paperportals's reviews
111 reviews

I remember coming from the heels of Last Night by MF, and itching to have another round of beautiful / funny narrative and while Dear Emmie Blue is by no means a badly told story, it didn't scratch the itch. 

(I like the MMC well enough though, and even the FMC wasn't unlikeable, but for some reason I didn't attach myself to them as much as I attach to MF's characters?)

What I'm learning, perhaps, is how writing style has an impact. I seem to respond well to McFarlane's and the author who wrote The FlatShare more? 

And maybe I'm starting to read these books like a writer, so instead of just sitting and enjoying the story, I'm trying to "figure it out" (like, I clocked the MMC as soon as his name appeared on the page). That's more a me-problem than the author's problem, though, wouldn't you say? Ah well. 

My favorite book of 2024 so far. 

This book went from "Oh I don't have the mental space for it" to "Oh I could not put it down, literally." 

Shell-shocked and happy, I was storytold by an author with a genius and a humor I will always treasure. 

McFarlane's finest novel. 
(Her finest romantic-comedy novel is still It's Not Me, It's You but take that with a grain of salt because I have not yet read all her titles.)

I thought this would be an inspirational, fluffy read, but boy was I wrong.

Though, it was fluffy in a sense because the author's idealism really jumps off the page. I think you have to be a little naive to think you can "change the world", and her sense of belief is undeniable. Her very strong sense of injustice, her passion, her adamant insistence on kindness, and her commitment to people is admirable but I can see how this could be interpreted as "fluffy". Especially if you're jaded. Here's someone who looks at the world so much more clearly, and YET maintains hope. 

But ategurl is in the arena throwing hands and putting up a hell of a fight -- she's been in the frontline, been in skirmishes, been jailed for her activism, and I honestly believe I just listened to someone very very wise and good. It was great seeing her perspectives on movement-making, policy-shaping, and people-advocating. I didn't think she'd touch on so many social issue areas (global trade, COVID-19, water access, climate justice) but that was fascinating to learn from her experience. She mentioned this in the book that I was shocked to know about also.

What a rouser for change, a call to arms. Her hope has scars and bears so much weight; I'm so blessed to read and come across this book. 

Not bad and holds up, despite the fact that it was published in 2017. 🥳 

Does not demonize technology. I'm wary of that since The Social Dilemma did that for me -- and it made me feel from bad to worse even though facts are facts.

Other things: 
- practical principles presented such as big corporations paying money to keep us glued to our screens (probably "new" the time it was published, but this knowledge is so much more widespread now) 
- definitely biased, but provides support for it 
- assumes readers are followers of Jesus, so might be disorienting for readers who don't necessarily subscribe to Christianity
- Scriptural in that it directly quotes from the Bible and provides verse references 
- well-structured and thoughtful (like, kitang-kita ang journalistic background ni Koyaguy)

Overall, good primer on our relationship with our phones. I felt wonder instead of despair after reading, and that's a good sign.

The Study Room had my favorite essays.

The Bad:  
- Readers might confuse a life full of privilege ("open doors" "bigger opportunities" "more impact") with a life full of God, and I sincerely hope this won't be the case
- Authors can only share what they know, but this author certainly comes from a place not many might find relatable
- Author reveals an underlying notion of what a successful life is (saving nothing for the next life), and it might sound more like a prescription and I wish it didn't; we might all have different definitions of success

The Good: 
- Any book starting with "rock bottom" (however that is for the author) is a book with a great hook
- Readers get the sense they're reading someone who embodies the book's content
- Lots of stories reinforcing the point, stories that the author himself experienced first-hand or shares from close friends and family, which makes it believable
- Great, conversational story-telling! Always a good sign when I'm just 100% engaged to an audiobook.
- I liked the occasional drawing from Scripture for golden principles, even though they're not the focal point of the book

The Recommendation:
- Pick up for a spiritualized peptalk
- Pick up if you feel like you've disqualified yourself
- Pick up if you feel like God has disqualified you
- Pick up if looking for strong (and weighted) perspectives of what a good life can look like

Personal note: I might still like The Barbarian Way more.

Recommended, especially for client service work. :)

Quick read. Fast facts. Easy application. 3 hours on audio, well worth it!

The more I read McFarlane the more I realize how much I just want happy stories. There's usually a sparkly element to her books: whether the heroine is amazing, the hero dreamy, the group of friends or family believable or sparkly, and I think this might be the story that falls the flattest on all fronts (except perhaps the jerks. Don't You Forget About Me certainly had the worst a-holes in the McFarlane Literary Universe, and yes, I do mean plural!)

This isn't a romance book by any means, it's more of a journey of self-discovery and healing with a subplot of romance rekindled. I can understand how that can be very entertaining to others, but generally not what I was looking for. I found myself feeling impatient (when are these two going to interact?) and not rewarded for the amount of time I had to wait for the story to unfold (oh... that's it?) 

So all in all, "It's Not You, It's Me" is still my favorite... and maybe this one is my least? My other candidate for least favorite is Here's Looking At You, but I feel like that had better format since it was dual-POV.