4.5 stars Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in the 1960's. Despite being a genius, she is constantly belittled, overlooked, and harassed. Now that she4.5 stars Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in the 1960's. Despite being a genius, she is constantly belittled, overlooked, and harassed. Now that she's a single mom, she's fired from her lab - and ends up as the reluctant host of a cooking show that's about to become a hit. I read this for Friendathon, my readathon based on reading your friends' tastes, for the prompt to read a book by an author they've given 5 stars to in the last year. I vlogged the readathon, and you can watch that here!
There's a reason this book has become such a hit. There's so much to love and in a crowd pleasing package. Elizabeth is such a great character, with tenacity and an unshakable trust in herself even when the world doesn't like that. Because she doesn't care about the societal expectations that are meant to suffocate her, she finds some success while other women can't. As a woman in STEM myself, I loved reading her everyday adoration for chemistry. I loved seeing her relationships with those around her, from her romance with Calvin that defies societal norms, to her relationship with the daughter she never expected to have, to the new friendships she falls into as she finally finds her village. I most enjoyed the excerpts from the tv show as she's encouraging other women; but then it's also so sad to see her taken away from her passion. I really liked the comedy; it felt reminiscent of the time and reminded me of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's pacing. But alongside the comedy, there's a lot of serious commentary, like women's contribution to science being stolen. What stood out to me was the description of the literal danger women put themselves in by being in the workplace at the time.
I had one thing I wasn't a huge fan of. The further we went into the book, the less time we spent from Elizabeth's perspective and the more we were seeing from the side characters. I get that it could be showing how she looks from the outside while she's gaining fame or some similar literary purpose, but ultimately it made me less invested in the latter parts. Elizabeth is the heart of this, make it about her. Also, the ending was a bit soap opera-like, but oh well.
I was surprised to learn that the author hasn't confirmed that she wrote Elizabeth to be autistic. I thought it was a deliberate choice, and that it wasn't discussed in the book because a) it was the 60's and b) Elizabeth doesn't see her differences as a hindrance to her life. There are several autistic traits that we see her exhibit on several occasions each - auditory processing issues, not understanding idioms or euphemisms or subtext, a general resistance to anything illogical, etc. If it hasn't been confirmed, I won't be listing this as representation, but, wow, I thought it was on purpose.
Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. I thought it had so much great stuff to say in fun packaging. I did think we should've focused more on Elizabeth's POV, though....more
Jojo is a 13 year old mixed boy. Normally, his Black grandparents would take care of him and his 3 year old sister, but his grandmother is dying of caJojo is a 13 year old mixed boy. Normally, his Black grandparents would take care of him and his 3 year old sister, but his grandmother is dying of cancer, so his chronically absent mother is in charge, and has decided to bring the two of them with her to pick up their father from prison. But this family is haunted by its past, figuratively and literally.
I picked this up on a whim because the audio had no wait at my library, but also because of the NYT Top 100 list - Jesmyn Ward was the only author to appear three separate times, so I thought it was time to finally read her stuff.
I definitely understand why Ward is so lauded. This book packs so much into less than 300 pages. I was so surprised how many topics this covers, to different levels of subtlety. We talk about generational trauma, the prison and justice system, drug use and how it affects a family, racism, and police brutality among others. The speculative element tied very well into what is otherwise a very realistic, gritty story, and absolutely warrants the Morrison comparison. The setting and atmosphere of the sweltering South was well-done. Possibly the most successful part of this was how it complexly characterizes everyone we see. Leonie, the mother, is a drug addict who has basically abandoned her children. She literally neglects to feed her children and worse, but has no problem going to lengths for drugs, and then is jealous of her 13 year old son for having a better relationship with her daughter. But we still feel empathy for her and all she's gone through, and want her to be better! SeeingJojo and Kayla go through this trip is entirely harrowing on multiple levels and can be hard to watch. However, my main detractor from this book was that it felt like not a lot happened. I could've used more plot, but also felt like we could have seen even more from all of our characters and gotten more resolution. Everything in the book was good, but I felt like there was more to go through.
On a side note, I wouldn't recommend the audiobook. One of the narrators in the first half of the book consistently drops in volume for every sentence, whispering by the end of it so it's hard to hear. It's not there in the second half, but it was enough to really frustrate me.
