it’s sarah’s Reviews > Yours for the Taking > Status Update
it’s sarah
is 2% done
When I was in a writing MFA program, I started a dystopian novel set about 75 years in the future. The first chapter was an intro. The second chapter was an overview of what had happened to create the dystopia. Everyone in my class agreed that the transition into a dystopia should be its own story, not backstory, or a chapter written in past tense. I’m having the same feeling listening to this book.
— Jan 01, 2026 05:50PM
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it’s sarah’s Previous Updates
it’s sarah
is 14% done
The story takes place a few decades in the future, but all of the references are so of the moment. It seems very unlikely that in 2050 or whatever people are still going to be using social media and obsessing over branding. I don’t understand why the author didn’t just make this happen in the present day. Just say an Antarctic ice shelf broke off and caused catastrophic environmental changes in a few months.
— Jan 04, 2026 01:47AM
it’s sarah
is 14% done
Chapter 3, and so far they all follow the same format: a couple of sentences occur in present tense, a small gesture triggers pages of backstory, it becomes sort of hard to tell what’s happening in the present and what’s happening in the past, and then a few paragraphs that actually move the story forward. I feel stuck in intros. Hopefully soon these three different narratives combine to actually get us going.
— Jan 04, 2026 01:45AM
it’s sarah
is 3% done
Is this the first book the narrator has ever recorded? She punctuates every other sentence with the emphasis on the last word - not upspeak, or like a question, but with that “wow!” or “can you believe it?” accent that tweens use when they want to sound sophisticated while reading aloud in class.
— Jan 01, 2026 05:59PM
it’s sarah
is 3% done
“The light was like a photo filter that turned everything sepia toned” is one of the laziest similes I’ve ever.
— Jan 01, 2026 05:53PM
