fandomsandfiction's reviews
576 reviews

🌟 new favourite romcom author unlocked 🌟

what to expect:
- dual pov
- one bed trope
- enemies-to-lovers
- closed-door romance
- major misunderstandings
- a touch of found family <3
- she falls first, he falls harder !!!

I started reading this book while away on vacation in december. Maybe it was just the similar vibes, but I ADORED IT! Reading a book set in a hotel during the festive season while staying in a hotel during the festive season? It couldn't be more perfect. (The only difference being summer here and winter there!)

This book is a delightfully indulgent treat. It's got all the sugary sweetness of a good love story. It's sprinkled with a mild measure of spice. It's packed with juicy jealousy scenes, pining and angst. And it's served with a fresh side of personal growth, trauma healing, workplace family bonds, and all the emotions :')

Told through alternating povs, The Wake-Up Call follows two hospitality work nemeses who make a bet to help save their falling (both literally and figuratively) hotel. Bubbly, extroverted Izzy charmed me from the very beginning with her pink-striped hair and caring nature. Reserved, introspective Lucas won me over with his desire to break generational curses and his frequent lapses into Portuguese. I loved the main characters, and I loved the side characters, and I loved their silly banter and layered dialogue- basically, I loved it all! I did contemplate removing a star (or half) for the mention of a particular author that I find disagreeable.... but I decided that would be petty, so five stars for all the fun!

I did not realize Beth O'Leary is such a fun author. Why did nobody tell me that Beth O'Leary is such a fun author??? I am now compelled to read every single one of her books available. Romance readers, come join me!! <3 

I had a full review planned but I am just too tired now lol.
Long story short, Naomi is a sweetheart but I'm not too crazy about Knox. 🤷‍♀️
I loved the whole "left in a small town with my evil twin's daughter that I did not know existed" thing! And I am definitely going to read the rest of the books in this series.

 

 My mind while reading this: "oh how I love being a woman."

When I first started reading this one, I was already looking forward to ending it. There were just too many unknown words (even for me, the word nerd!), the writing style was difficult to get into, and the main character was just so unlikeable. These initial thoughts quickly changed.

Set in a fictional world where governance is built around religion, The Book of Eve tells the story of Beatrice, the sullen covenant librarian, who comes upon a mysterious book with a power and will of its own. When Beatrice is given the book by a dying woman, her quiet life of isolation is thrown into disarray. Men of the faith desperately want this book. They attribute it to an evil that must be destroyed. But Beatrice cannot seem to give it up and soon the lives of her and all the women around her are thrown into peril.

At its core, this is a book about womanhood. It is about women standing together in solidarity against vile, power-hungry men. And that's exactly what I like!!! I quickly went from contemplating 'dnf' to devouring every word. The narrative's pace is slow and steady, but after the halfway mark it gets quite heated and heavy. I went from impassively turning pages to feeling BOILING RAGE that made me want to SCREAM and CRY (and possibly commit a felony against fictional characters). I read it as commentary on how domineering men have distorted religious beliefs so that they hold power over women. This book may paint an archaic fictional world, but it reflects the very real and pressing issues of contemporary society. It shows how a combination of men's manipulation and women with internalized misogyny turn 'patriarchy' into a dirty word. It portrays the pains of women who blame themselves... women who shame themselves... all because they could not protect themselves or their loved ones from the desires of wretched men. The author's way of intertwining fiction/reality and fantasy/religion is a magnificent thing! The writing leans towards an old-fashioned style (possibly medieval?) and the prose is rich, spellbinding, and perhaps even a little sacrilegious.

While I initially disliked the main character, Beatrice slowly grew on me. She is a haunted woman who loves books. She is just like me. She is me. (And you too if you can relate).

The Book of Eve makes a powerful statement. I just wish it were more coherent. 

A bizarre rating for a bizarre book! This is my second encounter with Mona Awad's work and it was just as surreal and unpredictable as the first. 

"All's Well" is the story of former stage actress Miranda whose life in the spotlight is cut short after a nasty fall leaves her with chronic pain and an addiction to painkillers. The woman who once graced the stage, bringing popular plays to life, is now relegated to working a college drama course where she directs talentless students in the art of performance. And she hates it. That is until three strange men (peep the three witches from Macbeth) enter her life and offer her a fantastical opportunity to turn it all around.

This is a story that explores the struggles of chronic suffering, medical trauma, and female pain. Mona Awad takes 'mid-life crisis' to a whole new realm of conception with her eerie portrayal of a woman living in deep pain, deep envy, and deep fear. Reading this book made me think that if Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, and Hayao Miyazaki put together their most bizarre but brilliant ideas, this would be the result. And of course, we cannot forget Shakespeare. He is the key influencer and motif of this story. Drawing on Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Macbeth", Mona Awad presents a story that encompasses his many 'tragic heroes' but set in a modern world. However, despite all the links I could make between this book and other writers, "All's Well" is quintessentially Mona Awad.

Awad writes books that reflect and critique the human psyche. I believe her protagonists are fundamentally unlikeable BECAUSE they show the innermost facets - desires, beliefs, inhibitions, unbridled emotions, etc. - of human character. These protagonists think and act and express in a way that makes you want to turn away in disagreement or revulsion, but at the same time, a part of you may empathize and/or relate. Like Mona Awad's other works, "All's Well" plays on the perception of reality. The story is told through Miranda's twisted, distressed, and unreliable point of view. This creates a narrative made up of superstitious imaginings, rudimentary thoughts, questionable happenings, and dubious deductions stemming from Miranda's own insecurities. Emotions are conveyed with depth and viscera. Commentary is made on gender and patriarchy. Flaws in the art, medical, AND education systems are brought to light. The use of intertextuality is brilliant. I mean, using one of Shakespeare's problem plays to create a problem story of your own? That's pretty badass Ms Awad! 

I had great fun wrapping my mind around the peculiar world of "All's Well" and picking apart my own brain as I pick apart the storyline. I am already desperate to pick up another book by this author! 

EPIC! SO SO EPIC! I ATE THIS ONE UP LIKE I HAD BE STARVING FOR DAYS!!!! 

I'm so addicted to this series !!!

That was insane! I loved it.