Overall, this is a great literary fiction that covers lots of thematic ground. I'd highly recommend it although I wish there was a little bit more plot....more
Following nine disparate people over the course of many years, we see them each converge in their own ways on a passion for environmentalism, more speFollowing nine disparate people over the course of many years, we see them each converge in their own ways on a passion for environmentalism, more specifically saving what little is left of the North American old forests.
I read this because my boyfriend, who doesn't read much, decided it was time for us to do a buddy read together! Little did he know that the book he picked would just happen to be picked as one of NYT's best books of the century a month later. I guess he knows better than I do, lol.
I get it. I understand what this book is saying, I completely agree with its premise, and I think the themes are fantastic and well-delivered. Powers does a great job running through lots of counterarguments before proving once again the importance of protecting the environment, specifically old growth forests. He's very evidently an extremely gifted author with a firm grasp on language. The way that he wove the different perspectives together worked well and showed lots of different journeys possible - Patty and Neelay were the perspectives I was most invested in. However, I feel like this goes too much into the realm of pretension for my taste (and I tend to love books like that). Despite my careful reading, a few things went over my head until I looked online. Some of the perspectives start to feel repetitive, especially in the middle section with the tree huggers. Some of the perspectives we definitely spent more time with than we needed if they weren't even going to connect to the story until way down the road. This book - which has so much important good to offer - didn't need to hit 500 pages (even without chapter breaks after page 150). I think this book could've been made all the more powerful if it had trimmed some fat: a high page count does not a good book make. I definitely understand why this was so lauded and won the Pulitzer, as it very well describes the dire straits we are in. That didn't justify the lack of editing.
Overall, the themes and messages of this book are fantastic, but it became bogged down with a longer page count than necessary....more
Wren and Louis have only been married for less than a year when Louis gets a terrible diagnosis: he's mutating into a great white shark. Told4.5 stars
Wren and Louis have only been married for less than a year when Louis gets a terrible diagnosis: he's mutating into a great white shark. Told poetically through the eyes of Wren, Louis, and Wren's mother in the past, we see the process of slowly losing someone to something they can't control.
I read this for a vlog in which I read the best books of 2023 according to the booktubers that have the most similar taste in books as me. Watch it here!
This is a great book and I definitely get why this was in a favorites of the year list. This book tackles its subject matter in a unique way that affects the reader deeply. The writing style feels like poetry in the way it chooses what to focus on, and sometimes is even told in the form of a play script. This may not be for everyone, but I really got along with it. These mutations are common enough that people know about it but may not have been affected by it, very similar to cancer in that and its severity. I really liked that the mutations don't all mean one thing. The different mutations that someone can get are representative of different ways that you can lose someone - terminal illness, degenerative conditions, etc. Seeing these things through metaphor felt like seeing these type of stories through new eyes. It shows how difficult loving someone in this situation is, but that you never lose the love, and how upsetting it is to see people lose themselves and the life they knew to things out of their control. I also thought it was good that it was underlined that abuse is not considered one of these things.
I was obsessed with the first section of this, following Wren and Louis as his mutation progresses. The way that it flips between parts of their lives and illustrates how Louis is changing is so heartbreaking that it felt like there was a weight on my chest. That one part was easily a 5 star. The other sections, I was less attached to. The second section skipping back to the mother's POV felt like I've read it several times before. It felt like a different book, until it got to the very end and I understood why it was included. I thought if this story was integrated throughout, I might have had a better time with it. Regardless, the last 250 pages I thought were good but not brilliant like the first 150. Also, some of the chapters are like two sentences long. Genuine question: why not just have section breaks?
Overall, I think this is going to go over really well with many people because it's so universally heartbreaking but with love and hope at the center. I'll definitely be recommending this, even if I liked the first section much more than the rest....more
Eleanor Bennett has died. Her children, Byron and Benny, are recently estranged from one another, but have to come together to fulfill their mother's Eleanor Bennett has died. Her children, Byron and Benny, are recently estranged from one another, but have to come together to fulfill their mother's final wish: to listen to the recording she left them, detailing the secrets of her life she never told them, and to eat the Caribbean black cake she left for them.
