angel_ontheother's reviews
366 reviews

I honestly did not enjoy the Frankenstein portion of this story collection. The first half was too faithful to the original story and the second half wasn't faithful enough, and overall it felt very rushed. On the other hand, most of the other stories in the collection were cool, especially the ones that were interconnected! My favorite story out of everything was definitely "Pen Pal."

There were some funny parts and things I related to, but as a memoir, it felt a bit too one dimensional.

I can tell this is a good book that I'd like, but the audiobook version was a poor choice for me! As a person who struggles with focusing on audiobooks, I found this to be a bit hard to follow, and I didn't entirely have a well rounded experience by the end. I definitely need to re-read this but through the print version. I love Backman's writing. There were particular moments that caught my attention and I liked them a lot. Backman is great at mixing whimsical fun, witty humor, and too-close-to-home relatability. 

This was kind of just mindless entertainment for me. I didn't think it was very good to be honest, I only finished because I needed something to listen to while working on some art. It was a bit disappointing compared to The Silent Companions by the same author, which I read a few years ago and enjoyed much more than this.

Not my kind of horror. Disturbing in a not-fun way. Also it's kind of a pet peeve of mine when there are anthro characters but then there are normal animals too?? Idk I didn't read that far, it's just not for me.

This is a YA, slow burn (no irony intended) romance, set in a small town – but it's also a story of a high masking autistic girl trying to pave her own path, without stepping on too many neurotypical toes along the way.

"She liked knowing why she was the way she was, it was a relief. A welcome key to her own mind."

I'm not a big fan of romance books in the first place, but I felt that the romantic aspects weren't written as well as they could have been. The build up to the end didn't exactly develop in a way that felt natural, and the end itself felt a little too happily-ever-after for my taste. 

The neurodivergence aspect is mainly what kept me interested! This type of representation, canonically autistic women; is something I never saw up until somewhat recently. I could identify with Jasper (the FMC) in a way I rarely do with other characters. I also saw elements of my fellow neurodivergent counterparts reflected in her.

I'm so grateful that Elle McNicoll and other authors/creators like her are on the come up, because this type of representation is necessary. Thanks to them, many neurodivergent people finally get to see themselves represented in a respectful way.

I rarely annotate books but this one called me to do it, as did "Keedie!" Many "hey, she's like me" moments. We're of course not the same, but there are certain aspects of Jasper that stuck out to me because, again, I rarely see those traits represented, especially not in a realistic way.

In addition to the neurodivergent element, I found the wintery setting to be nice, especially because I read the book during that same time of year. The romanticization of winter in media makes winter in real life feel a bit more bearable!

The story itself is okay, it kind of reads like a genuine children's story rather than a short story for adults, which isn't really my thing. But what I LOVED was the afterward, where Clarke talks about things she loves that subconsciously influenced her work!! The fact that she's a Kate Bush fan made me so happy and also made me want to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. I absolutely loved Piranesi so it was cool to learn about the hidden influences behind that as well.

I wasn't expecting this to be so sad! Backman is a master of writing with simple language packed with deep emotions. So impactful.