Whilst I didn't really enjoy the story itself I appreciated the in depth look at the life of a medical examiner and found that element to be quite intWhilst I didn't really enjoy the story itself I appreciated the in depth look at the life of a medical examiner and found that element to be quite interesting. I will probably pick up Judy's non-fiction book on her life as a medical examiner at some point but I won't be reading the rest of this series. The story felt a bit clunky, disjointed and flat in parts. Heaps of people loved it so it was a case of 'not for me'....more
Another book from this author filled with incredible characters that draw you in and move you. They are complex and constantly changing due to their iAnother book from this author filled with incredible characters that draw you in and move you. They are complex and constantly changing due to their interactions with each other and their growing fame. This book is written as an oral history of the fictional band in the book's title. It is filled with interviews and people's accounts of the events that led to the split of the hugely successful rock band. It is a story about the empowerment of female musicians, forbidden love, unrequited love, betrayal and the role ego, drugs and booze play in the rise and fall of a rock band. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as it was a full cast narration including the incredible Julia Whelan. For a book that unfolds slowly and through sound bite interviews, I found it to be utterly compelling.
CW: (view spoiler)[murder of family, gun violence, rape, death from asthma, descriptions of gory wounds, drugs, miscarriage, 2.5 Stars rounded up to 3
CW: (view spoiler)[murder of family, gun violence, rape, death from asthma, descriptions of gory wounds, drugs, miscarriage, (hide spoiler)]
Well this is a tricky review to write.
I can honestly say I was not remotely aware of the controversy surrounding this book until after I had finished and started reading Goodreads reviews. As a story on it's own it was a compelling but long and slightly overwritten read. I liked the characters well enough although the 8 year old boy read more like a wise old man then a frightened child.
I found the author's note on why they chose to write about this topic interesting. I don't have too much more to add other than that the story is an important one and I look forward to reading some ownvoice accounts of the desperate plight to escape violent drug cartels....more
CW: set aside a few minutes for this one (view spoiler)[lots of detailed sex scenes, self-harm, statutory rape of minor, heavy teen drug use, death byCW: set aside a few minutes for this one (view spoiler)[lots of detailed sex scenes, self-harm, statutory rape of minor, heavy teen drug use, death by unintentional overdose, death of loved one, parental neglect, marital affairs, cheating, child pornography through release of sex tape of minor (revenge porn), non consensual sex tape, underage drinking, slut and sex shaming, misogyny, animal death, depression, horse being hurt and dying due to poor horse riding, suicidal ideation including planning and discussion of method, mention of eating disorder (hide spoiler)]
Well I don't really know where to begin but I think I'll start with ... Oh Dear.
Let me also start off by saying I could not stop listening to this. You know those horrific situations where you just can't look away? This was like that for me. I enjoyed the narration style and seeing into the minds of multiple characters. Sometimes it almost felt like a documentary and I imagined David Attenborough, in his gentle voice, describing the fascinating mating rituals of privileged rich brats in their natural habitat. At the end of the day though, it is a story about a very wealthy group of entitled teens and their gossip girl type dramas. I have not read Anna Karenina but from my understanding it is a reasonable modern reimagining of that classic piece of literature but without the social commentary. The characters are all very melodramatic and there is an 'end of days' type attitude if your love is not reciprocated. I'm talking Gothic literature levels of woe. Romeo and Juliet was also referenced so by that you can gauge the tone of this lengthy novel. The parts I had real issues with were the lack of acknowledgement of the fact that there was a statutory rape that went completely unchallenged, the normalisation of serious drug and alcohol use, and the comments about girls being sluts and boys likened to studs if they bed lots of girls. FYI, the cast is all between the ages of 15 - 18. The parents also seemed mostly absent during all this partying, drug taking and sex scandals. It felt like trash. Highly addictive trash. There you go. I don't know if I liked it or hated it to be honest, but it was gripping regardless. Absolutely senior fiction in a high school.
