far. Although I kind of tenCan I give this one 6 stars out of 5? Or, like, 10? It was so good. I feel like it's one of my best CRH books I've read so far. Although I kind of tend to say that about most of them, after I finish them.
I'm such a silly head though, that I first got this book as a review copy from NetGalley, and then promptly forgot that, saw it on Amazon and bought it. Why? Because I auto-buy anything I see on sale by Catherine Ryan Hyde, because her books are so great. And then I realized I have two copies for some reason. Facepalm. But now that I'm done with it, I'm happy I bought it. This book deserved to be paid for, even if I'm giving it a review too. It's just so good. CRH is like my absolute favorite author of all time.
This book somehow manages to touch on all the sore subjects of the past few years (covid, school shootings, how unsafe the world seems, all of us sort of anticipating the end of times, at least because of the climate if not other reasons). And it just put everything together so nicely. And that's just the background of the story, it's not the main story itself. The main story is about working through trauma and growing up before your time, healing, and many other things. Oh, just read it for yourself - there is nothing I could say thay could do it justice anyway.
There's another thing I love about her books though. That her characters are always the way I'd like to see people. The good brought out in them. Although they go through terrible things, the world CRH draws is not a meaninglessly violent one. There is always good in it, and more importantly, there are always good and responsible people in it. I don't know if the world truly is like that, I hope so, but.. it's good to at least experience it in a book every now and then.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I immediately got into this book and couldn't really stop reading. It's so very well writteHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I immediately got into this book and couldn't really stop reading. It's so very well written, very engrossing and just so moving. Primarily though, it's about how we, as a society, dehumanize those who have made mistakes and how we're not willing to see the difference between those who are sorry for their crime and those who are not. I also don't know how it works in other countries, but judging by this book and some others I've read in the past, it sure looks like in the US, the system is simply designed to keep a person in, once they so much as spend a day inside.
Despite that, this book made me genuinely happy - for the author, and the way things turned out for her. It's a sad story, but not a sad book - and it has a happy ending (I'm not spoiling, okay? The author clearly wrote it, so she's fine!)
There is no way you'll be reading this book and not rooting for Mama Love. I dare you. I fell in love with her within the very first pages.
Oh, and unrelated - but I just wanted to say, how funny it is to find out you've read quite a few of the books co-authored by a person and you never knew. Loved them as well. Hilarious.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This might be one of my favorite retellings now. It was very chill at first, and I thought How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This might be one of my favorite retellings now. It was very chill at first, and I thought it would go on like that, but in the second part of the book, things just went wild and I never expected it. Everything slotted into place so well that by the end I'd decided that I'm going to give it 5 stars after all, and not the 4 I'd planned previously. It's a lovely story.
This book was very engrossing, and very emotional. It definitely transported me into a court full of intrigue and secrets. The plot is actually more serious than just a Cinderella story - I definitely enjoyed that. It was a quick read as well, just a couple of evenings and I breezed through the story.
The story had quite a lot of strong and capable female characters as well, and I loved that. I also know that I spent half the book trying to decide whether this is YA or not, and I don't think it is. While the main character is 18, I also think it's a little bit of an afterthought, because nobody else is - everyone else is a lot older, with a lot more baggage. (There is also a very open steamy scene, although that's not always an obstacle to YA.) And while it does have that YA dynamic, it's still sort of like a good mix between a YA and adult novel, if you know what I mean? Things are unfolding slower and in a less provocative manner than YA will usually have it, but it still has that sense of adventure that you look for in a good YA book, and it's also a retelling of a fairytale, which is often a thing you'll find in YA. Interesting format, and I liked it.
Definitely worth a read!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I read the first book a couple of years ago, when it came out. Bummer for me, the recap on How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I read the first book a couple of years ago, when it came out. Bummer for me, the recap on what happened in it is like a sentence long and barely covers any of it, and I don't tend to reread books (only select favorites), so I had trouble figuring out the whys and hows of what's going on. I think the author meant the reader to read these books straight one after the other. I was still able to figure it out, but if you can, it's best to read these in sequence.
Aside from the lack of proper recapping, this book reads much better than the earlier one! It's not often that you rate the sequel better than the original - but I knew this story had something, and now I'm glad to find out I was right. The characters are also much better written, more defined in my opinion - at least from what I remember of the first book. The book left me with a lot of feelings, mostly wistful and sad (I remember the last one left me angry with the characters! ...more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. It's so perfectly wistful How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. It's so perfectly wistful and the mood is just right. I don't usually even like reading essays, but this is different - it's like all these small stories about women's ghosts, the ghostliness of how we are perceived by society and the cultural impact of it. Some of those are based on existing ghost stories, some on imagined ones. The authors don't even skip fake ghost stories and their histories, which I really appreciated. What a great read.
