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2⭐
Not a happy moment in the book. Lots of triggers.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Reading this for my f2f bookclub and not loving it. All the characters are miserable and I am too with a horrible cold.

12-23-24: My 49th finished book of 2024! A page turner with an anticlimactic ending. The Merton family don‘t like each other. After the deaths of the mother and father, a “robbery gone wrong”, all 3 adult children and the cleaning lady are under suspicion. What transpires is a back and forth of no one trusting anyone else. All 3 children stand to inherit millions and everyone knows it. Their aunt believes any of them could have done it.

I read this a while ago. It left me feeling that the author tackled a twisted theme using expert storytelling. Building up characters, a family history, and the readers abject horror with a mounting unease. Excellent book. Dissecting a family and generations of trauma that impacted each woman, all inflicted by one man.

I didn't realize this was the same author who did Ghost World. I wasn't a fan of that book, and this didn't really do it for me either. It follows the life of Monica and her steps to uncover the truth about her youth. The art was decent. The story was up and down for me; I didn't love the side stories between chapters. The ending was also unsatisfying; it apparently meant to tie back to the first chapter, but that definitely went over my head.

Usually I like family drama which means we will find unlikable characters, dysfunctional relationships with some funny parts and times to cry and be angry. Yeah, this one has everything of that but not in a good way for me. I felt disconnected with characters and maybe at the end I was interested in how everything would end, touched with the ending. But in general, I didn‘t like it🤷🏽‍♀️2.5/3⭐️

Back in the book drop goes Monica. I‘ve been seeing this graphic novel mentioned in several lists naming it a “must read”. And I‘ve gotta say: I don‘t agree. It‘s too out there for me. Monica‘s search for her parents starts off interestingly enough but the jarring dreams/hallucinations/weird thoughts got to be a bit much. Of course, the illustrations are fabulous, although this isn‘t exactly my favorite style. So-so.

I‘m on a graphic novel kick.
And at baseball practice. Feels like fall here in Southern Ohio! 🍂 ⚾️

Visited a not-my-library library yesterday and checked out a couple graphic novels. I love Lucy Knisley but after getting home I realized I have already read French Milk, so Monica is the only one I‘ll be reading. I always like visiting different libraries to see what they‘ve got going on. 😊