loishojmark's review
5.0
Oh my God... This little book took my heart out, blew it up and sent it to the skies. This was wonderful and buckets of tears and the nose running off into the woods.
wickedwitchofthewords's review
1.0
Wow! Okay!
So, mostly people are like "Their writing is fabulous" and stuff like that. And it's interesting how different people have different views on the same subject because their writing style was the main reason I gave this book a lone star. The story was good and in a way important and not one of those "two hot guys meet, fuck, and fall in love" books. But the writing style? It bored me. As simple as that. I couldn't connect and feel anything through the words.
Hence, the one star review.
So, mostly people are like "Their writing is fabulous" and stuff like that. And it's interesting how different people have different views on the same subject because their writing style was the main reason I gave this book a lone star. The story was good and in a way important and not one of those "two hot guys meet, fuck, and fall in love" books. But the writing style? It bored me. As simple as that. I couldn't connect and feel anything through the words.
Hence, the one star review.
kiki124's review
3.0
Frantic impressions.
Colors, fear, pain, hope, foxes.
And here come the grooms.
Colors, fear, pain, hope, foxes.
And here come the grooms.
josy's review
5.0
Claire Davis and Al Stewart have done it again! I swear there isn't an author/author pair that can reduce me to a sobbing mess in just a few pages. They have a talent to make me completely invested in their characters from page one and bring out all the emotions in me. They also have the talent to flesh out characters and make them so deep and real to me with just a few words. I don't need hundreds of pages to be able to feel the story they are telling although I certainly wouldn't mind reading more of their amazing writing.
So it's really no surprise that this new novel is another favorite of mine. It was beautiful and moving and wonderful and poetic and it wrecked me in the best possible way.
This is a coming out story that will surprise you.
It's about love and sacrifices, family, shedding a mask and being true to yourself, living your life loud and proud while letting go of your painful past.
It's about being kind, understanding and supportive, about heartbreak, tenderness and fear, about love and being loved.
It's breathtaking and so very emotional.
It will rip your heart to pieces and leave you wide open and vulnerable while at the same time make you cry tears of joy and happiness.
So it's really no surprise that this new novel is another favorite of mine. It was beautiful and moving and wonderful and poetic and it wrecked me in the best possible way.
This is a coming out story that will surprise you.
It's about love and sacrifices, family, shedding a mask and being true to yourself, living your life loud and proud while letting go of your painful past.
It's about being kind, understanding and supportive, about heartbreak, tenderness and fear, about love and being loved.
It's breathtaking and so very emotional.
It will rip your heart to pieces and leave you wide open and vulnerable while at the same time make you cry tears of joy and happiness.
baylan's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What a masterpiece
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
menomica's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Sometimes he forgot to order the milk, but my Loz never forgot to care.
This was so sweet!! I loved the theme of coming out later in life and still being able to find love.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
kaje_harper's review
5.0
A sweet novella about a shy older man who is in love, but has a hard time coming out to those who matter most. Components of synesthesia, of art, and of family strains make this a quirky, warm, emotional little story. Recommended.
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
The narrative of Dear Mona Lisa… was peculiar and unique. The authors sure have their own distinct way of telling a story. At first I felt as if I was reading the script for a play, and later I felt as if I was in the middle of a beautiful poem. This story is going to stay with me for a while, mainly because of the way it was told. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a lyrical book. If it was longer I don’t think I would have been able to enjoy it this much, but because it was fairly short it worked, and I liked it a lot. I’m not much for poems and trying to guess what the poet wanted me to understand by saying that weird thing over there. I would have struggled with this if it was longer, because a lot of times there were things that didn’t make any sense if you thought of them realistically. You had to understand what they represented and what the authors meant there.
It was a nice experience and the story was sweet and had a depth that I didn’t expect to find in such a short read. The characters were complete, they had history, they had friends, they had unique personalities and problems. They where whole, and I didn’t feel as if something was missing or as if the story was rushed or incomplete. It was short, but in those pages we got a full story and experienced so many emotions.
I’ll keep this short and just say that Dear Mona Lisa… is worth reading. It’s something different from the mass. This book has its own character; it’s short, sweet, poetic, strong. It has foxes in slippers and taking baths and having weddings. It has a family that has some issues, and it has new beginnings and brave moments.
Dear Mona Lisa… is a story about taking the next step in your life and being honest with those you love.
Reviewed by Ky for The Novel Approach
It was a nice experience and the story was sweet and had a depth that I didn’t expect to find in such a short read. The characters were complete, they had history, they had friends, they had unique personalities and problems. They where whole, and I didn’t feel as if something was missing or as if the story was rushed or incomplete. It was short, but in those pages we got a full story and experienced so many emotions.
I’ll keep this short and just say that Dear Mona Lisa… is worth reading. It’s something different from the mass. This book has its own character; it’s short, sweet, poetic, strong. It has foxes in slippers and taking baths and having weddings. It has a family that has some issues, and it has new beginnings and brave moments.
Dear Mona Lisa… is a story about taking the next step in your life and being honest with those you love.
Reviewed by Ky for The Novel Approach
see_sadie_read's review
5.0
Dear Gawd, it made me cry. I managed to keep the tears to a minimum, but there were a few. Both very sad and very sweet. I tad sappy at the end. But lovely all the same.