Some of my other thoughts about it that I wrote down while reading it... I never thought of ghost stories like that, but as I was reading the preface to this book? It's so true. Ghost stories are so often women's stories. Women are often more interested in them, and have historically been more involved with dealing (and I mean, dealing as a chore) with death more often than men. A lot of ghost stories were written by women, and were the first feminist tales, where the angry wife gets to exact her revenge, because she's is no longer tied to societal norms or expectations. A lot of these ghosts are tragic, but that doesn't change the fascinating fact that ghost stories, at least old ones, are indeed more often about women, and interest women moreso than men. Fascinating.
This book may be more meant for those who believe in ghosts, as it's very sincere and sensitive about these matters. There is also a lot of respect and empathy towards the living people who turned into these ghosts, whether real or not - before the ghost, there was always a living person's story with its sufferings and complications. So I think it doesn't really matter if you believe ghosts or not, it's a good book to read - and even if you don't believe in them, the book explores a lot of cultural impacts and our beliefs that have shaped or have been shaped by these stories. It's an incredibly interesting exploration, and the authors have done an amazing job in assembling all those facts and the lore that comes with the locations and ghost stories involved.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This was such a cute book. It felt a little short and more of a novelette than a full blownHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This was such a cute book. It felt a little short and more of a novelette than a full blown novel, but so very cute, warm and cozy. The other books I've read before by this author have been more in depth, more complicated stories, and while this one wasn't just like that, I still greatly loved it. I was torn between 4 and 5 stars, so I've decided on 4.5. It's definitely one of those stories that made me feel warm inside, and I loved how much ghost stuff we had - the ghosts in this one aren't just foreign objects and reflections, they're sort of their own characters. If this book has any sequels, I can't wait to read them.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck iHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck in a complete rut where I start a book, and it's just not interesting enough to keep reading, although it should be. But not this one! Read it up fast. It's both serious and playful enough to be a great story, and it keeps the drama going, cause it's about a reality show, kind of.
I've read Bethany Mangle's stuff before and I can't wait to read some more if it comes out, cause it's all been great. I've also read Prepped and LOVED it.
I thank the author and publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes proHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes promise - quite in the vein of the Hitchhiker's Guide (maybe even a little more like Guardians of the Galaxy?), although the characters were all much more capable than in those stories, in my opinion.
The human main character is kind of adorable, although all characters seemed a little flat for me. You don't go too in-depth with them, it's more of an adventure that rolls over you. Some of the situations were also glanced over and quite simple, but certainly fun and fast-paced. The characters had their archetypes (the funny annoying guy, the secretly world-wise earthling who knows nothing but accepts things readily, the noble strong alien, and of course, the foxy and admirable female officer of the law, which, of course, develops an unlikely attraction to the human male). I liked them all well enough.
I did like the plot as well. Despite being somewhat predictable, it's an okay plot, and although I knew from the start which characters are being planted for which purpose, I didn't guess at the details straight away, so it had me pleasantly wondering as the story went on. (Although I will admit I was disappointed that not all my questions at the end were answered, and I felt like some threads weren't quite followed through to the end.)
One thing that was a little distracting though, there is like a million new alien species mentioned constantly. Most of them get only a glancing description, like "red" or "round with white hair". Some are described in more detail, but the problem is that when they're mentioned again, you're somehow supposed to remember how they look, despite encountering 5 other species in between the pages after you saw them last. I remembered maybe three or four species total. The rest were a jumble. In a way, I guess that suggests what the main character is feeling, thrown into a whole new world like that, but at the same time.. if this was a movie, it would have worked great. But in a book, I literally just imagined blobs. Too many different species, barely any reminder descriptions. The author did invent a cool world for himself. But I feel like maybe it wasn't quite described well enough to us. But, it might have just been me struggling with this, so take a look at some other reviews too.
Another tiny point is that while there were dozens of alien species, they were all... Incredibly human. I feel like it's unfair to say, cause they did seem to be visually different, but... Their dress, their shape, their weapons, even customs... They felt mostly like humans with a slightly different shape or color, maybe some scales. Red. Purple. Yellow. Some weird ears or no nose. But essentially... Human. I don't know, I think maybe I've just been spoiled by Becky Chambers and the like, who make their aliens much less human, while still being relatable. Then again, of course, these kind of stories need to happen in a very "human-like" world, because I guess they're sort of making fun of our social structures, just like The Hitchhiker's Guide did.
