hangryforfiction's reviews
242 reviews

How interesting the timing of this book is! This one was published in January 2018, right in the midst of the #MeToo & #TimesUp movements, making it such an unfortunately relevant topic right now, and one that is long overdue really. The book took a little while for me to get into. I found the characters a little difficult to relate to in the beginning, perhaps because of my age in contrast to theirs. I also found that I kind of hated Abigail. She was pretentious and self absorbed. Sure Abigail & Kessia were best friends but it seemed so one sided to me. Kessia was getting a lot of material things from Abigail, but Abigail wasn't a good friend. She seemed to just drag Kessia everywhere because she craved general companionship, and it didn't feel like it mattered who that companion was. With all of that said, by the 100th page I was pretty invested.
I feel like the second half of the book was written more passionately than the first half. I could feel things that the characters were feeling and I cared about how it effected them. From reading the blurb the readers knows what's coming, and it's almost like as we got closer to it you are holding your breath wondering if it's going to be this time or when it's going to happen. It's that feeling of dread that you know what's coming. And I'm sure that's how Kessia felt too. She knew it was only a matter of time too.
The assault itself was some of the best writing I've read in this genre. It was passionate, exciting writing and I teared up while reading it, which is not something I've done often. There is a twist at the end that I really enjoyed and wasn't expecting in this book and I enjoyed it overall.
It wasn't an easy read because of the subject matter, but it wasn't overly violent or dark, had a perfect ending, and it was a quick read for me.
I also encourage anyone who reads this one to read the open letter the author has included at the end.

I wish two things: 1. For there to have been much more detail into the relationships, into the characters themselves; and 2. For there to be less detail about their dire circumstances. But the despair within me came not from the detailed gore of the book, but from what I knew from all my history classes. Morris didn't have to provide detail about what happened to the gypsies, because sadly, we all know. I had to put this book down more than once because I felt so sad and was afraid I might have nightmares. I don't say this lightly, but this book broke my heart. Not because the story itself is sad. In fact, it's mostly the opposite. In spite of all of the unquestionably horrible things going on around them, Lale & Gita persevere. Lale is superhumanly heroic and their love story is what a Romance novel can only ever wish to be. The whole thing is only made even better with the writer's notes at the end. How even though it appears that little of the story is fictionalized, that's how Morris was comfortable writing it, and so she did. I even found that the undevelopment of characters was easily explained by the story having been originally a screenplay. On screen, the depth wouldn't have been necessary. However, in the end, Heather Morris did an exceptional job telling Lale's heroing (even though he was unsure that's what it was) story of his time at Auschwitz.

If Katherine Center's husband wasn't a firefighter, I might start to worry that she had an unhealthy obsession about fire. But even if that were true, I wouldn't mind because wow can that woman write!
I was stuck in such a heavy book fog while reading this one. This book completely wrapped me up and I was engrossed. I couldn't put it down. I mean every spare moment. I was literally reading while brushing my teeth. This is exactly the kind of book I live for. It was the perfect blend of realistic romance, but with a very unexpected feminism with such a deep and complex protagonist.

My very first thought after finishing this book was OMG! A special indie project from our beloved Colleen Hoover that is a gripping thriller, but still somehow possesses that signature CoHo romance. Every time I had to tear myself away from this book I was thinking about it incessantly until I could get back to it. I had this story pegged to end many different ways, and none of them were correct. Just wow. Jaw dropping, creepy, give you the chills, and make sure all the lights are on when you're home alone thriller. Take it from me, read this one ASAP

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin is an exquisitely written, intricately woven story about all kinds of love. There's the unconditional familial love of a parent or a sibling, and multiple romantic relationships. The characters and their relationships are imperfect, complex and relatable. This story beautifully describes many of the ways different people experience grief in their own ways and how it effects their lives. The book seamlessly flows between the present and a sort of (surprisingly under described) dystopian future, but does so without making the reader feel like we missed anything. With the protagonist being a poet herself I had wished to find more poetry in the story. However, upon finishing the book, I didn't miss it because Tara Conklin's writing is as beautiful and as descriptive as good poetry.

My first audiobook of the year! The Greatest Love Story Ever Told is narrated by the authors themselves, the hilarious Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman. I mostly prefer non fiction for audiobooks, and when it's narrated by the author (or authors) it is always preferable. In this case, it makes all the difference. Listening to it, it sounds more like a dialogue between a (hysterical) couple rather than someone just reading aloud to the listener, and that was great. I laughed out loud throughout the book, which garnered me many strange looks in the grocery store. Mostly, I loved learning more about Ron Swanson & Karen Walker

I stumbled across Sea Prayer while browsing my library's new releases shelf. I'm a huge fan of Khaled Hosseini, so I had to take it home to read it. In less than 50 pages, it turns out that Sea Prayer is actually a beautiful poem disguised as an illustrated short story. There are striking watercolor illustrations throughout the book. The story is a heart breaking tale about a family immigrating from the home they loved and worrying whether they will make it safely. I'm not sure this counts toward my reading challenge, but it was beautiful and worth the few minutes it took to read it

The Couple Next Door was a super quick read. It was exactly what you want a good thriller to be. It was fast paced, believable, and twisty. I am super picky about thrillers because I always seem to accidentally figure them out. I had no idea where this one was going and was shocked at the ending!
The Couple Next Door was a super quick read. It was exactly what you want a good thriller to be. It was fast paced, believable, and twisty. I am super picky about thrillers because I always seem to accidentally figure them out. I had no idea where this one was going and was shocked at the ending!

I couldn't possibly love this book any more. It is the perfect realistic love story. I laughed out loud, I cried real tears. As a mother with a husband whom I adore, this book resonated with me in so many ways. Katherine Center has such a familiar voice that is present in all 3 books that I've now read of hers. She has a unique way of making her characters realistic and relatable, even when they don't resemble anyone you've ever encountered in real life. The Lost Husband is a quick read, and highly recommended!

This book was a wonderful love story, with a beautifully flawed and complex female protagonist. Fixie navigates her way through complicated relationships both platonic and romantic, which was sometimes frustrating. As a reader you grow to love Fixie and her quirkiness, and you want to reach in and grab her by the shoulders and tell her to stand up for herself with the men in her life. The story tended to be predictable, in the way that romantic comedies can be, but it didn't bother me. The story is chock full of hilarious, quirky, very british characters that you can't help but love, and adorable british slang that I had to stop to Google more than once