Why I (Almost) Never Read Adult Fiction

If you've been paying attention for the last, oh, almost two years or so, you'll probably notice that most of the books I read are YA. I can count on one hand the number of times I've read books that classify as adult fiction (not including classics, or books read for no other reason than a school curriculum) on one hand. In fact, I'll list them for you right now:

1. Pinch Me

2. How to Fall in Love

3. Attachments

4. Landline

5. On the Other Side 

6. Maybe Someday

7. November 9 

8. The Help

9. Heat Wave

...Okay, so maybe I require slightly more than one hand. But still, compare these 9 books to the other 192 on my Goodreads read list. Statistically, I tend to lean towards the YA spectrum. There is a reason for this: 99% of every adult fiction book I've pulled off the shelf has been about a character who is 30-ish years old, facing Real Adult Problems surrounding marriage, kids, careers, etc--things that I can't really relate to, because I'm a forever single 22-year-old who can't even be trusted to make a proper dinner once a week (let alone every day).

Now, I don't want to say that I'm "growing out of" YA. That statement implies that, as a Certified Grown-Up™, my interests and I are somehow above the level of YA fiction. I don't believe that this is possible. I remain firmly behind the stance that anyone can enjoy YA fiction, or middle grade fiction, or children's picture books, and I also firmly believe that anyone who thinks otherwise is a condescending a-hole who can put their equally condescending opinions in a certain place where the sun don't shine.

But I digress.

I may not be growing out of YA, but lately I've been struggling to find books that follow characters closer to my age range. I've been sticking to the older end of the YA protagonist spectrum, but the oldest character you're likely to find headlining a YA novel is 18--19 tops, if you're lucky. But I stick around, because that's still closer than the 30-and-up protagonists that plague every other corner in the bookstore.

It is, of course, entirely possible to enjoy a book, regardless of the protagonist's age. Most of the time, it doesn't really matter--all I care about is that the tone of the book fits in with the mood I'm in. And I'm not less likely to enjoy adult fiction. Look at Rainbow Rowell--she wrote both Fangirl, a YA novel, and Attachments, categorized in adult fiction. I read both, and enjoyed both equally.

But I'll be damned, I want more books about 22-year-olds! I want more books following university and college students! I want books about people in their fourth year realizing they've hated their major this whole time. I want books about people who go on gap years, who go on vacation and just never come back, because who really needs responsibilities, anyway? I want books about people who genuinely have no career plans, and people who are just flying by the seat of their pants, because sometimes that's an okay thing to do. I want more books about people my age.

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

"I've never been able to figure it out, but your mother had a word for it.""And what was that?""Magic."- Carrie Hope Fletcher, On the Other Side

Evie Snow is 82 when she passes away peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her family and loved ones. When she wakes up, she's 27 again, and the door to her apartment--her own personal heaven--is locked. To open it, she has to lighten her soul of the burden of a lifetime's worth of secrets she's kept hidden from her children over the years. Revealing these secrets from the Great Beyond, though, means revisiting one magical year where everything was perfect--and the man that she was never meant to be with.

I reviewed Carrie's first book, All I Know Now, shortly after its release last year. Since that one was nonfiction, I had no idea what reading this book--her first work of fiction--would work out. It sounded intriguing, and I was very, very excited to read through it!

If there was ever a book that best encompassed the concept of magical realism, it's this one. The supernatural elements of this book are sudden and spaced out in such a way that it never fails to catch you off guard, even as you reach the finale. The sentences that start out as metaphors end up being literal, which make for a very quirky fantasy. There often seems to be no rhyme, reason, or rules to how this magic works--like Carrie summoned her imagination and let it take the reins whenever it had the urge. It's not a method I would recommend, necessarily--but I didn't dislike it. It gave the story a certain unique charm that I don't normally see in the books I pick up.

Carrie has stated herself that she made an effort to create a timeless setting. She avoided mention of any technology beyond the realm of cars and animated movies. I can see the longterm benefit of this decision, but I honestly feel like she could've benefitted more from picking a timeline and identifying it from the beginning. It would've given the setting a lot more character--because as it stands, the setting is just a dull backdrop behind extraordinary characters.