I've just remembered the name of the movie I think it is very similar to. Cruel Intentions. Yeah, it's exactly like that....more
Well that ended up being a fabulous ownvoiCW: (view spoiler)[Murder suicide by gun, drugs, addiction, on page rape, death of loved one (hide spoiler)]
Well that ended up being a fabulous ownvoice YA mystery!
I loved the characters and enjoyed learning about the Native American Ojibwe community in Michigan. Daunis is biracial and struggles to find her place and bridge the divide between her white mother's family and her Indigenous family. I find small town community stories incredibly absorbing as they feel emotional and intimate. Whilst I think there could a have been a bit of an edit to create a bit more intensity it was still a reasonably well paced story. The last third was utterly gripping and I felt fully invested in Daunis and the future of her community. An incredible debut.
I just want to add that this book made it to the Times Best 100 YA books ever written so it's definitely worth reading....more
CW: (view spoiler)[severe bullying, coarse language, drug use, injections described, dog is injected with steroids, lots of t3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
CW: (view spoiler)[severe bullying, coarse language, drug use, injections described, dog is injected with steroids, lots of talk about how steroids affect male genitalia...like lots, sexual references, incidents of 'roid rage', death of a loved one through steroid abuse, dealing with grief (hide spoiler)]
Well that was an intense 'journey' book that, whilst heavy on the education side, was still incredibly engaging.
Novels that explore body and muscle dysmorphia in males are quite rare so I think that makes this book important. According to the author's note there is an increase in men suffering mental health issues stemming from body image. David was a solid main character that felt quite authentic in terms of his decision making and thought processes as he sought to shake off the bullies by bulking up. It is so refreshing and wonderful to see a story exposing men's vulnerabilities and I think Fred did a great job of this. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of toxic masculinity in there, but it was portrayed as part of the expected behaviour of the body builders in this story. I don't have any knowledge of the accuracy of the steroid use etc but according to the author this is an ownvoice story. I may or may not have had a few tears towards the end...
I am really pleased we have a copy of this in the library but I will be sure to discuss the content warnings with anyone borrowing the book....more
CW: (view spoiler)[death of parents, murder of child, mental health, drowning (op), gun violence, drug and alcohol addiction. (hide spoiler)]
Well thisCW: (view spoiler)[death of parents, murder of child, mental health, drowning (op), gun violence, drug and alcohol addiction. (hide spoiler)]
Well this is not a retelling of Jane Eyre.
I prefer to call stories that draw inspiration from other stories but make quite significant plot or character changes, reimaginings. To me that's a more appropriate term as they are taking a story and putting their own spin on it. The author has taken a handful of elements from Jane Eyre and created her own unique story. The first part was actually okay with some creepy modern gothic features. Then a plot twist occurs which is similar to another classic piece of gothic literature which I will keep as a hidden spoiler because it will give away too much. (view spoiler)[The MC is placed in an asylum under an incorrect name as a way of getting rid of her and stealing all her money. This is similar to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. (hide spoiler)] After this plot point however, there is a section where I was actually groaning because it was so implausible. (view spoiler)[Janie goes back to live in the house with the people who commited her to the facility under a false name. Authorities don't conduct an investigation after she is released. Naturally her lawyer doesn't believe her and says she has to go back to live with these wretched people. (hide spoiler)] Thankfully the story becomes engaging again, and I felt like it had a reasonably strong ending. I didn't particularly like the main character or the love triangle, but the story intrigued me enough to keep me reading....more
CW: (view spoiler)[MC finds his father's body. Father hung himself in the garage. Mother is an alcoholic after divorce. Anxiety. Classism (hi2.5 Stars
CW: (view spoiler)[MC finds his father's body. Father hung himself in the garage. Mother is an alcoholic after divorce. Anxiety. Classism (hide spoiler)]
Well the cover looks like a cute romance. The blurb sounds mostly like a cute romance with a potential exploration of some deeper issues.
