Before I started reading Funny Story, I made the grave mistake of looking over some of the top reviews, which were aI absolutely adored this book.
Before I started reading Funny Story, I made the grave mistake of looking over some of the top reviews, which were all negative.
Here's the thing—I think different types of characters connect with different readers. Others said that Daphne and Miles felt flat to them, but I loved Daphne as a protagonist and thought she and Miles were perfect together. Miles is such a sunshine character, and I love sunshine boys! (I'm not sure I agree with the blurb that he and Daphne are "a pair of opposites—" really, the only way they differ is in their cleanliness levels). But definitely give this book a chance if you are an Emily Henry fan (or even if you aren't, too be honest)! Here is my updated ranking for those who are curious:
This is by far my favorite book Stephanie Garber has ever written. I've already read it three times. Jacks has my heart. Just read it—that's all I havThis is by far my favorite book Stephanie Garber has ever written. I've already read it three times. Jacks has my heart. Just read it—that's all I have to say....more
This is my book equivalent of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. I will never get sick of iDid I read this again?
Yes.
Will I ever stop re-reading it?
No.
This is my book equivalent of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. I will never get sick of it, and I will come back to it time and time again whenever I want my heart to feel happy and my soul to feel full of flowers. I love this book with my entire being.
I stand by what I've said before. This book, this series, is absolutely amazing. Were there several times during this series whe Re-read Review 2017
I stand by what I've said before. This book, this series, is absolutely amazing. Were there several times during this series where I just wanted to strangle America? Yes. Undoubtedly. But you know what? America was the epitome of a perfect character. She was flawed, she had shortcomings... and she went through some major development. Not a lot of people like her, but I do. She had spunk and fire and she fought for what she believed in. Also, Maxon was completely and utterly swoon-worthy, which made the whole series worth reading....more
Sometimes, through good luck or bad, through curses or fate, the world cracks itself open, and afterward nothing will ever be the same.
Aft 4 stars
Sometimes, through good luck or bad, through curses or fate, the world cracks itself open, and afterward nothing will ever be the same.
After reading Lucky in Love by Kasie West, I almost took this book off of my TBR list. As much as I wholeheartedly adore Kasie West and [almost] everything she writes, but Lucky in Love felt flat to me.
Windfall, on the other hand, was incredibly full of heart! I absolutely adored the main character, Alice. She was relatable and authentic and there was so much character development!!! Also, I just loved the relationships within the novel. Alice's aunt and uncle are amazing parental figures for her, and I am always a strong supporter of good family dynamics! #yes.
Honestly the one part of this book I didn't care for was the romance element. Teddy was great as a best friend for Alice, but (view spoiler)[ I felt that he was an absolute jerk when it came to being a love interest. I'm on team Sawyer (hide spoiler)].
I just loved this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how many serious topics it covered. It was the perfect balance of a light-hearted/heart-wrenching novel. ...more
I wish I had adequate words to describe my feelings for this book.
After I finished, I kind of just stared out the window of the car and held the wordsI wish I had adequate words to describe my feelings for this book.
After I finished, I kind of just stared out the window of the car and held the words I’d just read close to my heart, like a beautiful moment that I wanted freeze for just a few seconds more.
This book is, undoubtedly, written in deep blue. It deals with authentic, real themes such as grief, death, divorce, and (the dreaded enemy of any teenage lovers) unrequited love.
The main characters, Rachel and Henry, felt like real people. Their backgrounds were not explored in depth, but the development over the course of the book was amazing. They both had their own struggles and their own voice. The book was split into POV between the two of them, and unlike most books that do this, I was able to distinguish between Rachel’s voice and Henry’s voice.
And even the side characters had amazing storylines, which is so rare in YA fiction these days. I loved Henry’s odd, cute, and lovable sister George. And Rachel’s connection to her brother, Cal, who drowns before the book takes place, is heart wrenching, heartbreaking, and heartwarming all at the same time. I almost wish the book had explored some of the side characters more, because they were all uniquely intriguing and I wanted to keep following their story.
One thing I loved even more than the characters, though, was the setting and the idea behind it. This mostly took place inside a bookshop that Henry’s family owns. It has a section called “The Letter Library” where people can leave notes in the margins of books or underline words for other people to find. Normally I am completely against writing in books, but in this context I think it’s a lovely idea.
The only thing I disliked about this book (at times) was the writing style. It fluctuated from being very descriptive to very succinct and precise and sometimes I just wanted more. Perhaps the author wanted it to be simplistic, but I thought it would benefit more in places if we were shown more and told less.
Overall, if you like books, oceans, and a bit of a happy sort of sadness, I’d say you would find Words in Deep Blue quite enjoyable.
Have you ever read a book that, no matter how many times you read it, you just fall absolutely in love with? That’s the Winner Curse for me. I love it with my whole heart. I will defend it anytime, anywhere. If you didn’t like this book, then please move along with your day. We can’t all have good taste in books, unfortunately.
A list of things I love about The Winner’s Curse:
- Kestrel. When it comes to fictional heroines, Kestrel is by far the best. She is cunning, she is compassionate, she is fierce, she is bold, she is stubborn, she is loyal, and she is strong. It’s mentioned several times that she is small, but she doesn’t let that stop her. In the beginning she is a bit of a spoiled brat, but just waiiiit she has so much character growth throughout the series.
- Arin. Honestly I just love Arin. My heart breaks every time he remembers his family and I just want to hug him and protect him from the world.
- The worldbuilding. I don’t know how Marie Rutkoski does it, but she builds a very realistic world with an ugly history of war, their own tile game (Bite and Sting, I wish it was real!!), and even small details in culture such as duel customs or signs of engagement. I live for good worldbuilding. I support.
- Javelin, the horse. Horses are precious and beautiful babies and I’m obsessed w/Kestrel’s horse. - Moral conflict. Rutkowski handles many heavy topics, including slavery, betrayal, loyalty… and personally I think she does it frustratingly well. Sometimes I want to throw the book against the wall- especially with Arin and Kestrel. It is difficult to deal with all their lying and keeping secrets from each other… like, just get together already, okay?? I SHIP IT FOREVER.
- The writing style. Some cRaZy people think this book is slow in the beginning, which I literally do NOT understand because I think it takes zero effort to get through it. The writing is beautiful and flows well.
-Hello?? The cover?? It is gorgeous.
-Pretty much everything else.
Bottom line: this series has my heart. If I could give this a thousand, glittering shiny stars, I would. I recommend to anyone and everyone. That is all....more
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