Donna
It took a few tries to get into Post-Traumatic, but that might be because I haven't read a novel like this in a long time. You spend most of the novel in Vivian's head, so even if you might be uncomfortable with the choices she's making, you have some sympathy. She's an unreliable narrator about her own life because she's not ready to face up to the aftermath of what's happened to her. It's striking, interesting to read, and I was invested in Vivian's wellbeing. What a good book. 4.5 stars.
Recommended by Kristen Meinzer of the By the Book podcast, this has a lot in common with my favorite book about boundaries, Set Boundaries, Find Peace. It is conversational and relentlessly full of examples that show you different ways to navigate a breakup by (surprise!) setting boundaries. You will think the book doesn't apply to you until you hear one, two or three situations which apply to your breakup story that make you say “I get it.” The authors are also relentlessly positive, affirming the reader's worth as a human being and how much better things can be when you're not trying to fix something that's probably been broken for a long time
Downsides? This book is heteronormative to a fault; you may be able to apply the advice to your non-hetero experience, and it might work but the only kind of relationship in here is monogamous boy meets monogamous girl. Also? The book is fat phobic and a little ableist; they do backpedal a bit from the worst “wallowing on the couch will make you fat and you want to look your best for yourself so get. moving” but there's still a big assumption that you can get moving and thinner is better. Proceed with caution if that might be a problem.
Still, I am years past the two biggest breakups of my life to date, and this context was absolutely helpful. Funny, fun to read and actually interesting. Even with my caveats, 3.5 stars.
This was not the book I expected, surprising, given I heard Elison read an excerpt. Can you draw comparisons to other books? Maybe. But the point is that is book feels deeply personal; it feels like a response to the people who have been complaining incessantly about diversity in SFF squeezing out white male writers. It feels like a reminder in these terrible days that everything is a mixed bag, there are no happy endings, but there are things that happen that are enough. I'm here for it.
Really extraordinary. It won't strike everyone the same way but for me it's of a piece with Four Thousand Weeks and The Rules of Inheritance and Crying In H Mart. What do you hang on to when there's only so much time left, when you lose people you love, when you can see you're losing yourself? Friend's dry, quiet delivery in the audiobook makes the story more powerful.
This is the book that made me question why we're reading so much dystopian fiction, particularly stories that put girls and women in jeopardy. Is it because we feel marginalized and disempowered but can say “at least it's not this bad?” There is no world building here, just a village that has a betrothal ceremony and a test for all girls of marrying age. The girls are probably all white. The society is agrarian. The men are cruel. But we don't know why. I could nitpick the writing, but it's not terrible. What I am critical of is that this really seems like a facsimile. We know almost nothing about the characters beyond the role each plays in this violent, bloody story . There is a redemption arc, a hint of change, but it's hard to care because we don't know enough about the society in the book to feel invested. It feels manipulative and empty. The book is critical of this oppressive society and horrific ritual, but in the end, there's no real rebellion. This weird social contract is intact, presumably for a sequel. One and a half stars.
Not everyone will love this book as much as I did, but if I could give this six stars, I would. It's so well written, funny and touching, that I feel like it elevates the genre of romance novel, if genre even matters here. Personally, much like Evvie Drake came along when I was leaving a marriage and I still have pieces of that book with me, Flying Solo arrived after I had experienced loss, and I felt parts in my solar plexus. It is a charming book that made me laugh again and again, and deeply thoughtful in a really impressive way. If it is a romance it avoids cliches and tropes and I ended up somewhere I didn't expect, which was a total pleasure. I feel like Linda is only growing as a writer; this may be even better than her first book and I'm thankful she has a deal for another, I would basically follow her anywhere she chooses to go.
I really wanted to like this book; I'm a dedicated rom com fan and a lover of romance and classic literature so it seemed right up my alley. I was really bothered that the main characters seemed so unlikeable, and it seemed implausible that a smart cookie like Athena wouldn't already have more clues to the literary mystery brewing in her small hometown. I kept hoping things would improve, that I would end up caring more about Athena and Thorne, but this one was just not for me. Maybe it's for you?
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an advance copy of this book.
This book is not for everyone, but it's the only self help book I've read in recent memory that I didn't think needed to be shorter. If you want clear examples of good boundaries in a variety of different settings, this is for you. The author did a good job reading her own material and I came away with great appreciation for her work.
