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Phoenix

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Phoenix is Currently Reading

Phoenix is currently reading

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

by V.E. Schwab

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read in October 2025

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Oct 18, 2025 03:11PM

Phoenix is currently reading

Good Dirt

by Charmaine Wilkerson

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Phoenix said: " I honestly didn't love this as much as I assumed I would. The writing itself is pretty good actually, Wilkerson does a great job of making you care about Ebby, and her relationship with Henry despite his flaws. However the plot was pretty pointless i I honestly didn't love this as much as I assumed I would. The writing itself is pretty good actually, Wilkerson does a great job of making you care about Ebby, and her relationship with Henry despite his flaws. However the plot was pretty pointless in my opinion. There were too many perspectives in this book that faded into nothing and felt like a colossal waste of time. It was constantly bouncing back and forth but for what purpose? I can't say.

I really couldn't get myself to care about the jar honesty. I swear I tried but this book has just SO MUCH to say about this damn jar that it actually becomes a bore. And for what?? ITS BROKEN like move on already. The random friendship between Avery and Ebby was super odd too. They both love Henry yet easily believe he could be a killer? And bond over this...? Then it turns out he's not a killer after all and they just laugh this off and become besties like seriously what are we doing?? And I still can't figure out what the hell the point of that was because it didn't really push the story further along in the slightest. What is wrong with both of these women that they so easily believe this with little to no evidence and then sweep it under the rug after?? Now THAT could've been an interesting path to explore but of course it is quickly forgotten as if I imagined something.

It felt like Wilkerson was experiencing some sort of dissociative split personality this entire book where she just writes two completely different stories and mashes them up into one but they don't really impact each other enough for it to make sense. The story reads as: I LOVE HENRY AND IT'S RUINED // I MISS THE JAR // HENRY AND I!! // BUT THE JAR!! but Henry has no relation to this jar and it's really not why their relationship was ruined...had more to do with communication issues than anything else. And even he was sick of talking about this stupid jar and it has me thinking hell-I might've left her at the alter too if this is all she wanna yap about. like it does get to a point...and I hate having to agree with the straight white man but...she really needed to ZIP IT!

Finally, I found the secrets throughout the book really flat and had really no payoff for me. I can't even be bothered to discuss them, they were so boring.

I'll read Black Cake before I make any decisive opinions about Wilkerson as an author but this book for sure did not hit the mark for me. Honestly could've been an email.

3 stars. ...more "

Dec 12, 2025 12:07PM · see review