pickIt‘s not until near the end of the book that we learn the significance of the title, and it‘s a little disappointing, to be honest. Also, I think the way the author ended the novel is what made me rate it only 4 stars. It was quite abrupt and a bit of a let down and mood breaker. But this was a charming coming of age novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pick#NotesOnYourSuddenDisappearance #AlisonEspach #SeriesLove2025
After I read The Wedding People, I decided to read another book by Alison Espach. I had enjoyed her writing and wanted to see how she was growing as a writer. This is her 2nd book and I have her first book, The Adults, on order too. I thought The Wedding People is her best book and we can see how she is maturing into a really better writer.
pickThe first 1/2 felt slow & unfocused, but the 2nd half was compelling. It's a campus novel, a story about friendship, and a look at the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. I enjoyed the writing and appreciated the nods to literature. If I were rating just the 2nd half, it would be 4/5 stars, but I almost abandoned it a few times, so I can't go there. Still, a strong pick! Feb's #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks
panWe follow our main protagonist, Penelope, whose middle name is Elliot which she just doesn't understand as Elliot is typically a boys name. This bothers 'Pen' so much that she digs into her parents past and finds a guy called Elliot Lennox who is now a famous writer so she sets out to connect with him.
If this sounds flimsy to you, I can assure you that it reads flimsy to me also.
All in all, this was a miss for me.
so-soThis book hooked me because octopus, but there‘s little to justify the title. I didn‘t dislike it except the premise made no sense. Two BFFs leave Toronto to uni in Scotland. Why there - so MC, Pen, can research the origins of her boyish middle name. Weak😜 While the bff storyline remains at university, Pen‘s is split between college life (how embarrassing to be a virgin) and her connection to the grand estate of Lord Elliot Lennox.
This was a really good book but is there anything narrated by Marin Ireland that she doesn‘t make better??
bailedI gave this one 50 pages and can‘t convince myself to pick it back up so it‘s a bail for me. I wanted to and should have liked it, based on the summary. But I just couldn‘t do the writing style 😢
so-soBook club choice after we'd enjoyed West With Giraffes.
The style is supposed to he a 13 year old narrator which didn't feel consistent and had a few cringy bits in it. I liked the historical perspective and that it covered important topics but it felt contrived.
Simple read and flew through it.
pickBeautifully written, honest, and gritty in a way that never felt performative or indulgent or trauma porn-y, this collection of linked short stories offers snippets of a girl then young woman's life from her family's immigration to Canada from Congo as a kid to her mid-20s. I loved how the stories spotlighted her complicated friendships with women. Content warnings for suicide, sexual assault, drugs, drinking. Oh Loli, I hope you are okay now ❤️
pick12-year-old Travis leaves his home to spend the summer with his paternal grandparents and 16-year-old aunt, Delia in Florida. This might have been a sweet coming of age story, but it is most definitely not. Instead, it is a story about obsession that is almost impossible to put down.
