Heather > Recent Status Updates

The horror of the subject matter contrasts with the beauty and precision of the prose; the deliberate, painstaking vocabulary choices and controlled reveal of information; how expertly Elaine is established; the literary craftsmanship; the Macbeth quotations framing each section; and the emotional weight of knowing the novel is rooted in personal experience.

The opening successfully creates a sense of organised chaos and makes the reader experience Loren’s mental load rather than simply being told she’s overwhelmed.

The first chapter made me think this one was going to be a struggle but once Dahlia’s POV sneaked in, I was hooked.

10% in and I can already tell this is going to be a slow one. Classics and I have a complicated relationship, and so far I’m mostly confused about who everyone is and why Lockwood keeps going back to a house where absolutely nobody wants him 😂

The ghostly Catherine moment has intrigued me though, so there’s hope yet…

Really enjoying this so far. Dark, funny and ridiculously easy to fly through. Kitty has me completely on side; Antoinette… time will tell.

“…their strength, their size, their privilege of simply being born a man suddenly mean nothing.”

What a line.

Excited to have this ARC, thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital.

The UK humour lands without translation, Liverpool and Manchester mean something to me, and Flick’s experiences of leaving home, university, relationships ending and finding yourself living with other people have parallels with experiences I’ve had.

It makes the contemporary setting feel much more immediate than a lot of the romances I’ve read.

The duhumanisation of Cherry is abhorrent: people repeatedly weaponise her poverty and motherhood against her.

The situation with Manon and the witches being forced to carry Valg offspring is just horrifying.

Meanwhile, Chaol continues to irritate every fibre of my being - get a grip man!