That said, this is a good adventure read for the evening, but I'm really not sure I'll remember what this was about next year. But it was a nice, fun way to pass the time.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
A relatively quick read, Seven Down engages you right from the startHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
A relatively quick read, Seven Down engages you right from the start. It's a sort of epistolary novel, told through debriefing files of a political/corporate conspiracy manipulation gone terribly wrong. And it starts off with just about the most emotional character - full of regret, uprooted from a life she sold years ago. The text was emotional and shook me quite a lot from the start.
The story is told in a similar manner to Fredrick Backman's Anxious People - but where that one is a "realism through humor" kind of tale, this one's more of a "realism through tragedy" sort of one. Definitely reads as literary, and you need to concentrate, as the story has been especially mixed up in the timelines. The characters digress a lot, so you don't just get told simply about the mission they had, or the things that happened during that fateful day - no, you also learn about them as people - their thoughts, regrets and how they dealt with everything that happened after the event.
There is a sort of dark humor in this tale - it does have a sort of jokey manner, especially with some characters, but even then, it's dark and tragic. It's meant to make you laugh, but only in a depraved sort of way. And you'll definitely be sad after you finish it.
Seven Down makes you... Feel ever so much uncomfortable, as well. And I think it's meant to. Not only that, some of the characters, the way they tell their stories, their regrets and how they've literally sold out their lives, it broke my heart. The loved ones they had to leave, all of that felt to me like that fairytale, where a King or Queen promises the witch their firstborn because before they have one, it seems an easy bargain, but then after the time comes and they have to make good on the promise, they realize it was the worst decision of their lives. This story goes on in a similar fashion. It was really sad to read those bits, and I had to keep taking breaks from the book because of that. But not all the stories are like that, and pretty much all the characters are meant to seem quite unlikeable, so when they overshare their regrets and mistakes, you just feel uncomfortable, and that's the way the book must've been intended.
It's also interesting how most of the these characters don't seem to know they were pretty much all of them embroiled in the same scheme. It's all like a big stupid stage of theatre going on, and at times it seems more like a circus, really. It adds to the uncomfortable feeling. But also, it's unsettling in the sense, that you start wondering how much of this kind of thing might actually be going on? You think of all the incidents that have happened over the years - the toxins in the little town who took out unsuspecting victims, was that in Ireland? Was it something like... this? Could this possibly be, not really JUST fiction..? Profoundly uncomfortable to think about. And also probably someone's reality.
Seven Down is hopefully just fiction, but... It's not a book you'll easily forget for sure.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist 4.5 stars
I thought Twice a Daughter would be a slow evening read – since it’s an audio, I’d How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist 4.5 stars
I thought Twice a Daughter would be a slow evening read – since it’s an audio, I’d listen for a half an hour each evening and be done within the month. Was I mistaken! Finished it in less than a week. The book really drew me in and I just couldn’t stop.
It’s written well, and I enjoyed the narration too. The author is open and sincere, and it just draws you into her and her sister’s story. It's also full of ups and downs. I had FEELINGS on the part of the sisters, and even though I finished the book already, I still have those same feelings regarding some of the stuff that happened. I simply couldn’t stay a passive reader.
The story really does draw you in. And it makes you realize how lucky you truly are, if you’ve never had to ask yourself the questions these women had to ask themselves. The author goes through some emotions and reasonings a lot of us will never have had the chance to feel, and she explains it all very well. So this book is kind of an experience, not just an evening or two reading.
Also, I have to say – what a story. Truly, how unbelievable some coincidences in it were! Stories like this make you wonder, were those REALLY coincidences? Or maybe there’s more to the world than we can see and understand? Otherwise, how can these stories work out better than even the craziest movie scripts?
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Both this book, and the idea for this book are GREAT! What's not to love? - created by BlackHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Both this book, and the idea for this book are GREAT! What's not to love? - created by Black women (or non-binary) - art by Black women (or non-binary) - celebrates NOT JUST AMERICANS (that's a big one for me!!)
They're very inspiring. Loved the illustrations. Loved the stories.
My favorite stories were about Angela Dorothea Ferguson and Barbara Hillary. Ferguson discovered that many Black children suffered from sickle cell anemia and started figuring out how to help. And Hillary is just wow! At age 75, she reached the North Pole, and at 80, the South Pole!!! What??!! Amazing!!!
