Teddy with the book Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin
Spoilers below the cut.
A very solid 4 stars. Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin is a delicious and sometimes shocking novel that I selected as my May Book of the Month. This is one of those books that’s a pure and unadulterated speed read…
Image: Untamed by Glennon Doyle
2 Stars. Based on the sheer volume of positive reviews that I’ve seen on Goodreads, this is obviously an *~ Unpopular Opinion ~* But I DNF this book @ around 50%.
There are a couple of reasons why I could not finish this text, and I’ll try to be cohesive about what they are.
Image Description: A Yorkshire Terrier, Teddy, sleeping with a copy of Samantha Irby’s Essay Collection Wow, No Thank You.
4.5 Stars. Recommended for: Fans of Irby’s previous work, anyone in a reading slump, someone who could use a good belly laugh.
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Quarantine has plopped me firmly in the middle of a reading slump.
At the beginning of 2020, pre-social distancing and when I still had a daily commute that allowed me to tear through books at lightning speed, I was finishing novels nearly once a week. Since mid-March, however, I have barely picked up a book.
While reading for me is typically a source of escapism, this particular situation has been too overwhelming to truly allow me the headspace to pay attention to a narrative. When attempting to read, I would instead find myself distracted by my phone, reading comments from Facebook Physicians (JK) and other apocalyptic news sources. I just couldn’t focus enough to know what was going on in the book. Instead, I’d give up my futile attempt at reading and would turn on mindless YouTube videos that allowed me some reprieve from my own head.
Fast forward to the end of March, when I had the pleasant surprise of receiving my pre-ordered copy of Samantha Irby’s Wow, No Thank You right on time. Long story short- Samantha Irby has helped to cure my Reader’s Block.
3.5 stars ~ Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and Riverhead Books for providing an ARC. Recommended for fans of: This is Where I Leave You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Emma Straub’s previous work.
All Adults Here is a multiple perspective novel that presents an introspection on the Strick family as they navigate the fallout of secrets old and new, and difficult choices that shape familial dynamics. One of the key themes, and perhaps the most important, grapples with understanding how the relationships we form with our parents shape us and influence the way we, as adults, create our own families. While the text offers nuanced character development, aspects of the plot’s mechanics and resolution are somewhat dissatisfying.
{Some minor spoilers ahead}
Katie Bennett Writes 