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This dystopian novel focusing on choice, women's rights, and how society forces us into boxes to define ourselves had sections I truly loved, but overall it felt incomplete.

The story starts with young girls given a ticket; a white ticket means a husband and children and a blue ticket means a childless life to focus on your "freedom" to do whatever you want.

I liked it and the thoughts it brought up, but there are better reads out there.

The writing is all about the vibe, jumping between paragraphs like a poem in prose. It did evoke troubling questions about motherhood, but it began to feel one-note, with the same ideas recurring over and over. There was no world building, and it was too interior and atmospheric. The questions posed about motherhood are important, and the writing was moving and often beautiful, but it wasn‘t enough to keep me engaged until the end.

#BeginsWith @AlwaysBeenaLoverofBooks @Eggs

I plan on picking this one up at my local library next week so I can finally read it and mark it off my TBR.

This was a Storygraph recommendation, totally not on my radar. It's a cross between Never Let Me Go, Handmaid's Tale, and one of the many on-the-road dystopian novels (Marrow Thieves, Parable of the Sower, The Road, etc) but also an exploration of what "choice" means and the ways in which culture influences how we see ourselves fundamentally. I enjoyed it, even though it was unsatisfying on some levels.

Got my pick back with all the comments for the last round #lmpbc. @suvata

Looking forward to reading all your comments ladies!

Thanks for all the extra goodies in the package as well! My son was super excited for the bath bomb. He loves bath 💣s! He already ate the snowman as well! @TheKidUpstairs

@StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego @Tianarose

@Tianarose your #LMPBC package arrived yesterday! Excited to read everyone's thoughts on Radium Girl and to dive into the tagged pick!

@StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego @DinoMom

Book 115

Blue Ticket is a dystopian novel in which girls receive a ticket when they reach puberty; a white ticket means motherhood and a blue ticket means career. A quick easy-read about how feelings of fulfillment are only possible with freedom of choice. I am definitely interested in reading The Water Cure, by the same author.

This book doesn't have great reviews on here, but I really liked it. An Atwood-esque dystopia, but from a different perspective than I'm used to. I definitely wanted more from the story, but overall it was a satisfying read. #lmpbc @DinoMom @TheKidUpstairs @Tianarose

Thanks for the read @BookishTrish ❤️ I am finally getting a chance to read it.

Review: https://scepticalreading.com/2021/06/lifes-a-lottery/

Yes, we can make an argument that this book is ‘[a]n urgent inquiry into free will, social expectation, and the fraught space of motherhood‘. Maybe in the 1950s. But in the early 21st century? I‘d say we have come a lot further than how women are but a sliver above farm animals. I want to see female empowerment, not oppression.

🙄The book version of Katherine Heigl. #oppositeofyay

I was intrigued by the cover and curious about a dystopia with little (no?) world building. In the end, I felt like this went nowhere.

Evening plans

The premise sounded better than the book actually was. It wasn‘t until the last hour or so of the audiobook that it got interesting, but I‘m not sure it was worth reading the whole thing to get there. It could have delved deeper for sure but there was a lack of world & character building that made it feel quite static at times, for such an emotive subject. I did like the end of it so I can‘t pan it altogether but not a book I could recommend. ⭐️⭐️

Intense, heart aching, women have have so much to endure.

Blue Ticket pulled me in with a fantastic cover, an interesting beginning, and beautiful writing, but I ended up being a bit disappointed. I don‘t feel like this book said anything new or different than other dystopian books with similar storylines and themes and it lacked the world building that make dystopian novels so chilling. Pretty forgettable overall. 2⭐️

Very plot driven. I did not connect with the characters. I did not feel this added anything new to dystopian novels. 2 🌟

I didn‘t feel as blown away by this as her previous book. I understand what she was trying to say in it, but feel like it isn‘t done in a compelling way. I think it may be written for people who aren‘t pro choice? The twists were also very obvious to me, so even the end just felt flat.

I really enjoyed Water Cure last year, even though I know a lot of people were mixed on it, so I‘m pretty pumped to check out Mackintosh‘s new one.

I liked the premise of this book...very dystopian future/Handmaids Tale-ish. Easy to read. I wish Mackintosh had gone more into how the world became the way it is, and how Calla got to the city. Interesting read, but I didn‘t love it.

A bit different than what I had been expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was a quick & easy read, keeping me engrossed throughout its entirety. Mackintosh weaves a tale of a future world where women are assigned a ticket upon adulthood. The color of the ticket determines whether they are destined to have children or whether they get to live a life of freedom. Being a woman, this thought-provoking book will stick with me for a long time.

@bookandcat @TsundokuAleax Any of these striking a fancy? #lmpbc

Full review here: http://girlwellread.blogspot.com/2020/05/blue-ticket-by-sophie-mackintosh.html.