kaceyyy's reviews
365 reviews

Loved loved loved.  Have to bump down the rating for the first book in the series bc I liked this sooooo much more - the chemistry was much more believable, the compromises and problem solving made more sense, and I liked the ending a lot more.  Also I actually liked both love interests lol

Literally hated the format and didn’t gel with it at all - I wanted to learn more about RBG but each chapter had a bit about her and then like pieces written by her and it read like a textbook.  A bit too thorough for me ngl

this was a fun read - flew through it tbh.  there were definitely writing/language choices that I didn't like, and I really didn't appreciate it being written in first-person, I think it could've been done better if we saw chapters alternating between different perspectives. 

At times the pacing was quite slow and he was just getting ill and depressed, which was well written but CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DID IT BETTER.  That’s literally the only reason I’ve not given it 5 stars.  Really enjoyed it.  Also W is giving gay

Super relevant, super interesting, super helpful and honestly just blew my mind 

I just really really enjoyed this tbh

A First-Rate Material - this was so weird, but it was a really interesting take on humanity, animal-products, relationships, and intimacy.  I think it did what I expected ‘the vegetarian’ to do, but more concisely, more interestingly, and much more well-rounded. 

 

A Magnificent Spread - this was just not an enjoyable story, it felt like an underdeveloped rendering of Earthlings and the message was so simple I didn’t see the point 

 

A Summer Night’s Kiss - this was like Convenience Store Woman, just like 30/40 years later.  I enjoyed it 

 

Two’s Family - a cool story on motherhood, sisterhood, and found family.  I would’ve wanted this to be a lot longer, it was too short and underdeveloped for my liking 

 

The Time of the Large Star - okay I think this was my favourite story so far, but again, it should have been longer!!! Insomnia? Travel? Magical realism? A critique of capitalism? What’s not to like? 

 

Poochie - what can I say? What can I say? What can I sayyyyy?  This was so creepy it made me feel kind of sick lol 

 

Life Ceremony - this was so weird + very handmaiden’s tale/Earthlings … really liked it though and it offered an interesting perspective on food, celebrating life and death, sex, procreation, and human ambition and innovation 

 

Body Magic - a sweet story about growing up and girlhood, but the incest reminded me of Earthlings and was just so unnecessary 

 

Lover on the Breeze - bro this was so beautiful?? who knew a story about a curtain with sentience would make me feel so much?  I think this is the most original story so far in the collection and is my favourite by far 

 

Puzzle - urmmmm okay so I get it … I got it, and the stuff about her disassociating and not feeling human was well done.  But picturing people as random body parts and hugging them didn’t make sense, it was just confusing that she understood social queues and yet actively acted as though she didn’t 

 

Eating the City - literally hated the ending 

 

Hatchling - this was interesting enough, but I felt like it needed to be more detailed about her fiancé.  Also, even though I got what the ending was trying to do, I didn’t really gel with it 

 

A Clean Marriage - oh no .. ohhh noooo … I got it, but just the graphic imagery esp at the end made me feel queasy 

The first half was quite slow - the second half was so good !!! The gaslighting and twists at the end … lurveeeee.  But I was so sad about Rhys and lucien :(

I feel like this covered poverty, classism, and being trapped on the margins of society well.  But it covered way too much ground and so the other topics (abortion, healthcare, the pandemic, terrorism, and government) weren’t done as well and ended up being very surface level and rushed 

Honestly this was just a fun read and I enjoyed it a lot - the ending wasn’t my fave and I do feel like it requires some sort of explanation so people don’t take it at face value bc it could be dangerous in certain ways, but it was dece