alireuter's reviews
274 reviews

now, i am not a romance reader but i was really hopeful that i would enjoy this book but i’ve realised how much of a specific relationship i need to really like it. this book is obviously very popular & i may be offending lots of people by saying that everything just felt so rushed to me. i’m a big fan of a slow burn, whether this is friends or enemies to lovers but jeanie & logan were practically together in the first fifty pages & i felt like there was no progression of love, they just found each other hot & there was nobody else in the town. the author puts a note in the beginning comparing the couple to lorelai & luke from gilmore girls, & as a massive fan of gilmore girls, it’s not a fair comparison at all. logan is portrayed as this moody character but honestly he’s just an introvert. it just felt like the two were pressured to get together by the rest of the town folk, who were the best part of the book in my opinion. their relations together, although complicated, set up the rest of the series well & created an atmosphere that placed the reader in the position of jeanie, new to a world & trying to figure it out. there’s also a mystery side plot that doesn’t go anywhere & although it’s the catalyst for the various meet cutes, it doesn’t add anything to the story & has no lasting significance. apologies for the overarching negative review but i think i’m quite picky when it comes to the romance genre; it’s a quick & easy read if you’re looking for a small town romance & i’m sure there is much worse representation in the world. 

piranesi is one of those books that completely immerses the reader into the world. a surreal dreamscape of unnerving mystery & unanswered questions, the setting is what i loved most about this book. the descriptions & world building are beautifully crafted while being both distant & homely. it reminded me of a darker version of perhaps narnia or wonderland, something from a nightmare that entices you to stay. the characters are incredibly intriguing, with the narrator having me question his validity & reliability while trying to figure out what would help him. i found it fascinating in discussing the madness of each character, driven by external forces (that i won’t spoil) & as the mystery unravels, clarity appears for both the narrator & the reader. it’s such a rewarding read & one that you can’t talk much without giving much away. unfortunately i listened to it as an audiobook & although i loved the work Samuel Anderson narrating it as well as the sound effects to completely immerse me, i think i missed a lot of the experiencing because i was listening instead of physically reading. i may give it a year or so before i revisit this book just so i can get again dive deep into the world of piranesi, but meanwhile i’ll be seeking fantastical mysteries such as this one.

the book started off just as i expected, a gloomy castle, a gothic vibe & the horny brides encircling jonathan but it spiralled into a whole different story altogether. i really enjoyed how the iconic horror novel was turning the genre in on itself from the start, spreading the plot across oceans to illustrate the calamity that may occur. dracula is a fascinating character, both charming & detestable, he continuously feeds on what the reader is feeling & stoker uses this to elevate the creepiness presented throughout. i loved the use of the characters & how they related to each, having some comic elements lighten up the mood with an undertone of horrors. many lines made me chuckle, & as i turned the page i’d be fearing for the life of a character, showing just how well they played off each other to grow relationships. they’re in a very sticky situation but the connections guided the reader through their personalities & plans effortlessly. my only hope was more dracula. i think perhaps the structure of letter writing to present the story limited his presence, which is unfortunate because as such an iconic villain, he doesn’t seem around much. we’re told of his immense power & seduction but rarely see him in a scene that demonstrates it. that may be me being greedy & not understanding the gravitas of the figure but i really wanted more. great & strong story overall, & i can’t wait to delve into all of the adaptations. 

within this chaotic yet loveable family are as variety of different personalities & ambitions, all colliding with each other in unison. the portrayal of each sister is individually nuanced & compelling narrative where we find them intertwine in & out of each other’s lives. william, the outsider, gave the reader an inside look into the family, peering over his shoulder & progressively becoming a part of it just as he had. although there are many decisions the characters make that are arguably more disagreeable than others, each sister is complex, with their own individualistic tendencies that you learn as you read on. 

i found the story beautifully written & narratively enticing, touching on themes of familial ties, generational morals & what sharing your life with others feels like. while the structure was a little hard to get used to, i began to enjoy the fast paced chapters & summaries of the years going by. however i’m sure that it did take away some of the interesting details & inner thoughts of every character, lacking the chance to truly connect with the fleeting moments. nevertheless, my attachment became as real as living the lives with them, which was explicitly obvious by the last few pages. 

this was a hard book to read, not only because of it’s subject matter but how morrison forces the reader to reflect on the parts of themselves they don’t want others to see. it centres around key themes of generational trauma, relationships between family members, especially the one between mother & daughter, as well as unapologetically portraying the un-romanticising scenes of american slavery. beloved is not my typical read & I'm not sure if i will gravitate more towards similar books in the future due to the melding of magical realism elements & historical fiction. however as a literature student i cannot ignore the poetic narrative of morrison’s writer. a genius of the craft, she weaves the reader through the characters’ stories effortlessly & entices reactions which is all a writer needs to be expert in. this is a must-read for american literature - a way to come closer to understanding the trauma of slavery and it's after-effects & although the writing style can take a little time to get used to, it's worth it to read for the pure experience.

it may be december but i’ll always be talking about spooky season! coraline is such a wonderful story with fascinating characters, along with a villain that did manage to creep me out when i was younger. gaiman’s ability to balance childhood wonder with imaginative horror is almost genius, enhancing the fears we as children have always had while playing on the angst against our parents. it’s what makes coraline as a character both relatable & questionable, placing us in the shoes of someone who wished too hard & regretted it. i loved the story, as many do, however i couldn’t help but compare it to the film (i know, an authors worst nightmare). i guess that’s the part you should be cautious of when reading this book; it’s a children’s book & is extremely easy to read but it doesn’t expand the universe & the characters as much as the film does. again, i don’t think this is at the fault of gaiman, how can you compare a 100 page children’s book to a feature film? however there is something about the movie that grasps the themes that i don’t think were completely evolved in the book. if you’ve ever wanted to read that original story then please go ahead, but make sure you do before watching the film because it will linger on your mind much more than the book.

a novella of this kind is what i’ve been looking for for quite some time. it’s fun, engaging & doesn’t take itself too seriously. i really enjoyed the party sandwich aspect of the structure, giving us space & time as readers to watch the characters in different settings, along with  reaching into the lively atmospheres. the two protagonists as sisters was, in my opinion, a brilliant way of introducing key dynamics into the story, showcasing the differences & familial similarities between their choices & how they each individually interacted with the people they encountered as well as the problems they met. furthermore, letting us engage with the rest of the family was interesting as it exposed their relationships with other members of the community in a less casual setting. the characters we met most of the time were likeminded people of the same age with similar intentions, but introducing family members shown a light on how much we as people change when surrounded by different people. although i enjoyed many aspects of the book, i felt that this novella was too short to properly explore the characters & the intricacies of their lives or Hadley didn’t choose to prioritise what the story truly needed. still a fun read that you can either relate to, or look upon fondly with a gaze of nostalgia.