theellabelle's reviews
590 reviews

Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this! The first 80% or so were incredible: the sparing and banter! The slowly building tension! The makeover that revealed rather than changed! Joan and Tristian have undeniable chemistry that is intellectual first and then physical second and I loved watching their relationship develop. I would have liked to see the brother's friend angle explored by more fully as well as the villainous aunt and the last 20% ended up feeling really rushed, as did their first night together. Without those pacing issues that would have been a full five stars. But there was a ton I loved about this, from the good parenting (rare!) to the elaborate descriptions of plumbing (fanning myself #IYKYK) to Joan's amazing aunt. Linden is a very talented writer and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow

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challenging dark medium-paced

4.5

This is such compelling and important history and the parallels to contemporary American politics are impossible to miss. It can get a little lost in the historical details at times, I think probably more so if you are not a big history person, but Maddow does an excellent job highlighting the pervasive antisemitism and the deeply rooted threads of fascism in American life, even amid WWII. However, by listening to this on audio I could not help but compare it to ULTRA, the podcast Maddow made on the same subject and which I think does a better job at capturing the raw drama of this period. I wish I had read it in print, as I think it may have helped me differentiate between the two and reduced the sense of repetition. I would still strongly recommend that everyone read or listen to either the book or the podcast--this history is not well known and yet it something that every American should know so that when confronted with these same challenges we can rise to meet them successfully.

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this to a degree that is making it hard for me to put my review into words. Kate Goldbeck fully captures the emotional dysfunction that is being in your 20s so beautifully, combined with two characters in Josh and Ari who are slightly (deeply?) fucked up and should be more off putting but instead landed on this reader more like beloved friends who are making messy, self-sabotaging choices and you can do nothing but watch and cross your fingers. There is a realness here to both the characters and the plot that made the traditional third act break up so logical and organic that I genuinely started to wonder if these two would actually get together. When I finished reading this my skin felt like it was buzzing with energy and I have not been able to stop thinking about Josh and Ari for one second since. I feel like this book is about to become my whole personality, sorry not sorry!

Content Warnings