Reviews

Monster in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique

vi0letsunshine29's review against another edition

2.0

I picked this one up from the library not knowing anything about it but some writers that I enjoy wrote some blurbs about how good it was so I was like why not? But ya know what I should stick to my gut and not pick up books I haven’t done extensive research on. It took me forever to read this book and I didn’t even want to give up on it but when I got to the last 20 pages I was like you know what I really dislike this book and don’t have to read it!! The storytelling was fine and that’s why I kept at it for so long but the story itself was just not compelling. I truly did not care about these characters in the slightest so for it to then end in the last chapter about Covid and then into the horrors of policing in the summer of 2020 I was OUT! I lived through that shit I absolutely do not need to read about it, even if it was only the last 30 pages of the book. I’ll never know how it ended but can’t say I’m disappointed.

bbqrplanting's review against another edition

4.0

I think it is more satisfying to think of this as a set of interconnected short stories than a novel

amywoolsey_93's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

howse's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense 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

4.25

dekedescombes's review against another edition

4.0

I picked this up after reading a sample and not knowing much else. Stunning writing, Yanique clearly knows what she’s doing, but this wasn’t the novel for me. As soon as I fell in empathy with a character, their story would be over. I was able to move into the next character, but sometimes wondered how the previous characters were doing.

Also, part of this novel is set in our real world in 2020. This is the first work of fiction not explicitly about the pandemic that I’ve seen covid mentioned in. It’s not good or bad to include it, but I was surprised (and a little unprepared for my own reaction to it).

lilly_dav_reading's review against another edition

3.0

Loved the idea and the characters but I just expected it all to come together a little more.

rynicolereads's review against another edition

“Just wasn’t feeling it,” says the mood reader

realbooktingz's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

mjkienbaum's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.5

morahsharon1's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting way of being self-referential as being a book along with the concept of all love stories being a sum of the previous stories. The voices are all very distinct.
On the other hand I had a lot of problems with the relationships....