kfalsreads's reviews
281 reviews

I loved the world TJ created, the characters, the themes it touched on, and the ending. I also appreciated the complexity of Linus’s situation.

However, there were some things that kept me from loving this book as a whole. I found the writing too descriptive which made it longer than it needed to be and slowed down the pacing. I also thought the messages in the book were too overt for an adult reader. With that being said, this is a great book for pre-teens in teaching them about individual and societal prejudices born from the fear of those who are “different”, the role the government plays in creating and amplifying injustices in society, and the effect it has on those who are marginalized. It also shows the power of love and how finding your tribe can help you thrive.

This book is perfect!!!

This is my second Christina Lauren book and it solidified me as a super fan of the writing duo. From the first couple of pages, the story found a place in my heart and lived there the entire time causing it to swell and ache throughout.

What I loved about this book was it reminded me of A Man Called Ove in how Backman introduces you to a group of strangers dealing with a variety of personal struggles who become a community and family. It’s the kind of story that really just touches me in these crazy times.

Backman has become one of my favorite writers because of his ability to surprise me, make me laugh out loud and cry, and provide insights and memorable quotes. He is a masterful storyteller and the execution of this ambitious story weaving together so many characters’ past and present storylines was perfect.

What I love most about this story was the narrator’s tone and the constant surprises. I honestly had no idea from one chapter to the next what was going to happen. He was so good at leaving a little nugget of information at the end of each chapter that was so random and weird I had to keep reading.

And the lime. The lime. Brilliant!

Written in a modern, free-flowing prose, Bernardine Evaristo’s tour de force featuring 12 British black women was a book unique to anything I’ve read before. While it took me a bit to get used to the writing style with its lack of punctuation, once I did it flowed so beautifully I wish every book was written like this. I also learned a TON of new vocabulary throughout the course of this book which I appreciated.

I was worried that once each character’s story ended I would miss them and have trouble moving on. But I felt Evaristo did a great job of making each story feel complete providing a sense of closure for the reader.

I was especially impressed by how she was able to write from the perspective of women aged 16 to 92 so believably that they felt like real people, real experiences. A few stories that really stood out to me were Amma, Dominique, Carole, Hattie and Grace.

I hugged this book. With tears in my eyes, as I read the last sentence, I closed the book, and I hugged it.

Normally, my reaction to a book I love would be to say, ‘What an incredible story!” But this wasn’t just one story, it was multiple stories. Memories of a life of hustle, survival, and trying to figure out where he belonged stitched together to create this unbelievable book.

I can’t believe the life Trevor had growing up. How the hell did he end up in New York City at The Daily Show?! I can’t wait for the reported film adaptation featuring Lupita Nyong'o as his mother, and his follow-up book detailing his journey as a young comedian in South Africa to The Daily Show.

I am shook. I am in awe.

Read this book!! Just do it! You won’t regret it.

This ended up becoming the surprise favorite of the summer, and quite possibly the year, for me. I really hadn’t expected this rollercoaster of a story with present and past timelines and the emotions it elicited.

I wanted to throw this book half the time and give it a big hug the other half. This book gave me all the feels, including some tears. What an incredible story of family, love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and finding oneself featuring strong female characters.

When I was done reading this I couldn’t help but think of Evelyn Hugo and how this story and the character Poppy found a place in my heart just like Evelyn did.

I looooooooooove this book!!

Meet the book that may have ruined all other books for me. If I gave books stars, this one would have them all!

This book ticked all the boxes for me: its beautiful, lyrical prose transported me to a time and place; featured a strong female protagonist; had an epic love story; taught me something, and found a place in my heart.

During a Q&A at @politicsprose, Delia Owens says she came up with the idea for a novel that would explore how much isolation and loneliness would affect a young girl who was forced to grow up on her own and to weave in a murder mystery that went farther than being a who-dun-it. But at its core, she says, it is an exploration into the raw core of human nature.

While I loved so many things about the book, what impressed me most about Delia’s writing was her ability to incorporate nature and the behaviors of its creatures without dragging down the pace of the story. Instead, these brief observations Kya encountered in the wild gave her and the reader an understanding of the inherent behavior of all beings.

Weaving together the natural world and Kya’s journey through life was all-encompassing. It was a world I found hard to leave. I read this book in four days, and during times I had to go back to reality I found my mind drifting in and out until I could return. Even the next day after finishing it, I continued to mourn the fact that the story was over, going back over moments I had bookmarked, wanting to return.

I think finding out filming for the book is underway and seeing the faces of those who will play the characters added to my reading experience. Having seen Normal People and @daisyedgarjones’s performance, I don’t think they could have cast a better Kya. I can’t wait for this film. I have full faith Reese will do the book justice.

Wow! This book took me completely by surprise. I was floored by this epic story!

The first part of the book was pretty straight forward and I enjoyed it. But around 100 pages in, the story really started to sing for me, and the rest of the book had me completely hooked. I was in awe of Emma’s writing which was poetic and deeply moving. I can’t wait to read more from her!

Jane’s character is strong but vulnerable, complicated, and raw as is her relationship with Jesse, “based on the real-life love affair and mutual muse-hood of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor” (LA Times review). I absolutely adored her courage and strength to stay true to herself and her art throughout the book. I loved her connection with her family as well as her partnership with Willie, her rep.

This is a beautiful albeit heavy read with big themes and some noteworthy trigger warnings (DM me if you’re curious). I’m not sure if the epilogue of sorts was the kind of ending I wanted for this one. It left me a bit disappointed and longing for more in between. I heard this is going to be a film (a Village Roadshow production) and I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye out for it!

I highly recommend this one!!

This was a #bookstamademedoit and unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me.

There were things I liked about it (the setting, the anniversary letters, the multiple POVs), but I just didn’t connect with the characters or their relationship.

The big twist that everyone talks about was really good, but then there were even more twists that had my head spinning by the end of it.