A disappointing DNF at about 30%, with a lot of skimming through the end.
I really, really, really wanted to enjoy this one as it seems right up my alA disappointing DNF at about 30%, with a lot of skimming through the end.
I really, really, really wanted to enjoy this one as it seems right up my alley. Queer lesbians! Ballgowns! Intrigue! But the characters were bland, flat and blended together. I couldn't tell where Gwen ended and Beth started. Also, the relationship Gwen (?) had with her father was strange. Not bad, just... peculiar....more
Not my typical sort of book, but an easy read nonetheless.
Plagiarism accusations aside (which seem to dominate any discussion on the book), this was Not my typical sort of book, but an easy read nonetheless.
Plagiarism accusations aside (which seem to dominate any discussion on the book), this was a book that took a long time to build up. If I hadn't been poking through my partner's books she was planning on getting rid of, I probably wouldn't have read it. This is probably a strange description, but I had the feeling this book is aimed at women aged in their 40s - 50s.
I feel Alice's revelation at the end, that she had no idea if she consummated her relationship with Bennett or not, to be unrealistic. That could have been done away with.
Also, the deus ex machina of Verna could have been planted earlier. A few more references to the sisters should have been included. ...more
I devoured this book in 12 hours. This, from the premise, is everything I love in a novel, but it was also painstakinglI am so. fucking. disappointed.
I devoured this book in 12 hours. This, from the premise, is everything I love in a novel, but it was also painstakingly reminiscent of my own time at school. A sudden intense friendship, Catholic high school, confliction over whether I'm hitting the same milestones as my peers... hell, my friend, the one who I had a bordering-on-unhealthy relationship with was also a devout Catholic.
But the last two pages. God, the last two pages fucking ruined it for me. What would have been a 5 star book immediately dropped it down to 3.
The premise:
Millie and Olive have gone to high school together for the last few years, but have never really interacted until Olive moves in next door. Although initially uncertain around one another, they quickly develop a very intense friendship that edges on sapphic. However, Olive is in a relationship with Hunter, and she encourages Millie to start dating Leon. Olive, despite being from a religious family, has sex with Hunter and she regularly details it all to Millie. In turn, Millie feels compelled to sleep with Leon. She finds it middling and, when compared to Olive's experiences, disappointing.
Her friendship with Olive runs hot and cold. She finds Olive confusing at times, particularly as she (Olive) will quickly pull away for no discernible reason. There's never any thorough explanation as to why this occurs, but Millie suspects it's to do with her church's youth group.
They go to an interstate school retreat to the Kimberley, a remote region in the north of Western Australia. I can't recall it being strictly stated in the novel where the girls live, but given the author is based there, I'd say somewhere in suburban Melbourne. Olive and Millie share a tent. One night, all the girls go skinny dipping, and Olive and Millie join in. They return back to the tent, and talk while naked on their shared sleeping bags. When Olive says she's going to sleep, Millie masturbates. However, it seems like Olive was only feigning sleep.
The next day, Olive pulls away hard from Millie. She goes on another retreat, this time with her youth group, and the distance between them grows wider.
From here, Millie spirals a bit. She tries to rekindly a friendship with Jess, but so much distance has grown between them that she finds it difficult to bridge it. She grows listless, loses weight and tries to talk ADHD medication to help her final exams. All the same, she does well (she's always been academic and I felt it implied she was semidux) and although she doesn't have a particular aim for a career, she knows she wants to get into writing or journalism.
Here, Olive starts floating back into her life. She says she got into WAAPA, and her parents throw a celebratory dinner. Millie realises that Olive has been feigning that the two of them are still close friends and Millie plays along. Only after does Olive admit to her that she flunked her audition entirely; she is, however, going to ECU for performing arts (this uni, for those who don't know, ECU hosts the WAAPA programme). She plans to reaudition and then tell her parents.
There's a party. Olive and Millie are both in attendance. Someone suggests everyone kisses each other, which is a totally normal thing to do. Olive and Millie are the last to kiss.
The day Olive is leaving for Perth is the day of Millie's birthday. She comes over to talk. Sort of. Millie wants to hash out what happened but Olive is deflective. Finally they begin inferring- but never outright state- they each had feelings for each other.
