Hi, I'm Ariel! You can call me Yhel. I mainly write book reviews, especially for Young Adult Fantasy, Contemporary, and Romance novels. Feel free to check out my blog!
Hey fellow bookworms, I’m alive! Kidding! Anyway, it’s been a while since I uploaded something on my blog. The latter part of September was unexpectedly busy because of work (yay to being an employed gal), so I didn’t have time to check in.
Unfortunately, my new job also prevented me from reading more books this month. I only read two books this September, and I badly want to make it three. Sadly, I can’t seem to finish The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, so two books will do.
1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I started reading Anne Frank’s diary on the 3rd week of August. However, I experienced a “minor” reading slump during that time so I temporarily DNF (did not finish) it. Fortunately, I had the motivation to pick it up again during the 1st week of September and I couldn’t be any happier.
The Diary of a Young Girl is the diary/memoir written by teenager Anne Frank during World War II. It’s an intimate account of her and her family’s life in hiding in a Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.
“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
This was such an eye-opener read for me! Most people, including me, are familiar with the Frank family, but not many really know them. Reading Anne’s diary allowed me to see each individual in a new perspective. And through Anne’s own words, I get to know her and her family’s unique personalities and quirks. I highly recommend it to everyone!
After reading Anne Frank’s diary, I decided to read Lovely War by Julie Berry. It’s a Young Adult Historical Romance novel that follows the love stories of four individuals during World War I. As a twist, these tales of romance are narrated by the goddess of love herself, Aphrodite.
“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
Despite going into this book with hesitancy, I absolutely enjoyed reading Lovely War. Julie Berry’s prose is so beautiful! She managed to capture both the wondrous feeling of love and horrors of war. But what really made me love this book is the characters! They are all so complex, realistic, and relatable in their own way.
I recommend Lovely War to readers who love romance, historical fiction, and of course, Greek mythology!
Sadly, because of work, I haven’t been able to read as much as I want. But once I’ve adjusted to my new job, I’m sure I’ll be able to read more books again.
I’m still not sure how often I’ll be able to post next month, so I’m announcing a little hiatus. Don’t worry, though, as I’ll be posting book reviews whenever I can.
I’m desperately trying to finish The Book Thief, so I can move on to fantasy books in October. Also, it’s going to be my birthday month, so I’ll probably be busier than ever.
I’m not a big fan of mythology. But Greek gods and goddesses telling two love stories set in the Great War? Feel free to sign me up!
I was quite hesitant, at first, to pick up Lovely War. In my reading goals post, I mentioned that I was curious how the author would handle the romance in this book. I was afraid that Julie Berry would romanticize war.
But I was pleased with how she managed to weave a multi-layered romance while staying true to the horrors of war. There were so many unspeakable things that happened in this historical fiction novel, but the romance part was really handled well.
Lovely War made me smile. It made me cry. It made me hope for a happy ending for the four young people who have seen and suffered so much. And if these feelings are not enough to show how much I love this book and highly recommend it, then keep reading to find out my full thoughts about this novel!
Book Title: Lovely War
Author: Julie Berry
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Date Published: May 30th 2017 by Greenwillow Books
Rating: 4 stars
Content Warning: War, Murder, Hate Crime/Racism, PTSD
Synopsis
(From Goodreads) It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.
Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.
Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.
Book Review
Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Lovely War is written in multiple first-person POVs of Greek gods. But since they are merely telling the main story of two couples, the book is mostly in third-person POV.
I love the way Julie Berry wrote a story within a story. The subplot of the Greek gods were hilarious and witty. It’s clear which god is narrating the stories of the main characters because their voices are so distinct.
But Julie Berry’s excellent writing style stand out the most through the main plot of the two couples. I love the way she described the romantic feelings of the main characters in a unique way!
Everyone’s familiar with first loves (racing of hearts, butterflies in the stomach, secretive glances and longing stares). And I’ve read countless romance novels that describe the feeling of being in love with a person.
BUT!