Speaking of--Carrie is very good at portraying her characters fully in fewer words. She did a lot of backstory, though, which wasn't always needed, and was written in a way that sometimes just dragged the story on longer than necessary.

Overall, the story was imaginative, quirky, and full of wonder--much like Carrie herself. It's not necessarily a story that I would read again, but her voice and style are solid in her first novel.

Final rating: 3 stars.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

"Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else." - Kathryn Stockett, The Help

Set in Mississippi in the 1960's, The Help follows three women--Skeeter, a recent college grad; Aibileen, a coloured maid specializing in raising white children; and Minny, Aibileen's best friend, who is as great at cooking as she is bad at keeping her sassy mouth shut. Inspired by advice from a New York publishing house, Skeeter approaches the two maids with a project--a book written from the perspective of black women working for white families. The idea is to portray the good, the bad, and everything in between in as honest a fashion as possible.

I normally try to avoid stories with more than two narrators. I've found that any more than two can cause confusion if not done properly, but Stockett does an excellent, excellent job of setting each character apart from the other, and switching between the three in a smooth, unjarring way. Their voices were very distinct, and each character brought a unique perspective to the story that made it as great as it was.

One of the few complaints I have about this book is that I found that it dragged on a bit at times. It took a solid hundred pages before the idea of the book was even brought up, and more still before anyone even agreed to working on it. The book is a whopping 522 pages--it's a beast. I enjoyed it, but I definitely think it could have shortened down by a bit.

That being said, in comparison to the movie (which I watched once a couple years ago, and again after reading the book), I did enjoy the extra details that the book gave to the characters involved. It showed alternative sides that the movie never got to explore, gave more mystery to characters like Celia Foote before giving away all their secrets. Sometimes, though, there was almost too much mystery, and the story dragged because of it. 

Overall, the characters are phenomenal, but it definitely could have been taken down a hundred pages or so. I can understand a lot of the things the movie cut back on to save run time. The movie didn't suffer from what it ommitted, and I'm sure the book wouldn't have, either, if it received the same alterations.

Final rating: 4 stars.

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

"Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective." -- Colleen Hoover, Maybe Someday

Do y'all remember when I did a review on November 9? Do you remember how much I loved it?

WELL BUCKLE UP CUZ WE'RE ABOUT TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD AGAIN.

It is becoming quickly evident to me that I am absolute Romance Novel Trash, which I feel like I've always known but never wanted to admit. (I haven't started buying books with half naked guys on the cover yet, though, so progress??) Anyway, this book follows Sydney, a 22-year-old college student who comes home from work on her birthday to discover that her best friend / roommate has been cheating on her with her boyfriend for lord-knows-how long. She throws a punch, grabs her stuff, and moves out...only to quickly find herself homeless in the rain, because she actually doesn't really have anywhere else to go.

Enter Ridge, her neighbour from across the apartment courtyard. He offers to let her live in their apartment, rent-free, if she agrees to work with him writing songs for his band. She agrees, and the two quickly form an attraction--which is a problem, because he has a girlfriend, and Sydney absolutely refuses to let what happened to her happen to another girl.

My favourite thing about this book is the absolutely refreshing honesty that was present throughout their relationship. It often feels like the conflict in just about any romantic comedy / drama / subplot in an action movie derives from an utter lack of communication between partners. Sometimes it's warranted, sometimes it's not, but either way it is utterly overdone and frustrating every time it arises.

Good 'ol Sydney and Ridge, though, are completely upfront and honest about their feelings for each other. They know that they are mutually attracted to each other, and instead of trying to ignore it or deny it, they put all of their feelings on the table and c o m m u n i c a t e. They express themselves, they explain and understand why they can't pursue these attractions, and it feels SO GOD DAMN REFRESHING. All of their conflicts arise from outside sources, not from screts between them. This only strengthens their relationship, too, because they learn to rely and trust one another in ways that a lot of fictional couples don't in romantic plots. WRITERS EVERYWHERE, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TAKE NOTES.

