Bárbara > Recent Status Updates

"... weren't there any nice men in Montreal, Shane?"
Ma'am? Apologize right now. Take it back or else.

"Shane had definitely snagged himself a ten."

And by being a solid 6 (4 When I'm mad).

Shane, I'm trying here, but you gotta work with me, man.

Okay, I'm going to stop for today because I have less than 100 pages left and it's not my idea to finish this today.
What I will say, however, is that I'm feeling this second half a lot more than I did the first one. True, if this gets to be a 4-star read it will be nothing short of a miracle... But it's definitely better now than it started off.

I'm probably not going to get a call to become the president of the Shane Hollander Fan Club... But I have to say, he's becoming slightly more tolerable lately. It was a pain the first half, though, I kept getting the same enjoyment from his POV that I used to get during Clash of Kings and Dance with Dragons with Davos 🙊
Ilya remains the best thing in the entire mess. Like, effortlessly.

SHANE HOLLANDER!!!!!! (imagine this said with the voice of Brad Pitt as Achilles in Troy when he's looking for Hector)
You made my Russian sad. So you have chosen... Death.

I speak in movie/TV/book quotes when I'm feeling the big feelings, sue me.
And to think that there's more to come in the "Ilya being sad" saga (I watched the show before reading, so yeah, again, sue me). I'm as fine as Ross was that one time.

"Jesus Christ, you're so fucking boring," Ilya muttered.


Yes, thank you. Those are the words I was looking for.

I love (and I'm using that term loosely) how Shane thinks it's "a choice" to name the twins Ruby and Jade, but he has no comment on the baby boy being named Arthur (which means he implicitly approves, I suppose)... At this point, I'm not surprised 😬

I am enjoying this, okay? That doesn't mean I don't have thoughts and opinions of the salty variety.
Also one thing I've noticed is that I basically talked about Ilya in every single one of my previous updates (I wouldn't blame myself, he's actually great). I want to prove that I'm capable of talking about my reading progress without focusing on him (not for this update though, evidently I failed already).

SHUT. UP! ILYA SAYING THAT FAST FIVE IS THE BEST ONE... It's just too much. I mean, if I'm being honest, 5 and 6 are my favorites. But it's the same.
A man of taste. Mostly, anyway, but eh... Nobody's perfect.

Ilya being concerned about Price possibly dropping his book with his bouncing leg, and then being like "I failed" when Price eventually did drop the damn book, even though he tried warning him?
Stop, he's killing me. Also, he (Ilya, not Price, ofc) was watching Fast & Furious (which was one of my hyperfixations of last year, this is important information)... I'm okay. I really am. 100% not lying.

I'm actually enjoying this! Yay!
I find that my enjoyment is increasing as the story progresses, which is nice.
On a more specific note: I love Ilya. He's wonderful 💜

Enjoying it so far... True, I'm enjoying Ilya's POV considerably more than Shane's, but I'm still having a good time!

This is... too long. At this point, it's dragging. I'll give it a chance, but I'm not impressed.

"How on earth can I keep existing when my baby is dead?"

Well, Carrie doesn't have an answer for that now, Tipper. But check back in with her in about 30 years.

WHAT?

Okay so the main update I have so far is that I had been giving Tipper the benefit of the doubt, but given the latest developments and the newly acquired information, I have decided she also sucks.
Carrie deserves so much better.

"I don't know yet that I will wonder, in my forties, whether my son Johnny is dead partly because I am such a drinker."

Stop, it hurts. Aaaah.

"I cry for my aunts, who lost their firstborn children. For Will, who lost his brother. For Liberty, Bonnie and Taft, who lost their sister."

What👏🏻 about 👏🏻 Ed?👏🏻
I'm so done with Cady's shit. The only person she's crying for is herself. Spare the hell out of me with that omg.

I feel it's been like forever since I last said I love Johnny, so here it goes again (because it begs saying, since he's being a total badass, standing up to Harris for Carrie and Ed). JOHNNY IS THE BEST AND I LOVE HIM OKAY?
* Miranda Priestly voice* That's all.

Carrie telling Bess to shut up (when Bess is talking shit about Ed) and then slapping her when she doesn't? Yeah, no wonder she's my favorite. She rocks!

"I don't believe in sunblock anymore," says Johnny.


Excuse me, I have to go jump off my balcony.

"Mirren. She is sugar. She is curiosity and rain. (...) Johnny. He is bounce. He is effort and snark.(...) Welcome home, they are saying. Welcome home."


I'm going to be sick.

Okay, that part with the talk with Taft broke my feels.
(The series needed him, goddammit! But that's not what we're here for)
Honestly, I can't believe how much I did not remember about the first time I read this... What the fuck book did I read? Did I dream that I read this (even though I remember vividly how my jaw hit the floor by the end?)

Cadence is so dramatic, I love her 🤣 (my sanity left the chat even before I started this reread, mind you)

I'm in pain....

Oh no... I hate this.

Don't touch me. I want to scream (and yes, I know it's too early).

"The truth was, most of what the Capitol did, he supported, and the rest rarely concerned him. But if it came to it, he'd speak out. Wouldn't he? Like Sejanus had? Even if it meant repercussions?"

I'm LAUGHING MY SOUL OUT OF MY BODY. THIS BITCH THINKS HE WOULD ACT LIKE SEJANUS? LIKE WHEN? He had plenty of opportunities to "speak out" and he chose his own damn ass. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.