'I couldn't start something with you and have Hunter at the same time. Once I realised that that was what was happening, we had to stop. He's not the only reason, but he is the cleanest reason.'
I was surprised to find that I understood what she meant.
[...]
'We can't be friends, then,' I said, eventually.
'Not now.'
[...]
'Maybe later, you said?' I continued.
'Maybe. If I'm home, you'll be right next door.'
I'm so fucking annoyed.
I didn't expect the girls to realise they were queer. Hell, I wasn't even entirely sure it would be that kind of book; I went in expecting something a little akin to the film Thirteen, where the girls do have a very unhealthy relationship that's a little riddled in being sapphic, but is much more about codependence.
It isn't right to call it a case of 'bury your gays', because the gays are never even mentioned (aside from some strange remarks by Olive's mother about 'gay boys'). Hide your gays? Never name your gays? I'm not even going to tag this as a queer book, because it's all a lurid promise that never realises itself.
Biggest disappointment of the year, by far. ...more
I skipped a good third of this book as it's nothing but smut that doesn't drive the plot forward.
A week or so ago, I saw the fourth book in the serieI skipped a good third of this book as it's nothing but smut that doesn't drive the plot forward.
A week or so ago, I saw the fourth book in the series for sale. I considered buying it, before deciding not to as I wanted to see how this one went. I've been fairly 'meh' on the first two books in this series, but they've kept me entertained enough to keep reading. I'm highly relieved I didn't purchase it as my interest has completely waned.
Meandering, slow and mostly about incidental side quests that don't push the plot forward, this book is just confusing and dull. I really wanted this to be something great, as there's promise there, but ultimately I need to wave my white flag. St Clair's writing just ain't it for me....more
For the life of me I can't figure out why I decided to read this book. Did someone recommend it to me? Did I finally throw my hands up in the air and For the life of me I can't figure out why I decided to read this book. Did someone recommend it to me? Did I finally throw my hands up in the air and go 'fuck it' after seeing it in all my typical bookshops? It looks like something I'd enjoy- taxidermy! queer!- but the family drama side of it made me hesitate.
Secondly, I can't decide if I enjoy it or not. I'm erring on the side of 'badly advertised'. The reviews promise this to be funny and quirky, but it's not. It's more like the US version of Shameless in that it's a very bleak premise and it the humour is more happenstance.
I kept perusing the reviews on Goodreads while I was reading the book this week but nothing really answered the questions that kept bouncing around in my head. Namely, did anyone else think the relationship between Jessa, Brynn and Milo was completely fucked up? And what was Brynn's deal? And did anyone else expect the father to actually have AIDS and have a sordid sexual history?
The answers to the questions this book poses aren't ever answered, and I don't expect they're meant to be. That's not the point of the book. Rather, it's about the moments that tie the family together. It's about the relationships between the characters, and not their history.
But still. I'd like some questions answered. ...more
I feel like a heathen, rating this book so highly when there is so much I can't stand about it, but I love Nesta and want that to be reflected.
I love I feel like a heathen, rating this book so highly when there is so much I can't stand about it, but I love Nesta and want that to be reflected.
I love Nesta's character journey through this. She's still angry and cold and restrained by the end of the book; she's still entirely Nesta. Proud, conceited, and haughty. But she has started to open her heart up just a little and has found herself friends who are on the same level as her. Those who have come from similarly hurt backgrounds and had to learn to stand up for themselves. This part I really liked.
Emerie, Gwyn and Nesta becoming Valkyries felt a bit contrived... especially when they apparently become part of a book being written about them before they've done anything beyond train a little. I wish the Blood Rite section had taken up more of the book and had solely been from Nesta's perspective. I don't get why Cassian had to keep butting his nose in with the Eris nonsense... I'm also not entirely sure what the Eris shenanigans was about.
Things I didn't like:
The entire pregnancy subplot. This should have been its own novella, ala Frost & Starlight. I hated how this detracted from Nesta's own story. I appreciate how she gave up her powers (though I hope it turns out the Mother gave them back, as Nesta deserves to be on even footing with her sisters), but... c'mon, Maas. Let the depressed, trauma-riddled chickadee her own story, okay?
