Contemporary

so-so

This…was not for me. We read this for my IRL book group in March and then watched the movie together—this is a rare case where I liked the movie better!

The whole read kind of low-key annoyed me. Reading about the lavish casual spending of the uber-rich just didn‘t land well with me, especially right now. The characters were largely shallow and/or unlikable—I realize that it was intended as a send-up of a particular segment of society, but… ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …the satire felt too soft and in places, it read a little like a #notallrichpeople justification. I felt like I learned a bit about Singaporean and Chinese culture, but reading about the uber-rich segment of another culture isn‘t really my goal for cultural learning. It was a quick read, though—and I did find myself curious to find out what would happen next (just not enough to read the next book). And I enjoyed the food descriptions! 3h

13 likes1 comment

IndianBookworm

The Far Field | Madhuri Vijay

pick

After Kalyani's mother dies, she sets out for a Himalayan village in Kashmir. Certain that her mother's death is connected to the decade-old disappearance of Bashir Ahmed, a charming Kashmiri salesman, Kalyani decides to confront him.
The characters didn't stay with me, but there were some moments, some scenes that did. The writing was good. I also loved the character development and how plot unfolded. Was a little underwhelming though.
3.5/5🌟

6 likes

monalyisha

Emergency Contact | Mary H. K. Choi

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Are there sentences I wish Choi had never penned (or at least had edited out)? Yes. Chief among them, “It reorganized her thoughts with such an intensity that she had the sudden urge to pee.” Still, this book is *compulsively* readable. I loved the sci-fi story-within-a-story that Penny crafts for her Creative Writing course. And I‘m a sucker for both misfits *and* an epistolary component (be it letters, emails, or texts)…👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1:…as well as difficult mother-daughter (or mother-child) relationships. Imperfect and sometimes a little immature but still full of promise and wholly devourable. 11h

45 likes2 stack adds1 comment

Amiable

SLOW DANCE. | RAINBOW. ROWELL

bailed

I‘d never read a Rainbow Rowell book, so when I saw this on the library shelf I figured I‘d give it a try. Almost 100 pages in and I‘m throwing in the towel. The main character is annoying, the dialogue is trite and stilted… and the worst offense? It‘s just so incredibly boring. 😖 Moving on.

Aims42 Oof, that‘s a lot of very valid reasons to bail 🫠 Onto better books! #Hailthebail 🚀 10h

Prairiegirl_reading I‘ve only read one Rainbow Rowell and I felt pretty much the same but I finished. 😕 (edited) 9h

freeatlast1137 I haven‘t read this one, but I can agree on her writing style. I have struggled to finish her books. 8h

46 likes3 comments

mom2bugnbee

When in Rome | Sarah Adams

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This was sweet! Predictable, but it's a romance, so of course it is. A perfect brain-cleansing read.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

16 likes

jdiehr

Carnal Urges | J. T. Geissinger

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I thought this book was going to make me clutch my pearls, but I quite enjoyed it 😁🥵🖤🌶🌶🌶🌶

More than the title suggests. I loved the witty banter, the mysterious element, the kickass heroine.

This is part of a series that I just might continue.

dabbe Daffies!!! 🌼💛🌼 24h

28 likes1 comment