hollanddavis's reviews
879 reviews

In a twist nobody could’ve seen coming, the novella tops the leaderboard! When the description started off with a ”skeptical teacher” and an “aggressive leopard”, I seriously considered skipping straight to #4, but I’m glad I didn’t!

Couple Leaderboard Update:

1. Annie and Zach
2. Brenna and Judd
3. Sascha and Lucas
4. Tamsyn and Nate
5. Faith and Vaughn

Gripping. As the reader, you don't know what to expect even when you're told exactly what to expect. Harpman explores humanity, grief, love, isolation, perseverance, and acceptance in such a quick read. I highly recommend the audiobook, Nikki Massoud, brought this novel to life.

Memorable quotes:

"I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering, and that I was human after all"

"Even a person raised in captivity learns to want, yearns to see beyond their cage. How much of our humanity is intrinsic? How much remains, when all else is stripped away?"

"Sometimes, I used to sit under the sky, on a clear night, and gaze at the stars, saying, in my croaky voice:

"Lord, it you're up there somewhere, and you aren't too busy, come and say a few words to me, because I'm very lonely and it would make me so happy." Nothing happened. So I reckon that humanity- which I wonder whether I belong to —really had a very vivid imagination"

Lowkey the most emotionally repressed MMC yet has the best communication? Or maybe I’m biased, because he respects the FMC’s boundaries, isn’t ethnocentric, and is fighting against an authoritarian government. 

Couple Leaderboard Update:

1. Brenna and Judd
2. Sascha and Lucas
3. Tamsyn and Nate
4. Faith and Vaughn

Nate had good intentions, but he lacked the emotional intelligence and communication skills for the proper execution. Also, the ten year age gap. Come on. It’s giving Jacob Black and Renesmee instead of George and Amal Clooney. Need I say more?

Couple Leaderboard Update:

1. Sascha and Lucas
2. Tamsyn and Nate
3. Faith and Vaughn 

I get that Vaughn’s whole schtick is that he’s extra close to his “animal side” but he completely lacked all boundaries, and it wasn’t okay. Faith asked for space, and he kept pushing. I did not agree with his actions. 

Ranking these couples the further I get into this series;

1. Sascha and Lucas
2. Faith and Vaughn