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sidpeanut's reviews
40 reviews
Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos by Nash Jenkins
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Holy. Shit. What did I just read?
I don’t even know how to organize my thoughts about this book, so let’s do bullet points:
- Nash Jenkins sure seems to have a few favorite vocabulary words (take a shot every time he says “ethers” or “metastasized”)
- All the sex scenes made me uncomfortable. Like, I get that some of them are important to the story, but did he have to describe adolescent sexual behavior in such intense detail?
- In what world would ANYONE—mentally fucked up or otherwise—submit THAT for an English final paper? I get that English class is where you get to hand in your trauma for a grade, but come on.
It sounds like I’m shitting on this book, but it got me out of a reading slump; so, here are some positive bullet points:
- INSANELY gripping. I woke up and reached for the book every morning and read it before I went to bed. In fact, I sat my ass down tonight with 120 pages left and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Hence why it is currently almost 2 AM as I’m writing this. I devoured this book with an intensity I haven’t really indulged in since middle school.
- Such an honest portrayal of high school angst. I found past versions of myself ashamedly relating to Foster’s melodrama (justified or otherwise) more times than I care to admit. Hell, I still sort of relate to him. I just eat up broken Holden Caulfield archetype characters every time.
- Foster’s Blogspot journaling makes me miss my Livejournal diary I kept for 2 years.
I honestly have so many more thoughts on this book, but I’m far too tired to turn my review into a discussion board right now. Plus my back is aching from the atrocious posture with which I’ve been sitting for the past two hours, so I’ll sign off here.
I don’t even know how to organize my thoughts about this book, so let’s do bullet points:
- Nash Jenkins sure seems to have a few favorite vocabulary words (take a shot every time he says “ethers” or “metastasized”)
- All the sex scenes made me uncomfortable. Like, I get that some of them are important to the story, but did he have to describe adolescent sexual behavior in such intense detail?
- In what world would ANYONE—mentally fucked up or otherwise—submit THAT for an English final paper? I get that English class is where you get to hand in your trauma for a grade, but come on.
It sounds like I’m shitting on this book, but it got me out of a reading slump; so, here are some positive bullet points:
- INSANELY gripping. I woke up and reached for the book every morning and read it before I went to bed. In fact, I sat my ass down tonight with 120 pages left and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Hence why it is currently almost 2 AM as I’m writing this. I devoured this book with an intensity I haven’t really indulged in since middle school.
- Such an honest portrayal of high school angst. I found past versions of myself ashamedly relating to Foster’s melodrama (justified or otherwise) more times than I care to admit. Hell, I still sort of relate to him. I just eat up broken Holden Caulfield archetype characters every time.
- Foster’s Blogspot journaling makes me miss my Livejournal diary I kept for 2 years.
I honestly have so many more thoughts on this book, but I’m far too tired to turn my review into a discussion board right now. Plus my back is aching from the atrocious posture with which I’ve been sitting for the past two hours, so I’ll sign off here.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
warren rly came out on top in the end dude’s chillin
also, don’t normally like books told in this sort of format, but this one had me hooked!
also, don’t normally like books told in this sort of format, but this one had me hooked!
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
books read this month 1 (dreadful), minutes spent relating to bridget jones approx. 210 (not great), bridget jones’s diary (v.g.)
funny book! bridget is too relatable (which makes me realize i need to get my shit together as my mom said “oh, bridget jones’s diary? whenever somebody says ‘hot mess’ i think of that character”).
funny book! bridget is too relatable (which makes me realize i need to get my shit together as my mom said “oh, bridget jones’s diary? whenever somebody says ‘hot mess’ i think of that character”).
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
I know I gave it a 3.75 but I LOVEDDDD this book!! I’m SO EXCITED TO READ THE NEXT ONE GET ME TO A BARNES AND NOBLE STAT.
At some points I found it a little bit tedious to read BUT that’s probably because I read it during a stressful week LOL.
Avery was so easy to project on as I am a chess-and-puzzle-loving physics major so there were lots of similarities.
The HAWTHORNE BROTHERS omfg. First of all Xander is absolutely adorable if anything bad happens to him I will take matters into my OWN. HANDS. Hopefully I see more of him in the next book.
I feel like I’d TOTALLY love Grayson more if we’d seen more of him!! Hopefully he’s in the next book more because I am sooo intrigued by him I’ll probably end up falling for him…😏
Jameson…I want to love him more than I do but idk he was too interested in Avery from the get go I need more of a slowburn…but like I said let’s see what happens in the sequel.
I am lowkey a Nash stan idk I’m a SUCKERRR for a cowboy type…save a horse…that’s all I’ll say.
At some points I found it a little bit tedious to read BUT that’s probably because I read it during a stressful week LOL.
Avery was so easy to project on as I am a chess-and-puzzle-loving physics major so there were lots of similarities.
The HAWTHORNE BROTHERS omfg. First of all Xander is absolutely adorable if anything bad happens to him I will take matters into my OWN. HANDS. Hopefully I see more of him in the next book.
I feel like I’d TOTALLY love Grayson more if we’d seen more of him!! Hopefully he’s in the next book more because I am sooo intrigued by him I’ll probably end up falling for him…😏
Jameson…I want to love him more than I do but idk he was too interested in Avery from the get go I need more of a slowburn…but like I said let’s see what happens in the sequel.
I am lowkey a Nash stan idk I’m a SUCKERRR for a cowboy type…save a horse…that’s all I’ll say.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Beautiful book!! Read it for the first time about two and a half years ago and wanted to revisit it since I was in the mood for a book that would make me cry.
It’s interesting to go back and read something with new eyes. It’s interesting to see what I had annotated when I was seventeen, the same age as Ari, a new college student all alone in a different state and digest that as I reread the book at twenty, sitting in my childhood bedroom. She’ll never know that I am going to relive what she was going through, and somehow I think that’s a concept very connected to this book.
It’s interesting to go back and read something with new eyes. It’s interesting to see what I had annotated when I was seventeen, the same age as Ari, a new college student all alone in a different state and digest that as I reread the book at twenty, sitting in my childhood bedroom. She’ll never know that I am going to relive what she was going through, and somehow I think that’s a concept very connected to this book.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy. Shit. This book has utterly undone me. I sat staring in front of me, jaw to the floor for—not exaggerating—a half an hour when I finished this. I sobbed SO much. I don’t even have the words to explain how I feel. There is so much to say about this book and how beautifully done it was, but I don’t think I’m smart enough to articulate it. Oh my god.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
medium-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? Yes
4.25
One of my favorite Ali Hazelwood books thus far. I love me a good cheesy romcom and I’m not afraid to say it!! Also—100% convinced Hazelwood knows me somehow and is writing these with me in mind. All her books have circumstances that are…SO…specific to me??? Which honestly makes them that much better.
Read this book in basically one sitting and it had me laughing, crying, and throwing my phone down and burying my face in my hands.
P.S. So totally in love with Nolan Sawyer. Duh.
Read this book in basically one sitting and it had me laughing, crying, and throwing my phone down and burying my face in my hands.
P.S. So totally in love with Nolan Sawyer. Duh.
Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Amazing read! I’ve never been one for memoirs but I started reading this in a BJ’s while waiting for my mom to finish her shopping and couldn’t put it down—so I bought it.
Paris is a very good narrator and shines a light on the parts of her life that the media never saw or considered in the past.
Paris is a very good narrator and shines a light on the parts of her life that the media never saw or considered in the past.