lon3rston3r's reviews
57 reviews

I usually don't read books like this, but I am now open to reading more like it! I liked the book and was immersed in the world of David, Marilyn and their offspring: Wendy, Liza, Violet, and Grace. Wendy is the most complex character and the story kind of revolves around her and her struggles. Or really, her and Violet’s struggles of envy, co-dependency, and jealousy. The story bounces back and forth between the daughters’ and all of their issues and David and Marilyn’s seemingly perfect marriage. 

Because of David and Marilyn’s nearly untouchable love, I found their backstories kind of boring and it was only until it got to the part of when

David emotionally cheated with Gillian

that I was finally invested, but it didn’t last super long. I love their relationship and all they went through, even at the cost of them being considered boring. 

Regarding the daughters, I’ll start with the most boring of them all: Grace. It’s not her fault and I believe the author not really touching too much on Grace is a byproduct of her being the youngest. With the youngest, the parents are burnt out and barely care at this point, leading to the youngest feeling like they didn’t get as much attention or parenting as their siblings did. I felt bad for Liza and how she

had a depressed a** boyfriend who cared more about gaming than loving his GF. I sympathize with depression, but it felt like he just checked out of life and Liza just let him. It took like 8 years and getting PREGNANT that she realized that maybe Ryan isn’t a good life partner. Like DUH! And poor Jonah accidentally telling the tea! That was when Liza’s POV got a bit more interesting

. Violet was hard to love. I mean of course I feel bad that

Wendy was so jealous of her seemingly happy (and it seems like at the time it was) life so much that she located her sister’s child she gave up for adoption

. But ALSO Violet was messed up for

the baby’s father being her older sister’s sweet boyfriend. Like could you BE anymore jealous

?! Them two are a MESS and I’m glad they resolved their issues, but it was definitely anti-climactic at how they patched things up, I was expecting a little more, but I mean that’s sisters for ya.

Overall, it was a good read and it contained enough family drama to keep me occupied.

One of my favorite memoirs ever! I love Mariah Carey and already had a vague understanding of her career. I went into the book a huge fan wanting to know more and more from her perspective because I was too young to be involved in celebrity gossip and pop culture. Her story is inspiring and I loved reading the origins of some of her biggest hits, including what I believe to be her best song, "The Roof". It's an amazing song with an amazing (and juicy backstory)!

I was inspired reading about her past relationship and how she found success for herself and loved her roots, even though it seemed as if the record executives were trying to erase that part of her. It proves that authenticity matters and Mariah Carey has stayed true to herself and she has definitely earned her label as "a diva". I mean, if you went through what she did, would you not want the best for yourself? She's a true icon!

Absolutely amazing story! It is a cool plot and the characters are immediately lovable. The story gracefully tells the story of Maryse, a 25 year old woman, who is a part of a secret monster hunting group. The monsters? The KKK, but in this universe, The Birth of a Nation, was a movie that conjured up demons that inhabit the bodies of members of the KKK. Maryse struggles with her insatiable desire for vengeance against those who hunt innocent Black people, while also harboring a secret about her past that fuels her anger. A war is on the horizon and the story follows Maryse navigating why she does what she does.

I loved everything about this and it really is a beautiful story that encapsulates Black Americans’ strength despite how much we've been broken as a community.

This book reads like a Netflix original. I’m saying that in the nicest and meanest way possible. The writing style is a little annoying at times, and I felt that the author worked too hard in painting a picture. I did enjoy reading the book, but the inner dialogue of some characters took me out of the story a bit. I hated reading from Pixie’s POV because it was just annoying that she would say something and then find a modern slang term or internet terminology to add to it. Like we get it…you’re old. And I lowkey hated reading fight scenes because it was just entirely too technical and it disrupted the flow of the story. I admire the detail, just isn’t my style to read fight choreography. 

Other than those few irritating moments, I wouldn’t say I loved the book, but I did become invested by halfway and stayed to see how it unfolded. It was overall a decent read. 

THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS:

I don’t know how I feel about the climax and how everything is put together. Hayden thinking that Rachel is getting pregnant by a sperm donor and feeling this weird ownership over her and secretly arranging to have his sperm used is absolutely crazy. I was not expecting that horror to reveal itself. Always the “nice guy” SMH. The ending is as realistic as it gets and I wish the story went on long enough for us to see what Nicky had in store for the Paynes. Like a whole spiel about how rich people aren’t above being held accountable and you’re gonna leave us hanging?! I know what’s gonna happen but I wanted to see. Decent read though.

The scenes were dragging out and I found Edward truly annoying. Turns out I don't care too much about his side of the story. I remember reading the first iterations of the story at least a decade ago when I was in high school and I breathed, slept, and ate Twilight. Now, it just feels too little and too late. If anything, it made me think more about how unserious Twilight was. Still love the series though, but nostalgia could not save this book for me. I was Team Jacob.

I have read this book so many times and I never get tired of it! Octavia is truly an amazing sci-fi writer and this Is my favorite of all.