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andintothetrees's reviews
586 reviews
What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An enjoyable read about 2/3 of the time but ultimately dragged on a bit. Special mention to the satirical elements which I There were a few basic factual errors that I'm surprised weren't brought up in the editing process. The Sleuth uses TikTok, but in 2018 when the book is set, it wasn't a very mainstream platform and was limited to 15 second clips. The Wistern's country house is supposed to be near Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop, but that didn't exist in 2018. Relatedly, the house is sometimes assumed to be in South Gloucestershire, but the other geographical clues (especially the Clarkson farm thing) imply it's in Oxfordshire. Very petty things but they made the book less believable for me.
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 2/5
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 4/5
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 2/5
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 4/5
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Plot/compellingness 2/5
Themes 3/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 4/5
This was a slog to get through. I loved Sally Rooney's previous 3 novels but this one I found, to be honest, boring. It's clever in many ways and I'm glad to have read it but I didn't enjoy the experience.
Themes 3/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 4/5
This was a slog to get through. I loved Sally Rooney's previous 3 novels but this one I found, to be honest, boring. It's clever in many ways and I'm glad to have read it but I didn't enjoy the experience.
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a really comforting read. The characters felt so real and I loved the setting too, Nebraska isn't a place that we often hear about over here.
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked the speculative fiction elements here, and the Revisiter device meant that there could be a dual plot line where we followed the main character in the present and saw what lead her there. I liked that the main character did not work in a fancy office job and the backdrop of the Greek economic crisis in stone sections was (surprisingly?!) compelling. I just couldn't connect with the book emotionally despite the fact it's told in first person. I don't think this author is a bad writer at all, but I just don't think her books are for me no matter how appealing the premises may be (I've DNFed a couple and this is the 2nd I've finished but felt kind of meh about). It also felt a bit strange to read a pandemic-themed novel written after covid that didn't mention covid (and I assume from the other events, and the technology, that this was supposed to be set post covid) - I heard on a podcast that the author started writing this before covid, which probably explains it but it editing in a few mentions wouldn't have hurt.
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 2/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 3/5
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 2/5
Emotional resonance 2/5
Writing style 3/5
Hey, Zoey by Sarah Crossan
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is not a straightforward book to read or review. It's told in short sections, varying from a few sentences to a few pages in length, which hop around various stages of the protagonist's life. There is a lot of character development over the story - or at least a deeper understanding of the main character - but I didn't feel the characters of those around her were fully explored (especially David). Zoey herself isn't as central a character as you might expect from the premise - though there is some exploration of the theme of hyper realistic AI "companions" trauma is much more present in the novel than technology. Overall a rewarding but quite heavy read.
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 4/5
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
Plot/compellingness 3/5
Themes 4/5
Characters 3/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
This Motherless Land by Nikki May
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Plot/compellingness 5/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 4/5
Themes 5/5
Characters 4/5
Emotional resonance 4/5
Writing style 4/5
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
One of my favourite books read this year. The last 15% was a bit predictable & the ending perhaps too tidy/"feelgood" but overall I really enjoyed the experience of reading this, more so than so many other books I've read lately.
Plot/compellingness 4/5 (lost a little for the ending)
Themes 4/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
Plot/compellingness 4/5 (lost a little for the ending)
Themes 4/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional resonance 5/5
Writing style 5/5
The Silence In Between by Josie Ferguson
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I thought I would love this as I love Berlin and find the DDR fascinating. But I couldn't get into it. I think I was just really aware that I was reading something written in English about an German experience and that jarred for me. It's the same thing I feel about TV/movies that have English dialogue whilst being set in other countries (worst of all if they adopt "accents" whilst doing it), though I'll happily watch subtitled shows/movies originally filmed in the language of the country they're in. I realise this is personal weirdness and this seems to be a really good book going by others' reviews but it just put a wall up for me (sorry not sorry for the pun).