Scan barcode
garleighc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
corijroberts's review against another edition
I started this book for a book club but didn’t finish it before we met. The other people in my book club had pretty mid reviews, so I decided to DNF.
wollstonecrafty's review against another edition
2.0
in good faith, i initially assumed masad was spoofing the late twenties white queer millennial character. maybe, I thought, the over-explanatory virtue signaling was a key satirical point in her critique of maggie. or maybe just bad editing! i truly persisted with this line of thinking until the last 10 pages when masad decided to commit to resolving her narrative neatly by essentially inserting a classic 2012 fake tumblr story. if you know, you know; it's like the embodiment of whatever a "wry chuckle" is.
also then i went on her twitter and she's made some sort of fairly earnest fox mulder callout so I do think we need to oppress creative writing doctoral students.
also then i went on her twitter and she's made some sort of fairly earnest fox mulder callout so I do think we need to oppress creative writing doctoral students.
romyschnaiberg's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
laurenscholle's review against another edition
2.0
the plot was good and I finished it in a day but there were some parts I could not get over. Not everything needs to be a sexual innuendo (looking @ u last line of the book) and it was very obviously written by a millennial. As a gay woman, the overwhelming desire for Maggie to cheat on Lucia made me so uncomfortable; it was unnecessary and perpetuates so many stereotypes.
Edit: the more I let it sit, the more this book was problematic!
Edit: the more I let it sit, the more this book was problematic!
dvliyvh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
flibbityflob's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. the prose felt far too detached for me to get involved in these characters and I just didn't like any of them, really. I'm not sure why I kept slogging through this when I could have given up a solid 50 pages earlier, but here we are.
baoluong's review against another edition
4.0
Forget daddy issues, I have mommy issues.
So mama's got it going on. Sort of like a grown up version of To All the Boys I've Love Before. When Maggie's mom dies from a car accident, Isis had the forethought to write a last will and testament. In it she left letters address to men Maggie has never heard. Feeling undone, she sets out to personally deliver the letters to see a part of her mother she's never seen.
In between the road trip are flashbacks to Isis's life as she talks about the ways these men attracted her. How their individual appeal made Isis feel loved and desired. Maggie is both intrigued and angry. She hasn't had the best relationship when her mother was alive. With snide comments about when Maggie would settle down (with a man) and why did she choose this life style. I'm not going to say Isis was malicious, but she was definitely homophobic. I don't buy that all Isis was trying to do was protect Maggie by shaming her. And that's where the wedge lodges itself. Maggie doesn't know what to think from the constant judgement from her mother and yet here her mother was cheating on her faithful husband, Peter. Was her mother just a hypocrite, satisfied when it comes to policing other people's "life style".
Each encounter with these men, opens for Maggie the possibility that her mother could have changed. Their relationship could have bettered if only they had more time. In turn, Maggie realizes she may have more in common with her mother. The aversion to truly connect with her partners. To commit to a longer lasting relationship. The constant desire to be with other women and eventually hurt them. Where do these feelings stem?
I recommend this for fans of duh To All the Boys I've Loved Before because it's surprisingly similar. Dead mother. Letters to past lovers. Finding the one in the end. An annoying sibling that knows you best. The writing spoke to grief but love in disappointingly realistic way.
So mama's got it going on. Sort of like a grown up version of To All the Boys I've Love Before. When Maggie's mom dies from a car accident, Isis had the forethought to write a last will and testament. In it she left letters address to men Maggie has never heard. Feeling undone, she sets out to personally deliver the letters to see a part of her mother she's never seen.
In between the road trip are flashbacks to Isis's life as she talks about the ways these men attracted her. How their individual appeal made Isis feel loved and desired. Maggie is both intrigued and angry. She hasn't had the best relationship when her mother was alive. With snide comments about when Maggie would settle down (with a man) and why did she choose this life style. I'm not going to say Isis was malicious, but she was definitely homophobic. I don't buy that all Isis was trying to do was protect Maggie by shaming her. And that's where the wedge lodges itself. Maggie doesn't know what to think from the constant judgement from her mother and yet here her mother was cheating on her faithful husband, Peter. Was her mother just a hypocrite, satisfied when it comes to policing other people's "life style".
Each encounter with these men, opens for Maggie the possibility that her mother could have changed. Their relationship could have bettered if only they had more time. In turn, Maggie realizes she may have more in common with her mother. The aversion to truly connect with her partners. To commit to a longer lasting relationship. The constant desire to be with other women and eventually hurt them. Where do these feelings stem?
I recommend this for fans of duh To All the Boys I've Loved Before because it's surprisingly similar. Dead mother. Letters to past lovers. Finding the one in the end. An annoying sibling that knows you best. The writing spoke to grief but love in disappointingly realistic way.
gantoniazzi22's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
caseymelanson's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really loved the plot of the book but the writing style wasn't for me. Would still recommend it, it just is a little slow going!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent