designsbymeghen's reviews
230 reviews

Overall, this was a fine book; not incredible, but not terrible. The main character’s internal monologue was a little repetitive but ultimately, a decent character. I wanted more out of the intimate scenes, lol. They were almost too PG. I like that there were no hanging questions in the end and that everything was pretty much explained. 

Congratulations to Britney Spears for taking back control of her life. This story bears the heart and soul of who she is as a human and that she’s so much more than just a pretty face. She certainly did not have a reliable support system to navigate the world she was thrown into. It’s utterly absurd that she was under a conservatorship for 13 years. Her family and the toxic men in her past have some severe karma coming their way. Listening to her music now, knowing the struggles she endured, is nothing short of inspiring. There were a few repetitive parts, but it feels appropriate as those are what Britney experienced, and they couldn’t be said enough. Michelle Williams did an incredible job narrating this story. 

There’s no denying the author, Hanif, is a poet. This book has beautiful prose and makes flowing from memoir to musical analysis to society and history feel like floating down a river. I absolutely loved his essays about various musicians and songs and their effect on him and the music scene. It makes me appreciate how much thought and energy truly goes into a song. Though he’s also a punk-loving Ohio native with only a 9-year age difference, we had VERY different experiences growing up that are so necessary to hear about. 

Wow, this was quite the fever dream of a story. I love when writers write about being a writer; it’s interesting to see how they write about “the process” from a fictional character’s point of view. This story portrays what it’s like to be on the outside and not quite fit in. It does an excellent job of showing how much you’re willing to go with when you get a taste of acceptance. I love/hated the twist at the end and how the ending came together. Also, the narrator in the audiobook did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. 

I was not expecting Anne to be so snarky and well-spoken. I was hooked when she started describing her classmates 😂 I can’t believe I hadn’t read this sooner. What an incredible first-hand telling of an unimaginably tragic time. As a reader, you ride the highs and lows of her emotional teenage turmoil. She was a natural storyteller who captivated readers by pouring her heart into her diary. I felt an emptiness after finishing this story, knowing how her life ended too soon. I am in awe that her father was able to collect her diaries and get her story out into the world. 

I was due for a good cry! I haven’t read many war-time books, but this was pretty great. I’m sure this story resonates with many parents balancing their children, careers, and marriage. I was smitten with Alina’s story during the war. Her and Tomasz’s love for each other was unconditional and pure. I didn’t love Alice’s story as much because of the narrator, but she dealt with taxing modern-day parenting and marriage challenges. There were a few repetitive dialogues, and the ending dragged out a bit, but overall, it was a remarkable story. 

Not my cup of tea. It's probably a fine book, but the main character is almost a little too ditzy for me.

This is a nice wholesome read with very little at stake. You kind of know the main character, Hazel is going to come out on top no matter what. I love a good love triangle, and there are a couple spicy scenes that add a little flare. Nineteenth-century Edinburgh was no joke though. There’s a lot to be learned and studied during this time, which is great for mankind, but the patriarchy is very much flourishing, so being a woman with any scrap of intellect is a bit of a burden. 

The fact that this whole story is told in reverse is pretty incredible and very interesting. It started off a little slow but it started to pick up about a third of the way in. There were a lot of great twists and turns and you didn’t know what was coming next. I absolutely loved how the story was resolved.

writing the whole time travel thing off as deja vu was brilliant! How clever. I also loved that the main character still ended up with her husband even after altering the entire course of how they got together in the first place.

This one was very meh. Pretty anticlimactic throughout the whole story. It almost feels like he’s writing this out of obligation and not that he cares about the storyline. Part of it could have been my fault for distracted reading, but really, it just didn’t capture my attention like the earlier books. I also don’t love what he’s doing to the characters. Lisbeth has a lot more emotional turmoil than she ever has before and Erica has basically been written out of the story. No way she’s divorce Gregor. Dumb.