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eliya's reviews
102 reviews
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
really good book
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
so sad i didn’t review this after i read it
took me about 9h 48m to read this book
i imagine me reading this as a 22 year old sobbing, clutching it to my chest curled up while Retired From Sad, New Career in Business by Mitsky plays loudly, so distressed i’m not bothered by the hair of mine that was caught on the wall as i slid down.
i read this book and i began to see myself from back then in such a different light. sympathetic but pitiful. i get why i lost all my friends, i guess. the aching desire to not be alone spun me around more than anything else. i did love this book.
when the dog died, i saw the signs coming and i was truly devastated.
took me about 9h 48m to read this book
i imagine me reading this as a 22 year old sobbing, clutching it to my chest curled up while Retired From Sad, New Career in Business by Mitsky plays loudly, so distressed i’m not bothered by the hair of mine that was caught on the wall as i slid down.
i read this book and i began to see myself from back then in such a different light. sympathetic but pitiful. i get why i lost all my friends, i guess. the aching desire to not be alone spun me around more than anything else. i did love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Classism
Calypso by David Sedaris
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
wanted to read the audiobook when i realized these were audiobiographical anecdotes!
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I spent 9h 47m reading this book.
The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out what this book was going to be. There was so much backstory and set up, it seemed, that I wasn’t sure when the book, or “real” story, would begin. It caught me off guard when I realized the point of the book, and it was kind of relaxing. This isn’t a particularly exciting book or anything, this is a very healing book.
I just lost my father about two months ago and it’s been hard to let go. I’m glad I read this book when I did.
Now, the actual book was weird. The point was lovely— there was a very odd antihomelessness theme throughout the book. The island that they live on has heavy patrols for people sleeping anywhere but inside a house & none of the characters bay an eye about it. The author tries to do this like “I remember poverty… it was rough” thing with a couple of the characters and it doesn’t land, it just reads as empty, really. I think she could have dived deeper and given detail instead of vague “what was probably abuse” description.
I feel bad for Lizbeth honestly. I think she and Lucy should have had a larger part of the story. You have Lizbeth and her diaries and we’re waiting for this big ball to drop (no pun intended) at the end when someone finally reads her diaries, but it, again, falls flat on delivery.
I’m glad the loose ends were tied up, but the package was a lot smaller than it made itself out to be. Cute book, glad I read it, good for grief. Nice to fat people and not weird about weight lol.
The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out what this book was going to be. There was so much backstory and set up, it seemed, that I wasn’t sure when the book, or “real” story, would begin. It caught me off guard when I realized the point of the book, and it was kind of relaxing. This isn’t a particularly exciting book or anything, this is a very healing book.
Now, the actual book was weird. The point was lovely— there was a very odd antihomelessness theme throughout the book. The island that they live on has heavy patrols for people sleeping anywhere but inside a house & none of the characters bay an eye about it. The author tries to do this like “I remember poverty… it was rough” thing with a couple of the characters and it doesn’t land, it just reads as empty, really. I think she could have dived deeper and given detail instead of vague “what was probably abuse” description.
I feel bad for Lizbeth honestly. I think she and Lucy should have had a larger part of the story. You have Lizbeth and her diaries and we’re waiting for this big ball to drop (no pun intended) at the end when someone finally reads her diaries, but it, again, falls flat on delivery.
I’m glad the loose ends were tied up, but the package was a lot smaller than it made itself out to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Classism
Matrix by Lauren Groff
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a challenge for me.
It took me 15h 21m technically, with the Libby app open whether or not I was actually reading.
I’ve never read a historical fiction book for me, and the beginning was a little slow. Once it picked up, the pace ebbed and flowed, and, I began to appreciate how beautifully it is written. So many passages that I want to keep and remember forever, the word choice and the poetic cadence of Lauren’s Groff’s writing is best described by a friend of mine as “delicious.” absolutely.
I love women and I’m so glad I read this book even though this book is way smarter than I will ever be. Gonna go finish weeping now.
It took me 15h 21m technically, with the Libby app open whether or not I was actually reading.
