Judyth > Recent Status Updates

I was really hoping to like this one, but so far the writing/dialogue is not doing it for me.

“‘Why are you acting so helpless? You’re mean and stubborn and strong! You have exactly what you need to live on your own.’”

Sydney freaking out over one small overheard comment, especially with his genuine confusion and attempt to explain it, is so frustrating to me.
This book has become so easy to put down, and I’m trying hard to finish it. I really do want to know where the plot is going, and I really like Oliver.

“A symbol used to describe the model wife was the snail: ‘that little creature, that goes no further than it can carry its house on its head.’”
As the previous owner of my copy of the book wrote: “Fuck”

I love Larran so much.

“She’d just finished talking with people! Lots of people! She wanted to burrow into her house and not have to worry about what she’d say and what he’d say and all of that back-and-forth talking nonsense.”
This girl just wants to be a hermit and I get it.

“Like his lonely and her lonely fit perfectly into the empty spaces at the other’s side, saying nothing, asking nothing, just keeping each other company.”

This book is, understandably, making me angry. It’s actually so easy, in this day and age still, to see people falling into such “hysterics”. Even in the 1600’s, people were suing each other for petty reasons and they’ve never stopped fighting to keep rights from women on every side.

I soft dnf’ed this almost 2 years ago, because I didn’t like that middle story so much. It was mostly meh, but the way the fmc jumped to conclusions and didn’t want to give the mmc a chance for such a weak reason annoyed me. Only for them to so quickly settle into a relationship in the last 10-15 pages. Ugh.

Taking my time with this and only reading a little bit at a time. I’m intrigued by the story, though the older writing style is slower to get through.

What?? 😭😭😭😭

“If that girl didn’t have bad luck, she’d have no luck at all.”
Poor Lishu.

“What did people do in those olden times when they were powerless in the face of catastrophic natural disasters? They engaged in meaningless behaviors.”

“Acknowledging herself to be ‘a female, a weaker vessel, subject to passion.’” -Katherine Harrison, forced to say these things in court, while fighting for her own property and against witch accusations.

“He [Cotton Mather] and other writers sometimes referred to accused witches in terms such as ‘an ignorant and a scandalous old woman’ or ‘a lewd, ignorant, considerably aged woman.’”

“History offers few subjects as endlessly fascinating or as intellectually frustrating as witchcraft. The word itself evokes images so diverse, ultimately so contradictory, as to defy definition. It is associated with old age, frightful ugliness, and female wickedness on the one hand, with youth, beauty, and female sexual power on the other.”

“Ultimately, she found herself simply swept along by life, not knowing what she really wanted. She knew love, or perhaps ‘love’, from her scrolls and novels—but she didn’t understand what it really was.”
I’m really glad we’re getting this insight into Lishu’s head here. She’s growing up.

“She finally started to understand what that lustful old man had been feeling. Well, that wasn’t good.”
Maomao out of context 😅😂

I’m DNFing this. Maybe for now, probably indefinitely. I just don’t want to keep reading it at this point, so I don’t see the point in trying.

“It feels like every single person who has ever come into contact with my life has somehow wriggled their way above me on my list of priorities, and look where it’s gotten me.”

“‘I’m not going anywhere, but you don’t need me, Aurora. You’re strong and sweet and funny. You’re smart and affectionate and you’re all those things without me. You don’t need anyone but yourself, but you can have me anyway. I worry I’m going to fuck this up, too, but we have to trust ourselves as much as we trust each other.’”
😭🥺

“Not butterflies, the buttery effect. If I change one thing in my past, it’d cause a ripple effect, and I wouldn’t chance not meeting you.”
🥺 My god, Russ is the sweetest man.

I’m enjoying this way more than I expected—similar to my experience with the first book. Russ is such a sweetheart.

I actually cannot wait to get to Henry’s book. I love him so much.

A reference to the book I finished right before this one? That’s so weird.

I expected this to be a cute, fun smutty romance, but I’m having even more fun than I expected.
Also I absolutely love Henry. I cannot wait to get to his book.

“She wasn’t a robot or a walking diagnosis. She was herself. She was enough. She could be anything. She could make herself into anything. She could prove everyone wrong.”

“‘Not wanting me to go isn’t the same as wanting me to stay.’”

“‘I don’t want something perfect; I want something honest. Something that can be mine.’”

“‘Because you said it was your favorite,’ I admit. ‘And I want your favorite to be my favorite.’”
🥺🥺😭