deldc's reviews
128 reviews

3 or 3.3?

lol i have lots of mixed thoughts and feelings regarding this book. probably bec it only became interesting (at least for me) at 60%, and it didn't even get to superb. 

but then a few good things must be said:

it's either i started with the wrong book to judge miss talia hibbert's writing and novels, or she really still has room for improvement, like all novelist, after all.

this one wasn't so bad. i liked a few plot representation in some one-liners -- which i didn't expect i'd be able to decipher given that i don't usually see through such. in connection to that, i liked her metaphors. it's just that sometimes the meanings became repetitive. some dialogues were too cheesy and forced for my taste, especially during intimate scenes that usually have few expected conversational exchanges. there's also a moderate amount of unnecessary side comments that confused my attention. 

so again, i want to try more of talia hibbert and i look forward to reading the next of this series. i feel that she has something important to put out there through her novels. for example, in this, she conveyed topics such as fibromyalgia and chronic pain struggles (i expected the story would somehow center on this so it's a bit frustrating that it wasn't.) , the stigma that comes to people dealing with illnesses, coping and moving on with past trauma, abusive relationships, and my favorite: opening oneself to a relationship despite having unresolved trauma and learning to work it out even if it means a simultaneous cycle of effort and pain. 

wholly, i didn't like this at first. i didn't admire the lust that consumed this book halfway. i thought this was problematic to tolerate for a romance genre at least (and so was chloe and red's blooming relationship) hence, it made the book hard for me to read. i expected conflicts later on in chloe and red's relationship, aside from the fact that romance plots typically go that road, but also because they were both unready to deal with themselves to be able to care for each other beyond the promise of lust. then, change happened and i was in for it. i was rooting. thank my reading challenges, i couldn't drop this. the change made my rating go higher above 2 lol. i'm glad that this didn't turn out so bad.

FINALLY!!!!

THIS BOOK IS TOO HEAVY TO SPEED THROUGH. that end note? as if the whole book is not enough to break me? 

i won't deny that this book is all but DRAGGY (took me months!!! had long breaks in between) but i also admit its praises in terms of depicting the lives enslaved by addiction. *claps* it taught me a lot of things about it and given the time it took me to finish this, it'll definitely lessen the chance of me forgetting. it discussed a lot of sad and hard facts about addiction: how small a chance for one to make it to recovery even after rehab; how stigma greatly affects this chance; how genes and addiction are related; the perspectives of people going through addiction: how they got into it; tried to get better and failed many times; etc. it showed how vulnerable and human they are still, in contrary to the prejudice  oftenly charged against them. i am attached to the community (u know i love communities 🥺) James had within the rehab, and it was heartbreaking to read about their struggles. this book was good in all that matter although i must say that 80% of the part, James didn't make this an easy ride because of his writing style and format... :| no quotations aside, there are a lot of repetitive monologues that exhausted my reading energy lol. although i understand it might be for poetic volume, but that purpose was only defeated by making it more draggy and LONG. i mean-- the theme IS DARK and GRAPHIC enough, no need for emphasis on that, James. 

also, i can't help but critique James' sense of self-reliance. i'm happy for his recovery and all, but throughout the book, this self-reliance made this memoir a little bit performative, hence, it gave me doubts regarding the truthfulness of his testimony. definitely not a fan of this attitude from him but nonetheless, i still respect his journey and rejoice in his sobriety. (this book shone a new light major on respect for me, btw)

would i recommend this book? yes and no. yes, because as i've mentioned, it has real addiction and rehab content that could inspire change in the way we empathize people going through addiction, and change in the management of addiction especially within family corners. i wouldn't recommend this if you can find another book with the same type of content but more accessible in writing because this might get you into a slump. :') 

all in all, i give it a 3.5 ⭐

TW: GRAPHIC (!!!) contents of violence, sex, drugs, sexual abuse & harrassment, foul language, suicide

not speaking to me atm 😂

eliot. eliot. eliot. just eliot. 

-1 bec little miss author was so cruel to allot only 1 chapter for the main event: emmie & eliot !! 🩵🙄

but i'll take note of u, lia louis. :') 

this is me legit dropping a book.

idk but she keeps repeating herself 😢 it's annoying. it contains words i've already heard / can access more concretely and concise from a tedtalk (whether from myself, my friends, my mom, or a podcast) so i don't think i'm gonna be needing more of this. 

i wanted to give this a 1⭐ badly lol so it's lucky i only dnf'd.

(and to think she wrote 3 books with the same theme??? can't imagine. )

2.5?

LOL!! 

this made me realize i might not be inclined to like erotica fiction. i still bet a certain level of spicyness but this type ? waaaaaaay too out of my league 😂

4.5!!! 

so good! loved tyson the most! and i liked that they gave clarisse a spot in this installation. still found myself laughing from some banters 😂 and am stoked for the next! 

i haven't read many memoirs but among the ones i've picked up, this was the most honest. one of the few that bears humanity in itself. one of the few that admitted being human is most of the time ugly and exhausting and disgusting. and i loved jennette mccurdy for that. her experience with her mom hit home in ways i'm too sad to admit myself. writing this book must have been hard; must have included a lot of crying and breakdowns. because it's hard enough to rummage through the past with a trauma that you do not want to recollect over and over, much more reminiscing the memory of a person you deeply loved and idolized almost half of your life while she robs you of as much of it. i should say that this is her brave take in a lot of unspoken aspects of her life as a forced actress, a daughter, and a child. this is her reclamation of her name, her integrity. and i admire her; i respect her, deeply. i could hug this book if this was a person.

a bit of critique: i wish i had more glimpse of the process of how and when she gradually accepted the fact that her mom abused her before she finally came to acknowledge it. 

anws, looking forward to her debut novel! she has written her story so strategically with humor on this book and still managed to be HONEST about her feelings and experiences. i anticipate and am even curious about what would it be like for jennette to write a novel, and pursue the dream that her mom initially did not support. i am especially curious about her ideas and creativity that is more than acting as this, i claim to be, is her transition era where we finally see her as Jennette McCurdy, no more as Sam Puckett. i'm sure with a bestselling book as this, she is just starting, and she still has a lot more to show. (i hope especially in the literary world) ;')

ps. nickelodeon sucks.

things i like: 
- percy's character: his arrogance & funny personality; an intelligent kid who values justice, integrity, friendships, and family
- of course, the trio! i really love their dynamics. they do not overlap; instead, rick riordan gave them each a stage to shine in this book despite percy being the main protagonist.
- this is my first for greek mythology, and i must say it catalyzed my interest to know more about this area
- also liked that there's a funny touch to the gods' characters as well
- if i read this in HS, i probably wouldn't have noticed the socio-political relevance mentioned in the book. nevertheless, now that i'm more capable of extracting this book in a slightly deeper level, i liked the idea that rick riordan included issues like, environmental pollution, animal smuggling, domestic abuse, genocides, and many other historical and current events, as part of the book's timeline to make these more tangible to the audience. this book knows the significance of history in the present. it asks us to be mindful that these issues, these events have happened, have the possibility of repeating, and now are still happening in the real world. more than anything, it seeks our attention.

nothing i disliked about this book. would probably recommend it to anyone interested in greek mythology, but i must say this one is entry-level. won't probably give u all the facts but enough for a kickstarter. 

gave this a 4.5 because this is only the first book. the remaining .5 means that i want to read more into this series. :D