I totally understand how this was one of the most popular general fiction books of its year. There's a lot of good to this book, but it's also a kitchen sink drama, which helps it be so widely appealing. We spend a good amount of this book hearing Eleanor's recording, as she describes her childhood on an unnamed Caribbean island (inspired by Jamaica) and her young adulthood in England before she was the woman her children know. She goes through so much trauma and strife to try to live a life of freedom. However, her plot felt like I'd read it several times before, so I wasn't as invested in what is an objectively emotional story. It also got kitchen-sink-y, with everything dramatic that could happen happening. What did get me emotionally was her children's reaction to her recordings. The present timeline, as we deal with the complicated relationships that these family members had and have, felt very real and fleshed out. I also really enjoyed the ending portion of this where so many strings of Eleanor's life come together in such a satisfying and heartfelt way. Most of all, I loved the discussion of identities across all of the characters, and how complicated it can become when you don't fit into the "box" associated with the identity.
Overall, this is a solid general fiction. I was more invested in the present timeline than the past one, but thought it came together very well by the end...more
Told through the eyes of her husband, brother-in-law, and sister, a woman begins to have violent dreams about meat leading her to go vegetarian. As heTold through the eyes of her husband, brother-in-law, and sister, a woman begins to have violent dreams about meat leading her to go vegetarian. As her family refuses to support or help her, she experiences a psychotic break. Translated from Korean.
This is such a thought provoking book. This is a literary fiction that borders on horror at times when we occasionally see through our main characters' eyes, experiencing her troubled reality. I liked that this decided to tell this story mostly from outside perspectives, so we as the reader see the more three dimensional person, but while seeing the thoughts of those who see her as just one thing. All three of our stories about her were interesting in their own ways and told a different part of her journey; I was personally most invested in the middle one. It's hard to see her be treated the way she is, but also to see from the outside the mental state she's in. She's so troubled by her dreams that she no longer feels comfortable in her own flesh, and takes all her guilt and fear out on her body. The author said in an interview that this was inspired by the idea of the potential impossibility of innocence for humanity, and she ties this specifically into the choice to eat meat before it spirals from there.
Overall, this book will keep you thinking about the nature of violence and humanity as well as how we treat one another....more
Sav is starting her sophomore year of college and trying to finally find a group of people she can be her queer self with. But it's h4.25 or 4.5 stars
Sav is starting her sophomore year of college and trying to finally find a group of people she can be her queer self with. But it's hard to leave her complicated past with her best friend Izzie behind, who was there for her for all of her childhood, but doesn't always accept Sav as she is. Now that Izzie is getting married, Sav is finally confronting what happened between herself and Izzie's brother and how Izzie never stood up for her.
I read this because of my 12 friends, 12 books, 12 months 2024 challenge, in which I had 12 of my mutuals suggest me books they think I'd love. Up first is my OG bookstagram bestie, Katie! This is a coming of age for the queer women of today. There is so much good stuff to dissect here. Sav is a very realistic main character, trying to synthesize her identities and experiences with the person that she wants to be. And sometimes she messes up! And sometimes her messing up is on purpose, making impulse decisions because she thinks she deserves the consequences. Sometimes those impulse decisions or unhealthy trains of thought even made me have to put the book down because it felt very true. Izzie was also really realistic - she's not outright a villain. She exhibits why people keep those that hurt them in their life: they used to be, and sometimes still are, a person you loved. The flashbacks to their childhood together was possibly the most visceral part. It was hard seeing children try to act like grown women. For the most part, I had a good time with the queer college friend group. The discussions about assault were done justice; the way that Sav interacts with her own trauma was such an important arc to read. Therapy talk is something I usually critique in books, but this one I thought used it pretty well. I also felt very satisfied with the ending of the book, on a hopeful, open endnote. My main critique was that some events or dialogue felt unrealistic enough that it took me out of the story. For example, not to say that my experience in a gender studies class is the only experience that exists, but it's a serious class where you have to do writing. Yes, it's a lot of discussions, and sometimes there's more creative activities, but that doesn't negate the serious work that goes into it. This is less a critique and more a justification for not giving it a full five star, but it did exactly what you expect from the opening chapters. Not that it needed plot twists, but it met rather than exceeded my expectations.
Overall, while this isn't a favorite of all time, it was a highlight of the month. It made me feel seen, and I'll definitely be recommending it heavily to others. ...more
An isolated Anishnaabe community is left in the dark once an unknown apocalyptic event forces them to rely only on nature as winter is already encroacAn isolated Anishnaabe community is left in the dark once an unknown apocalyptic event forces them to rely only on nature as winter is already encroaching.