Maas clearly has trouble envisioning what it would be like to live for 500 years. Cassian, Az and Rhys all talk about doing stuff in their teens, but this would be the equivalent of someone talking about the nonsense they got up to as a two-month old. I really wish someone would have a conversation with the sisters, talk about some hijinks they got up to in their youth, and then reveal they were 332 at the time. Let the age disparity sink in a little.
Another issue- Gwyn is half river nymph. I expected her to swim up the river during the Blood Rite. Reveal more of her fae traits.
I am totally accepting of the fact I'll inevitably read the next one in the series. ...more
Aside from being terribly written, this book is just BORING. Even the audiobook, which was narrated by the author herself, was boring. Robinne Lee souAside from being terribly written, this book is just BORING. Even the audiobook, which was narrated by the author herself, was boring. Robinne Lee sounded completely and utterly bored with her own work.
The plot is flimsy at best, and any potential issue is waved away by everyone having immense wealth. Solene, our 40-year-old mother who is shagging a 20-year-old boyband singer, has the thinnest of jobs and can jet set around the entire world, chasing dick. Good for her, but also, geez.
Occasionally, potentially traumatic situations are brought up. Hayes was raped by an adult woman as a way of losing his virginity. He had a fan threaten to kill herself in front of him. Are these issues? Nah. Let's go and get horny!
I'm stunned Anne Hathaway is appearing in the film adaptation of this. ...more
I was wavering between two and three stars, before finally settling on two. Maybe I'd rate this a 2.5.
The reason I was wavering with 3 is because I loI was wavering between two and three stars, before finally settling on two. Maybe I'd rate this a 2.5.
The reason I was wavering with 3 is because I loved seeing Nesta and Elain developed more here- especially Elain. She actually started developing a character again! Look at that, the softer sister finally emerges from her cocoon. Yes, she's still morose and tending to her plants, but she's beginning to emerge anew. The woman ('female'? Yike) that both Lucien and Azriel are both attracted to has appeared.
And Nesta, the cold, hard sister has begun to show another side. That angry and mean, but understandably depressed. She looked after Elain, she held everything together. And now she's shattered and tired. Yes, I'd like her to get over herself and unite once again with Feyre and Elain, but it's nice to see that not everyone is happy to bend to the whims of Feyre and Rhysand.
But aside from that, I'm tired of the Rhysand and Feyre storyline. They're both fairly bland characters in this world, and there's more to ACOTAR than these two.
I'm admittedly looking forward to Silver Flames, if only to have a break from Feyre. ...more
Broadly speaking, I don't eat potato chips. I don't dislike them. I think they're fine. If I'm at a social eveThese books are like potato chips to me.
Broadly speaking, I don't eat potato chips. I don't dislike them. I think they're fine. If I'm at a social event and someone has prepared a bowl of potato chips, I'll grab some. I might even go back for seconds. But I don't buy potato chips and I don't particularly crave them, and if someone suggested potato chips and, say, a plate of spaghetti, I'll go for spaghetti.
But like potato chips, these books are moreish. And I can't stop reading them.
Feyre is the quintessential bland main character. It's easy to project onto her because she has no discernible personality. Elain, likewise, also doesn't have much going on, except she's sweet and a little damaged. Mor is our resident Santana from Glee in that she sleeps with men, but in actuality is a lesbian... so the gays can have a little treat (but not too much). The men (or males, as Maas would say) are the same shades of muddled grey.
I love Nesta. She's the only one I care about. She's cranky and angry and she deserves to unleash her power over the world. I know her mate is Cassian, but I hope she and Amren get together.
Also, apparently it was intended as a trilogy? I found this surprising as the ending still has several threads left fluttering. The scene where the sisters father dies felt shorthanded, and Elain is still a void of a character. Nesta loses her power (boo!) and all the courts have been devastated. Tamlin has been utterly shattered.
The novella and companion book will hopefully wrap some of these up....more
Don't read this collection of short stories if you're expecting terror or in-your-face horror. This isn't the point. Enríquez's tales are more about sDon't read this collection of short stories if you're expecting terror or in-your-face horror. This isn't the point. Enríquez's tales are more about slow, unsettling dread. The feeling that something is wrong, but you can't pinpoint what. It's as though you've come home and everyone has moved your furniture two inches to the left.
