3/5 - I would give it 3.5 if I could
It was a bit confusing to understand who the characters were at first, but I got there in the end. I think this is because this is technically part 2. I haven't read part 1, so a little more context would have been nice for a new reader.
It was hard to figure out the ending of one chapter and the start of a new one, especially since this was an audiobook. I would have liked a "chapter 1", "chapter 2", or some kind of other identifier to let me know it's transitioning stories. Sometimes the stories abruptly end and the next story's title isn't clear enough to know that the story is changing.
I did really like the absurdism of this book. At some points it got a bit creepy (Matt's not my favorite character of all time), but the plot ends up so goofy that it's hard to not forget about it.
Some of the vignettes were more relatable than others. Some of the premises were good, but a bit long-winded (specifically thinking of Oatmeal the musical). I also liked some of the imagery that was present in this book. Even though it's an absurdist book of short stories, some sections like the part where Sandy discovered all the dead beetles were very descriptive and interesting to listen to. I liked that story a lot.
I wish Matt was a bit more defined as a character. The distribution was a bit uneven and favored Sandy in my opinion, so I didn't feel like I got a good idea of who he was as a character. The last chapter was helpful, but also felt super show more abrupt, almost like there was supposed to be more but there wasn't.
Overall, I enjoyed the premise of this book. Even though it wasn't executed perfectly, it still had me laughing more than I thought I would. show less
It was a bit confusing to understand who the characters were at first, but I got there in the end. I think this is because this is technically part 2. I haven't read part 1, so a little more context would have been nice for a new reader.
It was hard to figure out the ending of one chapter and the start of a new one, especially since this was an audiobook. I would have liked a "chapter 1", "chapter 2", or some kind of other identifier to let me know it's transitioning stories. Sometimes the stories abruptly end and the next story's title isn't clear enough to know that the story is changing.
I did really like the absurdism of this book. At some points it got a bit creepy (Matt's not my favorite character of all time), but the plot ends up so goofy that it's hard to not forget about it.
Some of the vignettes were more relatable than others. Some of the premises were good, but a bit long-winded (specifically thinking of Oatmeal the musical). I also liked some of the imagery that was present in this book. Even though it's an absurdist book of short stories, some sections like the part where Sandy discovered all the dead beetles were very descriptive and interesting to listen to. I liked that story a lot.
I wish Matt was a bit more defined as a character. The distribution was a bit uneven and favored Sandy in my opinion, so I didn't feel like I got a good idea of who he was as a character. The last chapter was helpful, but also felt super show more abrupt, almost like there was supposed to be more but there wasn't.
Overall, I enjoyed the premise of this book. Even though it wasn't executed perfectly, it still had me laughing more than I thought I would. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I'm typically a reader of dense fantasy and historical fiction, but this was a refreshing change of pace from all the lore and rules in those books. It felt like I could just sink in and understand what was going on because the premise was so simple. The narrative was approachable and relatable because you didn't have to think too much about the little details while reading. I also really enjoy the fact that the book, in my opinion, is suitable for both adults and young adults. I would feel comfortable recommending this book to a young adult because it deals with adult and adolescent feelings in a mature but non-graphic way. The only issue I had with the book was that I felt it was a bit long. The middle felt like it dragged on a bit and some side plots were a little drawn out for my taste, but that might be my personal preference. I also thought that the ending was a little cheap and rushed, almost like I didn't get enough payoff for slogging through the middle chapters of the book. These were my only issues with an otherwise engaging and entertaining read.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I love the concept of this book! What a cute idea. The illustrations add a cute touch. There are only 2 things I thought were a little odd:
1. The shift from "in the mirror" to "in mirror". The second phrase sounds like the mirror is a living object, which is fine if that was the intention but it feels odd to read.
2. After reading this book to several three-year-olds, I feel like this book is more of an under 3 book, not for ages up to 4. They didn't really engage with it like we thought they would because they had made all of these discoveries about mirrors already.
I love the book's ideas, drawings, and story, there were just 2 things that stood out. Thanks for the review copy!
1. The shift from "in the mirror" to "in mirror". The second phrase sounds like the mirror is a living object, which is fine if that was the intention but it feels odd to read.
2. After reading this book to several three-year-olds, I feel like this book is more of an under 3 book, not for ages up to 4. They didn't really engage with it like we thought they would because they had made all of these discoveries about mirrors already.
I love the book's ideas, drawings, and story, there were just 2 things that stood out. Thanks for the review copy!
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.