That being said, though, I got a little frustrated with their actions throughout the story. Like yeah, being honest is good, and it definitely helped avoid a lot of would-be issues, but...come on. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, GUYS, REALLY.

I was also a little let down by the bonus playlist. Basically, the book contains a QR code that leads you to a free online playlist of the songs that Ridge and Sydney wrote in the book. It was an excellent concept, to give the reader an actual song to listen to along with the lyrics instead of creating some bad makeshift version in their mind, but I feel like it could've been done a little better? For example, I found myself wanting to listen to the songs as they were sung in the book, right? But I was a little disappointed to find that all the songs were sung by the same guy--even the ones that Sydney was singing in the book. I just think it would've been cool to get another, female artist to step in and sing the songs that Sydney was singing in the story. Granted, I wasn't a huge fan of the songs in general, so that didn't help, either.

Anyway. That aside, Hoover's writing was super vivid and well done, her characters well developed, and the plot caught me off guard a number of times--which, I think I've mentioned before, is really hard to do. And the concert scene at the end? A. DOR. A. BLE. I almost died.

All in all, I give it a solid five stars. (Or at least like 4.8)

Until later,

- Justyne

How do book ratings even work?

I've been doing (almost) weekly reviews on this blog for around a year now, and I've come to the realization that my rating system is extremely inefficient. Basically, I rate a book on a scale of 1-5 stars, in two different ways. Either:

1) Based off of how strong my emotions are reacting to the story,

OR

2) How well written it is IN SPITE OF how strong my emotions are reacting to the story.

Let me explain. We're going to compare three different examples: November 9 by Colleen Hoover (which I reviewed on Wednesday), Pinch Me by Adena Halpern, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Let's start with the most recent.

I just read November 9. At the time of writing this, I just finished it last night (instead of doing homework lol whoops). If you haven't read my review, I'll summarize it for you: I LOVED IT A CRAPTON. It started out fluffy and cutesy and turned into a soap opera halfway through and I ain't even mad because I loved every second of it! So, obviously, I immediately went on to Goodreads and rated it five stars, because I was on an emotional high that I never wanted to come down from.

Now, despite how much I loved this book, I recognize that it's not perfect. It's got some issues. (And I identify those issues in my review, if you wanted to know what they are.) But I made the conscious decision to forego all that in favour of a five star rating, because that's what I do when I adore a book--I give it an immediate five star rating.

Now, I'm going to hit you with an extremely unpopular opinion that's going to get me kicked off the internet--I don't like Harry Potter. I'm sorry! I tried! I forced myself to read the first book a couple years ago, and I had little to no emotional attachment and/or reaction to the story. Even watching the movies, I'm indifferent. I just don't give a crap about wizards, I guess.

Anyway, my initial reaction (or lack thereof) made me want to give the book a pretty low rating. Like, a two. Or maybe even a one. (Which is unheard of--a one-star book is one that I don't finish, which means that I don't rate it because I feel bad reviewing an unfinished book.) But still, on Goodreads, I gave it a solid three. I question this, given my passionate indifference to it.

But here's the thing--it's actually really well written.

Even though I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters, even if I felt that the plot advanced too slowly in parts and I have 0 intention of ever picking up the second book, I can still acknowledge the fact that it has some great bits. The description is really well written, and the world is one full of imagination and wonder. Even though I, personally, dislike the book, I can see how so many people fall in love with it.

And then there's Pinch Me, an adult fiction book that I read shortly after Harry Potter, and gave it the same rating. HOWEVER. I enjoyed this book a hell of a lot more. I liked the premise better, I liked the writing style better, I liked the characters better. I rated it lower on my scale due to smaller things, like absurdity of some of the plot points, or the overall goofiness of it that just can't be taken too seriously.

Still, though, the more I think about it, the more I'd like to bump it up to four stars.

Actually, I think I'll do that now.