There are the more expected horror-esque tales at foot here, with zombies and ghosts making an appearance. But then there are more unsettling events, like a woman who has a fetish for beating hearts, and a girl with hallucinations that appear like she's been possessed by a demon. Not all of the stories are tales of woe, with the first one being about the ghost of an infant that reminds me of a lubberkin from the Witcher games.
Take your time with these stories. Let them digest within you....more
I've never been a Paris girlie, but I always found it impressive how she managed to build a business after a sex tape was released from when she was aI've never been a Paris girlie, but I always found it impressive how she managed to build a business after a sex tape was released from when she was a teenager. That sort of event would be traumatising, and instead to power on with her head held high is a testament of strength.
For a long time, there was a national burlesque competition held here in Australia. The first section of the competition was in essence an evening gown parade. It was intended to be a symbol of elegance and class; to describe this, it was dictated that the entrants should not 'look like Paris Hilton'. This forever rubbed me the wrong way. Not only was the reference a little outdated (it was finally removed in about 2019 or so, when the competition ownership changed hands), but it gave the wrong message. Burlesque is intended to be empowering and allow the performers to own their sexuality, but it did so by slut-shaming a woman who has frequently been torn apart in the media for doing just that.
Anyway.
Paris isn't a writer, but she's never claimed to be. She blames the meandering portion of some chapters on her ADHD, which may or may not be the case (though I think a good editor could have reworked it a little to flow better). But this ultimately doesn't detract from her story. Her pain. It's brutal, and her focus on dismantling the troubled teen industry as an adult is completely understandable. I've experienced a small flavour of it, both personally and when I've lost touch with internet friends in the past, but here she tears it apart.
This is good (if difficult) reading, and an example of how the US loves to monetise absolutely anything... even to the detriment of children....more
It's a bit hard to move past the, you know, pedophilia and incest in the first chapter. And the, uh, repeated rape and what have you that happeSooo...
It's a bit hard to move past the, you know, pedophilia and incest in the first chapter. And the, uh, repeated rape and what have you that happen further on.
I also began skimming the book towards the end. This isn't something that should be read in one sitting (as I tend to do), but perhaps flicked through whilst reading another book or two. This much porn/erotica in one go is a bit much for me, I admit.
So why three stars? Because it's Anaïs Nin. That's it. She wrote better smut in the 40s than many modern authors. There's a touch of flowery language here and there, but it's still raw and frank without much frou-frou. Some authors could definitely learn a thing or two from her....more
This book was leant to me by my partner and she raved about it. It became one of the books I took with my on a tripA how-to on an unreliable narrator.
This book was leant to me by my partner and she raved about it. It became one of the books I took with my on a trip, but I didn't wind up getting to really read it until our flight back home.
While I haven't slathered over it like she did, I still found myself swept up in the story. The writing and double-sided nature of John Church is fantastic. He doesn't just toy with those around him, but with the reader. Blackmore has captured the dual personality of a narcissist fantastically; John believes himself to constantly be doing the right thing and never in the wrong. It's not until you go back and actually re-read scenes that you discover just how much he's built up in his head and how it's all perfectly right.
Surprisingly quick, too, with a tongue-in-cheek type humour. ...more
My girlfriend gave it to me to read as she really struggled with it. At under 250 pages, it took a few weeks to read- whichThis was... fine. I think.
My girlfriend gave it to me to read as she really struggled with it. At under 250 pages, it took a few weeks to read- which is a long time for her. And although I devoured it (haha) in less than a day, I can absolutely see why.
This book is slow. It drags. The only depth we see is with our a narrator, Lydia, and she is depressed and a drifter through life. Most of the book is about how uninspired she is and how little things matter to her.
It's not until the end that it all falls into place. Lydia is starving. Literally. She's been gifted an eating disorder from her mother and all the problems that go along with it. It isn't until she has her first real meal in her life that she finally wakes up and realises what she's missing out on.
