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daytimebelle's reviews
224 reviews
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was so difficult to read.
The writing is straightforward but also heavy, like every word is weighted with the burden of the characters’ pain. The unnamed male protagonist, known only as “Eyes” because of his lazy eye, and his classmate Kojima, who is similarly outcast, find solace in each other’s company. But their bond is more about shared suffering than anything resembling happiness.
It’s not a story of two people helping each other rise above their circumstances. Instead, it’s about how they sink deeper into their misery together, finding comfort in the fact that someone else understands. There’s a kind of beauty in their connection, but it’s a beauty that comes with a lot of hurt. It made me think about how sometimes, we hold on to the things that hurt us the most because they’re familiar.
The adults in this book are almost invisible, absent when you want them to intervene, and ineffective when they do show up. It’s a reflection of how isolating and overwhelming the world can feel when you’re young and struggling. There’s no easy rescue, no last-minute save. The kids are left to deal with their pain largely on their own, and it’s heartbreaking.
This doesn’t offer any neat resolutions or uplifting moments. It’s not a book you read to feel good. Instead, it forces you to confront the reality of how cruel people can be to each other, and how that cruelty can shape a person’s view of the world. The ending, without giving too much away, is like the rest of the book—unsettling, unresolved, and heavy with the weight of everything that’s come before.
Reading this novel left me with a lot of mixed feelings. There’s a sadness that lingers long after the final page, a reflection on the ways we cope with our pain, and how sometimes, we don’t really cope at all—we just survive.
—------------
LET ME JUST SAY everything that came out of Momose's mouth is just infuriating. It’s like he’s trying to justify his cruelty with the most nonsensical, twisted logic, and it doesn’t make sense no matter how you slice it.
He went on about how suffering is arbitrary, like it’s just something that happens without any real meaning behind it. Seriously? Just because something might seem random doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it. The pain he inflicts is real, and waving it off as meaningless is just his pathetic way of dodging any responsibility. It’s as if he’s trying to convince himself that if it’s arbitrary, it’s somehow justified. Spoiler: it’s not. His reasoning is so shallow it’s almost laughable, except it’s not funny at all.
Also, according to him there’s no real right or wrong here—just life happening. What a load of nonsense. By denying any sense of morality, he’s just avoiding the guilt he should be feeling. This is the kind of thinking that lets people justify all kinds of terrible behavior. Just because he refuses to acknowledge the ethical implications of his actions doesn’t mean they’re not there. He’s still wrong, and no amount of mental gymnastics changes that.
He also had the nerve to act like bullying is inevitable, something that’ll just keep happening no matter what. That’s such a cop-out! He’s basically saying, “Well, this is just the way things are, so why bother changing?” It’s lazy, it’s defeatist, and it’s completely wrong. He’s ignoring the fact that people can choose to be better, to stand up against cruelty instead of just accepting it. But of course, if he admitted that, he’d have to face the fact that he’s in the wrong, and clearly, he’s not interested in doing that.
IN SHORT, NAGSAYANG LANG SIYA NG LAWAY KASI WALA NAMANG SENSE LAHAT NGSINABI NIYA CHEEE!
The writing is straightforward but also heavy, like every word is weighted with the burden of the characters’ pain. The unnamed male protagonist, known only as “Eyes” because of his lazy eye, and his classmate Kojima, who is similarly outcast, find solace in each other’s company. But their bond is more about shared suffering than anything resembling happiness.
It’s not a story of two people helping each other rise above their circumstances. Instead, it’s about how they sink deeper into their misery together, finding comfort in the fact that someone else understands. There’s a kind of beauty in their connection, but it’s a beauty that comes with a lot of hurt. It made me think about how sometimes, we hold on to the things that hurt us the most because they’re familiar.
The adults in this book are almost invisible, absent when you want them to intervene, and ineffective when they do show up. It’s a reflection of how isolating and overwhelming the world can feel when you’re young and struggling. There’s no easy rescue, no last-minute save. The kids are left to deal with their pain largely on their own, and it’s heartbreaking.
This doesn’t offer any neat resolutions or uplifting moments. It’s not a book you read to feel good. Instead, it forces you to confront the reality of how cruel people can be to each other, and how that cruelty can shape a person’s view of the world. The ending, without giving too much away, is like the rest of the book—unsettling, unresolved, and heavy with the weight of everything that’s come before.
Reading this novel left me with a lot of mixed feelings. There’s a sadness that lingers long after the final page, a reflection on the ways we cope with our pain, and how sometimes, we don’t really cope at all—we just survive.
—------------
LET ME JUST SAY everything that came out of Momose's mouth is just infuriating. It’s like he’s trying to justify his cruelty with the most nonsensical, twisted logic, and it doesn’t make sense no matter how you slice it.
