"Think how you love me, I don't ask you to love me always like this, but I ask you to remember. Somewhere inside me there'll always be the person I am to-night."

i saw the above quote somewhere a while ago, and it was actually what inspired me to pick up the book in the first place. while i do think the quote is devastatingly gorgeous, and i've been thinking about it for days, the book itself was quite a letdown. i really liked gatsby, but tender is the night was definitely not as good, despite having multiple similar themes. with it being fitzgerald's most heavily autobiographical book, it features deeply troubled characters in deeply troubling marriages, broken relationships, loss of purpose, and wasted potential. 

similar to the rest of his novels, it is of course, very bleak and depressing. if that's your thing, you might like this book more than i did; i mean i love a good sad book as much as the next girl but this was just plain boring. there isn't really any plot, the chapters are so disjointed, and the characters lack depth and variety. 

i liked some parts of the book and it made me feel things at times, but overall it was very mid, so 3⭐️.

i LOVED this book and it was exactly what i was craving!! the banter between kai and paedyn was 10/10 AMAZING i enjoyed reading it so much. they had me GIGGLING and kicking my feet fr. to me this is like a fantasy version of the hunger games like that (who doesn't..) then i'm sure you would like powerless. i need the second book NOW bc that plot twist hello???? 

also random but i miss when i used to be able to finish a book every 3 days like i've been reading powerless for 2 WHOLE WEEKS and i just finished it. that is ABSURD for me😭. anyway at least it was really good.

homegoing is truly a triumph!! i think this book is a very important one as it explores the relationship between africans and african americans in a really interesting way and it makes you think a lot about african diaspora and how its history has made such a lasting impact. the novel starts of with two half sisters in 17th century ghana who go on to live completely different lives- while one is married off to a british slave trader living in the cape coast castle, the other is locked away in the women's dungeon of the very same castle. from then on each chapter of is a different descendant, and it spans across three centuries of generations. 

the way yaa gyasi was able to bring together so many complex aspects of african history into the individual character's lives, combined with the brilliant writing, gets you so connected to the characters and their family legacy. each story is so different yet so similar, and each impactful in their own way. i also really enjoyed just how much i learned from this book, so much history about the 
trans-atlantic slave trade, slavery in the US, colonialism, generational trauma, etc. 

i think this book would be a great read for anyone tbh there are so many topics in it you could connect with. it's about history, family, politics, religion, love, hardship, ancestry, and more. would definitely recommend if you want something unique and totally gripping!!

ruta sepetys visited my school and gave a talk that was so brilliant it made me want to read all of her books immediately. this is my first one by her and my expectations were already high but it totally exceeded them!! this book is so well written and heartfelt, and it had me hooked from start to finish. i previously never knew anything about the romanian revolution and all the suffering their people went through under the dictatorship of nicolae ceaușescu so it was also really interesting to learn about that history. also i loved all the characters, i thought they were really well developed and interesting, and the romance between cristian and liliana literally MELTS MY HEART😭. would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a gripping historical fiction that's also not too depressing (it's YA and quite hopeful).

“More than anything I was relieved that in my unfamiliar bab-bling-and-wanting-to-talk state I'd stopped myself from blurting the thing on the edge of my tongue, the thing I'd never said, even though it was something we both knew well enough without me saying it out loud to him in the street-which was, of course, I love you.”

“With a beautiful girl I could have consoled myself that she was out of my league; that I was so haunted and stirred even by her plainness suggested-ominously— a love more binding than physical affection, some tar-pit of the soul where I might flop around and malinger for years.”

quite unfortunate that i’ll never get back the 12 days i spend reading this book because my god, what a waste. aside from the few good quotes there were, i heavily disliked it. donna tart’s writing is obviously good, but it does not make up for the fact that the plot of the book was absolute trash in my opinion. NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS!!!! NOTHING!!! i don’t understand the reviews of this book that say it’s “masterful” or “a modern epic” or “astonishing” because to me it is simply 863 pages of a bunch of deeply unlikable characters doing drugs and getting drunk and making terrible, terrible decisions with their lives. it’s just grimy and depressing and i did not enjoy it at all, would NOT recommend. 

i loved this story!! it was slow but really engaging. i loved the characters and i was really invested in their journey. it was really sad at times but it all tied together very well at the end. would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a unique historical fiction book :)

i think this is really well-written and carries great tone with lots of rich language and imagery to really get his point across. it's a really powerful and important novel about the black experience in america, and i liked it. i just kind of got bored at certain parts, especially during the last 40 or so pages because i feel like it dragged on a bit, hence the 3 stars.

WOW. i'm actually speechless, jaw is on the floor, this book is AMAZING. i'm so glad i finally, finally read it, i've been meaning to ever since it came out because of it's raving reviews and let me say i definitely understand the hype.

i listened to the audiobook, which jennette mccurdy narrates herself, and i love the way she talks. she's a fantastic narrator so i would definitely recommend listening to this on audible if you're going to read it. her writing style is very concrete and clever, and i like how even though her story is quite heartbreaking, she still adds in sardonic humour and sarcasm that shows her personality and allows the reader to digest what she's talking about.

i also love how clearly she speaks about her emotions and really allows you to get into her head during every moment she describes. from everything about her substance abuse, bulimia, anorexia, experience with icarly and the entertainment industry in general, her relationship with her mother and the physical and emotional abuse she faced and how it impacted her life and future relationships, this is a deeply personal and well articulated story of mccurdy's life and journey of recovery. overall, 'i'm glad my mom died' is truly a remarkable book, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

all i have to say is that i wanted to read something completely mindless and stupid, and that was definitely achieved by this book.