This is a short book, so not much could happen, but not much does happen even in the few pages it does have. One thing I really liked was the interactions between Evan and his family, which were remarkably heartwarming for such an otherwise bleak book. The depiction of fear and quiet panic felt very realistic for the disaster the community is in. The outsiders coming to the community is a great metaphor for how colonialism has negatively impacted Native communities. However, the slow pace and low plot made it so this book would not stand out to me. I was expecting more of a conclusion and was left wanting.
Overall, this is a good quiet apocalyptic book, but it will have little staying power in my mind....more
Mia Jacob was raised in a cult where much was banned - familial relationships, interactions with the outside world, and reading. Though her mother feeMia Jacob was raised in a cult where much was banned - familial relationships, interactions with the outside world, and reading. Though her mother feels trapped in the cult, she encourages Mia to break the rules and read. In a time of desperation, Mia discovers The Scarlet Letter and falls in love, feels saved. Years after she has escaped, danger from the cult leader still lurks - but Mia finds that she can travel back in time to Nathaniel Hawthorne's day.
I picked up this book on an absolute whim, having never heard of it before, because it was a Book of the Month audio pick, becaues of the synopsis, and because it happened to be narrated by one of my favorite Broadway actresses. I'm the world's biggest time travel fan, love books about cults, and love books that talk about the love for reading/writing. While this was an easy listen, this wasn't entirely a win for me.
I like the message here: censorship is bad, reading can help one process one's own situation, etc. I like that women wanting freedom is prevalent throughout this. I thought that the cult plot was done decently. I liked learning more about the real history of Nathaniel Hawthorne that this was inspired by. My problems are more with the Nathaniel Hawthorne plot. Why does Mia, years before time traveling, fall in love with an author that's been dead for hundreds of years? It's one thing to admire him, but no, she genuinely is crushing on a dead person. Then she time travels - and she doesn't even ATTEMPT to disguise who she is, how she got there, or what she knows. She has no sense of disbelief that she has time traveled, and then decides that it's definitely cool to mess with the timeline. And wouldn't luck have it, she and Nathaniel fall in instalove fast enough to make a Disney Princess balk. The book can't decide whether the timeline is unchangable or changable. Just generally, the time travel plot didn't feel very thought through. I also think the current day plot could have been less of the book proportionately or maybe been done in a nonlinear fashion to make it more engaging.
Overall, I am now convinced that this author has an actual crush on Nathaniel Hawthorne or a similar author and this was her semi-self-insert fanfiction. This had a lot of potential, and wasn't terrible, but just wasn't that thought out....more
All My Rage follows Pakistani-American teens Sal and Noor, friends since childhood who had a falling out when Noor confessed her feelings for Sal, desAll My Rage follows Pakistani-American teens Sal and Noor, friends since childhood who had a falling out when Noor confessed her feelings for Sal, despite them being requited. Sal is struggling with the death of his mother and attempting to keep her motel afloat. Meanwhile, Noor's uncle and guardian is controlling and won't allow her to apply to college despite her wishes. As each of their situations worsen, the two come together again to support each other.
This book came so highly recommended, and for good reason. I was specifically recommended this for my 12 books 12 friends 12 months challenge, so thank you to my mutual who recommended this!
The strength of this book is its characters, seeing through their eyes and their thoughts, and their journeys. Noor and Sal are both well realized characters with complex minds and feelings - they feel like real teenagers. They care about each other so much, but they also hide things from each other to try to spare them. The great performances in the audiobook also brought them to life. There were lots of difficult conversations had that were handled well - discrimination and the rage that comes with it, loss of a loved one and the struggle of grief, and difficulties such as abuse and alcoholism and how they intersect with immigrant communities. My main point detracting from it getting a full five star rating is the more light hearted scenes felt more stilted/less well written than the rest and attempts at humor didn't land for me (ex. Sal's attempts to make puns that tbh don't make any sense, and I am a pun master).
Overall, this was such a solid coming of age story that had so many conversations that both adults and young adults can get something out of. I definitely understand the hype and awards this has received!...more
A device called the Miracle Submarine - a hyperbaric chamber clients can "dive" into - claims to help or cure disabilities or dysfunctions. Two years A device called the Miracle Submarine - a hyperbaric chamber clients can "dive" into - claims to help or cure disabilities or dysfunctions. Two years ago, it exploded in a deliberately set fire - but who set it? The mother of an autistic child who died inside is on trial for murder, but everyone on the stand is lying.
