A great book about grief and needing to just temporarily pause your life. I wish I could do the same. A slow paced read and the character is just privileged and she’s written so you hate her but loved the book regardless.

Wow, I really don’t know where to begin with this one. I was attracted to the premise because I do think that engaging in rest is an act of rebellion in our capitalistic society, so I was curious to see what this would look like for the main character as she sought healing. While trauma and poor mental health can lead to maladaptive behaviors, I found myself very frustrated with the main character, her shitty behaviors, and complete apathy (and maybe actual hatred??) for every person she interacted with. As a very relational person, I struggled to relate and empathize with her. I also struggled on this front when it came to the MC’s privilege— you’re telling me that you have the financial means necessary to completely take off work for a year and still have plenty of financial stability and you choose to spend that *entire* year drugging yourself to sleep? I feel that there are other (more effective) ways to grow and heal as a person, but that’s just me… I’m a big fan of sleep (nap queen, truly), but I fail to see how abusing sleep medications so you can sleep literally all the time is healing and allows a fresh start. And in those waking moments, the focus is on “I’m still beautiful despite how others would look in my situation” and “Ew, how gross that other people are experiencing feelings and grief”. All of this paired with a “redemption/growth arc” that consisted of the MC finding beauty and meaning as she repeatedly watches a news clip of a woman jumping out of the Twin Towers on 9/11 just felt icky. Overall, I appreciate the nuance when it comes to depicting the human experience, but… this just wasn’t it for me. 

this was low-key terrible. I thought the writing itself was really good but the main character... she just pissed me off. to a degree i didn't think possible. I have NEVER read a character so pick me like in my life. every chapter it was her talking about how pretty and skinny and white and blonde she was and how reva just wants to be like her but she never will because she's poor and ugly. and her "development" at the end was barely even there I mean come on you go on a walk and feed frosted flakes to squirrels get a hold of yourself.

I can't figure out if this was a satire about rich white women and their refusal to handle things head on and instead take happy pills to ignore their responsibilities, or depression as a result of past traumas and general life and world pressures. I am going to go with both. 

The ending did not have much resolve. What happened with Reva was pretty predictable based on the timeframe of the book, and didn't really apply to the narrator's journey.

I didn’t feel that much happened in this book. Felt very repetitive, and the ending seemed rushed.

In reading this book, I got all the emotions. Some laughter, some confusion, and definitely sadness. I heavily related to the protagonist from her way of coping with life, to her lack of emotions and care throughout most of the book. It hit me hard at times. In spite of the emotional roller coaster, I really enjoyed it. Definitely going to re-read and annotate the heck out of it!