lulemon TBR'd a book

Book Lovers
Emily Henry
lulemon TBR'd a book

Beach Read
Emily Henry
lulemon finished reading and wrote a review...
“Promise me that no matter what, it’ll always be the two of us.”
I didn't expect my first read of the year to be this devastating. I'm so sad right now. Second chance romances with dual timelines are my absolute favorite, though they rarely live up to my expectations. Still, flaws and all, I really loved this one.
The connection between Mara and Ambrose felt deeply vulnerable and intimate. We experienced Mara's pain so vividly, but I wish we'd been given glimpses of Ambrose's perspective as well. He was hurting too, and seeing his internal struggle would have added even more emotional depth. I loved him in the present timeline, but in the past, he pushed Mara and Cat away so early that we barely got to see their bond develop. I longed for more of their childhood friendship.
If you're looking for a cute romance, this is not it. It's honestly a really sad book. (I can't believe Cheddar is still alive)
Post from the The Two of Us forum
lulemon TBR'd a book

I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Iain Reid
lulemon TBR'd a book

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
Post from the The Two of Us forum
Post from the The Two of Us forum
Post from the The Two of Us forum
I find it hard to believe this inner monologue belongs to an 11-year-old
lulemon started reading...

The Two of Us
Taylor Torres
lulemon commented on lulemon's review of Incidents Around the House
The only thing I knew going into this book was that it was supposed to be terrifying, and to be fair, a little girl with an entity called “Other Mommy” hiding in her closet is genuinely creepy. I also loved the idea of the story being told from a child's perspective, but that appeal quickly faded because I don't think it was done properly.
It wasn't until later that I learned Bella is supposed to be eight years old, yet her thoughts read more like those of a five-year-old. That made it hard to take her pov seriously. On top of that, I didn't really see the point in writing the story from her perspective at all, since so much of the inner monologue belonged to her parents.
The book ended up feeling less like a child-centered horror story and more like a marital drama with some spooky moments. We never really got to know Bella as a character. Instead, the adults were constantly unloading their trauma onto her and speaking in deep metaphors which just made me feel bad for the kid. I don't know if this was intentional or if this is how books written from a child's perspective tend to be (this was my first and probably last) By the end, I almost wanted her to just go with Other Mommy.
And that ending