That basically proves my point right there: I have no consistency. Zero! I make it up as I go! I have no system, no protocol to figuring out what I should rate a book. It's just "Eh...sure, we'll go with this." I almost feel like five stars isn't enough--because how can I rate two books that I enjoyed differently the same number of stars? More importantly--do my ratings really mean anything if I just go back and change them later? (Which I do. A lot.)

(If you'd like further discussion on rating books, I recommend this video by Ariel Bissett on YouTube.)

How do you normally go about rating books? Or do you just simplify your life and not even bother?

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: November 9

"I think I've been overlooking the best part of romance novels. Maybe the grand gestures don't matter nearly as much as all the inconsequential things between the two main characters." - Colleen Hoover, November 9

BEHOLD: THE FIRST NEW READ OF THE YEAR THAT I ADORED BEYOND COMPARE!

(On a side note: we're starting in on March and this is only the fourth book I've read?? Shameful.)

Hello, friends! Today we're going to be looking at November 9 by Colleen Hoover, and I'm just gonna dive right into it by saying I loved this book so much.

This wonderful book starts off with Fallon, an 18-year-old actress preparing for her cross-country move from LA to New York. On the day of said move, while in a fight with her dillhole father, she meets Ben--an aspiring novelist, who slides into their restaurant booth and instantly becomes her fake boyfriend, with the sole purpose of defending her against her asshole dad. They spend the rest of the day together, drawn together by this new connection, and all-too aware of the move that's about to tear them apart.

So what do they do? They decide to meet up on the same day every year, with no contact information to satisfy them the other 364. The story follows them over the course of five years, as Fallon follows her ambitions in NYC and Ben writes about their unique relationship, creating the grandest of all romance novels.

Until, you know, everything goes to shit. BECAUSE NOTHING GOOD CAN EVER LAST, APPARENTLY.

This book started out all fluffy, cutesy, and happy, and then about halfway through turned into a major soap opera. But y'know what? I ain't even mad. I soaked it all up. And it's weird, because I'm pretty sure that if someone had explained the plot to me before hand--like, summarized the entire book, the same way I summarized it to my best friend after the fact--I wouldn't have wanted to read it. Not because I don't like being spoiled (because to be honest I spoil 95% of the content I consume, anyway), but because it sounds so ridiculous when told out of context. 

Some people may have problems with the plot in that way, which I totally get, but I loved it. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

This was my first Colleen Hoover book, but damn girl, I am tempted to run out and buy all your other stuff right now. I actually already own one of her other books, Slammed, but I avoided picking it up next because I'm scared that I started with the best of the lot, and everything else is going to pale in comparison. 

Because this girl? She can write. Her sentences are smooth and flawless and my eyes practically FLY across those pages, which is the best and worst thing that any writer could ever do for me, because it makes it both easy to read and impossible to put down. (I had an essay due today, and I spent four damn hours reading this on Monday. It was stressful. I loved it.)

Her humour is great, too. I loved all of references she made to romance books, through insta-love and cheesy romance scenes and the discussion of making a kiss "book-worthy". (I just love reading books that talk about other books, okay?)

And can we just talk about Ben for a second? Because he is both smooth and dorky at the same time, which are two traits that I never thought could coexist simultaneously in one human being. And yet, here we are. The fact that he gave me not one, but TWO incredibly cute airport departure scenes means that I am forever in his debt.

I'm always warry about multiple POVs, but Hoover pulls it off very well. The only complaint I have is that, when telling it from Ben's perspective, she didn't do much alluding to the final twist at the end. (Which you don't want to give away, of course...but some hints would have been nice.) It was just a very personal twist at the end, and there were plenty of opportunities (aside from the punch Kyle gave him) were some hints could have easily been dropped. Just to make it a little less, y'know, out of the blue.

While we're on the topic of complaints, I did find the plot a LITTLE predictable. But not really in an, "omg-I-know-exactly-what's-going-to-happen" way, but more in an "lol-what-if-this-happens-oh-wait-it-just-did-way". Y'know? Like, this was stuff I all thought might happen, but I didn't actually think it would...until it did. So on that front, there were no real shocking twists for me. (But there rarely are, and I don't mind!)

