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catalinamreads's review against another edition
3.5
This is the fourth book written entirely in a man's POV I read this year and I hope it won't be my last. I enjoy getting new perspectives on things, but I had my issues with Pab, the main character of this book. He was the type of man who drowned in self-loathing but did nothing to change his life and thought the whole world was out to get him. I've seen the same type of character in Good Material by Dolly Alderton, but at least Pab was only 19 or 20 years old so it was understandable. Most people don't have their lives figured out at that age.
I gave it such a high rating mostly because of the story, but I would've loved it if we had Lee's POV too because she was definitely an interesting character. I loved their relationship and how she somehow helped him along the way. The open ending was another reason why I increased the rating.
I wanted to like this book more and while listening to the audio, I kept hoping it would get better. I figured it would be a character-driven book mostly so I expected it to be slow. I enjoyed it, but in the end, it was too low-key for me and nothing I hadn't read about before. I think this book would've worked more as a coming-of-age indie movie.
I gave it such a high rating mostly because of the story, but I would've loved it if we had Lee's POV too because she was definitely an interesting character. I loved their relationship and how she somehow helped him along the way. The open ending was another reason why I increased the rating.
I wanted to like this book more and while listening to the audio, I kept hoping it would get better. I figured it would be a character-driven book mostly so I expected it to be slow. I enjoyed it, but in the end, it was too low-key for me and nothing I hadn't read about before. I think this book would've worked more as a coming-of-age indie movie.
canadianjules_'s review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5?
I know the characters are supposed to be annoying because then they have ~growth~ but they were just a touch too irritating for my taste. I’m disappointed because Emergency Contact is one of my favourite contemporaries of all time and I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t as much as I thought I would :(
I know the characters are supposed to be annoying because then they have ~growth~ but they were just a touch too irritating for my taste. I’m disappointed because Emergency Contact is one of my favourite contemporaries of all time and I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t as much as I thought I would :(
cityofheavenlypages's review against another edition
3.0
i’m not sure how i feel about how it ended. it kinda just… ended?? like idk it felt like it was in the middle of something. i definitely enjoyed her 1st book much more
noelishi's review
2.0
CAWPILE Rating: 2,35
Characters: 3
Ambient / Worldbuilding: 4,75
Writing style: 3
Plot: 1
Intrigue: 1,75
Logic / Relationships: 1
Enjoyment: 2
What a disappointment! This has been my lowest 2-star rating ever. I thought this would be a different thing. But it has turned out to be an almost insta-love, which I hate. At first I was trying to justify it saying "they're young and lonely", but the more I read, the less I believed their story.
I think it brings important topics to light, like third culture children, what's behind the shiny world of fame or how hard it is to find your way, but I just wasn't convinced.
I don't know if mine is an unpopular opinion or if this book's overrated. I hope it's the first option.
Characters: 3
Ambient / Worldbuilding: 4,75
Writing style: 3
Plot: 1
Intrigue: 1,75
Logic / Relationships: 1
Enjoyment: 2
What a disappointment! This has been my lowest 2-star rating ever. I thought this would be a different thing. But it has turned out to be an almost insta-love, which I hate. At first I was trying to justify it saying "they're young and lonely", but the more I read, the less I believed their story.
I think it brings important topics to light, like third culture children, what's behind the shiny world of fame or how hard it is to find your way, but I just wasn't convinced.
I don't know if mine is an unpopular opinion or if this book's overrated. I hope it's the first option.
sierrarozen's review
3.0
i really wish i had liked this more. i was definitely under the impression that this was going to be dual POV so i was disappointed when it wasn’t. i also just felt like nothing really happened? don’t get me wrong i felt bad for pablo but so many of his decisions made me want to scream! i enjoyed it, just not something i would pick up again.
readingwithathena's review
3.0
3.5 / 5
If there ever was a book to truly embody “emerging adulthood” (both the genre and the age group), Permanent Record would be that book. Focused on a confused 20-something, Mary H.K. Choi paints an increasingly uncomfortable portrait of what it’s like to be young and kind of stuck. If you’ve read Emergency Contact, the writing style is familiar, even if the perspective is different.
Pablo Neruda Rind (really, that’s his name) is a Pakistani-Korean American living in New York City. He dropped out of NYU, his dream school, for financial reasons. He works at a bodega/health food store, but credit-card debt and student loans are burying him alive. One particularly cold and terrible night, superstar Leanna Smart walks into his workplace. After that, nothing is ever the same for Pablo.
At its core, Permanent Record is about growing up, and the discomfort that comes with it. Pablo spends most of the book feeding into his delusions- he can make a relationship with Leanna work, he can get back into NYU, and he can crawl out of debt without anyone’s help. Most of Pablo’s character growth happens in the last 50 pages, which is a shame. In a book over 400 pages long, I wanted that growth sooner.
Which leads me to my biggest critique- in a book centered on being unfocused and stuck, much of the plot is also unfocused. The core idea keeps the plot moving, but it takes way too long to get there. There is an overwhelming abundance of side characters. The book doesn’t truly find it’s footing until the 100-page-mark, making a messy introduction to easily a dozen people. Had a few characters been cut, or had the book simply been shorter, it would have been a more enjoyable read. The ending was bittersweet, but it made sense.
If you want a romance-tinged coming of age story, this book is for you. But be prepared for an awkward ride.
If there ever was a book to truly embody “emerging adulthood” (both the genre and the age group), Permanent Record would be that book. Focused on a confused 20-something, Mary H.K. Choi paints an increasingly uncomfortable portrait of what it’s like to be young and kind of stuck. If you’ve read Emergency Contact, the writing style is familiar, even if the perspective is different.
Pablo Neruda Rind (really, that’s his name) is a Pakistani-Korean American living in New York City. He dropped out of NYU, his dream school, for financial reasons. He works at a bodega/health food store, but credit-card debt and student loans are burying him alive. One particularly cold and terrible night, superstar Leanna Smart walks into his workplace. After that, nothing is ever the same for Pablo.
At its core, Permanent Record is about growing up, and the discomfort that comes with it. Pablo spends most of the book feeding into his delusions- he can make a relationship with Leanna work, he can get back into NYU, and he can crawl out of debt without anyone’s help. Most of Pablo’s character growth happens in the last 50 pages, which is a shame. In a book over 400 pages long, I wanted that growth sooner.
Which leads me to my biggest critique- in a book centered on being unfocused and stuck, much of the plot is also unfocused. The core idea keeps the plot moving, but it takes way too long to get there. There is an overwhelming abundance of side characters. The book doesn’t truly find it’s footing until the 100-page-mark, making a messy introduction to easily a dozen people. Had a few characters been cut, or had the book simply been shorter, it would have been a more enjoyable read. The ending was bittersweet, but it made sense.
If you want a romance-tinged coming of age story, this book is for you. But be prepared for an awkward ride.
cicadas_brood_too's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chaibookfaerie's review
3.0
Pablo is a character that I see a lot of myself in, struggling to find what they want to do in life—finding their purpose. Working a job they might not necessarily enjoy. Reading through some of the reviews people find him unlikeable and I can see why. I personally found Leanna Smart to be the truly likeable one for me because while she has her shit together which yes girl boss moment, she also failed Pablo in a way because she knew that Pablo had nothing going for him and for her to keep him at her side while also not explaining things properly to him as an adult would—her outburst after being confronted just showed that she is just as flawed as any other person. But she also pissed me off because she complained about her many first world problems that from my standpoint as someone that is struggling to pay for college...just really put in a sour mood.