Before we go any further, I need to remind you that every book I read receives the same degree of harsh scrutiny. I don't know Hannah, nor hDNF at 30%
Before we go any further, I need to remind you that every book I read receives the same degree of harsh scrutiny. I don't know Hannah, nor have I ever been mutuals with her. And honestly, I'm relieved for that last fact because I don't know how the hell I'd manage that conflict of interest. I promised to be 100% honest with all of you—always. No matter what. No matter how nervous it makes me that I'll receive backlash. Because at the end of the day: THIS ISN'T A PERSONAL ATTACK. It's a review of a particular piece of literature.
I'm sorry I don't have anything nice to say about this book. If it makes you feel any better, I'm mutuals with Ali Hazelwood and I said her latest novel was "seriously mediocre."
2. It reads like Middle Grade, so much so that I almost gaslit myself into thinking that maybe it was YA. Nope. It's adult. Or at least, it's supposed to be.
3. Painfully unfunny. I never saw the original TikToks that inspired this book, and I believe the marketing when it says the series was "hilarious." Why then, did not an ounce of humour translate? Moreover, why instead of finding it even a little bit funny, did I make this face after every joke line was delivered: ...more
So I hated Hooked. (This is relevant info, bare with.)
I didn't plan on picking this up.
Then, this TikTok of me breaking down recs for 'I will raze the entire earth to save you' went viral and my comments were infiltrated with people saying I needed to read Scarred, aaaaaand that it was much better than Hooked.
Turns out I hate this too. → worldbuilding? abysmal. → descriptive writing so I can picture something, ANYTHING in my head? non-existent. → number of times "Tristan's ...more
For a book that is supposed to be "sex-positive," it sure does have quite the judgy stick up its ass.
From referencing "whatever depraved shit [peopleFor a book that is supposed to be "sex-positive," it sure does have quite the judgy stick up its ass.
From referencing "whatever depraved shit [people watch] on the internet" to Clara being disgusted at the mere concept of watching porn, with an internal dialogue that is, in essence, 'ew, I don't want to see women on their knees with come on their face because it's degrading.'
tl;dr This series should have been four books long, max.
Some of you might be shocked to see this review, especially if you saw my reviews oDNF at 53%
tl;dr This series should have been four books long, max.
Some of you might be shocked to see this review, especially if you saw my reviews of the other four novels in the series, each of which I read in a day because they were strangely addictive.
Well, everything came to a crashing halt in book 5.
It all became so damn repetitive that honestly, I didn't care anymore.
I kept thinking I'd pick this up again but I need to be real with myself: that ain't happening. ...more
Reason for bailing: Grammatical errors galore. Reading is no longer fun when I’m bracing myself for the next sentence missing, oh, I don’t kDNF at 10%
Reason for bailing: Grammatical errors galore. Reading is no longer fun when I’m bracing myself for the next sentence missing, oh, I don’t know, something fundamental?
“The welcoming letters a sham”
“The tangy carbon smell the perfect distraction.”
“His mirthless chuckle gut-wrenching”
So we’re just doing away with words like “are” and “is”? Cool cool cool.
When peppered in sparingly, this ‘rule breaking’ sentence structure can certainly be effective. Use it *constantly* and now I’m questioning the skill of the author.
And then there are entire paragraphs of staccato fragments, like this one:
“To shrivel away into oneself but still be breathing. Trapped inside your head like a prisoner. Purgatory of the brain. Numbing the pain internally. Even as the world continues to live around you.”
This is a strange one because while there isn't anything I overtly disliked, reading this felt like work. It was so supremely blDNF @ 9% (46 pages in)
This is a strange one because while there isn't anything I overtly disliked, reading this felt like work. It was so supremely blah.
It's very possible I'll come back to this sometime in the future. For now, I'm cutting my losses unless someone can convince me it's actually amazing and I just need to get to X page. ...more
DNF at 10% I have no interest in being stuck in the head of a character who is so outrageously neurotic that she sees serial killer behaviour everywherDNF at 10% I have no interest in being stuck in the head of a character who is so outrageously neurotic that she sees serial killer behaviour everywhere she looks. As her brother says to her, "Chill out."
I'm sure many will find this charming and funny, but for me, Love in the Time of Serial Killers was nothing but an eye roll. ...more
After DNF’ing American Prince at a merger 2% into the audiobook because the male narrator was *that* painful, I’m glad to have given this series anothAfter DNF’ing American Prince at a merger 2% into the audiobook because the male narrator was *that* painful, I’m glad to have given this series another chance.
In typical Sierra Simone fashion:
- It’s beautifully written - There are boatloads of fiery smut - And you get a decent helping of angst, predominately around the theme of sacrifice
Take home message: It’s not her best work, but it is worth reading.
⭐3.75
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June 2022 Original review, for the audiobook:
DNF at no joke, 2%
It's possible I was so turned off because of the voice actor. With his delivery, Embry's words read astoundingly childish. I can see that some of my book besties loved this, but I probably won't give it another go unless I get my hands on the physical book from my library. Currently, they do not stock a single Sierra Simone novel soooo DNF it is....more
DNF at 25% I thought I was going to love this book based on the blurb. Sadly, I had to force myself to read every page and eventually gave up.
My biggeDNF at 25% I thought I was going to love this book based on the blurb. Sadly, I had to force myself to read every page and eventually gave up.
My biggest issue is the way it was written; the author constantly interrupts herself. We'll be following along the FMC as she goes to her storage locker. Then she'll think of something from her childhood and we get pages upon pages of narration about that--only to be thrust back into the storage locker for a page or two and then shot into a narration about something else.
I've enjoyed many a novel that have non-linear timelines. The Women Could Fly used none of the typical hints given to readers: no larger paragraph separation, no dates, and no clear delineation. More than jarring it was frustrating and impeded any ability to get into a flow state with my reading. ...more
DNF at 23% A narrative that is way too contrived and includes a line that directly compares coming out as gay as being equivalent to telling your orthDNF at 23% A narrative that is way too contrived and includes a line that directly compares coming out as gay as being equivalent to telling your orthodox Jewish family that you like Christmas. As if that's not enough, the main character's BFF is a black man who was adopted by two Jewish lesbians and I'm sorry but in this author's hands, it just reeks of tokenism. Hard Pass. ...more
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