There’s just something about Julie Berry’s description that sets this romance story apart from the rest. I absolutely love how she manages to capture the raw emotion of being in love. It made me connect to the characters, understand their yearning for their beloved, and sincerely hope for them to be happy.
Aside from effectively showing the romance between the characters, Julie Berry also managed to depict the horrors of war. The writing style is vivid and realistic. It was hard for me to read about the life in the trenches and the ever-present racism during that time.
Overall, Lovely War has a heart-wrenching and beautifully written prose that elevated my reading experience. My only critic is that the first-person writing can be distracting at times, so it took me more than a week to finish the book. This is mostly because of the framing of the story which I would discuss in detail below.
Plot
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The idea of Greek gods narrating two love stories is a nice twist to an otherwise typical historical romance. In fact, that’s the main reason why I want to read Lovely War. It’s just unique!
However, as much as I love the idea, I’m not a big fan of the plot execution. I found the stories of the Greek gods to be distracting. Sure, I did enjoy their banter and their distinct narrative voices, but I just didn’t care for them!
I wanted to read more of the four lovely characters—Hazel and James, Colette and Aubrey. I wanted to read their stories without the Greek gods subplot. I know, it’s confusing. I love the idea, but I wish I got the two love stories alone instead.
Aside from the “distracting” subplot, I also didn’t like the slow pacing. And no, I’m not talking about a slow-burn romance because there’s none of that—it’s mostly insta-love and attraction (much to my slight desmay). I’m talking about the long pauses in between the romances.
I mean, sure, the tension of the war kept these couples from being together. I understand that and I absolutely enjoyed reading the yearning and the get-togethers. But it just took too long to get anywhere for my taste! I feel like if Lovely War was shorter, I would’ve loved the plot more.
Lastly, the last third of the book felt contrived in my opinion. I badly want the story to finish, but Julie Berry still have ideas to throw out which seemed so random. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil things for those who want to read this book.
With all that being said, I appreciated that Lovely War is historically accurate. Julie Berry certainly did her research before writing this novel. I learned about the treatment of women, the birth of Jazz music in Europe, the experiences of Black people during World War I, and so much more from the historical notes at the end! I also loved reading a glimpse of James Reese Europe’s life. I think it was a wise idea to feature real-life people in a fictional work.
Characters
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The characters of this book are all so endearing in their own unique ways! And if you don’t already know, I’m a sucker for character-driven stories! So despite the slightly disappointing plot, I still loved reading Lovely War because of the characters.
Hazel and James. Oh, how my heart hurts so much for this couple! I wasn’t a big fan of this pairing in the beginning because their romance does develop quickly (insta-romance). But damn it, near the end of the book, I cared for them more than Colette and Aubrey!
By themselves, Hazel and James are a bit vanilla (ordinary and boring) compared to the complexity of the two other characters. However, when together, the romance between them is incredible and undeniable. I absolutely enjoyed reading their love for each other and even made me wish for a love as great as theirs. (LOL! Single and hopeless romantic alert!)
“If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott,” James said, “you don’t know me at all.”
Colette and Aubrey. If Hazel and James hurt me, then Colette and Aubrey BROKE my heart. What lovely characters who have been through so much! I’m so glad that they found each other!
I love the way that music played a big part of their romance. I also enjoyed reading Aubrey, the self-proclaimed King of Ragtime, lose his confidence (even just a tiny bit) whenever he’s near Colette. I just LOVE everything about their relationship because it’s so complex just like their personalities.
“They’d found each other once, then found each other once more. Here she stood—not a jazz singer, not a glamorous Belgian, but a grieving girl who understood.”
And the friendship between Hazel, Colette, and Aubrey? As mademoiselle Colette would say, magnifique!
Of course, my book review of Lovely War wouldn’t be complete without discussing the Greek gods themselves. They’re so witty and hilarious which added lightness to the story.
