Pages 154-156 gutted me.
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pickConsidering we knew Haymitch would be the winner and that the Hunger Games continued, it still managed to be tense, meaningful, and deepen the story world. I love all the appearances of characters we already know.
so-soOkay. Unnecessarily long. I went back and forth between ebook and audio. The reveal of the kidnapper was too subtle for me, in that it would‘ve been more interesting had there been more breadcrumbs leading up to it or response after it.
pickVERY good! Irreverent. Fantastic, imperfect protagonist. Grandmother is awesome. Loved the subtle feminism. I also loved the pop culture references. Very fast read.
Only 21 pages in and already *countless* eating disorder triggers. Wowza. I don‘t have an ED, but I have three daughters. This would absolutely trigger two of them. A little shocked.
pick👍 Read first. Forgot. Listened the second time.
pickThere were two that went over my head. The rest were extremely well written. The two undoubtedly were too but they escaped me.
pickSome of her antics tested my interest, but overall very good. Def recommend, especially to perimenopausal women or anyone who wants to understand what we‘re dealing with. The bittersweet end won me over for sure. One particular sentence did me in. Beautifully written.
pickAn adrenaline rush from the first to the last. It‘s very long, so I alternated between the hardcover and audio. Narration is excellent.
pickI dk how to describe my thoughts on this one. Probably bc I have conflicting thoughts. Some of the fighting between the leads felt out of proportion. I really didn‘t like the relationship btw the one of the leads and their lover - in any way. Overall, it‘s a pick for me, but I don‘t think I‘ll be recommending it to the average reader.
This is a very strange book!
pickI always feel weird when men write female characters exploring their sexuality and other intimately-female life experiences, but I have to admit he did a good job.
pickAbsolutely loved it. Bought a box of grape nuts before even chapter 5. Loved loved loved. I wish I could‘ve been her friend.
pickGood. Definitely could‘ve been shorter. The lover was an unnecessary character unless I missed something there. Solid enjoyable read.
pickMy favorite of his so far. SO much action, character, brilliant. More than a thriller. Plus, nicest guy!!
pickSome passages were insightful. Some felt outdated in terms of modern understanding of consent. Some felt unfinished (Artie.) Mostly, it just left me sad. I‘m glad I read it, but tbh I withdrew my recommendation to my college-aged feminist daughter to read it. I wish I could leave a more buoyant review, I really do. It was IMPORTANT in its time.
so-soIf a book is going to have magical realism, I like to know from the outset. Throwing it in at the end like that felt… well, sort of ridiculous. I genuinely didn‘t care about any of the characters after that point. I just wanted to finish. It was fine up to that point. If I‘d known magical realism was a component from the beginning, it would‘ve been fine.
pickABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! My only but very real concern is that it justifies mass-murder without consequence, even of uninvolved innocent people (the train.) I don't recommend it for school libraries. This coming from a person who has never ever asked a book not to be shelved, much less to be pulled. I foresee this one as scary fuel to an angry, hurting person's fire.
pickOne of my favorite authors. Worked as a sequel as well as a standalone.
so-soWell written. I really enjoyed the emails describing the desperation of COVID. I thought the ending was odd. I will always read Picoult bc they are always good. I just strongly prefer the ones she writes about ethical dilemmas.
pickThe second half was better for me than the first. Deeper. Less predictable. Important. Author‘s Note was moving.
pickLoved it. I confess I skimmed some of the bee stuff. It‘s really interesting. I liked it a lot. But it verged into too much for me. I loved Lilly and Asher. Liv‘s backstory was threaded perfectly. The end sort of came out of nowhere and I‘m a little confused about the internal logic, but I appreciated the closure. Couldn‘t put down. Def pick.
pickPretty heavy-handed. Giving Pick anyway bc the message is terrifyingly timely.
pickI loved every minute of it. I don‘t play tennis. But I have ambition. And a dad. Sometimes they are intertwined. Sometimes very much not. All the loves. ❤️🎾
pickHighly recommend!!! Absolutely fantastic!! One warning: protagonist and another prominent character are unapologetically atheist. The author herself is not a believer; refers to herself as a humanist. If character casually “disproving” God a handful of brief times would bother you, you may not enjoy.
Wasn‘t sure what to expect. About 2/3 through and really like it. Soccer games and behind the scenes, politics, family, activism, dating… are all threaded together. She has long been one of my favorite players. I have no idea how I missed when this came out! Audiobook so I could hear her words in her voice. 👍
pickThe photos were my favorite part.
so-soEhhh. Extremely simplistic writing. Characters weren‘t well developed, even mildly irritating in their one dimensionality. The thriller elements were sort of scotch taped together and didn‘t always even make sense. I love Dolly, so I finished. All the song writing was phenomenal. The rest was barely tolerable. Sorry to say!!
pickNot my favorite, but I read them all anyway. :)
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