Kohda is a good writer. She has a verve about her and she captures the mood behind it all exquisitely. But Lydia is a main character lacks a lot of punch. Perhaps this is because how she, Lydia, sees herself, but it's a slog for a reader. There's so many characters here who could go explored: Lydia's mother, Heather at the art gallery, Gideon the would-be predator, Anju and Maria at the factory. But because of Lydia's starvation and melancholy, it goes unexplored.
I would like to see where Kohda does in the future. I'd love to see these threads finally knotted....more
Fun. That's about what I'd call it. Picked this up for a lark. This book is based on a blog the author used to run First book of 2024 done and dusted.
Fun. That's about what I'd call it. Picked this up for a lark. This book is based on a blog the author used to run (and I wish I could find it now). Don't let the title fool you- Baxter only dabbled in being a cam girl before switching over to happy ending massages.
By the end of the book, she's still playing masseuse, but the book itself is over ten years old. I'd love to know what she's doing now....more
I think this book could do well with a rewrite. There's a good, solid plot here and some very interesting ideas at play. Two very different people meeI think this book could do well with a rewrite. There's a good, solid plot here and some very interesting ideas at play. Two very different people meet one another in grief counselling and connect over that single, albeit massive, change in their lives. I also really liked Amy, a woman who has identified as a lesbian all her life, suddenly having a relationship with a man. This is rarely encountered in queer literature (and even more rarely in an honest and supportive manner), and this is great!
But reading the book, it felt more like a second draft than a finished novel.
There's a lot of conversations- everything is 'tell, not show'. There's ideas and plot points that suddenly come up abruptly and don't really go anywhere. Amy's teenage abortion, Mel's drug use, Luke's suicide attempt. Things flutter around but never get discussed in depth, which is a detriment to the book. Amy's workplace issues should have also been more at the forefront, given they did eventually lead to her quitting.
The frequent nicknames also became a bit of a chore and I had to remind myself each time how they connected to the wider story. I still can't quite tell how Maddie tied in, and why Zoe and Rachel were such big threats.
In summary: a lot of potential, but fell short. ...more
Yes, the entire thing is some kind of scared straight, anti-drug propaganda, but you can't deny the legacy it's left in the wider popular consciousnesYes, the entire thing is some kind of scared straight, anti-drug propaganda, but you can't deny the legacy it's left in the wider popular consciousness.
As a modern reader some 50 years later, it's difficult to think of anyone believing this book was actually a genuine diary... but here we are, with some still believing it to be non-fiction....more
I first saw this book at Borders (when it existed on the Hay St mall) and always wanted to read it. But it was out of my price range, being a poor uniI first saw this book at Borders (when it existed on the Hay St mall) and always wanted to read it. But it was out of my price range, being a poor uni student, and so I'd just stare at it wistfully and carry on.
Smash to some 15 or so years later and I found it in the secondhand bookstore up the road from me. I grabbed it, glad to finally get a chance to read it.
This wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a harrowing account, with van Raay found herself on the streets and at dire ends. This... really isn't that. van Raay is funny. She writes with joy and a clear wit. Although she lived a very hard life and the first section of the book is dark, she never loses her spark.
I do feel like I missed a few things, though, like why she felt compelled to join the convent and why she felt targeted. van Raay was clearly a victim of abuse, was traumatised and had mental health issues (all she admitted), but during her time as a nun, a lot of what she did was her own doing. Spending hours walking in circles, putting her hand up for work, trying to push them through to modernity after Vatican II... yes, she no doubt caused ripples and received some flack, but she even said she put herself in extreme circumstances. Not going to the infirmary when ill? Allowing herself to be punished?
Her unconventional life afterwards was also surprising. She seemed to throw her prior vows off with glee. Premarital sex, jumping from one relationship to the next... I'm surprised how easy it was, given how confining her life had been for most of her life. But hey, that does seem to be a pattern people fall into, broadly speaking.
The ending I admittedly started skimming. The way she fell into a lot of bizarre, New Age therapies, how many friendships she destroyed by sleeping with husbands, how she never seemed to learn from it. How she managed to keep any healthy relationships is surprising.
I can see why people struggle to review and rate this. I hope van Raay is happy now. I hope she's managed to keep a good life....more
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