I really enjoyed reading Aphrodite’s inner monologue whenever she does what she knows best. She wouldn’t let everything left to chance, especially when it comes to love. I also liked reading the perspective of Apollo and Hades!
“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
Overall Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
If you’ve made it far into this review, then I’m pretty sure you have an idea of how much I enjoyed reading this book!
Lovely War is definitely one of the best Young Adult Historical Fiction novels out there! It will make you smile, laugh, hope, cry, and most importantly, learn many things about this time period. I highly recommend it to readers who like to read war stories and of course, romance!
Lastly, don’t forget to keep tissues nearby. Trust me, this book will hurt you. I won’t tell you if it’s the good kind or not. Figure it out yourself and read Lovely War asap!
Book Rating (Summary)
Writing Style: 4 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4 stars
My book review for Lovely War can also be found on Goodreads!
Let’s Talk!
Do you like reading historical fiction novels? Any lovely book recommendations?
Content Warning: Sexually explicit content (The Definitive Edition), Heavy subject matters (Holocaust, war)
Synopsis
(From Amazon) Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Book Review
I rarely pick up non-fiction books because I find that they don’t really have an impact on me, unlike fiction novels. However, I decided to break out of my comfort zone by reading a popular memoir/autobiography.
Almost everyone is familiar with the story of the Frank family. But how many people really know their story?
The Frank family together with the Van Pels went into hiding during World War II, spent 2 years of their lives in the Secret Annex, but unfortunately, got caught from their hiding place mere weeks away from liberation. The only one who survived is Otto Frank, who was later given the diary of his daughter, Anne Frank. After long deliberation, he decided to publish his daughter’s work. Readers know this as The Diary of a Young Girl.
I find it difficult to read Anne Frank’s diary, at first, for two main reasons. In fact, I even temporarily put it down because I can’t seem to continue reading her memoir/autobiography.
The first reason is that I suffered from a reading slump when I was in the middle of reading this book. It seemed like I have lost the motivation to read and was distracted by Netflix shows.
The second reason is that I find it unsettling to read Anne’s innermost thoughts and opinions about things. I should’ve prepared myself because after all, this is her diary. But it’s just hard to read it because I felt like I was invading her privacy. I felt like I shouldn’t be reading this because a diary is an intimate thing that contains the unfiltered words of a stranger.
With that said, I’m glad I decided to finish reading The Diary of a Young Girl. I have several realizations after I finished Anne’s autobiography. Because like many people, I am familiar with the Secret Annex story, but I have no idea what the residents are like.
The Diary of a Young Girl allowed me to get to know them through the eyes of an opinionated girl.
And that’s one of my realizations when I read this book. I didn’t expect that Anne is such a highly opinionated and outspoken girl! I mean, I kind of expected her to pour out her thoughts and angst into her diary. After all, that’s the point of having a diary. But what I did not expect is how strong her opinions about her own family and the other residents of the Secret Annex.
I was definitely surprised to read her thoughts about her own mother! I can’t believe she felt no remorse or guilt when she wrote down those hateful comments towards her mother. It’s no wonder Otto Frank decided to omit some passages from the first published version of Anne’s diary.
“I love them, but only because they’re Mother and Margot. I don’t give a darn about them as people. As far as I’m concerned, they can go jump in a lake.”
Personally, I can relate to Anne to some extent. When I was in my early teens, I also hated my own family because I felt like I was “misunderstood” or not taken seriously. I felt like I was also mature for my own age, but of course, when I grew up, I realized that I was actually immature back then. I realized I was such a pain in the ass for my parents and that I was ungrateful.
Unfortunately, that’s not something Anne will realize because her life was cut too short.
Another thing that I learned from reading The Diary of a Young Girl is that Anne is indeed mature for her age! I was surprised to read that she’s aware of her own sexuality at a young age. I was even more surprised when she shared an intimate account of her relationship with another girl.
