mjenae's reviews
247 reviews

Well-written. The taste descriptions are bursting with life—blunt and mouth-watering. That part I loved.
I enjoyed most of the stories, too, but I'm just not so sure I liked the author. She was too ambivalent; by the end of the book, I really didn't know what her values were, except that she supported abortion (she was very vocal on this subject, which added to my distaste). She talked about God on one page, then yoga and crystals on the next. She spoke a lot about her former relationship with a man with celiac disease; sometimes she was blaming him for everything that went wrong (even though she ended the relationship on her terms), other times she sounded as if she were still in love. It felt like she was trying to please everyone by tackling all the big topics from a neutral perspective, and it made me want to scream. I wish she'd stuck to writing about food. She's very talented at that.

THAT WAS NOT A SATISFYING ENDING. Ugh. I like everything tied up neatly and drawn down into a conclusion. This one ended on the brink of an ending.
It was a good read, though. The prologue wasn't much fun, or much of the marriage story at all. I wish there had been a way to leave some of that (and I mean the prologue) out of the book.
Because the scenes in the library and Kit's house, and all of Sunny's sections were wonderful. I thought when I started the book I'd dislike it, but then I got to know Sunny and Kit and Rusty better and each chapter was more enjoyable than the last.
I don't know if I'd reccomend it because of some of the content, but the rest of the story is better than I expected.

Insane, silly, and lots of fun. Kind of like eating pop rocks.

One third an exploration of the unexpected, and where we go after we lose everything.

One third magic, the creative imagination of children and the intricacy it can create in every element of life.

And one third a study of the “delicate cobweb link[ing] us all, silky lines trailing through the air.”

Once again, Ms. Creech loops together a riveting story, linking the complexities of love and trauma to the simplicity of step-by-step, of how every minute, day, year falls into place with the next one. The two settings—small-town Southern and countryside Ireland—were spread in vivid color across the pages. I felt as if I were there; and I wouldn't mind going back.

It felt like a high school essay. Lots of repetition, summaries summaries summaries. It was basically an elaboration on a "how to live mindfully" Google list.
Not that it was terrible. I agreed with everything. There was just nothing I hadn't heard before. I had to push myself through the final chapters. There's a gold nugget or two, but not really worth the whole read to find.
I'm glad it was short, anyway.

The title makes this book seem a little like comedy—touching, but lighthearted.

It's… quite heavy. If you want an easy read, this isn't for you. But if you want a spectacular survival story with anguish enough to empty you out and bravery enough to fill you to the top, you've come to the right place.

Something the potential reader needs to understand: Eleanor has gone through intense, repeated trauma—physical and emotional abuse, the latter of which is still happening throughout the book. And that's just part of it. I thought at first she might have autism—and I don't know, maybe she does—because of her inability to pick up on social cues or read humor. But now I think at least some of that was due to her chaotic and unhealthy upbringing. To be fair, I haven't read a lot of books dealing with trauma so upfront and firsthand like this, but this seemed very heavy on the sorrow.

There's healing, too, though. There has to be. Go travel down that path with Eleanor. She's a fascinating character, and she meets a lot of interesting people on the way, people who pop out of the page and shove new perspectives into your hands. I hope you come away with something you didn't have before—hope, at the very least. I have.

I'd give it more stars if I could. Possibly the best book I've read so far this year.

A light, silly read. Completely unrealistic, slightly cliché, but nice as an escape.
And clever! That "gender normative" joke almost made me choke on my icecream cone. (Even funnier coming from a misogynistic evil uncle like Freidrich.) It's the type of humor that takes modern culture and mentions it in historical fiction, and I fall for it every time. I mean, it's FUNNY. Uncle Friedrich claiming his diary is going to be the next Oprah's Book Club Pick? I'm telling you, this story is delightfulfully off its rocker.

This book really hit the spot. There's not a big plot-line; the story mainly follows Hayley's life and character development. But you'll never hear me complaining about character development, or emotional themes. Divorce, friendships dying (and new ones growing), love and rejection and everyday imperfection. Hayley is now one of my GOAT book characters; I related to her so much, and I felt like I was learning and growing with her throughout the story. (Oh, and did I mention she has a British grandmother who has tea every afternoon with an old Polish man who's just a good friend? Their dynamic is so cute and amazing and I kind of want to be her.)

Speaking of hitting the spot—I just finished eating a carrot cake cupcake (the first recipe of eight scattered between chapters) and WOW. Soft and full of flavor. The ginger cardamom cream cheese frosting—if anything takes the cake, that's it. And I'm not just saying that. I'm excited to try the other recipes.

I mean, I was down when they said "psych class." Throw a project into the mix and I'm for sure hooked. So yes, loved the premise.
The readers/actors do a phenomenal job at making this story come alive. It was perfect for a rom-com. Robbie always sounded casual and silly even when he was being serious and I don't know, it just worked well with the vibe. Also, he made me crack up all the time, so I may have been biased due to that.