Jane Smith is a defense attorney, trying to defend a probably guilty client of three murders. Gripping, well paced with great character development.
I'm open to a lot of visual styles for graphic novels. It can be what elevates a mediocre story to something profound, but it can also tonally clash with the message and leave a muddled mess. Storytelling in this format is a challenge to pull off and few have been able to do so successfully. I Am Not Okay With This unfortunately falls into the other camp here. Even if this were just a novel without the "graphic" part, there's not much to recommend it.
Filled with cliches about what it's like to be a teenage girl, I Am Not Okay With This suffers from the "men writing women" trope. None of the interactions felt believable or realistic. Instead, they seemed forced through what a man thought these interactions should be based on minimal or merely pop culture research. None of it had the feel of anyone who has lived as a teenage girl in similar situations—psychic powers notwithstanding. This was why it leaned so heavily on the tropes commonly associated with girls in puberty and the male fetishes that go along with it.
I wasn't sure if this was trying to be edgy by focusing only on heavy subjects like sexuality, bullying, and suicide, but the simplistic art style felt too childish to accomplish any of these goals with any level of gravitas. There wasn't even a satisfying conclusion to anything, which would only be frustrating if this book wasn't such a quick read. I'm sure it's less of a time commitment than watching the Netflix show, but I still probably wouldn't recommend it (even if I haven't seen the Netflix show to compare against).
A mismatched graphic novel obviously written by a man, I give I Am Not Okay With This 2.0 stars out of 5.
I love Ruth Ware but this was so disappointing I didn't even finish it, and I really tried. I was just so frustrated with the format and the characters that I no longer cared about the conclusion.
The back and forth format was really repetitive and annoying, and the characters all felt thin. The main character only had two modes, panic attack or despair, but the way it was written it was impossible to have empathy for her.
Her anxiety became very formulaic. The supporting characters were all very predictable, which is not good in a whodunit. I really hope she's back on her game with the next one as I liked every one of her books until now.
Lovable characters, an amazing plot, swoon-worthy chemistry, and a captivating writing style, what more could one ask for in a rom-com narrative? Like seriously. And those beautiful ideas are immaculately expressed in The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. This book stole my heart—a truly well-done teaser love story. From the first page, Armas unfolds every parcel of the story with perfection, leaving just enough time before uncovering another equally interesting idea. The classic enemies-to-lovers trope is perfectly applied as mysterious and stone-cold Aaron meets open and bubby Catalina. At first, the motives are questionable; you’ll find yourself asking, “why would Catalina be soo adamant about finding a fake boyfriend to bring home for a wedding?” and if she hates Aaron with that much ferocity, “why did she put that aside and take him?” But as the plot unfolds, everything makes sense in a kinda sick way, and motives come to life. And through it all, Aaron and Catalina could not be more wholesome. They frankly stole my heart. It is honestly an emotional rollercoaster that I wish would never end. When it finally did, it was perfect.
What is a better way to start a relationship with someone, your best friend’s cousin, than calling the cops on them? Answer: There is none, especially if it's a rom-com novel—the perfect first encounter. This is what happens to Rosie Graham when she unexpectedly comes across Lucas Martin, her best friend’s cousin, “breaking into her out of town friends apartment” and calls the cops. New flash, he was not breaking in; he had a key, but little did she know that this was the start of an excellent relationship and a well-written, feel-good book because everyone needs a decent, feel-good book in their lives, right? Well, at least for me, that book is not The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas. I mean, yes, technically, the novel is a feel-good book, but it is also so much more. It's about overcoming your past and moving forward. It’s about loving yourself and supporting others. It’s about allowing yourself to rely on others. The American Roommate Experiment is an emotional rollercoaster bundled up into 400 pages. That made me feel anywhere from devastated to ecstatic, to awe, to hate, and to love in a single chapter.
That being said, I didn’t enjoy The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas as much as its prequel, The Spanish Love Deception. I found the plot too slow, even for a slow-burn-type book, and overly stacked with tropes. While I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers trope, in this case, I found it extremely frustrating, and generally, I found that Lucas and Rosie lacked the necessary chemistry. I mean, water and oil have better chemistry. Both Lucas and Rosie would, in my opinion, make better friends than lovers, and the romance piece felt like an afterthought in the plot and their relationship. It is still a well-written novel with fascinating characters and a well-needed message. I adored the character development that progressed but found the romance part severely lacking. The best way I would describe The American Roommate Experiment is a modern feel-good comedy, and if that is what you’re looking for? Great. It is a perfect read, but don’t go looking for a romance novel.
"Unseelie" is a fantasy book by Ivelisse Houseman. It centers around Iselia 'Seelie' Graygrove, an adopted changeling and her sister Isolde. One day a heist goes wrong and she's stuck with a magical compass in her arm. However, this gives the sisters an opportunity to team up with Raze and Olani to find the treasure of the Wildline family.
The characters are all fairly well done, if not a bit dull. Raze and Olani were the highlights for me, both having their hidden depths teased without being drawn out. Though I didn’t find Isolde particularly interesting, she was likable and understandable. Seelie was a bit unpleasant at times, but I always ended up liking her. The plot was a bit dull in the first half. It often felt like a car that drove for a few miles before sputtering out. Or else it felt more like a checklist than a story. However, it found its footing by the time they entered the fairy realm. After that the plot was engaging and hard to put down. It felt like the dreamy fantasy world I was looking for.