ANYWAY. This book gets five stars. Easy. I loved this book so much and y'all need to go out and read it RIGHT NOW.

What were your thoughts? Let me know!

Until later,

- Justyne

Review: How to Fall in Love

So, I'm gonna be upfront with you right now: I very very very very very very very rarely read adult fiction. Meaning, I can count the number of adult books I've read on one hand. (Three. If you were wondering.) I mostly stick to my little YA bubble, as you can probably tell, which I think can be narrowed down to one of three reasons:

1. YA books seem to be, in general, cheaper than books found in the general fiction section. (Justyne's Wallet: 1. Bookstore: 0.)

2. I seem to have trouble finding an intriguing plot synopsis for adult fiction because every one I read just seems to have very Grown Up Characters with Grown Up Problems, and the whole thing is very Grown Up, which is something that I most definitely am not. Besides, who doesn't love Teen Drama? (YA: 10. Adult Fiction: -1.)

3. I lived a spectacularly boring and uneventful adolescence, and therefore must relive it precariously through the eyes of fictional characters who are much more rebellious than I ever dared to be. (YA: ∞. Justyne: ?)

Luckily, the last few times I have made the daring jump into Grown Up Literature, I haven't been disappointed. So I present to you: How to Fall in Love, by Cecelia Ahern.

Our main girl here is Christine, a 30-something Irish woman who spends her days finding jobs for people and her nights avoiding her douchey ex-husband, who is literally probably the Worst Person Ever. One night, she's strolling along, minding her business, when she stumbles upon Adam. Adam is a soon-to-be-35-year-old Irish man who almost jumps off a bridge. Almost--Christine manages to pull his ass off the railing, with the promise that she can convince him to love life again. Except now Adam expects her to, y'know, keep that promise, and Christine is starting to freak out because she's not even sure if she loves life right now, let alone if she's capable of showing it to somebody else.

Thing is, though, she doesn't really have a choice, because his birthday is in two weeks and if she doesn't convince him that life can still be happiness and rainbows and unicorns, he's gonna try and kill himself again, and probably succeed, unless Christine just happens to be walking by again. (Which at this point really isn't all that unlikely.) So the stakes are pretty high.

But first, let's go back to her ex-husband: WHAT A BUTT. All he did throughout the entire length of the book was tick me off, and yeah, okay, that was probably the point. But I feel ripped off in the sense that I was DESPERATELY HOPING that someone would clock him. The Adam, the detective, Chrstine...hell, throw Mr. Basil in there. Literally. Anyone. He deserved a punch in the throat, and I just about screamed when Christine urged the detective to not press charges. (Chrstine, you're great, but come on.)

I also find his utter lack of passion hard to believe, considering how much effort he was putting into hating her and making her life miserable. I don't know, but that kinda sounds like passion to me.

One thing I was super confused about was Adam's feelings towards the family business--I mean, I suppose it was sorta-kinda-almost hinted at, before he actually made the decision to take on the company, but only very briefly and very vaguely. (Unless I missed something, a big something, which is entirely likely because I'm oblivious about a lot of stuff.) I was just bothered by how sudden he changed his mind once his sister showed up. Had the hints been more prominent, his sister's arrival would have been the perfect final motivator for him to get his shit together and tackle the position head-on--as is, though, it was too sudden and out of the blue.

Christine's character, though--God, I love her. She's a meddler, intent on fixing everything (whether or not it's her actual job). Even though her actions are not always the most thought out plans, they are well intended, and she genuinely wants to help people, bless her heart. And her obsession with how-to books is probably one of my favourite quirks of any character, like, ever.

Overall, though, this book was rather well written. It was more a story about love and finding the life you think is worth living, rather than a story about outright depression, but enjoyable nontheless.

I'd give it a solid 3.9 stars.

Until later,

- Justyne