He went on about how suffering is arbitrary, like it’s just something that happens without any real meaning behind it. Seriously? Just because something might seem random doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it. The pain he inflicts is real, and waving it off as meaningless is just his pathetic way of dodging any responsibility. It’s as if he’s trying to convince himself that if it’s arbitrary, it’s somehow justified. Spoiler: it’s not. His reasoning is so shallow it’s almost laughable, except it’s not funny at all.
Also, according to him there’s no real right or wrong here—just life happening. What a load of nonsense. By denying any sense of morality, he’s just avoiding the guilt he should be feeling. This is the kind of thinking that lets people justify all kinds of terrible behavior. Just because he refuses to acknowledge the ethical implications of his actions doesn’t mean they’re not there. He’s still wrong, and no amount of mental gymnastics changes that.
He also had the nerve to act like bullying is inevitable, something that’ll just keep happening no matter what. That’s such a cop-out! He’s basically saying, “Well, this is just the way things are, so why bother changing?” It’s lazy, it’s defeatist, and it’s completely wrong. He’s ignoring the fact that people can choose to be better, to stand up against cruelty instead of just accepting it. But of course, if he admitted that, he’d have to face the fact that he’s in the wrong, and clearly, he’s not interested in doing that.
IN SHORT, NAGSAYANG LANG SIYA NG LAWAY KASI WALA NAMANG SENSE LAHAT NGSINABI NIYA CHEEE!
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
“He said that those suffering from addiction needed to be helped, not to be arrested, because their addiction was as much genetics as it was a choice. And that those pushing needed to be employed, not to be killed, because most of them were only trying to survive. He also said that none of these drugs could even make their way into our country to begin with if not for corrupt people in power—so they needed to be replaced, not reelected.”
The novel paints a grim picture of how the innocent can become collateral damage in a government’s relentless pursuit of control and order. It serves as a reminder of the injustices that can arise when power goes unchecked, and it made me realize how easy it is to overlook these harsh realities from the comfort of a distant life.
The character of Jun, Jay’s cousin, carries the emotional weight of the novel. Jun is portrayed as a sensitive, kind-hearted young man who becomes entangled in the dark realities of the world around him. Through Jay’s investigation into Jun’s life and death, we witness the tragedy of a good person caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. His story is a heartbreaking depiction of lost potential and the consequences of living under a regime that disregards the value of human life.
Jun's story, though fictional, made me reflect on the possibility that those often branded as criminals or troublemakers are, in many cases, simply people who have been failed by the very systems meant to protect them.
The novel paints a grim picture of how the innocent can become collateral damage in a government’s relentless pursuit of control and order. It serves as a reminder of the injustices that can arise when power goes unchecked, and it made me realize how easy it is to overlook these harsh realities from the comfort of a distant life.
The character of Jun, Jay’s cousin, carries the emotional weight of the novel. Jun is portrayed as a sensitive, kind-hearted young man who becomes entangled in the dark realities of the world around him. Through Jay’s investigation into Jun’s life and death, we witness the tragedy of a good person caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. His story is a heartbreaking depiction of lost potential and the consequences of living under a regime that disregards the value of human life.
Jun's story, though fictional, made me reflect on the possibility that those often branded as criminals or troublemakers are, in many cases, simply people who have been failed by the very systems meant to protect them.
Montello High: School of Gangsters by Shiela May Familaran
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I have to say, this book is just okay, which makes sense considering it was written back in 2013 (if I’m not mistaken). Honestly, I probably would have loved it when I was a 14-year-old girl who spent all her free time devouring Wattpad stories.
I didn’t go into it expecting something amazing, especially knowing when it was written, but I did have high hopes for the main character—Summer Leondale. She’s supposed to be this cool, badass girl, and while she certainly had the potential to be that, I feel like it wasn’t fully realized. At times, I could relate to her, but more often than not, she was just so frustrating. I really wanted to see the ‘cool’ girl everyone keeps talking about, but instead, she came off as more cringe-worthy than anything else.
And then there’s Tyler. I seriously can’t stand it when authors give a character a traumatic backstory, make them suffer emotionally throughout the entire book, only to kill them off in the end. It feels like unnecessary emotional manipulation, and it’s a personal pet peeve of mine.
Many of the characters in this book are pretty insensitive, but I understand that this might be a reflection of the time it was written. While I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either. It’s just not my cup of tea.
That said, I’m still planning to read the next book, so here’s hoping it’s better!
I didn’t go into it expecting something amazing, especially knowing when it was written, but I did have high hopes for the main character—Summer Leondale. She’s supposed to be this cool, badass girl, and while she certainly had the potential to be that, I feel like it wasn’t fully realized. At times, I could relate to her, but more often than not, she was just so frustrating. I really wanted to see the ‘cool’ girl everyone keeps talking about, but instead, she came off as more cringe-worthy than anything else.
And then there’s Tyler. I seriously can’t stand it when authors give a character a traumatic backstory, make them suffer emotionally throughout the entire book, only to kill them off in the end. It feels like unnecessary emotional manipulation, and it’s a personal pet peeve of mine.