Now, the main selling point of this book is the autistic representation. Though I am autistic, obviously I don’t speak for all autistic people (so keep that in mind). Having an autistic protagonist at all is definitely amazing. I can count on one hand the number of confirmed autistic characters I’ve seen in media. However, I was a bit disappointed in how Seelie turned out. Though this book was intended (as written in the author’s note) to be a story about autism, it didn’t feel like one.
Seelie feels like an outsider, but that’s more due to people thinking she’s dangerous than thinking she’s incapable or strange. Her arc is more about trying not to hurt people than trying to relate to them or feel useful to them. Furthermore, the story tries to address the topic of parents feeling that their children have been ‘stolen away’ by autism. However, in a world where changelings literally replace human children, the argument loses a bit of power. There are occasional references to Seelie avoiding eye contact, having trouble with social cues, and having difficulty with loud areas, but these are always brief and never impact the story much. That said, there are smaller moments that capture autism quite well.
Finally, I found the writing style to be distractingly anachronistic. It felt more like watching two tik-tok users collab than reading an epic story about the fae. Then again, many people enjoy that kind of writing. So maybe it's just me.
Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read that slightly disappointed me. However, I fully intend to pick up the second part as soon as it hits the shelves. Not only because I hope the author has improved her craft, but because I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Five Total Strangers begins with our protagonist, Mira on a plane ride back home just before Christmas. There is a large winter storm approaching and all flights are cancelled, so in desperation Mira and some other college - age passengers rent a car in an attempt to reach their destinations. Woven between the main plot, we read letters sent to Mira from a mysterious person she met while in the hospital around the time of her aunt's death. The person's letters take a very... stalker-y tone... and they appear to have never reached their destination. As the story goes on, the sender grows more and more desperate alongside the distress of her party.
The story has well written language and description, and it was easy to visualize the setting and the mental state of the protagonist. However, it is supposed to be a sort of mystery? It's hinted that there is a saboteur among Mira and the four strangers, but it was fairly easy for me to figure out who it was early in the book, which made the "twist" at the end feel over dramatized and the red herrings obvious. Basically, the book tries to sell "I don't know who to trust and there's nowhere to go!"but it didn't really meet my expectations. The main character Mira has no real agency, which makes sense, because she's trapped in a snowstorm, but at the same time, the book doesn't really analyze the sense of powerlessness in a situation out of your control. Mira just kind of feels uneasy and goes along with whatever the rest of the characters say, and the book doesn't really address this.
Also, the end was unrealistically soon after the climax in my opinion. After the "twist," the rescue came so quick that it made me wonder, "why could this not happen sooner?..." It just felt irrational compared to the rest of the story, and this narrative whiplash lowered my opinion.
Despite my qualms with the story (it might just be over-analysis on my part) I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained for at least a day, and the author was decent at evoking dread by constricting the escape routes of the story's environment. I'd recommend this book if you enjoy quick thrillers for a snowy day.
"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel recounts the major events of Pi's life before going into detail about him being stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. It has frequent anecdotes about zookeeping and religion, especially near the beginning. The main character, Pi Patel, is an extremly likable main character. Though he is not particularly colorful or eccentric, his devotion to God and resilience make the audience instantly emphasize with him. Richard Parker, the tiger, is also made interesting. Though he doesn't do anything out of the realm of possibility, it's always left unclear how he's going to respond to the current situation. The rest of the characters are not particularly deep, but they all serve their purpose.
The plot is fairly simple, focusing more on describing Pi's struggle in detail than twists and turns. Sitting on a boat for seven months is hard to make interesting, but this book rises to the occassion. Every change in circumstance is explored, and Pi has to respond in creative ways. In between the speeches about how to train a tiger and why a hyena is dangerous, there are themes about faith that are masterfully done. While I can't say I agree with everything that's said about religion, I do appriciate how it is explored.
I would reccomend this book to animal lovers, people who enjoy survival stories, and anyone looking for a unique story that will keep them hooked.
Okay, so the plot may be a little silly. A desperate adjunct physics professor, Elsie Hannaway, makes up for her pathetic paycheck by becoming people’s fake girlfriend. Does she enjoy her jobs? No. During the day, she deals with pathetic and entitled college students who couldn’t care less about physics. At night, she people-pleases to make enough to live. All while living in a probably rat-infested apartment. Whoever said academia was easy? And when she finally might get an actual well-paying job at MIT, she runs into Jack Smith, the older brother of her favorite client. Who may or may not think she works at a library?
That being said, the classic enemies-to-lovers trope and the quirky, witty characters complement the plot perfectly. The chemistry between Jack and Elsie is palpable. Frankly, Love, Theoretically, brings out the uncontrollable laughter and wholesome feelings everyone needs. However, this is definitely not my favorite Hazelwood book, and out of all the protagonists of her other books, Elsie just didn’t make the same spark. Throughout the whole book, Elsie needs constant approval from those around her, and despite being a wonderful, smart person, she lacks self-esteem. And I mean, I get it; some people have trouble with self-esteem, but Elsie’s people-pleasing tendencies are taken to too much of an extreme. And Jack, the most wholesome, caring person, sends mixed signals the whole book. The “you don’t like me” phase was too drawn out and, at times, annoying. Still, I enjoyed the light, pleasant read like always.
All In is the third book in The Naturals series. It takes place in Vegas instead of Washington D.C. and is actually focusing on a main secondary character instead, Sloane. The Naturals investigate a series of murders that take place in casinos around Las Vegas and learn that they may run deeper than they thought.
I really liked this book in the series. I liked how we got a story focusing on a secondary character instead of just focusing on Cassie like in the first two books. However, this book was longer than the other books and got a little bit boring in some parts, which is why I rated it a three stars. It was a really good and interesting story though and I’m looking forward to continuing the series!
