msmichaela's reviews
522 reviews

I enjoyed the true crime podcast angle of this romance, but could not get past the inexplicable love at first sight setup—just totally implausible. 

Memoirs by poets can be hit or miss… this one fell a little on the “miss” side for me—elliptical, repetitive, sometimes obscure. At other points it veered into scholarly writing—perhaps pulled from other projects. All of that said, I really appreciated reading about someone growing up near where I did, but a decade later and in a totally different, first-generation experience. 

The will-they-or-won’t-they was a bit too extended but otherwise this was just a delight. 

I’m glad this novel exists! The first half lagged a bit for me but I still finished it in just a few days. 

Meh. Didn’t love the distant narration. 

Well written, but the framing device — of the story being told by a semi-mysterious narrator — really distances you from the main characters. I was hoping for something a little lighter, too, but that’s on me. 

Such a fun read! I found it a little hard to follow at the start, and then a little too will-they-or-won’t-they in the middle—but still thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Just absolutely delightful garbage. Racial, sexual and ethic stereotypes aplenty; horrendous sex scenes; tons of casual DV. Not to mention absurd plot lines. I loved every single second of it. 

I like Attenberg’s writing very much, but the structure of the book, advancing in time with every chapter, made me feel like I never got to really know the characters. 

Claustrophobic and navel-gazey.