Of course, that was your typical teenage behavior. After all, exploring one’s own body and sexuality happens during adolescence. But that’s usually not something you will write in a diary! I know because I also have a diary and I rarely talk about my sexual desires. It must’ve taken bravery and a lot of guts for Anne to wrote, without reserve, about those things! And for that, I really admire her.
Aside from her sexual maturity, I also realized that Anne is intelligent for her own age. She already knows what she wants—to become a writer. She is aware of the prejudice against women, she knows that something’s wrong with the unfair expectations towards women. And in her last entries, it is clear that Anne has grown so much! She even questions a lot of things about life!
“Why are millions spent on war each day, while not a penny available for medical science, artists, or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”
Last but not least, I realized how relatable the struggles of the residents of the Secret Annex. At first, I was actually laughing because of how absurd and “comical” they seem to act. In almost every entry, Anne shares a story of the Frank family fighting the Van Daan (Van Pels) family and Dussel (Pfeffer) or vice versa.
“Mr. and Mrs. Van D have had more raging battles. The reason is simple: they’re broke…You can’t imagine the screaming, shouting, stamping of feet and swearing that went on. It was terrifying.”
I was expecting the adults to act mature for their age, to set a good example for the three young individuals living in the Secret Annex. But like Anne pointed out, “the grown-ups are such idiots.”
At the end of the day, though, I get where they are coming from. All the residents have been stuck in the Secret Annex for years, and I think they have every right to feel and act crazy. Sometimes, cabin fever will just get you. In fact, I can’t help but compare it to what’s happening right now with the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are all forced to stay home in quarantine for just a few months, but we already long for a day to be free and back to normal. Just imagine what’s going on inside the minds of the residents of the Secret Annex. Just imagine how they’re feeling.
Right now, I can’t help but wonder how many people are forced into hiding during the war. How many stories have been left untold?
The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the books that made me realize how lucky I am to be born in an era of (arguably and relatively) peace. Once again, I am reminded to be grateful for what I have right now, to cherish my family, and that it’s okay to feel hopeless sometimes but never ever give up your ideals and dreams.
“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
Overall, The Diary of a Young Girl is a vivid account of life in hiding during World War II. But more than that, it is a fascinating account of a young teenager’s innermost thoughts and opinions. It is an eye-opening document of the human behavior.
Rating: 4 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those who are particularly interested in real-life stories and the human psyche!
Haha, sorry for that Taylor Swift lyric! It’s my favorite track off her newest album, folklore, and August has indeed passed by so quickly!
Unfortunately, this was not the best reading month for me.
Last month on my July reading wrap up, I mentioned that I’ll be reading historical fiction books in hopes of getting out of my comfort zone. Well, that didn’t go so well.
I suffered from a type of reading slump a.k.a. the reading burnout. I want to read more but I felt like it was a chore instead of an actual hobby. So, I decided to take things slow and step back from reading for a while.
This is the reason why I only read a total of 3 books for the month of August.
1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
I started the month strong and optimistic with Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. I heard so many things about this book and my expectations were high because it won a Pulitzer Prize. And I’m glad that this book didn’t disappoint me. In fact, it even re-ignited my passion for reading historical fiction novels!
The story follows a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.”
This book was such a heartfelt and poignant read! The characters touched my heart because of their bravery, loyalty, and innate kindness despite all the horrors of war around them. I can definitely see why the book won a Pulitzer! My only critique would be the story structure because it can be a struggle to finish this book. Otherwise, it’s a great story about hope and love.
2. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
After reading All the Light We Cannot See, I knew that I need something light and fluffy to read. That is why I picked up Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Betweenby Jennifer E. Smith.
It’s a Young Adult Contemporary Romance book about high school students Clare and Aidan who has to decide if they should stay together or break up before they leave for college.
“We keep thinking there are only these two choices: We either grow apart or grow together. But maybe we can just kind of each grow on our own, and see how it goes. And then later, if it’s right, we’ll come back to each other and start again.”
This was an average book. I find the drama between the characters and the reasons for the break up silly. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the two characters pining for each other. Give me all the petty angst!