This multi-perspective courtroom drama follows citizens of Miracle Creek, from the immigrant family who owns the machine to its clients, using it for various reasons. Angie Kim is originally a lawyer, so the court proceedings felt very true to the American court system - showing how easy it is to bend the truth. For the first half of this book, I was absolutely hooked. I wanted to know everything about the case and its players. The tense court scenes were well paced. However, as the book went along, it lost steam for me. It became less interesting for the same characters to give lie after obvious lie, and we saw less of the proceedings and more of characters trying to figure things out for themselves. The solution itself became clear to me early enough that I was hoping for another twist on top of it. Regardless, I got through it quickly. Lastly, this book was extremely objective in its storytelling - which is a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, it presents the facts as a court should be, and it interestingly presents everyone's perspectives to get you into their heads. On the other, I wish it would have taken stronger stances against those characters who wronged others (view spoiler)[(statutory rapists, medical abusers) (hide spoiler)].
Overall, this was a read I flew through, but since the ending ran out of steam for me, I'm not sure how long I'll remember it....more
Shen fever has swept the planet - a lot of the population has passed, but a good percent have become "fevered": zombie-like creatures who do nothing bShen fever has swept the planet - a lot of the population has passed, but a good percent have become "fevered": zombie-like creatures who do nothing but relive cycles of habits from their life. We follow Candace, who worked in the book industry, denying the impact of the plague by continuing to go to work until she was found by a group of survivors, led by the ever-controlling Bob, who has a destination and mission for the group.
I read this with my book club, Three of Clubs, for our quarter where we read dystopian books. If you'd like to join us for this book or future tropes/subgenres, the link is in my bio!
I've read a lot of pandemic fiction since the pandemic (and before). Somehow, almost every one I've read still manages to bring something new to the table. This is specifically a zombie-adjacent book; as the book points out, zombie narratives are social commentaries on the monotony of modern life (I loved that the book briefly mentioned the zombie vs vampire commentaries in movies, that's a conversation I'm passionate about). But this book shows zombies in a different way - not only are they a small part of the book itself, but they are ultimately harmless. For example, one of the houses that the group comes upon is a fevered family that repeatedly sets the table for dinner and pretends to eat, not interacting with the invaders to their home at all, much less hunting their brains down. On top of that... the book leaves you feeling that you don't really know who is a zombie and who's not. We see all this through the lens of Candice, who let the patterns that she fell into in her adulthood run her life instead of doing things that she may have felt more passionate about. She's also a first generation American, so we see her interactions with her parents in the past when she was a child, plus her life in New York as an adult, mixed in with her current life post-fever. I really liked how these time periods were interwoven; it adds even more to the themes of nostalgia to have our main character be considering her past life all the time. I thought that the post-fever timeline was predictable, but the point of this book was not to surprise - it was to discuss the author's critiques of capitalism and other aspects of modern life.
Overall, this deserves the hype its been getting in the literary sphere, and I definitely recommend it to people who like pandemic fiction!...more
Emma married her high school sweetheart, Jesse, and loved their spontaneous, adventurous life. But on their one-year anniversary, his helicopter goes Emma married her high school sweetheart, Jesse, and loved their spontaneous, adventurous life. But on their one-year anniversary, his helicopter goes down and he's presumed dead. Emma was nearly broken by the tragedy, but reconnected with her small-town family and is deeply in love with her childhood friend turned fiance. But now, Jesse has returned - he's been alive the whole time, marooned on an island. And Emma has a husband and a fiance.
I've read five of TJR's eight books, and you can really tell the difference between her stories and writing pre- and post-Evelyn. Her pre-Evelyn books have these everywomen protagonists who are going through a modern woman's worst nightmare. They have the inklings of the emotional journeys that her post-Evelyn characters go on, but just inklings. This book was very easy to read and overall had a good message. It's predictable and hits the points that you expect. I wish that we saw more from Sam, the fiance, as I felt he was the best part of the book. I liked Emma and her journey, but she wasn't the most dynamic character. While this book is ultimately about her decision, it felt like the plot was just handed to her, rather than her having agency in her life. This book was the quintessential 3-star read for me.
Overall, it's obvious that TJR did not hit her true stride until Evelyn Hugo, but this book does accomplish exactly what it says on the tin....more
Hani's two best friends since childhood don't believe her when she says she's bisexual. Ishu wants to become head girl, despite her unpopularity, to pHani's two best friends since childhood don't believe her when she says she's bisexual. Ishu wants to become head girl, despite her unpopularity, to prove her worth to her strict parents. The two decide to fake date each other in order to achieve both their goals, but end up finding a safe space with each other in their shared identity as queer brown girls in a very white Irish community.
