hollanddavis's reviews
885 reviews

The Sliding Doors (1998)/different timeline magicness was well thought out and very interesting, but the characters ultimately fell flat. Well, maybe it was mostly Gemma that didn't do it for me? She was selfish and expected her loved ones (even people who didn't remember her) to prioritize her needs above their own. Generally, I can get behind a friends-to-lovers, but this was rough to read. She was purposely obtuse for much longer than necessary, and at a certain point I wasn't sure if I wanted to roll my eyes or pull out my hair.

A quick and entertaining read exploring why we, as a society, are drawn to gossip that I highly recommend. McKinney explores fandoms, parasocial relationships, social media, urban legends, and more while simultaneously killing the audiobook! I’m always a fan when authors read their own work. It adds a level of conversational je ne sais quoi to the text that bumps some nonfiction books from a snooze fest to simply delightful. 

Memorable Quote: 

“We cannot know ourselves truly, madly, or deeply without gossip as a way to contextualize our space within the world. We gossip not only because we can but because we have to. Without the self-awareness gained by gossiping, we would become husks of ourselves, so uninterested in the world around us that we become separated from it entirely.”

I think growing up in the era of City of Bones, Cruel Intentions (1999), Clueless (1995), and Life with Derek

(2005) desensitized me to the "forbidden 'sibling'" romance plot. Especially given the fact that these two MCs were well into adulthood, met before they knew their parents were dating, and never lived together as children, I thought Bailey made this incest (and I use this very very loosely) plot too big of a deal. The characters made it worse by constantly calling each other their step-siblings (when their parents weren't

I did however have issues with the fact that the MMC's actions enabled the FMC's helplessness instead of working with her to strengthen her independence. I'm all for a ridiculous romcom, but come on. She's never been in a basement before? She spent all of her rent money on eye cream? and he isn't even upset? it's just a cute quirk? I could not suspend my disbelief, I'm sorry.

In a twist nobody could’ve seen coming, the novella tops the leaderboard! When the description started off with a ”skeptical teacher” and an “aggressive leopard”, I seriously considered skipping straight to #4, but I’m glad I didn’t!

Couple Leaderboard Update:

1. Annie and Zach
2. Brenna and Judd
3. Sascha and Lucas
4. Tamsyn and Nate
5. Faith and Vaughn

Gripping. As the reader, you don't know what to expect even when you're told exactly what to expect. Harpman explores humanity, grief, love, isolation, perseverance, and acceptance in such a quick read. I highly recommend the audiobook, Nikki Massoud, brought this novel to life.

Memorable quotes:

"I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering, and that I was human after all"

"Even a person raised in captivity learns to want, yearns to see beyond their cage. How much of our humanity is intrinsic? How much remains, when all else is stripped away?"

"Sometimes, I used to sit under the sky, on a clear night, and gaze at the stars, saying, in my croaky voice:

"Lord, it you're up there somewhere, and you aren't too busy, come and say a few words to me, because I'm very lonely and it would make me so happy." Nothing happened. So I reckon that humanity- which I wonder whether I belong to —really had a very vivid imagination"