The last book that I read for the month is Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. It’s a Young Adult Contemporary novel about shy and weird Eliza Mirk who is the anonymous creator of a popular webcomics. It’s been compared a lot to Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but to be honest, I haven’t read that one yet. So, I decided to read the “underrated” book first.
But I wasn’t really planning to read it in the first place. You see, before I picked this up, I was currently reading Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Unfortunately, that was when my reading slump or burnout came out of nowhere.
Long story short, I decided to read Eliza and Her Monsters to get out of the reading burnout.
“Broken people don’t hide from their monsters. Broken people let themselves be eaten.”
I really enjoyed reading this book! I absolutely adored everything about the webcomics and Wallace! I also appreciate how deep this book actually is. I love how the author accurately portrays Eliza’s social anxiety and Wallace’s PTSD. I love how Eliza and Wallace’s friendship progressed into a romantic relationship. I just love this book so much and I can’t wait to read more of the author’s written works!
And those are the three books that I have read in August!
It was a struggle to read this month, so I’m hoping next one will be an easy one.
I plan to continue reading The Diary of a Young Girl, now that my reading mood’s a little stable again. Then I’ll be diving into more historical works! Hopefully, this time around, I will know how to pace myself and take breaks in between.
Let’s Talk!
What books did you read in August? Did you have a favorite? What’s next on your TBR list? I’d like to know!
Date Published: May 30th 2017 by Greenwillow Books
Content Warning: Anxiety, Depression
Synopsis
(From Goodreads) Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.
But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.
Book Review
I’ve recently suffered from a reading slump (a.k.a. burnout) for the past two weeks. I tried to read mostly historical books for this month because I’m trying to read outside my comfort zone. Sadly, I got exhausted pretty fast and temporarily DNF’d my “current” read—Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.
Anyway, moral of the story: don’t try to read historical books in such a short time (especially if those books revolve around war) because you need to reflect and take in such heavy and serious subject matters.
So now, you might be thinking what’s this experience got to do with my book review today. Well, in order to “get out” of my reading burnout, I decided to pick up a book that I’ve been wanting to read for a while—Francesca Zappia’s Eliza and Her Monsters.
And I’m so glad that I did because damn, this book is AMAZING!
It follows the story of introverted and socially-awkward Eliza Mirk who anonymously created a popular fantasy webcomic called Monstrous Sea. When she meets a fan of her webcomic in real-life, she starts spending more time in the real world instead of the online one.
Eliza and Her Monsters probably has the most adorable tropes and plot devices ever!
Written correspondence? Check!
Internet culture and fandom appreciation? Check!
Geek male character who has a high school jock build? Check!
Friends to lovers? Check!
Beautiful artwork? Check!
But this book is so much more!
It might seem cute and feel-good, at first, but I was pleasantly surprised that Eliza and Her Monsters tackled mental health so accurately!
Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I absolutely adored Francesca Zappia’s writing style! It was so easy to read and there are no info dumps at all.
I love how she depicted Eliza Mirk’s struggles in daily life. I love how she showed me the subtle signs of Eliza’s mental health, instead of telling me. I feel like I’m breathing the same space and living in the same world as the main character. Heck, I feel like the webcomics and the forums really exist!
In addition, I’m stunned at how Zappia seamlessly incorporated the webcomics within Eliza’s character arc. I love how she shares a story of thewebcomics in every chapter that is relevant to what Eliza is feeling on that specific chapter.
When done well, stories within stories can definitely elevate the book! It just shows how talented and detail-oriented the author is.
But that’s not the best part yet!
I was surprised to learn that Eliza Mirk’s Monstrous Sea webcomic is inspired by Zappia’s actual Wattpad novel, The Children of Hypnos. And Zappia herself has plans to write and publish the Monstrous Sea webcomic.
I love to see layers of the story! I’ll definitely be checking out those two works by the author!
Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Like mentioned before, Eliza and Her Monsters is so much more than an adorable, feel-good book about the internet culture and fandom appreciation.
