No esperaba reírme tanto como me reí.

Como publicista que a ratos detesta su trabajo, que sufre de ansiedad crónica y que está pasando por un cuadro depresivo: este libro no podría haber llegado en mejor momento. Me sentí identificadísima con Marisa, y al mismo tiempo la odié. Es amargada, deshonesta, desganada y ácida. Pero al mismo tiempo es hilarante, mordaz y cautivadora.

Se pasa el libro detestando todo y al mismo tiempo no haciendo nada para cambiarlo (amiga, somos dos). Se la pasa mintiéndole a todos a su alrededor, pero como narradora es desgarradoramente honesta. Lo odia todo y nada le apetece, y al mismo tiempo todo le importa. Sueña con que la atropellen camino al trabajo (amiga, nuevamente, somos dos) y un día tener el valor suficiente para agarrarlos a todos a puteada limpia sin consecuencias.

Me devoré el libro en horas aunque a momentos parecía no ir a ninguna parte. En la primera parte, me enamoré de Marisa. La segunda parte me la reí completa, a carcajadas, sin parar. La tercera me hizo sonreír y sacudir la cabeza hasta la última palabra.

Si no fuera porque genuinamente parece no tener propósito alguno, le habría dado cinco estrellas. Un poquito más de evolución me habría hecho la lectura más redonda pero aún así la disfruté a montones.

What truly makes The House in the Cerulean Sea shine are its characters. They are, without a doubt, the heart of the story: adorable, unique, and impossible not to love. I completely fell for all of them, including Linus and his wonderfully ordinary normal-ness.

That said, I do have a small bone to pick with the book. When it came out, it was everywhere. Everyone and their mothers seemed to be reading it, even people who don’t normally read, so my expectations ended up sky-high. I went in hoping to be deeply moved, maybe even changed by the experience.

That didn’t really happen.

I enjoyed the story and it made me smile, but the emotional impact never reached the level I had built up in my head. At times I even found it a bit underwhelming because I kept waiting for that bigger emotional payoff.

Still, it was a very pleasant read. It’s warm, sweet, and full of lovable characters... it just didn’t quite transform me the way I expected.

This book didn’t work for me. Not only did the story itself didn’t really manage to win me over, some of the kinks were definitely not my thing 😖 (learnt that about myself, at least).

The romance didn’t move me, I never felt the chemistry between the characters, and the story itself felt strangely flat. The plot was both uninteresting and oddly convoluted at the same time, throwing in explanations and elements that felt less like thoughtful world-building and more like a pile of mumbo-jumbo stitched together to justify the premise.

The characters didn’t help much either. I just couldn't connect.

It ended up being a strange ride and, normally, I'm all for strange rides.

But this time it just didn’t work. It wasn't the book for me.