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sydneythewhale's reviews
332 reviews
Saga, Vol. 10 by Brian K. Vaughan
adventurous
sad
4.25
Jan. 2023: 4.25⭐️
alana and squire's relationship rips my heart out :-)
alana and squire's relationship rips my heart out :-)
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
lighthearted
3.75
Dec. 2022: 3.75⭐️
This book is objectively not great. It definitely reads like fanfiction purely because of the ridiculous, implausible, full-of-holes premise that is perfectly acceptable in fanfic but that makes me roll my eyes in published novels. However, I did not go into this book expecting or even wanting objective greatness. I went into this expecting fun, ridiculous published Reylo fanfic, and boy did it deliver.
This book is objectively not great. It definitely reads like fanfiction purely because of the ridiculous, implausible, full-of-holes premise that is perfectly acceptable in fanfic but that makes me roll my eyes in published novels. However, I did not go into this book expecting or even wanting objective greatness. I went into this expecting fun, ridiculous published Reylo fanfic, and boy did it deliver.
This is essentially cotton candy in book form — not a whole lot of substance and would very easily disintegrate in the face of any kind of scrutiny, but it’s sweet and addicting and distracts you from the misery of all your end of semester work for a couple hours.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Nov. 2022: 2.25⭐️
I don't know that I've ever had such complicated feelings about a book before. It's really unfortunate that the entire premise and execution of this book is so creepy because otherwise I would've really liked this book. That sounds contradictory, but I really do love Rainbow Rowell's writing style and realness she infuses into her characters. So I'd be reading this, having a good time, relatively successfully ignoring or rationalizing the weird premise, and then Lincoln would make some comment about how Beth was his and then I'd get mad and grossed out again. Because while Rowell creates characters that feel and speak like real people, I fundamentally do not like those people. Lincoln – I feel like that one's self-explanatory. And then there's Beth and Jennifer, two characters primarily defined by their relationship problems, hatred of their own bodies, and disdain of almost other women.
I kind of went into this book expecting to hate it just based on the synopsis alone (which, sure, not the best to do, but this has been on my tbr for a long time and I've enjoyed Rowell's work in the past), but I really didn't. I liked Lincoln's character arc, I liked the email format, and the chapter and a half where Lincoln and Beth actually speak to each other was very sweet. I guess it really just comes down to the misogyny-fueled language (Lincoln's feelings of possession over Beth, a considerable amount of Beth and Jennifer's conversations, etc.), which is just... unfortunate.
I don't know that I've ever had such complicated feelings about a book before. It's really unfortunate that the entire premise and execution of this book is so creepy because otherwise I would've really liked this book. That sounds contradictory, but I really do love Rainbow Rowell's writing style and realness she infuses into her characters. So I'd be reading this, having a good time, relatively successfully ignoring or rationalizing the weird premise, and then Lincoln would make some comment about how Beth was his and then I'd get mad and grossed out again. Because while Rowell creates characters that feel and speak like real people, I fundamentally do not like those people. Lincoln – I feel like that one's self-explanatory. And then there's Beth and Jennifer, two characters primarily defined by their relationship problems, hatred of their own bodies, and disdain of almost other women.
I kind of went into this book expecting to hate it just based on the synopsis alone (which, sure, not the best to do, but this has been on my tbr for a long time and I've enjoyed Rowell's work in the past), but I really didn't. I liked Lincoln's character arc, I liked the email format, and the chapter and a half where Lincoln and Beth actually speak to each other was very sweet. I guess it really just comes down to the misogyny-fueled language (Lincoln's feelings of possession over Beth, a considerable amount of Beth and Jennifer's conversations, etc.), which is just... unfortunate.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
5.0
Oct. 2022: 5⭐️
“we’re a venn diagram now, instead of a circle.” this sentence, 140 pages from the end of the book, marked the beginning of my marathon of tears that ran through the rest of the novel. it is now essentially empirically-proven that you can give me any story about sisters and I will soon be an absolute mess! it is rare for me to shed even a single tear while reading a book, so the fact that this one elicited a near-constant stream from me for the final third of the book is impressive, I suppose. anyways fuck you emily henry I love you please never do this to me again!
“we’re a venn diagram now, instead of a circle.” this sentence, 140 pages from the end of the book, marked the beginning of my marathon of tears that ran through the rest of the novel. it is now essentially empirically-proven that you can give me any story about sisters and I will soon be an absolute mess! it is rare for me to shed even a single tear while reading a book, so the fact that this one elicited a near-constant stream from me for the final third of the book is impressive, I suppose. anyways fuck you emily henry I love you please never do this to me again!
Saga, Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan
emotional
4.25
Oct. 2022: 4.25⭐️
brian k vaughan I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU
brian k vaughan I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU