listen, was this 100 pages too long? yes. did it drag in the second half? yes. was it kinda cheesy? also yes.
but was this a fun, silly, en3.5 stars.
listen, was this 100 pages too long? yes. did it drag in the second half? yes. was it kinda cheesy? also yes.
but was this a fun, silly, entertaining take on lady jane? absolutely. my lady jane is a revisionist take on the real-life lady jane grey, who famously ruled for nine days before being usurped by edward vi's half-sister, mary. while the first half of the book is essentially a fantasy take on the real history of lady jane grey, the second half is a total departure from history and is a fictional take on what could've happened in another world.
if you're a fan of the princess bride , you're gonna love my lady jane . i would say that this book has the same charm and humor as tpb , in that our characters are lovable, a bit silly, and overall a joy to read about. jane and gifford (or 'g', as he prefers to be called) are adorable, and i loved seeing their journey from two people stuck in an arranged marriage to actually falling in love. like i would even go as far as saying they're one of my top book OTPs right now. also, edward and gracie were SUCH A VIBE i'm a sucker for royal falling for a common thief.
okay, so why are you rating this only 3.5 stars if it's so good? that's because while this book was a joy to read, it was way too long. at almost 500 pages, there's whole parts of this book that were completely unnecessary and did nothing for the plot, like the inclusion of 'the pack,' (which, at the end of the day, did nothing to raise the stakes or have any big effect on the plot.) also, there's a fight with a giant bear towards the end of the book that just makes no sense? it did nothing but establish a friendship between edward and g, which could've been done in a number of other ways.
despite all of this though, my lady jane is a solid read, and if you fell in love with the tv series and are angry about it's cancellation, definitely pick up the book to see how everything comes together....more
y'all... what was this? why is our almost 40-year old main character acting like a teenager 1.5 stars.
sally when i catch you, when i catch you sally-
y'all... what was this? why is our almost 40-year old main character acting like a teenager for 80% of the book? okay, you're not supermodel gorgeous; most of the world isn't! why is that the only thing you ever think about? you literally have a famous singer who is apparently super-hot drooling over your basic bitch ass, yet you're constantly questioning him about it and saying you don't understand why a girl like you caught his attention? girl WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING THIS. sally could NEVER be y/n in a self-insert harry styles fanfic.
also noah? literally deserves the world and idk why he keeps putting up with her ass. the .5 i added to the 1-star rating was when he FINALLY called her out on her bullshit, like yes sir! tell her that she's being a real bitch right now and is treating you kinda terribly!
i'm really sorry if you liked this, but i just... can't....more
listen, am i 100% sure of what the heck i just read? no, but i was throughly entertained and i did NOT call the twist at the end, so at lea3.5 stars.
listen, am i 100% sure of what the heck i just read? no, but i was throughly entertained and i did NOT call the twist at the end, so at least there’s that. ...more
this was pretty good! loved viola as a protagonist, and her relationship with gracewood was so sweet. i guess the biggest issue i had is the3.5 stars.
this was pretty good! loved viola as a protagonist, and her relationship with gracewood was so sweet. i guess the biggest issue i had is the same issue i have with all alexis hall books, the plot (or lack-thereof.) i feel like the conflict resolved itself too quickly, and then there’s a lot of fluff before the plot returns. and even then it was very anticlimactic? idk, i just wanted more drama i guess. but regardless, this was still fun and i love queer historical romances, so i’d def recommend picking it up. ...more
messy protagonists, you will always be famous. this was so good! ngl, this probably wouldn't have been on my radar if it wasn't my book club'4 stars.
messy protagonists, you will always be famous. this was so good! ngl, this probably wouldn't have been on my radar if it wasn't my book club's july pick, but i'm so glad i got to chance to read such a poignant and interesting book....more
i will admit, i was a little disappointed by this one. something about the pacing just kept me from fully immersing myself in the story? i 3.5 stars.
i will admit, i was a little disappointed by this one. something about the pacing just kept me from fully immersing myself in the story? i think was threw me was that this felt like two different books stuck together; we go from a 'paper towns' story that is fast-paced and had me guessing shara's next move, (view spoiler)[ only for that plot line to abruptly end halfway through the book followed by a, in my opinion, very forced romance between chloe and shara? i just don't believe that their mutual obsession with each other for the entirety of high school could suddenly turn into 'oh we actually love each other!' as fast as it did. (hide spoiler)] essentially, i feel like this could've easily been a 5-star if it was just focused on one thing (the shara mystery or the academic rivals to lovers romance), but trying to do both in the span of 350ish pages just left a lot to be desired.
i will say though as someone who went to a high school very similar to willowgrove, i loved how casey portrayed life as a christian school student. so much of what chloe and co. went through rang true to my own experiences, like not being able to question anything without getting disciplined, the chapel services where impressionable teenagers are told they're going to hell for wearing short skirts, ect. my school also had a 'prom' with no dancing because 'dancing is the devil's work!' i wish i had a book like this when i was in high school, and i'm so glad that queer kids in similar situations will get to see themselves through this.
tl;dr, if you're a fellow christian school kid with religious trauma, pick this up because you'll feel so seen. however, if you're looking for a cute rom-com, maybe pass on this and pick up something else....more
alexa, play 'you're on your own, kid' by taylor swift. anyway if you need me i'll be in the corner crying over how perfect this was and wonde5 stars.
alexa, play 'you're on your own, kid' by taylor swift. anyway if you need me i'll be in the corner crying over how perfect this was and wondering how any other romance book could live up to this one. i'm now an emily henry stan for life GOODBYE...more
okay, i get the hype; this was freaking incredible. the story was complex and kept me on the edge of my seat, the characters were all so lov4.5 stars.
okay, i get the hype; this was freaking incredible. the story was complex and kept me on the edge of my seat, the characters were all so loveable (even when they were driving me up a wall at times), the romance , god, the romance. i'm not a huge fan of instalove, but i adored it here (and the fact that it happened when they were teens and then had to work back to that as adults made it a lot more enjoyable.)
this is *so close* to being a 5 for me, but despite everything i loved and it being an amazing story, when i turned the final page and set the book down, i just didn't feel the emotional pull i usually feel when i've read a 5-star. to be honest, i think the distant third person POV is my one critique of this; if this was written all from close third person POV, and only switched back and forth between shane and eva, it would've been an easy 5. but getting invested in shane and eva, only for the narrative to randomly switch to a side character for a short section, just kept pulling me out of the story? without that, it would've been literally perfect in my eyes....more
“We are not broken things, neither of us. We are cracked pottery mended with laquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each ot
“We are not broken things, neither of us. We are cracked pottery mended with laquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each other. Complete and worthy and so very loved.”
Listen, I work in a library, which means that I usually don't buy books. Why would I when I can get them for free? Point is, if I buy your book, it means it's one of my favorites.
I just bought this book.
There's a ton of things that I adore about this book, so let's break it down into what I call "Five Reasons Why Gentleman's Guide is My New Favorite"
1. Bisexual main character who isn't written as a stereotype. Listen, the amount of times I've had to read YA lit where a bisexual character is either one, referred to as "experimenting" or two, written as a natural-born cheater is ridiculous. News flash, bi people are way more than the stereotypes people put on them. Monty is a great example. Yes, he's promiscuous, but that has nothing to do with him being bisexual and everything to do with him defying his uppity, abusive father. He's complex and layered and absolutely delightful in every way. Ugh, I could wax poetic about Monty all day long, but I won't.
2. A love interest who stands on his own. One of my biggest peeves in YA lit is when a love interest is there to look pretty and be as one-dimensional as possible. Percy isn't like that. Yes, he is the love interest and best friend of Monty, but he's no damsel in distress. Percy is strong, witty, a perfect counterpart to Monty's boorishness. He thinks for himself and doesn't let people walk over him and is absolutely charming in every way.
3. An adventure that is as entertaining as it is charming. While interesting characters are a must in good literature, you also need an equally as interesting plot. This delivers. Yes, it is a little fantastical and odd, but the author writes it in a way that was so engrossing that I didn't care that it was a bit over-the-top and ridiculous. In fact, I'd even say the fantastical element of it all made it even more enjoyable. The rush to escape dukes, pirates, and other unsavory things was fun, interesting, and funny beyond belief.
4. Who run the world? Girls. Felicity gets her own place on this list because she's that amazing. A young girl in the 1700s who loves medicine and kicks ass? YES PLEASE. Listen, I am fully convinced that Monty and Percy would've been dead at page 90 if it weren't for her. Felicity constantly saves their asses, whether that be fighting highwaymen or patching up wounds. I am SO EXCITED for The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. Gimme all of that Felicity content!
5. A romance that will destroy you in the best way. Percy and Monty figuring out how to love and be loved is truly what makes this story so engrossing. Their love for each other is so obvious from the first page, but neither of them realizes it. They pine and wallow and reach that point of almost over and over again, to the point where you're yelling at them to figure it out and be together. It's wonderful and beautiful and funny too, which is an added bonus. Ugh. They are easily one of my favorite YA couples now.
This book is a work of art. There is no other way to say it. It's everything I've ever wanted in a YA novel and if you don't read this book, know that you're missing out....more
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