thisbookrox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
2.0
this was not it for me. i really didn’t relate to Allison at all, and i hated the ending.
throughout the book, Allison would do things, while thinking and knowing she shouldn’t be doing them, and continue doing them. from beginning to end. it caused me to have zero sympathy for some of the things that happened to her. (not the head injury because we don’t victim blame, but literally everything else.) the book was also SO repetitive. the author could have saved like 50 pages if they didn’t repeat that there was a hurricane & she had brain surgery over and over. also why was Allison irritated by every noise she ever heard? i get she had a head injury but she also noted that she was that way before the injury as well. also the storyline where didn’t have a resolution so it didn’t make sense.
overall i really didn’t like this…the only things i enjoyed were the sweet-ish moments with her brother and nephew, and her love of swimming and water. if i hadn’t have been listening on audio, it probably would have been a DNF.
Spoiler
the way she put herself right back where she started at the cameraman’s house at the end really made me mad. it wasn’t even a satisfying revenge plot. at least she saved the cat.throughout the book, Allison would do things, while thinking and knowing she shouldn’t be doing them, and continue doing them. from beginning to end. it caused me to have zero sympathy for some of the things that happened to her. (not the head injury because we don’t victim blame, but literally everything else.) the book was also SO repetitive. the author could have saved like 50 pages if they didn’t repeat that there was a hurricane & she had brain surgery over and over. also why was Allison irritated by every noise she ever heard? i get she had a head injury but she also noted that she was that way before the injury as well. also the storyline where
Spoiler
she thought she was pregnantoverall i really didn’t like this…the only things i enjoyed were the sweet-ish moments with her brother and nephew, and her love of swimming and water. if i hadn’t have been listening on audio, it probably would have been a DNF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
lovemyshelf's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
slopez123's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
loud_dirt's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jenben's review
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
goodcleanbowling's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tonythep's review
4.0
It took me a little while to recognize Allison or to identify her. Eventually I identified with her, very much. There’s a horror movie trope running throughout the novel. Allison has written and sold a horror script, and she sometimes judges her actions in light of what a character in a horror movie would do or more importantly, what they shouldn’t do, in order to survive. And that seemed funny (ha ha) to satirize the bad judgment of horror movie characters that don’t survive. To compare them with the bad judgment of characters in a quirky romantic comedy. Their choices may be cringeworthy but they won’t end up dead.
But Hurricane Girl is no romantic comedy. I think it IS a horror story. I think it’s about the horror of trauma that most humans, but women particularly, experience all too often. Pain, depression, shame, numbness, disconnection. And the trauma of losing her father. Not being able to express grief. Oh, and don’t forget self-doubt. You feel so useless you might as well have been hit over the head with a heavy object. “This was not Allison’s life, was it?”
A) I’m not a woman and B) what the hell do I know? I could be totally off the mark here. But these are things that resonate with me.
I’m still trying to figure out why I had such difficulty connecting with Allison. I’m still not sure if I like her. And I don’t think that’s essential. I think she’s hard to connect with because she’s disconnected. She’s numb. And that’s even before anything threatens her house or her head. She talks so casually about leaving her movie producer boyfriend who hit her a few times. Definitely traumatized before we even meet her.
I just finished reading the book for a second time. Its fairly short. It’s a quick read. It moves along at a nice pace. I wanted to clarify some of the feelings I had the first time around. think I had some expectations based solely on the author’s last book, Very Nice. I think I wanted to be able to sit at a distance and be entertained by the characters for their bad choices. And perhaps I wanted this book to feel funnier for me. There is humor here, and I know others have found it funny. And I think this is the beauty of literature and reading that the same text can have so many different readings from reader to reader. But this feels deeper, more personal. I think this book is heartbreaking and beautiful without using some of the usual triggers that those kind of books often use. (If that makes any sense.)
I didn’t always understand Allison, but ultimately I did identify with her and I certainly rooted for her and wanted her to find her own swimming pool. Strangely (or perhaps not) the ending made me think of Ellen Ripley, the hero of the Alien movies, heading home with her orange kitty cat, wherever home may end up being.
But Hurricane Girl is no romantic comedy. I think it IS a horror story. I think it’s about the horror of trauma that most humans, but women particularly, experience all too often. Pain, depression, shame, numbness, disconnection. And the trauma of losing her father. Not being able to express grief. Oh, and don’t forget self-doubt. You feel so useless you might as well have been hit over the head with a heavy object. “This was not Allison’s life, was it?”
A) I’m not a woman and B) what the hell do I know? I could be totally off the mark here. But these are things that resonate with me.
I’m still trying to figure out why I had such difficulty connecting with Allison. I’m still not sure if I like her. And I don’t think that’s essential. I think she’s hard to connect with because she’s disconnected. She’s numb. And that’s even before anything threatens her house or her head. She talks so casually about leaving her movie producer boyfriend who hit her a few times. Definitely traumatized before we even meet her.
I just finished reading the book for a second time. Its fairly short. It’s a quick read. It moves along at a nice pace. I wanted to clarify some of the feelings I had the first time around. think I had some expectations based solely on the author’s last book, Very Nice. I think I wanted to be able to sit at a distance and be entertained by the characters for their bad choices. And perhaps I wanted this book to feel funnier for me. There is humor here, and I know others have found it funny. And I think this is the beauty of literature and reading that the same text can have so many different readings from reader to reader. But this feels deeper, more personal. I think this book is heartbreaking and beautiful without using some of the usual triggers that those kind of books often use. (If that makes any sense.)
I didn’t always understand Allison, but ultimately I did identify with her and I certainly rooted for her and wanted her to find her own swimming pool. Strangely (or perhaps not) the ending made me think of Ellen Ripley, the hero of the Alien movies, heading home with her orange kitty cat, wherever home may end up being.
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the writing style was alright, like why don't characters use contractions in dialogue. that's so weird. but i loved the main character. she just wanted to swim and that's it. me too girlie. i wish there was more at the end though, like a confirmation that .
also Fleabag reference. we stay winning
Spoiler
she wasn't pregnantalso Fleabag reference. we stay winning
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Terminal illness, Grief, Physical abuse, Cursing, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Alcohol
isaarusilor's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
allieruth's review
5.0
I finished this strange and wonderful book in a single sitting. it’s hypnotic and surprising, not quite like anything I’ve read — a mix of humor and horror, one of my favorites I've read this year.