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bonitazivot's reviews
72 reviews
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really really enjoyed this book and the audio by Imogen Church was fantastic!
I must say I did NOT see those plot twists coming, at ALL. Really really well written, would highly recommend.
I must say I did NOT see those plot twists coming, at ALL. Really really well written, would highly recommend.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
After attempting to read this book numerous times, I’m finally ready to accept that I don’t care about Greek mythology. Even whilst reading along with the audiobook, I was bored. 🤷♀️
They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m not sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but it sure delivered!
There were certain aspects I didn’t love, such as the “death cast didn’t call [name] today” chapters, but it did make the book work in the end.
The flow was really good, the writing style beautiful and grasping, and I kept wanting to get back to reading but didn’t want the book to finish yet so kept putting it away.
Didn’t make me cry though, and for that, I’ll have to rate it a 4/5.
There were certain aspects I didn’t love, such as the “death cast didn’t call [name] today” chapters, but it did make the book work in the end.
The flow was really good, the writing style beautiful and grasping, and I kept wanting to get back to reading but didn’t want the book to finish yet so kept putting it away.
Didn’t make me cry though, and for that, I’ll have to rate it a 4/5.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m really struggling to rate this book, because I’m not sure if I liked it or not.
The premise of the book was rather interesting and unique. I liked how the writer seemed to poke fun at our current society and how ridiculous we have become nowadays.
The writing was beautiful at times but I have to admit I didn’t like this book until the last 100 pages. Mostly I wondered why this was a best seller, because the writing wasn’t all that mindblowing for maybe 80% of the book.
I didn’t like how unrealistic the character dynamic seemed, and how unlikely this would be to occur in real life. The dialogues seemed odd sometimes and the humor forced - I wasn’t sure what the writer was trying to achieve with this. I do have to admit it made me giggle sometimes.
I think I can’t rate it any more than average. 3 stars for this one.
The premise of the book was rather interesting and unique. I liked how the writer seemed to poke fun at our current society and how ridiculous we have become nowadays.
The writing was beautiful at times but I have to admit I didn’t like this book until the last 100 pages. Mostly I wondered why this was a best seller, because the writing wasn’t all that mindblowing for maybe 80% of the book.
I didn’t like how unrealistic the character dynamic seemed, and how unlikely this would be to occur in real life. The dialogues seemed odd sometimes and the humor forced - I wasn’t sure what the writer was trying to achieve with this. I do have to admit it made me giggle sometimes.
I think I can’t rate it any more than average. 3 stars for this one.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
I don’t know why I thought I’d enjoy this book. I know nothing about physics, and found out through reading this book that I honestly do not care. 🥲
Thin Air by Michelle Paver
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
‘Thin air’ was a surprisingly good book. I received it as a ‘blind date with a book’ gift and I’m happy I got to read it, as I probably wouldn’t have picked it up based on the blurb.
The book tells the story of a group of men taking on the the grueling task of climbing the Kangchenjunga. Although I don’t think it was meant to be a ‘travel diary’, it’s how the book reads. I liked the writing style a lot, and the storyline was interesting.
A big remark is that the book was a bit slow paced at times, as after nearly 100 pages, we hadn’t even reached the mountain yet.
Besides, for a book marked as a ‘ghost story’, ghosts don’t seem to be the main theme, nor are they mentioned all that often. I wonder if Stephen, instead, suffered of severe mountain illness and was hallucinating the things he thought to have seen.
Lastly, I felt the ending seemed rushed. One second we were on the mountain, the next we suddenly weren’t there anymore. I think it’s a shame the ghost theme wasn’t further explored here. For example, it would’ve been great to read more on their descent from the mountain and read conversations on how everyone felt and perhaps what they had or hadn’t seen. Missed opportunity..
Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend this book to those that enjoy books about life changing journeys. 3 stars for this one.
The book tells the story of a group of men taking on the the grueling task of climbing the Kangchenjunga. Although I don’t think it was meant to be a ‘travel diary’, it’s how the book reads. I liked the writing style a lot, and the storyline was interesting.
A big remark is that the book was a bit slow paced at times, as after nearly 100 pages, we hadn’t even reached the mountain yet.
Besides, for a book marked as a ‘ghost story’, ghosts don’t seem to be the main theme, nor are they mentioned all that often. I wonder if Stephen, instead, suffered of severe mountain illness and was hallucinating the things he thought to have seen.
Lastly, I felt the ending seemed rushed. One second we were on the mountain, the next we suddenly weren’t there anymore. I think it’s a shame the ghost theme wasn’t further explored here. For example, it would’ve been great to read more on their descent from the mountain and read conversations on how everyone felt and perhaps what they had or hadn’t seen. Missed opportunity..
Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend this book to those that enjoy books about life changing journeys. 3 stars for this one.
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Unlike seemingly everyone else here on the Storygraph, I wasn’t in love with this book. I found the pace incredibly slow, the writing style bland and its many storylines just didn’t grasp me… mostly because I had no idea what was going on.
I was confused by the writing style. The first chapter was very poetic and beautiful, I was impressed. Sad to say, though, that it didn’t last. The writing styles seemed to change every so often, almost as if multiple manuscripts had been combined into this book. It was just very inconsistent. I’m willing to ignore the writing style changes as it could be due to the fact I was reading a translation, but it sure was disappointing.
The book is written from multiple different POVs, which can be great if done correctly, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. There were SO many POVs, I just couldn’t keep track and got lost many time. Somehow I feel like even the writer herself got a little lost, because in some chapters you’d be informed of the year and person you’d be reading about, in others you were left to guess what was was going on. Some chapters were in first person, others in third. Some in present, others in past tense. Again: very inconsistent.
Now, the storyline itself, I found was all over the place. Even halfway through the book, I wasn’t sure what it was trying to achieve. Are we romanticizing ménage à trois? Are we talking about finding your true love? About having to let go of those you love? With so many POVs to keep track of, it was hard to focus on what really mattered here. And even though the message was sad, the book didn’t manage to make me cry. And I cry at commercials…
Lastly. I must admit that with her writing, Valérie kept my attention. Unfortunately it wasn’t in the way she should have. I was bored, confused. Wanted it to be over. Sad to say I’ll be giving this book 2.5 stars.
I was confused by the writing style. The first chapter was very poetic and beautiful, I was impressed. Sad to say, though, that it didn’t last. The writing styles seemed to change every so often, almost as if multiple manuscripts had been combined into this book. It was just very inconsistent. I’m willing to ignore the writing style changes as it could be due to the fact I was reading a translation, but it sure was disappointing.
The book is written from multiple different POVs, which can be great if done correctly, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. There were SO many POVs, I just couldn’t keep track and got lost many time. Somehow I feel like even the writer herself got a little lost, because in some chapters you’d be informed of the year and person you’d be reading about, in others you were left to guess what was was going on. Some chapters were in first person, others in third. Some in present, others in past tense. Again: very inconsistent.
Now, the storyline itself, I found was all over the place. Even halfway through the book, I wasn’t sure what it was trying to achieve. Are we romanticizing ménage à trois? Are we talking about finding your true love? About having to let go of those you love? With so many POVs to keep track of, it was hard to focus on what really mattered here. And even though the message was sad, the book didn’t manage to make me cry. And I cry at commercials…
Lastly. I must admit that with her writing, Valérie kept my attention. Unfortunately it wasn’t in the way she should have. I was bored, confused. Wanted it to be over. Sad to say I’ll be giving this book 2.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape