Status Updates From The Internet Newspaper: A N...

i feel so cozy reading gnade

actually the most “slice of life” book i’ve ever read. i’m still really enjoying this but i’ve noticed that adam gnade reeaallyyy likes going in-depth about shit and it’s a bit too much sometimes. thankfully those moments are very small in this. i think i’m liking this better than “after tonight” so far

The first 20 or so pages I was feeling “ehh” about it but now that I’m further in I’m really fucking with this. Now that I’m in the real slice-of-life shit I can see Gnade’s writing really shine. He’s so good at writing conversations even if I don’t like everything he does.

“After Tonight” was like this too. Kinda weak beginning but everything else was strong. Excited to read the rest of this :)

I think the main issue with this book is that it’s marketed poorly. the copy made me think this was gonna be a nerdy romp filled with technical mumbo jumbo to serve as a portrait of the time. but the setting is actually meaningless. very little of this book is concerned with the internet newspaper. it’s more a timeless story about the aimlessness of your twenties. which hits close to home, so I don’t mind.

kind of frustrating because the main character is a real grim asshole and he’s too busy being miserable to notice all the cool shit going on around him. I get it though, same. just a weird choice for a main character. this author can not write characters who aren’t himself. any character that steps outside of his own demo is incredible clunky except maybe cass and even she’s question. i’m sleepy.

heating up. definitely getting more solid as it progresses. the whole thing feels a bit predictable & basic, not plot wise by any means but just in the way the writing operates, i’m not crazy about the dialogue especially but I could come around on it as it seems to be shooting for realism which like, “yeah normal people probably did talk like this in the year 2000, people talk like this now, and it’s awful.”

found this book on tiktok, bought it on a whim, it shipped the next day and came with a personalized note despite the release date not being until next year. thanks adam!

so far i’m a little iffy, a lot of introductory legwork is being done right now and it’s a bit clunky. towards the latter pages it felt like we were picking up some momentum quality wise so i’m hoping for more of that tomorrow.