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iheartdl's review against another edition
Immature/poor choices from main character.
katelynchilds's review
3.0
Cute book and fun story but definitely dragged out more than it needed to. It was an overall enjoyable read though!
Also, the reference to Mona Awod’s Bunny is completely irrelevant - they are nothing alike {which is a good thing!}.
Also, the reference to Mona Awod’s Bunny is completely irrelevant - they are nothing alike {which is a good thing!}.
taylorpetty_8's review
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have this book a 3 because I’m not sure whether I like it or hate it. It all felt like a fever dream, but yet I kept wanting to know what happened next. This book was truly bizarre.
1kelsey_jw's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The cult parts were interesting- would have loved some family flashback moments that were positive. I didn’t feel connected enough to the characters to give me something to root for
stitching_ghost's review
4.0
Glinda is a bit of a mess but she's a mess we can understand, she's a rape survivor and a recovering addict, she's grieving, she's trying her best but there's a lot of strain in her family relationships and she's being entirely blamed for it in a way that isn't entirely fair. Her only apparent ally appears to be her coworker/friend whom she isn't that nice to even though he is an adorable himbo seeming energy drink guzzling golden retriever energy having sweetie. She's a mess and she's ill equipped to but she has to extricate her mother and her home from the claws of a cult leader and mend relationships with her family.
It all sounds very bleak doesn't it? While there is sadness in this book the general tone isn't sad and it's really a thoroughly enjoyable and often funny read with compelling and if sometimes genuinely infuriating characters.
I found myself relating with Glinda a lot on how her intentions are almost always misinterpreted by her family, I don't know if it's because the author intended her to be read as neurodivergent (it's said that she had at least at some point a prescription for Adderall but ADHD people are more likely to forget to take their than to get addicted to it so I assume that if neurodivergence is implied it's not ADHD or there is a misunderstanding of the effect of Adderall on ADHD brains) or if it was just a side product of the strain addiction and grief can put on relationships but I liked that.
I received an eARC of this book from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It all sounds very bleak doesn't it? While there is sadness in this book the general tone isn't sad and it's really a thoroughly enjoyable and often funny read with compelling and if sometimes genuinely infuriating characters.
I found myself relating with Glinda a lot on how her intentions are almost always misinterpreted by her family, I don't know if it's because the author intended her to be read as neurodivergent (it's said that she had at least at some point a prescription for Adderall but ADHD people are more likely to forget to take their than to get addicted to it so I assume that if neurodivergence is implied it's not ADHD or there is a misunderstanding of the effect of Adderall on ADHD brains) or if it was just a side product of the strain addiction and grief can put on relationships but I liked that.
I received an eARC of this book from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
booknerd7820's review
4.0
I absolutely adored this book. While quirky and full of humor, It’s Not a Cult also addresses what it is like to deal with real life traumatic experiences, grief, and family fractures.
Glinda Glass is not okay. Her mom has joined a cult following her father’s death, she’s working at a medieval faire in a wench drenching booth, and her sister has run off in search of bigfoot after a huge fight. When her mom announces she is marrying the cult leader and the cult members are moving in, Glinda decides it is time to put an end to the crazy.
What I loved most about this book is that each and every character is viscerally human. They have the flaws that we all have. There is shame, fear of confrontation, fear of being forgiven and loved in spire if our flaws and mistakes - these characters are far from perfect, yet by the end of the book, they all feel like family.
It’s Not a Cult is a book about family, forgiveness, and that it’s okay to not be okay. Highly recommended for anyone who has experienced family drama or had to save someone from a cult (personally, been there, done that).
Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Lauren Danhof for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Glinda Glass is not okay. Her mom has joined a cult following her father’s death, she’s working at a medieval faire in a wench drenching booth, and her sister has run off in search of bigfoot after a huge fight. When her mom announces she is marrying the cult leader and the cult members are moving in, Glinda decides it is time to put an end to the crazy.
What I loved most about this book is that each and every character is viscerally human. They have the flaws that we all have. There is shame, fear of confrontation, fear of being forgiven and loved in spire if our flaws and mistakes - these characters are far from perfect, yet by the end of the book, they all feel like family.
It’s Not a Cult is a book about family, forgiveness, and that it’s okay to not be okay. Highly recommended for anyone who has experienced family drama or had to save someone from a cult (personally, been there, done that).
Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Lauren Danhof for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
booknerd7820's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adored this book. While quirky and full of humor, It’s Not a Cult also addresses what it is like to deal with real life traumatic experiences, grief, and family fractures.
Glinda Glass is not okay. Her mom has joined a cult following her father’s death, she’s working at a medieval faire in a wench drenching booth, and her sister has run off in search of bigfoot after a huge fight. When her mom announces she is marrying the cult leader and the cult members are moving in, Glinda decides it is time to put an end to the crazy.
What I loved most about this book is that each and every character is viscerally human. They have the flaws that we all have. There is shame, fear of confrontation, fear of being forgiven and loved in spire if our flaws and mistakes - these characters are far from perfect, yet by the end of the book, they all feel like family.
It’s Not a Cult is a book about family, forgiveness, and that it’s okay to not be okay. Highly recommended for anyone who has experienced family drama or had to save someone from a cult (personally, been there, done that).
Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Lauren Danhof for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Glinda Glass is not okay. Her mom has joined a cult following her father’s death, she’s working at a medieval faire in a wench drenching booth, and her sister has run off in search of bigfoot after a huge fight. When her mom announces she is marrying the cult leader and the cult members are moving in, Glinda decides it is time to put an end to the crazy.
What I loved most about this book is that each and every character is viscerally human. They have the flaws that we all have. There is shame, fear of confrontation, fear of being forgiven and loved in spire if our flaws and mistakes - these characters are far from perfect, yet by the end of the book, they all feel like family.
It’s Not a Cult is a book about family, forgiveness, and that it’s okay to not be okay. Highly recommended for anyone who has experienced family drama or had to save someone from a cult (personally, been there, done that).
Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Lauren Danhof for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
kitten94509's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t too sure of what to expect from this book, but about halfway through, I couldn’t put it down! The story got so wild that I needed to know what happened next. The main character seemed to be acting out of her traumatic experiences. The ending was a bit too pat for me, but everything was okay in the end. A solid read.
hannahdlamp's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kerasalwaysreading's review
5.0
I predicted this would end me… and I was correct! The way I was sobbing in the middle of the night while I finished this one? Whew!
This is a debut and I love when a debut totally knocks you on your ass! Well freaking done!!
Our protagonist Glinda Glass is one of those totally a mess characters that make me feel seen! She is incapable of letting people get close, while simultaneously determined to keep the people she loves close to her!
It’s been a few years since the passing of her father, the most important man in her world, and since then, life has been a nonstop shit show, some fault of the universe, some fault of her own.
She doesn’t talk to her twin anymore, her little sister is a typical teenage girl with emotions all over the place, and her mom… well her mom is in a cult.
The only person she can lean on is Troy, a sweet puppy dog type who works with her at a local renaissance fair, though she truly tried to keep him at arm’s length…
This book is perfectly set up, with interspersed chapters that go into the recent past to give backstory on a situational basis. But, it’s the issue of protecting her mom from a money hungry cult leader that is the basis of the book.
This book had me reeling, friends! It gets pretty intense and I loved every minute. It’s Not a Cult does a beautiful and very realistic job of showcasing the family bond and the love of your people, even in times of crisis and fear.
This is a debut and I love when a debut totally knocks you on your ass! Well freaking done!!
Our protagonist Glinda Glass is one of those totally a mess characters that make me feel seen! She is incapable of letting people get close, while simultaneously determined to keep the people she loves close to her!
It’s been a few years since the passing of her father, the most important man in her world, and since then, life has been a nonstop shit show, some fault of the universe, some fault of her own.
She doesn’t talk to her twin anymore, her little sister is a typical teenage girl with emotions all over the place, and her mom… well her mom is in a cult.
The only person she can lean on is Troy, a sweet puppy dog type who works with her at a local renaissance fair, though she truly tried to keep him at arm’s length…
This book is perfectly set up, with interspersed chapters that go into the recent past to give backstory on a situational basis. But, it’s the issue of protecting her mom from a money hungry cult leader that is the basis of the book.
This book had me reeling, friends! It gets pretty intense and I loved every minute. It’s Not a Cult does a beautiful and very realistic job of showcasing the family bond and the love of your people, even in times of crisis and fear.