No need to write a review; just watch Mel Robbins鈥� fans lose it on anyone who dares to share anything less than glowing instead of, you know, let themNo need to write a review; just watch Mel Robbins鈥� fans lose it on anyone who dares to share anything less than glowing instead of, you know, let them. That says more than any critique ever could....more
Dull, absurd, and evidently written under the charming assumption that the story doesn鈥檛 need to make sense, as long as it鈥檚 queer. Calling this a 鈥渟tDull, absurd, and evidently written under the charming assumption that the story doesn鈥檛 need to make sense, as long as it鈥檚 queer. Calling this a 鈥渟tory鈥� is already giving this book far too much credit; it鈥檚 more like four unrelated sketches duct-taped together, with a convenient time jump in the middle that saves the author from the hassle of character development.
Not that the characters are that interesting. Interestingly and paradoxically, out of the four, the least self-absorbed is the grieving mother. She is also shown the least compassion and understanding. The focus, instead, is on how she waited too long to announce her son鈥檚 death, how the lung she removed from his body is upsetting the dog (while nobody seems to be concerned about her mental state and how the lung impacts HER), and her lesbian friend鈥檚 unrequited feelings. The moment that chapter ends, the book becomes unsalvageable. ...more
We all know that person; the one who loudly proclaims their weirdness at every possible moment, just in case we hadn鈥檛 already failed to notice. WithoWe all know that person; the one who loudly proclaims their weirdness at every possible moment, just in case we hadn鈥檛 already failed to notice. Without the constant reminders, you鈥檇 never guess they were anything but ordinary, unless you count an overwhelming need to seem different as a personality trait. Jane Flett appears to be one of those people: determined to be edgy, both in narrative and style, but inconveniently short on the necessary talent to pull it off. The result? A parade of so-called 鈥渇reaks鈥� who are less complex characters and more reheated clich茅s with louder voices. In what I assume was an attempt to make them feel authentic and unapologetically bold, Flett instead assembled a cast so obnoxiously petty, cruel, and smug that they manage to out-bigot the small-town folk they supposedly stand apart from. If her goal was to write a morality tale warning us against embracing the different, then congratulations, I guess; but even propaganda usually demonstrates better mastery of writing techniques. ...more
I can barely wrap my head around the fact that this author has won any awards, and it honestly makes me wonder what kind of lottery publishers are plaI can barely wrap my head around the fact that this author has won any awards, and it honestly makes me wonder what kind of lottery publishers are playing when they decide to back writers who, to put it bluntly, can鈥檛 write. Amanda Lee Koe clearly skipped the memo on show, don鈥檛 tell: her idea of character development is dumping clumsy descriptions that wouldn鈥檛 even make the cut in a middle school fanfic. And the characters themselves? Supposedly ancient beings with centuries of experience, yet they behave with all the depth and wisdom of an opinionated teenager on Reddit. ...more
I just don鈥檛 see it. I feel like I鈥檓 drifting alone in this galaxy of glowing reviews, all praising the novel鈥檚 language and imagination, while I鈥檓 leI just don鈥檛 see it. I feel like I鈥檓 drifting alone in this galaxy of glowing reviews, all praising the novel鈥檚 language and imagination, while I鈥檓 left stranded. Sure, the writing is beautiful, but the imagination? For me, it feels like it got swallowed by a black hole, leaving behind only dullness and emptiness.
Many readers seem to think the lack of plot is part of the book鈥檚 charm, but to me, it robs the story of any real meaning. The six characters feel like flat, cardboard cutouts, stuck in a half-hearted mission, endlessly making mental lists and overthinking everything. But none of their thoughts actually sticks with you. Nothing feels memorable.
It鈥檚 not that the book is terrible. It鈥檚 just鈥� empty. Devoid of highs or lows, it ends up as this bland, beige substance, like the kind of tasteless astronaut food that leaves you completely indifferent.
**spoiler alert** This isn鈥檛 a crime novel, and the crime element only highlights its biggest weaknesses. Bonnie Burke-Patel excels at writing complex**spoiler alert** This isn鈥檛 a crime novel, and the crime element only highlights its biggest weaknesses. Bonnie Burke-Patel excels at writing complex, introspective characters - Anna and Hitesh feel raw, real, and, frankly, exhausting in the way they overanalyze everything. If the crime had simply been a device to bring them together, the book might have felt less tedious. Unfortunately, with the investigation taking center stage, we鈥檙e left with a complete lack of suspense or mystery (it鈥檚 obvious from the start that the body is linked to the faceless, nameless narration from 1967). The resolution hinges on Anna 鈥渇eeling a connection鈥� after looking at a photo, and the over-the-top climax feels more suited to a James-Bond knock-off than how this novel had developed until that moment. ...more
This book is a strange one, its purpose is unclear. Why did Andrew Gold choose such a title when he set out to write about cults? A traumatic event, wThis book is a strange one, its purpose is unclear. Why did Andrew Gold choose such a title when he set out to write about cults? A traumatic event, which supposedly inspired his exploration of secrecy and its effects, somehow became an introduction to a lecture on the hidden practices of Scientology and Orthodox Judaism. From there, it veers into biographies of historical figures who, according to Gold, must have kept secrets to achieve success. His condescending 鈥渨ell, actually鈥� tone only makes things worse. With so much well-researched literature on cults out there, there鈥檚 no need to settle for the work of a podcaster with an inflated sense of importance....more
**spoiler alert** The concept is far better than the execution. Unfortunately, the rudimentary and overly simplistic writing diminishes both the suspe**spoiler alert** The concept is far better than the execution. Unfortunately, the rudimentary and overly simplistic writing diminishes both the suspense and the overall enjoyment. A stronger, more refined style might have helped cover the glaring plot holes too. Like some honkaku mysteries, this story leans so heavily on pure logic that it becomes absurd. Take the first of the reveals, for instance: it鈥檚 meant to be so grand and clever, yet the same 鈥渂rilliant minds鈥� who immediately deduce that the key to a riddle about death in childbirth lies in graphic design programs somehow fail to connect the dots between a picture of an old woman delivering a child, a reference to an experienced midwife, and a young couple living with a mysterious third party, and not even once they consider the mother of one of the young parents could be somehow involved. It doesn鈥檛 make the reader feel clever; it just makes the detectives look clueless. That said, I still enjoyed it and am already looking forward to Strange Houses. But the flat, almost childlike writing style undermines even the weightier, more traumatic moments in the story. And that鈥檚 a shame. ...more
At first, I enjoyed it. The premise of stolen artworks and linked cases was intriguing, but my surprise at realI鈥檓 honestly not sure what I just read.