And let's not forget, at the end of the book there are some activities for the reader to include themselves in the book, get inspired and grow. It's a really good book for teens and kids, I absolutely loved it.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I have been waiting to read the last book of The Indigo Chronicles series for a while now. How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I have been waiting to read the last book of The Indigo Chronicles series for a while now. Three years I’ve been following this series, and I can’t say l’ve followed any other one like this – one by one, as the books come out. It’s an experience like no other, and I certainly enjoyed it – incredibly. Children of Shadows was an amazing end to a truly epic series!
The book was a whirlwind. NJ Simmonds is amazing at writing family drama – that’s for sure. The series kept me on my toes, and in some places surprised me with its depth – the patriarchy issue being highlighted, the history of witches, and the complexity of some characters – ones you’d expect to be black or white, but instead, they’re a mixture of both, acting out on both sides, showing one or the other based on their histories. I got greatly attached to some of the characters and truly invested in their stories. These books were quite a ride and I would expect this series to become a best-seller. It will give you a great time!
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
In this book, two women, one 17 and one 83, meet in the hospital as they're headed towards How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
In this book, two women, one 17 and one 83, meet in the hospital as they're headed towards the sunset of their lives, only one of them is going there much too early. It's a book about friendship, but not just that. It's so much more - it's also about finding yourself, understanding love, accepting things and just... Life. Living it out. However much you've got left.
If you thought this book was going to be weepy cause the main character is dying and that's the premise, well - you're wrong. As we meet Leni, we instantly realize she's got a good backbone and plenty of fire in her. And a good sense of humor! The first pages often made me smile.
The funny thing is, I never thought a book about dying people could be so... Comfortable. And so... Alive? One of the characters describes Leni as "so alive", so she can't possibly be dying - and when I read this and thought about it, I realized that, indeed, that's a great description of the character - I couldn't sum her up better. From the very first pages of the book, Leni just comes off the page.
And yet... The book is also sneakily sad. It's not outright sad, and yet... You realize that prolonging the life of a terminally ill patient is both a saving grace, as well as kind of cruel, really. But there is just no good solution. Leni doesn't want to die - and yet, the hospital is a prison for her. Bed rest is a punishment. Her days are all the same, and things she loves are taken from her one by one, as her world shrinks. It's truthfully very sad to watch, but you realize that you're not sure what is ethically more correct - to let a person suffer the drudgery longer? Or to let them live life fully, but with their time shortened..? Much to think about.
Aside from all this, The One Hundred Years of Leni and Margot is also a book about loss, complicated love and figuring yourself out. A love that's hard to pursue. And it's queer! I will not elaborate, cause it's kind of a spoiler if I do, but I did want to just mention it at least, so you knew it was there.
So now, the name of the book. Bet you're wondering why it's called that, especially because we know that both the characters are dying and probably won't get to live to 100. Well, let me spoiler tag this, but (view spoiler)[between the two of them, they're a hundred years old. (hide spoiler)] How cool is that? And it's even better than that - because (view spoiler)[ Leni and Margot make an artistic monument to their 100 years - a drawing for each year of their lives. Something to remember and relive the years through. And that's how we learn their stories as well. (hide spoiler)]
In reality, although the book is continuous, it's made up of snippets of now and of the past from both women's lives. So ever so slowly, we learn about who Leni and Margot were, before they became patients with terminal conditions. We learn to love them, we wonder about their quite complicated and not at all easy lives. And then it's time to say goodbye. This is why the book really leaves a mark on you.
By the time it's time to say goodbye, you can feel your heart breaking for the characters. The goodbyes are so gentle, so quiet. It affects you deeply. It makes you stop and think. And you know you'll remember the story for quite a while.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley for TheWriteReads blog tour
Instructions for Dancing may heal your heart, or break your heaHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley for TheWriteReads blog tour
Instructions for Dancing may heal your heart, or break your heart – or actually both, but either way you won’t forget the story. It’s a very gentle YA with an incredible book boyfriend and a deep message.
This book was mostly chill and lovely, despite dealing with some really tough topics and this is a huge spoiler BUT also a huge trigger, so proceed at your own peril. (view spoiler)[ This is not a happy ending book, not really. There are many death topics. If you are looking for a happy book, this is not exactly it. It is comfortable, and sweet for the most part, but it’s not a happy-making romance. (hide spoiler)] That’s the least spoilery way I can say it.
