rberdan's reviews
176 reviews

Listen. I expected to DNF this after reading the content warnings. I DEFINITELY didn’t expect to have as much fun as I did, but here I am having started the book when I woke up and finished before noon. 

Some of the scenes are absolutely  grotesque, and I can’t say I share the same desires as these two, but it’s Santa Clarita Diet funny and I found myself really enjoying Sloane and Rowan’s absolutely unhinged story. I think I have a soft spot for them because I, too, got to find a HEA with a best friend who shares and embraces my weird (though ours is way less violent and illegal). 

After reading two fairly heavy books, this was a fun departure. 

I honestly don't know whether or not I liked this book. It was definitely a departure for me, and I would say I likely wasn't in the ideal headspace to read it. I also came to it immediately after reading Wuthering Heights, so I think I was a bit tired of the darkness, though they were miserable in different ways. 

The story is told largely through the perspective of "Sadie Smith", a fairly detached sort of honeypot spy who is hired to infiltrate an anti-establishment commune in rural France. I genuinely cannot discern whether Sadie—and the book itself—is overly self important or cleverly layered. 

I was initially drawn in by the humour, but found that it was a thread that did not carry through as consistently as I'd hoped. There were some choices that felt dark and edgy for the sake of it and not so much for narrative value, but the final 10% of the book also seemed to shed some light on why they were there and where they were leading. The exception to this was the sexualization of children—I simply do not understand what the purpose of this was other than to sit in discomfort, but there are many other ways to do that and it was a choice that I admit shut down my curiosity for a good portion of the book. 

Although I found Sadie was a character that I did not find lovable, or even one I connected to in any meaningful way, I did find that the sections of the book I found most interesting were when she was alone. I don't know why that is, but I do think it speaks to an artfulness in the crafting of this character and her inner life. Bruno's interludes were occasionally interesting and occasionally lost me and I still don't quite know where I've landed with that,

though I do appreciate how he eventually came around to how is desire to eschew "progress" in service of going backward was actually a means of trying to control the future

. His end point did resonate with me. 

There was, at one point, a poignant exploration of what makes up a person, their salt. It was an interesting concept and I found that by the end I was wondering why that thread wasn't pulled and woven more... I guess, just more. 

All to say, I think the writing itself was skillful. I have marked many pages for passages that made me laugh or think. At times, reading felt like a chore. My own experience was pretty polarizing throughout, so this is a solid middle-of-the-road for me in the balance. 

Absolutely miserable characters that were perfect companions for a dreary winter read. I had expected the land to be an even bigger character than it was. Ultimately, there’s a theme of breaking generational curses and trauma. Some truly gorgeous t

This was an informative read, and the dynamics between father and son were interesting. I learned about the ways in which Palestinians were systematically made stateless, and not only by Israel. I also learned a lot about myself and how I want to show up through Aziz’s hopeful and visionary art perspective on what better would look like and commitment to a path that was not about “either” side. It is so hard to be principled in that kind of scenario, and it seems that he was. 

I didn’t know this author or that this was Christian fiction, but was drawn to the title. This is not my faith and not a genre I would typically seek out because of my early harmful experiences with religion. 

That said, this was a sweet, low-stakes romance and an okay palate cleanser between other reads. 

A stellar debut novel about secrets, family, grief, memories, home, flowers,  love, and forgiveness. 

Francine is a misanthrope who keeps to herself, her garden, and her ghostly companion, Bree. The introduction of a couple of lodgers and the return of her sister, Madeleine, throw all she knows about life and love for a loop as sinister beings and a dark past come to light. 

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Well, Bree had me hooked, is more like it. Her spirit was so delightful and I found myself wanting to know her story better, until I then found myself wanting to know this whole world better. This book was somehow as gothic and ghostly as it was whimsical and heartwarming as it was again devastating. The strength of the girls and women was palpable, and

the senseless tragedy that too often befalls families that experience abuse was heartbreaking, as were the impossible choices the mother had to make for her children

. 

Truly one of my favourite books for fully pulling me into the atmosphere, balancing the tone between darkness and light,  creative twists, and excellent characterization.