lara_ayrolla's reviews
56 reviews

Before anything, I would like to thank Diane Barnes, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to read this book because "Shrek Forever After" is one of my favorite movies, and the plot seemed similar enough. It didn't disappoint and I did have a similar experience to the movie.

I didn't care enough about the characters, since I didn't get to know as much about them, and I disliked many things. However, overall, it was a good experience and I enjoyed the reading.

Pros:

This book was delightful, very different from what I  expected, but I am glad about it. It was almost perfect, which is something rare for me.

Jude is the main character I didn't know I needed. Her impulsivity and rage, along with her smartness, are so satisfying to read about, and I relate to her more than I want to admit.

I love how Cardan is a bad person and is never portrayed as anything other than that. Even when we get a glimpse into his personal issues, they're not used as an excuse for his actions.

The ending was as perfect as can be, with a lot of payoff and action. I'm glad I don't have to read the second book to have a satisfying end for the first. Although, I definitely will.

However, there are some flaws keeping me from giving this a 5-star rating.

The stakes aren't high enough. They're on the verge of being eaten by animals in a lake, and instead of finding a smart way out of it, the monsters just never move toward them. Their books are thrown in the water and in the next lesson there they are with books, no explanation. Jude is challenging a supposedly dangerous enemy, and he is all talk but does absolutely nothing of value. It doesn't make you worry about any future challenges.

The romances are anticlimactic, and some of the plot twists are very predictable.

Cool graphs all over the book: +80 points

Using billionaires as good examples: -80000 points



I don't think the idea of this book is intrinsically bad, and I enjoyed a lot of the advice and the research because of how they made me think. Throughout the reading, I reflected not only about my career but also about other aspects of life, such as learning faster, being more altruistic, and staying motivated.

There are a lot of resources available for people who want to dig deeper into a topic, such as links to the 80000 hours website, links to other websites, community groups, and even other book recommendations.

The writing style is simple and flows quickly, which helps a lot to get through the book without any problems.

However, it was important for my experience to take everything with a grain of salt. A lot of the advice only works if you're a wealthy college student from a wealthy country.

There's a major white savior complex, many claims without sufficient evidence, and a lack of acknowledgment of the efforts already being made in developing countries.

There's also no differentiation between countries outside of the US and the UK. It sounds as if the author views every other country as just a big pool of people in need of help.

Also, many things were repeated several times when they didn't need to be. I would've been able to understand everything just fine without any repetitions, and it would've saved me time.

Last but not least, I can not emphasize enough how billionaires should not be used as a good example of anything other than being unethical and most likely evil.

This was a messy ending.

I got teary-eyed because I love these characters and seeing the way they felt affected me a lot. However, the ending made absolutely no sense to me. It wasn't tragic in a classical way, but it also wasn't happy at all. It felt weird.

I also hated how the ending made it feel like Séverin was the only one who cared about Laila and loved her. Everyone did, and I think to impact the readers the way it seemed like the book was trying to, everyone should have gotten the chance that Séverin did. But then again, it would have still been weird.

Overall, though, the reading was enjoyable and I'm going to miss the story and the characters a lot.

This book was an excellent continuation of the series. It aligns with the quest style, the magic system, and the tone. Great known characters are back and new characters are integrated somewhat seemingly. The 400 pages felt like 200 and I couldn't put it down until I finished reading it.

Overall, it was a nice read, and I would definitely recommend it.

Pros:
* The puzzles in this book are more satisfying than the ones from the previous book. They made me feel like I was a part of the discovery because everything clicked when they were solved. At least for most of them.
* The characters are vivid and make sense of what they were built to be. They seem like real people coming out of a page. Zofia is a highlight to me, and even Séverin's annoying emo personality goes along with his grief and stubbornness.
* One of the predictable plot twists was so well crafted that even though I knew it was probably what it was, the author made it so convincing that I believed it and wanted to yell when it turned out the way it did. So good.
* The ending was so emotional that it made me tear up. That is always a good sign.

Cons:
* In the first chapters, there are too many explanations about things from the previous book, as if the audience hasn't read any of it. It is not integrated seemingly and feels sloppy.
* Some of the puzzles were way too simple and not polished enough. I loved that they were easier to understand and more logic-based than the ones from the previous book, but I hated that sometimes they didn't even feel like puzzles, just a lucky guess.
* The descriptions are way too detailed at some points, making it hard to get through some sentences without getting distracted.
* A lot of the character growth is forced and doesn't feel justified. One moment a character thinks something, the other they don't think that anymore and we don't know why. But we're supposed to pretend like we do.
* Some plot twists are very predictable and have way less impact than what it seems like they're supposed to have.

TW: fatphobia and eating disorders (binge eating, anorexia, bulimia)

I sort of feel ashamed for reading this book. Even the title is fatphobic.

I guess there will always be this internalized fatphobia inside of me, especially after being fat for most of my life and having suffered so much because of it.

If I'm being honest, there's a dark side to it that must be acknowledged. Society taught me to hate myself even though I don't want to. And if conforming makes it easier to cope, I end up choosing it.

That is probably the reason why I don't feel pretty in my body right now, and that is a problem. However, it's not the main reason for me to want to stop bingeing.

I hate being out of breath after simple physical activities, feeling so heavy I can barely turn on my bed, getting embarrassed about leaving the house, being gassy and uncomfortable for an entire day after eating too much, not fitting in the clothes I love, feeling so out of control of my own life... I want to stop bingeing because I want to be happy.

