I went back and forth between four and five stars for quite a while on this. On the one hand, QUEER LADY PIRATES YES PLZ KTHXBAI. I mean really, that I went back and forth between four and five stars for quite a while on this. On the one hand, QUEER LADY PIRATES YES PLZ KTHXBAI. I mean really, that speaks for itself. On the other hand, it really honestly wasn't a perfect book for me, despite being very very good. So four stars it is.
I loved Mary's character, and the buildup of her backstory, and the growth we see throughout the book as she figures out who she is and what she wants. I liked her and Anne's relationship, and how they had to both figure out how to be open and honest with each other in a society where that could be a very dangerous thing. I liked the ambiguity of Jack's character. And I really loved the ending (although I would also be totally 100% here for a sequel PLEASE THAT WOULD BE AMAZING).
I wasn't thrilled with Anne's character — her badass introduction doesn't jibe with the clingy, needy, manipulative person she ends up being later, and I could have done with much less of that. I also could have done with a bit more action, though I'm not saying the angst should be sacrificed; there was a lot of good character development in that angst that would be hard to do without. I was also less than pleased with the one dimensional villains, particularly Robbie and his (view spoiler)[repeated sexual assault attempts (hide spoiler)]. That trope's played out; let's let it go. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to see more like this.
Merged review:
I went back and forth between four and five stars for quite a while on this. On the one hand, QUEER LADY PIRATES YES PLZ KTHXBAI. I mean really, that speaks for itself. On the other hand, it really honestly wasn't a perfect book for me, despite being very very good. So four stars it is.
I loved Mary's character, and the buildup of her backstory, and the growth we see throughout the book as she figures out who she is and what she wants. I liked her and Anne's relationship, and how they had to both figure out how to be open and honest with each other in a society where that could be a very dangerous thing. I liked the ambiguity of Jack's character. And I really loved the ending (although I would also be totally 100% here for a sequel PLEASE THAT WOULD BE AMAZING).
I wasn't thrilled with Anne's character — her badass introduction doesn't jibe with the clingy, needy, manipulative person she ends up being later, and I could have done with much less of that. I also could have done with a bit more action, though I'm not saying the angst should be sacrificed; there was a lot of good character development in that angst that would be hard to do without. I was also less than pleased with the one dimensional villains, particularly Robbie and his (view spoiler)[repeated sexual assault attempts (hide spoiler)]. That trope's played out; let's let it go. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to see more like this....more
Delightful. Both of the main characters were fantastic, and I really loved the chemistry between them. I could have done with a little more about Mrs.Delightful. Both of the main characters were fantastic, and I really loved the chemistry between them. I could have done with a little more about Mrs. Wraxhall and how she came to be so understanding — this may have been covered in other books in the series, but it's been so long since I read them, I honestly can't remember how these characters figure in, so if that's the case, a quick refresher wouldn't have gone amiss.
The plot was fun, if perhaps slightly underbaked, and the resolution felt a tad too easy for the buildup it was given, but it was still quite satisfying to see Alice come out of her shell and take what was hers. Basically, most of my complaints boil down to, "It was too short, I wanted more", and it's hard to see that as much of a negative. Overall, a quite entertaining little romp — be gay, do crime, indeed....more
Well, this was a massive disappointment. This book clearly sets out to be a rom-com, except the comedy consists almost entirely of lesbian stereotypesWell, this was a massive disappointment. This book clearly sets out to be a rom-com, except the comedy consists almost entirely of lesbian stereotypes and skin-crawling cringe humor. The characters all seem to be time travelers from 1998; people are reading print magazines and passing notes on paper; the main character seems to sincerely not even know the word "Twitter"; and the author apparently forgot that texting exists until halfway through the book.
I can't for the life of me figure out this setting; as someone who was queer at a conservative Catholic high school (in the early 2000s, no less!), none of this felt even close to familiar. This place is apparently hardcore enough to call Mack in to the principal's office for a stern warning and call an assembly to warn the whole school about the evils of homosexuality, but then as Mack proceeds to, well, mack on half the cheerleader squad...literally nothing else happens? Excuse me?
Who are these characters? I've never seen such a cast of cardboard cutouts; it's literally just a bunch of stereotypes from like every 90s teen movie. Beth is literally just Brittany from Glee, right down to treating her cat like a human for "comedy" purposes. Lila has no personality or motivation beyond plot convenience; she encourages Mack at the beginning, gets jealous in the middle (view spoiler)[(for what turns out to be no reason) (hide spoiler)] because the plot needs some extra tension, and then conveniently decides at the end that she's not jealous after all because it's time for the happy ending.
