katiemack's reviews
1393 reviews

I love this book! 4.5 stars only because I wish there were more entries; however, the beautiful art and spotlight on the South Asian women that are in this book make it an empowering read for any girl. (Plus, all the proceeds from the book go to charities supporting women and children—how cool is that?)

I'm astonished at how accurately Shannon Hale manages to capture the anxiety the tenuousness of middle-school friendships (and their ever-changing rules) cause. As an anxious kid (and an anxious adult), this is an accurate reflection of the thoughts that were constantly running through my head when I attempted to join or leave a social circle in school. Bravo!

The story was deeper than the fluffy, cutesy rom-com I expected--addressing themes of trauma, loss, and adolescent growth and behavior pretty well--and I read it quickly; however, the dialogue was not always realistic, and the seduction scenes made me cringe a bit.

2.5 stars. I think this book will resonate with a select group of people who will identify with these inner thoughts on intense loneliness and struggle with relationship-based trauma. While I, too, have felt very much alone in a sea of people, I did not get much out of this book; it seemed empty to me, like a catharsis for Lane Moore to vent about her feelings rather than what the marketing suggested. (I expected more constructive essays on how she handled being alone.)

Kelley Armstrong excels at building lore within this world; I loved the monsters--they all had their own fully formed personality traits, from gruff-but-loyal Malrig the warg to the sweet bundle of energy that is Jacko. While I wanted more from the caricature of an uncle, I appreciated Rowan's character development. Can't wait for the next one!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have a complicated relationship with the show; it was a huge part of my life as a teenager, and my friends and I even embarked on a mission to watch all ten seasons my freshman year of college, but I now cringe at the homophobic remarks and other insensitive plot lines of the show, and I still fume when I think about Amaani Lyle's awful experience with the writers on the show (which later turned into a lawsuit). Also, I've listened to Andrew Reich on enough podcast episodes to find him obnoxious and man-splainey.

Thankfully, Saul Austerlitz doesn't shy away from these aspects of the show's history; I appreciated that he interviewed Lyle and made her experience into its own chapter. It's clear that Austerlitz deserves his reputation as a prolific author and historian of pop culture; his narrative structure is excellent. He also managed to invoke even more nostalgia for the show than I thought I could ever have.

Hoo boy. It's not perfect (some of the threads get confusing to follow, while others seem a little too direct), but this book sure packs a punch in the realm of feminist dystopia. I thought the framing of the novel as a research paper bookended by correspondence with a fellow author was particularly ingenious.

Excuse me while I weep into my keyboard.

This is such a sweet, beautiful little book