Many of the characters in this book are pretty insensitive, but I understand that this might be a reflection of the time it was written. While I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either. It’s just not my cup of tea.
That said, I’m still planning to read the next book, so here’s hoping it’s better!
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book left me with a lot to think about.
First off, the writing is absolutely beautiful. Kawakami has this amazing ability to paint scenes and emotions with such vividness and detail, yet in such a simple, almost understated way. She captures the nuances of Fuyuko’s loneliness in a way that’s both heartbreaking and relatable. There’s this quiet sadness that runs throughout the book, but it’s never overdone. Instead, it feels real, like you’re peeking into the life of someone who’s just trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.
There’s no crazy plot twists or dramatic revelations—just a very honest, raw exploration of Fuyuko’s inner world and the small, often overlooked moments of life.
The book is definitely more of a character-driven novel than a plot-heavy one. But honestly, that’s part of what makes it special. You’re not reading to see what happens next; you’re reading to experience the emotions and thoughts of the characters. It's not a light read but it's definitely a rewarding one.
First off, the writing is absolutely beautiful. Kawakami has this amazing ability to paint scenes and emotions with such vividness and detail, yet in such a simple, almost understated way. She captures the nuances of Fuyuko’s loneliness in a way that’s both heartbreaking and relatable. There’s this quiet sadness that runs throughout the book, but it’s never overdone. Instead, it feels real, like you’re peeking into the life of someone who’s just trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.
There’s no crazy plot twists or dramatic revelations—just a very honest, raw exploration of Fuyuko’s inner world and the small, often overlooked moments of life.
The book is definitely more of a character-driven novel than a plot-heavy one. But honestly, that’s part of what makes it special. You’re not reading to see what happens next; you’re reading to experience the emotions and thoughts of the characters. It's not a light read but it's definitely a rewarding one.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
3.5
If I had to nitpick, I’d say not every story in the collection hits the mark perfectly. A few might leave you scratching your head, trying to piece together the meaning behind the madness. But I guess, that’s part of the fun—the writer doesn’t spoon-feed you answers, and the ambiguity leaves room for your imagination to run wild.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Less than a week ago, I wrote in one of my poem’s verses: “to see the humanity in monsters, and the monstrous in humans”. Little did I know I was being prepared for this book.
The ending, without giving too much away, is a real gut-punch. It’s one of those endings that makes you sit back and think about the whole story in a new light. It’s gripping and, in true horror fashion, a bit haunting.
I'll be thinking about this book a lot, and I’m not complaining.
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
What I really love about this book are the conversations because they felt so raw and real. Makes me ponder big life questions. Although I get why some people are into this book, the best thing I can say is this is a decent read.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
2.5
Cultish has its moments of insight and intrigue, but overall, it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. I decided to pick up this book because I've always wanted to broaden my knowledge of cults and fanaticism. As someone who believes in the power of words, I was excited to read it. Spoiler alert: it's not all praise.
The subject is interesting, but it could've been written better. It lacks clear direction at times, jumping from one topic to another without fully exploring any single aspect in depth. The result is a fragmented narrative that feels more like a collection of loosely connected essays than a unified book.
I hate to say this, but what a missed opportunity.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I Who Have Never Known Men is a book that creeps under the skin and stays there. It's a haunting, short story that leaves more questions than answers, and yet, it's incredibly powerful in its simplicity.
The story revolves around an unnamed girl, one of forty women held captive in an underground bunker. Stripped of their past lives, identities, and even the hope of escape, these women face an existence devoid of freedom and purpose.
As the sole girl among the women, the protagonist's perspective offers a raw and unfiltered look at life, untainted by societal expectations or preconceived notions of womanhood. Her perspective is unique and fresh, giving readers a glimpse into what it means to build one's identity without the societal constructs we often take for granted. It challenges us to think about how much of who we are is shaped by external influences versus our innate selves.
Throughout the book, there’s a constant feeling of unease—I was always on edge, wondering about the next revelation or lack thereof. The book doesn't spoon-feed answers, and many questions remain unanswered, which might frustrate some readers but is, in fact, one of its greatest strengths. It makes one think, reflect, and even feel a bit lost—much like the characters themselves.
This is not a book you read for entertainment. This is a woman’s journey of self-discovery, unlearning, and relearning what it means to be human in a world that has denied her the basics of human experience.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Persuasion is a book that, quite frankly, pierced my soul.
If you think Mr. Darcy is the epitome of Austen's dreamboats, Captain Wentworth gives him a serious run for his money. His letter to Anne near the end is, hands down, one of the most romantic moments in literature. "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." Excuse me while I swoon!
I love this book for its maturity. I found out Austen wrote this book later in her life, and it shows. The themes of regret, second chances, and enduring love hit differently than her earlier works. It's more reflective, more contemplative, and honestly, it resonated with me on a deeper level.
This is a tale of love lost and found, of enduring hope and the courage to seize second chances. I shall say, I am half-agony, half-hope, and wholly entertained.