At first, I enjoyed it. The premise of stolen artworks and linked cases was intriguing, but my surprise at realizing that one of the cases had taken place two years earlier 鈥� enormous. I liked the humor and I charitably decided to ignore that everyone - from a vicar to a police officer to a soldier with PTSD - had the exact same snarky tone of inner voice, regardless of the age, background, and life experience. But as I kept reading, things fell apart. More and more characters appeared with no clear contribution to the plot, the story barely moved forward, and there wasn鈥檛 a single suspect. Suddenly, we were in a manor, dealing with an escaped serial killer, a blizzard, and a theater group performing an interactive murder mystery that no one seemed to care about or confuse with reality.
It鈥檚 not that I disliked the book, I just don鈥檛 understand why half of it exists. What was the vicar鈥檚 purpose, and why was his lost voice relevant? He wandered around the edges of the story and eventually found the stolen painting, but honestly, anyone could have done that; Ben, for example. Or the other way around. And the escaped murderer? Why was that subplot even included? The murder mystery theater was more cringe than comedic. What were Ian and Hazel doing in the police car at the end, and why were they arrested? How did everyone go from being lost in the blizzard to magically finding their way without trouble, as if the snow wasn鈥檛 an issue anymore?
My questions kept multiplying, just like the unnecessary characters and loose ends in this book. These loose ends were likely meant to be red herrings, but unfortunately, the execution failed. Instead of a smart mystery, the novel felt more like the debut attempt of a fanfic writer on AO3 than the work of an experienced author. ...more
This book is a bit of an odd one. On one hand, it鈥檚 super entertaining, but on the other, it feels overly curated to include only examples that convenThis book is a bit of an odd one. On one hand, it鈥檚 super entertaining, but on the other, it feels overly curated to include only examples that conveniently back up the thesis. And even those examples can be pretty shaky鈥攍ike in the chapter about the Quest. One person joins a walk as a personal challenge, another has a psychotic episode and interprets it as a call to action. Someone who just wants to visit X number of countries for the sake of it isn鈥檛 comparable to a character (real or fictional) who has to travel because their goal can only be achieved somewhere specific.
The second example illustrates my main issue with the book: it completely sidesteps the idea that we spot patterns and assign meaning because the same masterplot gets repeated endlessly in every piece of media we consume and we see it as a reflection of reality. That鈥檚 not just an interesting quirk of storytelling鈥攊t鈥檚 a phenomenon that fuels addiction, destructive habits, and manipulation, because the good needs to triumph, the underdog is supposed to have their comeuppance, and things will be fair.
I didn鈥檛 expect it to cover every angle or get super deep鈥攊t鈥檚 meant to be more entertaining鈥攂ut it felt too shallow and the chapters too disconnected for me to really enjoy it....more
I鈥檓 not sure what the point of this book is, unfortunately. The author introduces all these concepts and ideas, only to leave them unexplored. For insI鈥檓 not sure what the point of this book is, unfortunately. The author introduces all these concepts and ideas, only to leave them unexplored. For instance, the concept of contract marriages seems intended as a commentary on societal issues, but there鈥檚 no real discussion of their pros, cons, or how they differ from traditional unions. They鈥檙e supposedly the norm, yet kept secret. The protagonist pretends to be abroad for work when on assignment, but still visits the same places and sticks to her usual routines, without worrying about being seen. So, why the elaborate lies?
The husband requests a second marriage term, which is described as unusual, but there鈥檚 no explanation of why that鈥檚 the case or what it means. And when the second term ends, they simply go their separate ways. What was the point of it all if no real emotions developed and the fake union never became meaningful?
The supporting characters鈥擥ranny, the coffee dispenser, and others鈥攄isappear without leaving any impact, and nothing seems to change. The protagonist herself doesn鈥檛 grow or transform in any way; she鈥檚 the same on the last page as she was on the first. Even her resignation feels disconnected鈥攊t鈥檚 not about confronting the lies or shallow relationships, but simply disliking her mentor.
And as a final oddity, the title has no relevance to the story whatsoever. It鈥檚 a strange book, but not in a way that sparks curiosity....more
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