Uma's Updates en-US Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:53:14 -0700 60 Uma's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7198945504 Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:53:14 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma added 'They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us']]> /review/show/7198945504 They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi   Gupta Uma gave 4 stars to They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us (Hardcover) by Prachi Gupta
4.5

I felt so many emotions reading this memoir and, actually, it was devastating at times. I don't even have the words right now because I'm still emotional. I just felt a lot of empathy for everyone in the book, even those at their worst, because of the various factors that impact people's lives and how we get to where we are. I could relate to many parts of it and how layered and complex it all is.

Edit to add: I also see some reviews criticizing the approach to write the book as if she's writing to her mother and I feel like that's missing the point. I connected to the book even more because of this - what it means to be in this family and cultural dynamic, to really see your parents now that you're an adult, and for this to be the only way to communicate this experience because of everything that's happened. ]]>
Review7434043563 Tue, 25 Mar 2025 10:03:30 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma added 'Not a Happy Family']]> /review/show/7434043563 Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena Uma gave 2 stars to Not a Happy Family (Hardcover) by Shari Lapena
2.5, maybe 3?

It was easy to read and I zoomed through it but overall my reaction was 🤷🏾‍♀� meh ]]>
Review7419010136 Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:51:56 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma added 'All Fours']]> /review/show/7419010136 All Fours by Miranda July Uma gave 1 star to All Fours (Hardcover) by Miranda July
Did not finish. First book in a long time that I've actually given up on.

This book has been recommended a few times because of the themes it touches on - specifically the experience of a 45-year-old woman who is going through perimenopause, which isn't really something talked about in the past.

But I very quickly hated the main character, the story, and the writing. I couldn't stand it, and realized I was dreading reading more, and then I was annoyed the whole time I was reading🫠

I'm not going to list out what I didn't like, most of the existing reviews cover it all. You can also see how split the reviews are. It's unfortunate because I *do* want to read something that's about perimenopause, identity, relationships, sex, friendships, and motherhood in your 40s. But this character, storyline, and writing style was not for me.

I honestly feel the frustrations coming up again as I write this, so I'll just stop here 🤷🏾‍♀� ]]>
ReadStatus9209087363 Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:50:15 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma wants to read 'True Biz']]> /review/show/7419008703 True Biz by Sara Nović Uma wants to read True Biz by Sara Nović
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Rating837446711 Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:59:20 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma C liked a readstatus]]> / ]]> Review7389376736 Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:15:25 -0700 <![CDATA[Uma added 'The God of the Woods']]> /review/show/7389376736 The God of the Woods by Liz    Moore Uma gave 4 stars to The God of the Woods (Kindle Edition) by Liz Moore
Couldn't put it down and so I ended up reading it in just a few days. I just needed to know what was going on and I didn't expect things to turn out the way they did, which was refreshing.

I kept getting confused by Louise and Tracy though, and I'm not sure why. ]]>
Review7376356478 Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:29:15 -0800 <![CDATA[Uma added 'Circe']]> /review/show/7376356478 Circe by Madeline Miller Uma gave 3 stars to Circe (Hardcover) by Madeline Miller
3? 3.5? Lots that I enjoyed about this but it also felt slow at times. I also get the sense I would have loved it if I knew more about the mythology beforehand. ]]>
Review7331985423 Mon, 17 Feb 2025 23:40:25 -0800 <![CDATA[Uma added 'Romantic Comedy']]> /review/show/7331985423 Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld Uma gave 2 stars to Romantic Comedy (Hardcover) by Curtis Sittenfeld
I liked the whole SNL vibe at the start and was really into that storyline and process. But in the end, I realized that I didn't really like the main character and I didn't feel like there was any real chemistry between her and the guy. Also, the email exchange portion was nice but it felt random and now I think that actually impacted the chemistry a bit.

Meh. ]]>
Review7315587011 Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:17:38 -0800 <![CDATA[Uma added 'The Ministry of Time']]> /review/show/7315587011 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Uma gave 2 stars to The Ministry of Time (Hardcover) by Kaliane Bradley
2.5? I think I was hoping for more from this book ]]>
ReadStatus9023752029 Tue, 04 Feb 2025 03:39:37 -0800 <![CDATA[Uma wants to read 'The Stationery Shop of Tehran']]> /review/show/7289212744 The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali Uma wants to read The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
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