And Mack. My god. Don't get me started. I hated her so much. I know teenagers can sometimes be short-sighted and self-centered, but this girl apparently has not one ounce of empathy, self-awareness, or common fucking sense. Every decision she makes is a trainwreck, and how anyone is even still speaking to her by the end of the book is beyond me. I couldn't sympathize with her because I was too busy bouncing between putting my eyes back in their sockets at how she could be so dense and wanting to wring her damn neck.
And finally, the plot is both ridiculous and gross. Sure Mack, you can just "steal" all the football players' girlfriends; surely the girls themselves don't have anything as inconvenient as actual feelings on the matter. And where the hell did that ending come from? (view spoiler)[You can't just have a random "I am Spartacus" moment at the prom without setting up why the entire grade suddenly gives a fuck about this girl they were perfectly happy to ignore and/or bully for the preceeding four years. Lila and Beth, yes, that makes sense; Veronica, eh, maybe, okay; but who else? Those are literally the only names mentioned. She hasn't made friends with anyone else; her other two "conquests" as far as we know are still actively mad at her. So who are all these randos suddenly standing up for her for no reason at all? (hide spoiler)] Ridiculous. No thank you, please....more
I can't decide what I think of this one, honestly. I expected to like it a lot more than I did. Dual timelines, gothic atmosphere, crumbling old buildI can't decide what I think of this one, honestly. I expected to like it a lot more than I did. Dual timelines, gothic atmosphere, crumbling old buildings and potential curses and hauntings, not to mention an unapologetically queer cast of characters — on paper, it sounds like it ought to be something like a cross between Kate Morton and Sarah Waters; it's like it was written directly and specifically to my exact interests. But in practice, it fell kind of flat for me.
There were parts I liked, to be sure. I found the main characters interesting, especially in the 1902 timeline. This storyline overall was certainly the stronger of the two: the plotting and pacing was tighter, it had a clear yet nuanced conflict, and it drew to a satisfying climax, (view spoiler)[only slightly marred by the Bury Your Gays conclusion (hide spoiler)]. I also found the distinctive narrative voice entertaining, though I can understand why other readers may have found it annoying or intrusive. It's a choice, certainly.
I was intrigued by the characters in the modern timeline, but they were underdeveloped, particularly Audrey. A lot of details of their backstories are mentioned, particularly conflicts and trauma related to their families, but the book never really explores how these details affect them now. Harper and Audrey both have ongoing conflicts with their respective mothers, which the book sets up like they will be significant, but these threads are utterly dropped with no impact at all on the story.
The setting was woefully underused, particularly in the modern timeline. We have virtually no scenes of them actually shooting the movie or spending time in the school; one brief scene in the tower; and one in the orchard that is unceremoniously interrupted & never returned to. For a novel clearly going for a gothic tone, this was a significant disappointment.
It was also frustrating that the two timelines never really came together. There's no mystery aspect of the people in the modern timeline trying to piece together what happened in the past, or even really discussing it much. There are some clear parallels drawn between the two, but no significance is attached to them; they seem to be echoes for echoes' sake. The symbolism of the yellowjackets and the apples is splashed liberally across both timelines, but it's so superficial as to be almost meaningless. And the final reveal of the curse's origin left me pretty cold; thematically speaking, it's honestly kind of a mess.
In the end, while there were certainly elements I enjoyed, it felt like the book was so wrapped up in being meta, in gesturing at symbolism and significance, that the author forgot to actually include any substance at the heart of all the layers. To borrow a phrase from Gertrude Stein, there's no "there" there. There were parts of it that I enjoyed reading, but in the end, I'm left with little more impression than a vague, "So what?"...more
A good continuation of the game, picking up a year after the ending where you choose to save Chloe (the correct ending, obviously lol). Strangely, forA good continuation of the game, picking up a year after the ending where you choose to save Chloe (the correct ending, obviously lol). Strangely, for a story about multiple timelines, it actually feels a bit more coherent than the game did, and the dialogue is much better, so that's a plus. My biggest complaint is the same one I had with the game, which is that Max's powers at times feel a little too random and plot-convenient; I'm not saying everything must be 100% explained in the text, but it should at least feel like there is some underlying logic to it, even if I don't necessarily understand what it is, and I don't really get that here. But overall I'm definitely happy to get more of Max and Chloe's story....more
This wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was reasonably entertaining. Some parts of the narration got a bit too far into tell-rather-than-show, andThis wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was reasonably entertaining. Some parts of the narration got a bit too far into tell-rather-than-show, and the Big Misunderstanding toward the end definitely felt rushed, and like it was there because it was "supposed" to be, rather than growing organically from the story, but at least it wasn't overly drawn out. I liked both of the characters a lot, and their personalities and interactions felt solid and believable. Age gap romances aren't super my thing, but this one managed to explore the idea without getting bogged down in angst and/or getting weird about it, which was good. I also appreciated both of the characters, especially Jamie, working through their baggage and growing both as individuals and as a couple, each being supportive of the other but not going so far as to use them as a crutch. Yay for healthy relationships!