The blurb and the first chapter instantly gripped me. But the more that I read this book, the more that I love it because it gets so much better!
I didn’t have any complaints about the pacing (for the first time in a while!) and I really think that Zappia did a great job writing the twists and turns in Eliza’s life.
“She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.”
The first twist happened, of course, when Eliza meets the new kid at school, Wallace. They started to become close friends as they share mutual love for the webcomics.
I absolutely love reading how their friendship progressed to love for each other. I also enjoyed reading the conflicts that they had, how they reacted to it, and how it affected people around them.
The other twists were kind of predictable. There are also several convenient plot devices. However, those didn’t stop me from loving the character-driven plot!
There was one “reveal,” though, that I didn’t see coming and it just made my whole reading experience so delightful!
Characters
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Objectively, the characters in Eliza and Her Monsters are the best and most developed part of the book. They are all written well—complex yet one-sided at the same time—and depicted realistically. However, I can’t help but to nitpick some of the character’s behaviors.
Eliza Mirk seems like a typical walking cliché at first. You’re familiar with her as you’ve read her numerous times in countless books already: she’s the “weird” girl, awkward as hell but still manages to look somehow beautiful and charming. However, it’s revealed that Eliza is so much more complex than your ordinary weird girl.
“People are too much sometimes. Friends, acquaintances, enemies, strangers. It doesn’t matter; they all crowd.”
Yes, she is shy and introverted (basic recipe for “weird”). But she simply doesn’t like talking to people in real-life because she has social anxiety. She’d rather curl up in her bed and chat with her online friends than go out partying. She hates her family, and like most teenagers, she feels like no one understands her.
And that part irked me. I have a love-and-hate relationship with Eliza because as much as I appreciate how she is portrayed realistically, she also annoyed the hell out of me. It was such a struggle to read her inner monologue about how her parents don’t understand her, but at the same time, it was such a relatable read.
“I’m doing it again—I’m shutting everything out because I’m frustrated and tired and because the real world is difficult and I’d rather live in one of my own making.”
I used to be like Eliza in a way. I remember when I was in my younger teenage years, I loathed my family for stupid reasons. But at the end of the day, it’s all just angst, you know?
In Eliza’s case, it was a matter of both teenage angst and misunderstanding/miscommunication. Sure, her parents are indeed horrible for forcing her to do things she doesn’t like and berating her for spending too much online. But I feel like this unnecessary tension in their family can be simply solved by communication. Eliza should let her parents in. She should let her parents get to know her and she has to, at least, make an effort for them to understand her.
Wallace Warland, on the other hand, was more likeable than Eliza. He is a ray of sunshine. He is like a huge dog that can easily dwarf you, but he is just a total softie deep down.
I enjoyed reading about his passion for both writing and sports! I also liked learning about his backstory and how it affected his everyday life. Lastly, I appreciate how realistic his reaction when Eliza’s secret was finally revealed. Again, there’s some part of me that thinks that he became selfish and annoying at some point but that’s so in-character of him!
The supporting characters are just as great as the main ones. I enjoyed reading the relationship dynamics of the Mirk family. I also can’t help but to smile when reading the friendships in this book. To summarize, I appreciated their role/part in supporting the main characters’ growth throughout the story.
Overall Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Honestly speaking, I think Eliza and Her Monsters might be one of the best contemporary novels that I’ve read in a long time!
Again, I would like to praise Francesca Zappia’s writing style and her accurate portrayal of teenage characters.
I really appreciate how this book tackled so many different things at once—mental health, fandom and internet appreciation, friendships (whether online or in real-life), relationship between an artist and her art—and managed to incorporate each and every one into this magnificent story.
I look forward to reading more of the author’s books!
Book Rating (Summary)
Writing Style: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
You can also check my initial thoughts about this book on Goodreads!
Let’s Talk!
Do you like reading books with mental health representation? If so, what is your favorite book that deals with such serious subject matter?
Ended Up Reading 