Brutal In Brutal Honesty
If you have read my reviews long enough? You know I don’t pull punches. Liam won’t allow it. And while I rarely go completely salty, resting Liam bitch face and all?
Exhibit A: Liam Resting Bitch Face
When I have to, I do. And when I need to give a meh review, I will. I have run over (although I didn’t know it until after posting the “meh to me” review of The Memory Thief) to the human salt licks that were All the Tropes Stars and Teeth and Verify (yeah I’m well aware of the sequel and no I won’t and yes I’m still damn tired). And there are books I like verse books I throw at people.
So when I tell you it’s me and I’m calling it? IT IS ME. And it is not even just one book. It is not even one genre. It is a genre under a category. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back-up.
Two Books. One Me.
See, I am coming off the heels of having read and really enjoyed One of Us Is Lying and One of Us is Next. This was my introduction to the murder/mystery genre under YA (I had been reading it under the Adult category and loved it). So yes, let’s explore a genre I already loved in the Adult category and now found a fondness for, right? Well. No.
I stumbled through Good Girls Guide to Murder, which was being slathered with love. I am certainly not adverse to being the lone wolf in the crowd. See the aforementioned All the Stars and Teeth reference. Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who did not like The Devouring Grey. Plus, I’m still not sure where There Will Come a Darkness went wrong for so many people ?! And that is just off the top of my head. But anyhow… I figured this one just one of those cases. Right? Of course I did. I didn’t post a review because it wasn’t like salty bad and I had read it to lead a book club, so meh. Whatever. I mentioned it on Goodreads and moved on. Buuuuuuuuuut…
Thank You To HarperTeen For An ARC In Exchange For An Honest Review
Then came All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urbana. And it was Good Girls Guide to Murder take two. Not just in the fact that I felt the same exact way about about both books, but in another way, altogether. See. I have had this issue before.
Space Operas
Space Operas are a saga. Me trying to force them on myself? That was a saga longer than The Irishman and probably more torturous to watch. There was just no getting through to me on this one. I can’t. Ok, I could, but I won’t count the number of ways, titles and publishers that I tried to make it work with Space Operas. It just felt like it should work. I mean Star Wars is a Space Opera, by all accounts. How could I not love Space Operas? I just couldn’t talk myself out of it. There was NO getting through to me.
Me. Literally talking to myself. I’m surprised I didn’t get a joint letter from every publisher I ever received a Space Opera ARC from.
I will say this. Gideon the Ninth was the final straw that broke the wall for me. It was DNFing Gideon the Ninth that finally made me sit back and say. That’s it. It is me. It has to be me and this genre, which has turned into a dysfunctional relationship. We need to break-up before someone gets hurt. In fact, I’m pretty sure that on Edelweiss I said something along those exact words to Tor. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS GIDEON THE FUCKING NINTH, THAT IS WHY.
I’m surprised Tor didn’t DNF me.
All Your Twisted Secrets
If you love this genre and this category? I believe, based on what I’ve seen otherwise, you will love this book. And due to that fact, I will not say a word about anything I think of it. Because my opinion means squat. I also will refrain from ever reading anything…
That is always a stupid thing to say. I most certainly will refrain from ever requesting an ARC of anything in this genre/category (in the Adult category is still my lane) again. Whether I read it again, for whatever reason? That is up to the book fairies, because you just don’t ever know. Who would’ve predicted that Tony Stark would be right?
With that in mind? There are so many fantastic books out today.Girls With Razor Hearts by Suzanne Young, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Review to Come), Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James (Review to Come), and All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, if that is your lane. Support who you love and are able to. Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other.
I read half of Gideon the Ninth for a readathon and stopped to let my partner read it but I didn’t find it very enjoyable either. It’s still on my TBR to finish up but I’m kind of not looking forward to it.
It is a shame because I liked the MC a lot and the dialogue, as well. But the narration was just doing my head in. And again, I know I’m completely in the minority because God how people loved it. Even people who I normally completely sync up with reading wise. It’s just the genre.
I can’t do space operas either! I don’t know what it is but I just don’t get into them like other books in the same genre!
There is something about how they are written that apparently does my brain in!
Intriguing review. I never hold back punches either on reviews. This one is on my TBR and I have no idea when I’ll read it, but I promise to be bluntly honest.
Thank you! Oh believe me if you were to look at my reviews for all the stars and teeth or verify youd see I really don’t pull punches. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t slam writers personally or cross any lines. But content wise I call it like it is whether I love it or hate it.
And I really think if you like this genre, in the YA category, you will love this book. I just have come to realize that I definitely do not lol
Right, I totally get what you mean. It’s important to still be respectful, but if you hated it, say it and why. No beating around the bush.
That’s my motto.
Honestly this isn’t my go to genre, so I may have to reevaluate in the future.
Exactly! That’s all I’m saying!
Okay so I actually really liked this book, but like One of Us is Lying, I went in for pure entertainment. BUT I do have to say that I picked up a book with a similar premise, I believe it was This Lie Will Kill You — Pretty positive that was it– and it BOMBED.