I haven't read a lot of YA contemporary books in a while, but I gave this a shot as it was available on audio from my library, and I'm very glad I did. A lot of this book is these two girls trying to fit themselves into a mold that has been presented to them - for Hani, it's being palatable to her intolerant friends; to Ishu, that's being the perfect daughter now that her sister has finally messed up. I loved that these two end up being the opposite that the other needs to show them that their current way of life doesn't need to be that way. The fake dating element was fun and didn't get annoying when they started realizing they had feelings for each other. The part that I was the most invested in was trying to get Hani out of her toxic "friendships" - the girls are actively biphobic/islamophobic/xenophobic and it is so saddening to watch Hani just put up with it. The ending was also realistic, with not everything turning out sunshine and rainbows (intolerant people are going to stay intolerant).
Overall, I'm so glad that books like this are available to teen readers, to show more underrepresented identities and show readers that everyone deserves to be their authentic selves. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book....more
Ove is a grumpy man who likes things a very particular way. When his life derails, he decides that he's going to end it - only to be interrupted, agaiOve is a grumpy man who likes things a very particular way. When his life derails, he decides that he's going to end it - only to be interrupted, again and again, by his ecclectic new neighbors.
Fredrick Backman understands how to make an audience feel deeply. Beartown devastated me, and now Ove both devastated me and made me laugh. This book was the perfect balance of sweet and sad. For every moment we see Ove at his lowest, having lost it all, we see his hilarious stubbornness and distate for modernity force him into helping others. He absolutely refuses to see how good of a person he is and how he cares for others, in his stubbornness but also in his grief. This book also does something I love, flipping back and forth between the present and past to establish a character's foundation. We slowly get to see how Ove became who he is at present, how he has been beaten down repeatedly but bullishly pushed back against those forces to live his life. Seeing the community Ove has forced upon him come together to support each other warmed me to my core, especially with the children.
Overall, this was such a lovely book that has every emotion in it. Backman is definitely becoming a favorite!...more
“Tonight, I feel that my love for you has more density in this world than I do myself.”
Clare has known the man she will marry since she was six and he“Tonight, I feel that my love for you has more density in this world than I do myself.”
Clare has known the man she will marry since she was six and he was thirty-six, but Henry won't know her until she's twenty-one and he's twenty-eight. Both impossible, and true. Henry suffers from a rare condition that has him spontaneously time travel against his will. We follow Clare and Henry as their lives are inextricably intertwined throughout the years, trying to live a normal life together.
I finally read this now in particular because of my Goodreads cleanse challenge in which I forced myself to either read every book I still had on my Goodreads tbr since before 2018 or delete them off my tbr. This was the last book I managed to finish off that list!
I love time travel. It's my favorite narrative trope for a reason. There are so many different ways you can use such a simple concept. When I was younger, I knew I had to read this someday as it involved time travel, but when I got older, I was hesitant as it is seen as more classic "chick-lit" (which yes is a demeaning term). I wasn't sure if this story was going to be for me because I don't think I'm part of the target audience, but it ended up pleasantly surprising me.
For some reason, I think that knowing that this author is by trade an artist (Clare's art in the book is inspired by her work) is important to the experience of this book. The idea of two people meeting out of order, always trying to catch up with one another, attempting to put aside the forces of nature, is such an artistic idea to me. The idea for this was originally going to be an art piece before it became a story. I absolutely adored the relationship between Henry and Clare - both the romantic part and the doomed out-of-sync part. It took no convincing to sell me on their relationship. Every step of the way, I was rooting for them and for everything to be okay - even when you know for a fact it won't because the timeline can never change. I also think that for a debut, and someone who's not an author by trade, the pacing and structure were fantastic. We see from both of their POVs and bounce around in time, but everything felt purposeful and balanced.
In terms of things that weren't as great - look. You have to get past the thought that Clare might technically have been groomed. This is an immutable timeline and he traveled against his will, and was already was married to her at that point. Otherwise, there was some non-PC language that I did not appreciate and don't think would have printed had it been published today (I recall some ableist and backhandedly homophobic language).
Overall, this reminded me how much I love time travel and a good relationship to root for in stories. I can't wait to watch the show!...more
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