It is not a cute romance.
It is a book about two people with difficult and tragic lives who spend more time antagonising each other than staring dreamily into each others eyes. It is not a bad book but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I found the self-sabotage storyline a bit frustrating but I understand that their past and present trauma is the cause of this. I just didn't feel that there really was a romantic connection between Meg and Colby. It was more of a 'co-dependent you make me feel better' type connection. This is not a bad type of storyline but seriously, the cover mislead me people! My rating however, is not based on my feelings of cover betrayal. It just didn't quite come together for me as a YA realistic novel either....more
CW: (view spoiler)[Drug overdose resulting in death of mother, grief stricken father commits suicide, excessive drug and alcohol use by other3.5 Stars
CW: (view spoiler)[Drug overdose resulting in death of mother, grief stricken father commits suicide, excessive drug and alcohol use by other characters (hide spoiler)]
Well this book ended up being less cute and fluffy and more damaged and heartbroken than I was expecting. It took me a while to get into the story but overall I enjoyed it. It could have done with a wee edit as I think it felt longer than the story warranted. The romance wasn't super swoon worthy but I really liked Jefferson. His character development was the most enjoyable aspect of the book for me.
On a side note, I hope Mrs Google doesn't judge me when she sees how long I spent googling and watching cowboy line dancing videos. Yes I have seen the videos but I need to know if this is actually a thing. Are there bars where people set their drinks aside and pop up for a line dance or two? And does everyone know the moves? Like are there set songs with set dance moves? How widespread is this phenomenon? I am not joking. I genuinely want to know....more
CW: (view spoiler)[Mental health - psychosis, anxiety, depression, dealing the the loss of a loved one, drugs/alcohol, possible suicide discussed in tCW: (view spoiler)[Mental health - psychosis, anxiety, depression, dealing the the loss of a loved one, drugs/alcohol, possible suicide discussed in the book. (hide spoiler)]
A very good book about a girl dealing with mental illness. As a reader it becomes quite intense as Neena increasingly experiences psychotic episodes. You become unsure about what is real or imagined along with her. The tension was built up slowly enough that initially you felt she was an unreasonable and egocentric teenager, but as she becomes more paranoid and irrational you realise her mental health is spiralling downwards. I found myself quite drawn to her as a character as her voice felt very authentic. It was also interesting to read about how her Pakistani culture impacted how her illness was dealt with, and also the cultural pressures she perceived to exist from her parents. There was also some beautiful writing in the book. A very moving book about dealing with loss, anxiety and mental illness. ...more
The inner voice of teen worry and self doubt is captured really well in this book. I remember hearing almost exactly the same kinds of selCW: Drug use
The inner voice of teen worry and self doubt is captured really well in this book. I remember hearing almost exactly the same kinds of self-criticisms tumbling through my brain. If I’m honest, they still do the rounds in my head from time to time in social situations. This book is all about Carla losing herself to better fit in with the ‘popular’ group. This is a pretty common high school story line and this book doesn’t particularly stand out above the others. There is a lot of drug use but it isn’t a gritty foray into the world of drug addiction. It’s more of a dainty dabble into a teen drug users life. It is an important issue though, and as I mentioned earlier the inner monologue is quite authentic. It showed how easily you can get swept into this world with a few harmless ‘tries’. The only alarming part for me was when someone commented that Carla had lost weight. She was really pleased they had noticed and credited ‘stress and drug use’ as being slimming! I should have written down the exact quote but it was an audiobook and the pen and paper were over there *points to kitchen table*. Overall, the book is okay, although I did want to shake some sense into Carla a few times, but I hear that is frowned upon....more
**spoiler alert** CW: The murder victim actually orchestrated his own death in order to frame people he didn't like. So it was a suicide.**spoiler alert** CW: The murder victim actually orchestrated his own death in order to frame people he didn't like. So it was a suicide....more
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