Despite that, it was beautiful. It’s about letting go, living in the now and realizing that it’s not (view spoiler)[ the endings that matter, and not even the beginnings, but the experiences. Life is messy and hard and unpredictable, and the only thing we can hope to keep are our experiences that we had going through things, and that’s why we should treasure them. (hide spoiler)]
I thank the publisher and The Write Reads tours for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This is perhaps the first book I've ever read on couple relationships and building them. I How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This is perhaps the first book I've ever read on couple relationships and building them. I wanted to read it because when I saw it, I thought, I'm now married too. A year or two ago, this was something seemingly off limits, but as I read it shortly after my first wedding anniversary, I thought, it could now be interesting to read about how people have lasted for ten years. It's now something that concerns me as well (go figure).
I found the storytelling quite interesting, because it's not a standard format. Both of the partners write their side of the experience, year by year. And they write it all separately, without consulting each other. At first, I thought that might get repetitive - like maybe they'd both talk of the same things. But it wasn't like it at all - I guess it only goes to show how differently the same situations can be experienced and remembered by two different people, even if they are in a close relationship. For one person it's one certain situation that was more memorable, and for the other it's something completely different. I found it very interesting how without reading back each other's stories, they managed to tell it through different angles, centering on different aspects. It was an interesting and surprising format for sure.
I especially liked Meg's parts of the story. Somehow, we have so much in common. Maybe it's being a millennial woman, but I don't know, I think I share more traits with her than just that. Meg very openly talked about her insecurities in regards to her body (actually, after one particular chapter, you will know which squirrel is which on the cover and why! I loved that reference of the cover to the story.) I could also relate to her stressing over having to keep control in various situations, including house cleaning and jobs - I could see myself in many of those. I laughed when I read that she too was floored when she learned that marriage isn't just you taking care of your husband, it's also the husband taking care of you (I really can't explain why I didn't feel that was the case, myself. Perhaps my family history, coupled with how we women are brought up. I vibed so much with that moment though.) Then there is also the bit where I loathe change, just like Meg - or, as she put it, unnecessary discomfort is kind of your native tongue, when you're a woman. So very true.
I also liked reading the bits about 2009-2013 which were somehow really nostalgic for me. People who were teens and young adults during that time will vibe hard - I didn't even know so many things from that subculture of ours were already gone, until Joseph and Meg reminded me. Like the way we used social media, which is now completely different. The way we understood and felt music. The way we all tried to be exceptional in these incredibly 2010-ish ways that can't be repeated now, somehow. Those and more are things we just don't do anymore - things that I thought were just me, but actually, they're US ALL - even though we lived half a world apart, me and the authors. It's such a strange feeling of generational togetherness that I've never experienced before.
And you know, the funniest thing... Is that this book and this couple was the exact right read for me. Me and my husband think of ourselves as very, very weird people. So do the authors of this book. Which is why it shouldn't surprise me that I found so many similar quirks in us as couples. It's very nice when you think you're the two weirdest people in the world, but then there's someone else just like you! I loved reading their story for that, among many other reasons - but for this one especially. It's definitely worth picking up though, even if you're not even half as weird as me and my husband!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
What a beautiful book - but so bittersweet. It's a book about so many things - teenage frieHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
What a beautiful book - but so bittersweet. It's a book about so many things - teenage friendship, first love, standing up for yourself and figuring yourself out, but at the same time - about a town that's not ready for change, for acceptance, for accepting people who are even a little different. And it's about change - how it happens at a very personal level, one day at a time.
If you already read this book and loved it and are looking for more similar reads, I thought Angie had a similar vibe to this one.
This was a very slow book, which is what many readers mention in their reviews, but I absolutely loved it being that way. To me, it felt like that one summer we've all probably had, when we were at the border between childhood and adulthood, when time moved ever so slowly and everything that happened made an indelible impression on you, made you who you are. For the main character, that's meeting a girl named Lia. A girl so special, so different, yet unafraid to be who she is, that she shakes his entire worldview and helps him discover his true self.
As a love story, it's very casual and chill. Since the main characters are both young teens (14-15ish), it's really innocent, and it focuses more on the emotional, formative experience that our first romance usually becomes for us. But the romance is not the only thing the story centers on.
Another core thing is values - changing values, acceptance of others in communities, religion, despite small town conservatism. Matthew's town isn't quite ready for the things that happen, but the story is one of progress, and it's hopeful. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, so I won't explain more - but it's definitely worth a read.
This book ever so gently and ever so subtly celebrates diversity and tries to open your eyes to how the times are, or should be, changing. The love story is incredibly bittersweet, and once you finish it, you'll realize you've always known that this was how the story would go. But it's a good story. And it leaves you with a full heart, and a hopeful mood. I greatly enjoyed it.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Evelina | AvalinahsBooks
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