bozzi1's reviews
950 reviews

“A place is not really a place without a bookstore.”

A little too predictable and schmaltzy to be a favorite, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this read. A.J.’s “Heads up!” line made me laugh out loud.

I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more if I’d have seen more of the movies and shows mentioned. There’s no way to write a book like this without spoilers, but I found myself getting annoyed because there were so many movies I hadn’t seen yet. Please know, this is not a criticism of the author or book. Many of the references were decades old, I just don’t watch a ton of TV. I thoroughly enjoyed the sections around characters from movies and shows I have seen. I would recommend this one for pop culture buffs and fans of fictional female baddies.

My only *tiny* gripe about the writing is that the author repeated a few things, sometimes just a few sentences later. It might have stuck out more because I listened to the audiobook, which was a little bothersome. 

I enjoyed this one but it’s definitely for fans of unreliable narrators and who don’t mind not getting all the answers.

Loved so much about this one.  There were plenty of elements that reminded me of Salem’s Lot and IT, but Keisling still managed to tell a story all his own. The writing was really strong and I loved the characters.

I liked this book so much, until I didn’t. Many reviews mention the ending, and for good reason, but that wasn’t the only thing I disliked. There were pretty big plot points that were dropped completely unresolved and it didn’t feel like a cohesive story from start to finish. 

“Three little words…I. See. You.”
“Maeve, me too!”
•
Well that was one fun and fucked up ride. I’m sure a lot of readers will hate the extreme violence, the sexual depravity and the characters with little to no redeeming qualities. That’s totally understandable. All the same, I love this book. I love the slow start where we simply get to know Maeve and how she views the world around her. I love when shit starts to go down and I love that it just keeps going.

Maeve Fly is a feminist anthem to American Psycho, Exquisite Corpse, The Story of the Eye, and Disney’s Frozen.  It’s smart and funny, disgusting and a little sad. It’s the most I’ve enjoyed the thought of being a princess. From now on, anytime I hear Let It Go I’ll think of Maeve. I’ll think of curling irons, teeth, pipes, and rats…and I’ll smile. 

Props to the narrator on this one too. The audiobook was excellent. 

“He howls questions to me: Who are you? Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything to anyone. I don’t deserve this. Why me? This is a failing of men. This same violence, applied to a woman, she does not ask why it is being inflicted upon her, she only struggles unsuccessfully to free herself and grieves the fact she has grieved her entire life, one that she understands fundamentally and innately. That violence simply occurs.”

I loved this story. King writing about writers is always a win for me. I love when he writes a strong female character which he did not just with Alice, but with Marge, fucking Marge. 

I wasn’t sure about the ‘story within a story’ element at first, but it ended up being such an effective way to get to know Billy and how he became the man we meet at the start of the book. 

I loved the nods to The Shining, especially the painting in the shack. I think I loved the ending most of all. King is known for less than stellar endings and while I don’t often find much to dislike in them, I do get a special kind of joy when he really nails it. 

My one complaint about this book was the insinuation that someone on the autism spectrum is dumb. Maybe it was meant that appearance is deceiving, as Billy was much more intelligent than he generally displayed, but it could have been handled better imo.