Reading this is to me is about how I feel about myself and my body. I'm not condoning anyone to feel the same way and do the same things.

That being said, this book was a good way to dedicate time to actively think about my eating habits, encouraged me to create a flood plan to accomplish my goals, was easy to understand, and seems effective.

It does, however, contain hints of fatphobia and a lot of arrogance. It can be very triggering to people with eating disorders, and it has the potential to make people feel worse if they fail to understand the method and fully apply it.

Pros:
* I love that, despite the title implying the main reason to never binge again is being a thin person, the entirety of the book focuses mainly on being happy and healthy.
* I love that it keeps being reinforced that your food plan should be nurturing and not too restrictive.
* The book was an easy, simple read, and I genuinely think it positively impacted my thinking.

Cons:
* I hate the links to the website at the end of almost every chapter. The resources seem good, but they should've been included in the book itself as well as the website.
* Despite the book being marketed as an obvious solution, the method is not a miracle. It's more about putting in the work than anything else, and that by itself is not a problem, but the insistence of the author in saying that it can't fail if you truly apply it is disingenuous.
* A chapter about using the scale as a tool was so triggering that I almost cried. I avoid the scale because anorexia and bulimia are very real, and they ruined my life because of 1kg fluctuations from one day to the other. I felt judged and criticized for being afraid of the scale and avoiding it to protect myself.

Before anything, I would like to thank Sarah E. Burr, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this book was a nice experience. It doesn't particularly stand out to me and has some flaws, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

Pros:
* Coco is a nice character with personality, ambitions, flaws, qualities, and relationships. She feels real and complete.
* The writing style was easy to follow and I was able to eat the book up quickly.
* The relationships seemed real and lived in, including family, friendship, and romance.
* As per usual with murder mysteries, the story kept me engaged and curious to continue reading until the secrets were unveiled.
* All plot points were nicely tied in at the end.
* I got chills finding out what happened to LaTàge. The message behind it was very sad and very real.

Cons:
* The ending was anticlimactic and didn't give me the thrill that usually comes with the resolution of a murder mystery.
* Some of the dialogue was unnatural, with different characters often using the same expressions, failing to differentiate themselves and seem like real people.
* There weren't many beautiful quotations to highlight, which is something that might not matter to other people, but that I enjoy a lot.

Before anything, I would like to thank Siobhán Gallagher, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very nice book that resonated with my core and made me feel less alone in my thoughts and experiences.

The messages are beautiful and I completely agree with them. I wish I could let go of my fears and free myself like the author has done. Maybe one day.

It wasn't a perfect read, as I pointed out in my cons list, but overall this book is beautifully written and drawn, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Pros:
* The aesthetic is on point. I loved the colors and the designs. Even the table of contents is beautiful.
* Even though this is a memoir, it has such nice storytelling and compelling lessons that you don't need to know who the author is at all (my case).
* I related to many things in this book. The anxiety, the NYC passion when I was younger, the eating behavior, the body image problems... I felt seen.
* There were so many nice quotes I wanted to highlight, as well as a lot of cool scenes I wanted to print out and hang on my wall.
* There is feminism and fat acceptance throughout the whole book in an educative manner that is interesting for people who already know and for people who don't know about these topics.
* I like how the book acknowledges that the experiences shown are from a white, straight-sized, able-bodied, cisgender woman and obviously don't represent everyone's experiences.
* I love how it is shown that even after finding love, the problems with body image and disordered eating can still affect relationships.
* It is also really nice the addition of the fact that living in your dream city and having your dream job won't fix all your problems.
* The ending made me cry. Which I always love.

Cons:
* At a few parts, especially in the beginning, this book didn't feel like a comic to me, with long texts and explanations. That is fine, but it's not what I expected when I picked up a comic to read.
* The sections of the book (despite the 4 bigger parts and the chapters) are not very defined. Sometimes I had to double-check that I didn't skip a page because the scenes would go from 0 to 100 out of the blue and completely change the subject unannounced.
* At some points, I felt like it is trying too much when it comes to flowery advice and explanations of concepts. It never went too in depth, so sometimes things feel shallow and just there for the sake of being there.

Before anything, I would like to thank Kathryn Trattner, the publisher, and BookSirens for providing me with an ARC. I received it for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What kept me going with this read was my absolute panic for DNFing books, so not a good sign.

I think the only thing I loved about this book was how realistically the crush Emma had on Jake was portrayed. The idea of liking someone and not knowing if they're into you was perfectly executed, and I found myself saving an enormous amount of quotes from her inner monologue about her feelings. Reminded me of every time I liked someone who didn't like me back.

However, I do think the romance was rushed way out of proportion. It made no sense for them to like each other that much that quickly.

I also didn't completely understand Vivian's abuse towards Emma, as it was mostly told a lot, but barely shown. It was hard to empathize with Emma without a true notion of what she went through.

The author has a talent for vivid descriptions and I could really picture every place described but it came at a great cost. The chapters dragged with endless paragraphs describing a room and it became super boring super quickly.

The plot was chunky and felt a little disorganized, in need of a bit more polishing. There were unnecessary scenes that added nothing to the story, and the plot itself didn't impress me.

What was supposed to be scary didn't scare me, what was supposed to be surprising didn't surprise me, and what was supposed to be emotional just bored me. I was more surprised by the first 20% of the book than I was by the rest of it. Everything was so predictable, and it felt like it was trying not to be.

Overall, the idea was ambitious, the writing style was good, but the story didn't impress me. It just wasn't for me, but I'm sure it could be someone else's favorite book.