I’ve never read a historical fiction book for me, and the beginning was a little slow. Once it picked up, the pace ebbed and flowed, and, I began to appreciate how beautifully it is written. So many passages that I want to keep and remember forever, the word choice and the poetic cadence of Lauren’s Groff’s writing is best described by a friend of mine as “delicious.” absolutely.
I love women and I’m so glad I read this book even though this book is way smarter than I will ever be. Gonna go finish weeping now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I’m glad I read this book. Colleen Hoover really does write an incredible story, and awful characters. She does a fantastic job pulling my emotions, but she lacks class consciousness. It’s one thing to tackle domestic abuse, and it’s another to tackle homelessness. I absolutely think someone needed to read the perspective that maybe people experiencing homelessness aren’t in that situation because they choose to be, absolutely, but it doesn’t end at just donating to charities. I was incredibly disappointed with her rationality of hoarding wealth.
From the get go, her characters lack emotional depth. Maybe this book is just a little out dated, but it was very clear that Ryle didn’t respect her enough to ask for consent until he was already knee deep in physicality with her. He throws micro-tantrums at little things OF COURSE he has a temper. It didn’t seem like there was much to his character other than the fact that he was pretty & was ambitious & met the basic standards of being a good/likeable guy.
At one point, she writes that Atlas tried to unalive himself and decided not to because he SAW lily and she was SO BEAUTIFUL that he didn’t. give me a break. so incredible tonedeaf.
I think some one who hasn’t thought about these things would absolutely learn from this book, this book is important for what it does & the ending was so incredibly beautiful i cried, it really did pull at my heart. god that was so perfect. The author’s note was also incredible, I’m so happy i got insight on the characters
I think Colleen Hoover in general is a great fast easy read and a great introduction to reading, but her books and male characters lack depth & common sense. She tackled too many issues with this book and is generally illinformed with the other issues she tried to tackle. Her plots are always such an incredible ride & when it hits it hits! Do better colleen plz for me i love your books!!
From the get go, her characters lack emotional depth. Maybe this book is just a little out dated, but it was very clear that
At one point, she writes that
I think some one who hasn’t thought about these things would absolutely learn from this book, this book is important for what it does & the ending
I think Colleen Hoover in general is a great fast easy read and a great introduction to reading, but her books and male characters lack depth & common sense. She tackled too many issues with this book and is generally illinformed with the other issues she tried to tackle. Her plots are always such an incredible ride & when it hits it hits! Do better colleen plz for me i love your books!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts
Short & Sweet by Brendan Kearney, Josh Funk
2.0
what is the point of this book? it makes me angry how bad this is lmao
they’re afraid to age and then when they try a deager they go to far then they’re afraid of their friend? and the friend gets offended and they have to apologize? then in the end they go back to regular adults and everything is fine??
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i did really like this book especially as a 26 year old nanny lmao
good read, entertaining and informative, relatable. I love how she is able to make both characters relatable even if it’s not something that is conventionally an okay thing to do, the reader is able to see the thought processes, which i did like.
the author’s explicit obsession with skinniness sucks and was a surprisingly persistent fetish throughout the book from both perspectives
the way it’s written is very honest which i really enjoyed, the highs and lows aren’t super dramatic so i don’t recommend this if you want something super juicy, but it is a good story that points out some truly shitty behaviors. that’s all it really has to be & i really like that.
insane that him using the n word wasn’t an immediate red flag, she could have saved herself so much grief lmao. a friend of mine who read this too pointed out that this book reads like a romantic novel but doesn’t end as one, and i love that.
good read, entertaining and informative, relatable. I love how she is able to make both characters relatable even if it’s not something that is conventionally an okay thing to do, the reader is able to see the thought processes, which i did like.
the author’s explicit obsession with skinniness sucks and was a surprisingly persistent fetish throughout the book from both perspectives
the way it’s written is very honest which i really enjoyed, the highs and lows aren’t super dramatic so i don’t recommend this if you want something super juicy, but it is a good story that points out some truly shitty behaviors. that’s all it really has to be & i really like that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
fantastic read. informative and not too dense to where it is difficult to process the information. i learned so much. de’schaun harrison writes in a way that is conversational yet obviously so informative. it felt like i was listening to one of my really smart friends talk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic