Three star review, originally posted here on April 8, 2024.
Every now and then I decide to read a super popular book, even though I typically don’t like them all that much. Occasionally I love them, but even when I don’t, it’s interesting to see what the masses are into nowadays. I didn’t go looking for this book, but it was in the little free library at the end of my street, so I figured I’d hold onto it for a beach read or something. I finally picked it up last week, not expecting much.
I’ve gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised (at first). I really liked the concept, and I thought the storytelling and writing was on-point. I could fee the protagonist’s pathetic desperation, her sadness, her desperate grasping to feel human again. I could feel the people around her (especially her roommate Cathy). I liked the way the story was layered between the 3 narrators, and how things were revealed as we went. Lots of great stuff here!
On the other hand, the ending was insanely predictable. It was so predictable and so obvious early on that the movie version [MOVIE SPOILER ALERT? IS THAT A THING ON GOODREADS?] decided to go completely in the opposite directly and not do any foreshadowing whatsoever, so that in the movie it came completely out of the blue (which is even worse.) Also, the story tends to drag in the second half, and especially at the very end.
So, a nice neutral 3 stars. Mix of good and bad, didn’t hate reading it, didn’t make me angry, but nothing to get too excited about.
Helga without the H 