Also apparently when it comes to hyper-specific microgenres, wlw-tattoo-shop-romances are my catnip, so this trope can definitely continue to be a thing please....more
I found the emotions in this book to be very well-written; the way it portrays grief is vivid and affecting, without the story feeling like it's draggI found the emotions in this book to be very well-written; the way it portrays grief is vivid and affecting, without the story feeling like it's dragging or getting unnecessarily bogged down. The reader who did the audiobook version was also fantastic (even if her southern accent was a little funky at times). That said, I was pretty uncomfortable with Corinne and Elissa's relationship and how one-sided it felt — she's the sole support to this girl she's never met, who was dating her ex no less, through this massive trauma, and it's never really addressed how unhealthy that is. As the story went on, I also found myself more and more frustrated with Corinne and unable to relate to or even really understand her fears about coming out. She's so overwhelmingly concerned with what other people will think of her, including people she's really not that close with, even though she fully expects most of the people she's really concerned about would be fine with it. She's also so preoccupied with "coming out" as this huge, singular event, it never even seems to occur to her that she could just tell the few people she's really close with, at least at first — which, not to speak for an entire group or anything, but isn't that how most people come out, when they have the option? That was certainly my experience.
I dunno. There were definitely good elements here, and overall probably a worthwhile story if you're looking for some big feels, but there were parts that could have been better for me....more
It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did, it was really enjoyable. The "fake relationship" trope has a high potential for goofiness in It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did, it was really enjoyable. The "fake relationship" trope has a high potential for goofiness in contemporary romance, and I prefer a little more romance than comedy in my rom-com reads, so I was a bit wary, but this book walked the line between funny and heartfelt very well. The situations are entertaining but not outlandish, the dialogue and narration is funny, and the emotions are realistic and satisfying.
I liked it a little less than the first one, possibly because I found Dani a little less likable; she's not a bad person or character by any means; I just find her harder to relate to. I also felt like the treatment of Zaf's anxiety was a little superficial; not bad, per se, but it seemed like there could have been a little more depth given that his point of view is half the book. Overall though, definitely an entertaining read....more
If you remember the the author's work from The Toast, you'll have a some idea of some of what you're in for here: lots of literary references and reimIf you remember the the author's work from The Toast, you'll have a some idea of some of what you're in for here: lots of literary references and reimaginings, plus some deeply introspective musings, often through the lens of classic literature, the Bible, or pop culture. It reminds me of nothing so much as hanging out and listening to conversations between some of my friends — people who are super smart, often irreverent, and definitely better-read than me, but not in a pretentious way. Those kinds of conversations and this kind of writing are among my favorites because even if I don't always understand what's going on, I get enough of it to mostly keep up, and I always come away feeling entertained and maybe a touch more informed than before. I will say, I didn't always feel like I understood what the author was trying to say with every piece here, and a couple parts seemed dull or even a little pointless, but the short chapters made it a very easy read, even when I was feeling a bit lost, and I certainly found myself sympathizing and/or cracking up with laughter with some frequency. Definitely worth the read....more
I was all set to love this, but it really just was not for me. To start, I have almost no tolerance for gore, so I should have read some reviews firstI was all set to love this, but it really just was not for me. To start, I have almost no tolerance for gore, so I should have read some reviews first because that was the majority of the "horror" in this book. Aside from that, the underlying plot felt like a mystery that the characters should be figuring out, but for most of the book, nobody has any agency; things just happen to them and everything sucks. The few times anybody tries to do anything, it blows up horribly in their faces. I was intrigued enough by the setup to see it through to the end, but the ending is neither complete enough to be happy, nor bleak enough to be satisfying tragedy, which was doubly irritating for me given how much gore I had to wade through to get there.
I also really didn't like any of the characters; none of them got enough development to be likable or even terribly realistic, and none of the interactions in the book felt like they were motivated by any kind of actual human desire or emotion other than selfishness or spite. Even Hetty's desire to save Byatt came across more as selfishness and guilt than genuine love. It's just a shit world full of shit people and everything sucks and fuck you. I guess that might appeal to some people, but definitely not me....more
