Art is a lie that makes us realize truth. —Pablo Picasso
sweetbitter x saltburn (minus the murder and grave humping lol)
this was an intriguing read. wArt is a lie that makes us realize truth. —Pablo Picasso
sweetbitter x saltburn (minus the murder and grave humping lol)
this was an intriguing read. while the plot follows a secret budding romance between the protagonist ren and her best friend's older brother, archer, the themes are very much centered on wealth, power, class, and the effects of all of the above on intrapersonal relationships.
Etta was my best friend, but in getting involved with her brother, I would be too close to her equal. She wouldn’t like that.
ren is quiet, timid, and self-depracating; she follows her best friend etta, admiring her boldness but knows she doesn't fit into etta's upper society world. while etta is away, she flounders on where they stand as friends; ren feels guilty for the secret tryst that develops between her and archer, but at the same time recognizes the power trips and callousness etta holds over her, comparing it to the dealings with her boss natalie.
I felt very alone, very ordinary, and like I might never amount to anything. Did all people feel this way? Like you might never be enough?
reading this reminded me so much of the instability and insecurity of being in your 20s, especially in a big city; the constant feelings of identity crisis coupled with the panic of what am i doing with my life / will i ever be able to do what i truly want to do? there's a sympathy i can extend to ren, etta, and archer in regards to that tumultuousness.
“But art is a risk. And risk is inherent to anything you truly care about.”
i enjoyed the writing itself as well. while there is some fun designer or luxury namedropping and descriptions to indulge in, kuhl focuses more on the subtle microtells between characters and complex dynamics. these characters felt very real to me. i think of the scene when ren's mother plum approaches ren to investigate the celine sunglasses. it's one of kuhl's many examples of the unspoken rules of behavior in upper class society; subtle confrontation, quiet luxury but extreme possessiveness over their belongings, the quiet smirks of response to faux pas while offering a patronizing grace. reminders that while you might be hanging around, you'll never belong.
Etta was being thoughtful, but her actions felt rooted in something else. Something like control.
How money was power, and power was the only currency that would ever really matter.
toxic relationships are certainly centered: ren's parental relationships, her examination of etta and archer's relationships to their aloof parents, ren's respective dynamic to etta and archer each contrasted to her work husband jeff. but there is also some reflection on the struggles as an artist; how to balance art and actually making a living, how capitalizing on art affects the process and satisfaction, the legitimacy of the identity of an artist. this is of course compounded by things like money, nepotism, and imposter syndrome.
if you prefer your reads focused on imperfect dynamics with plenty of reflection juxtaposed to a backdrop of the glamor of the new york city elite, you'll enjoy this.
After all, pretending is an art and all art comes at a price. ______________________
arc read
sounds dark academia-adjacent and intriguing!...more
"We’re going to have our happy ending. It just may take us a while to get there.”
rating: 3.75
i loveeeee lilo! this wasn't the most driving of their bo"We’re going to have our happy ending. It just may take us a while to get there.”
rating: 3.75
i loveeeee lilo! this wasn't the most driving of their books so far since it covers the timeline of calloway sisters books 1&2, but it was interesting to get their perspectives and see what was happening with them during then (namely both of their relapses). i feel so much for both of them dealing w the contradictory repercussions of rose & conor's tapes and the tabloid rumors about lo's dad.
only thing i hate is i just can't read about ryke and pre-18 daisy anymore, pls ...more
People hope to touch the sky. I dream of kissing it.
rating: 3.75
connor & rose are absolutely perfect together <3
i loved getting to see the core 6 morePeople hope to touch the sky. I dream of kissing it.
rating: 3.75
connor & rose are absolutely perfect together <3
i loved getting to see the core 6 more and expanding on connor & rose's relationship, they've been so much fun. while i'm overall happy and i love their relationship, there are admittedly a few things that i didn't love about the book. however, the pros outweighed the cons for me. i love their relationship and mutual respect, esp connor loving rose's tenacity and independence. i thought it was adorable how they speak french (though not the most accurate lol). getting to see the whole gang together is a good time, they all have excellent banter. the reality show was a fun spin. the smut... *chef's kiss*. connor takes the LEAD.
what i didn't like (spoilers for this section): (view spoiler)[i would've liked to see his relationship w his mother expanded on, esp bc of the reveal at the end. i was disappointed they weren't able to stop the sex tapes being distributed. (hide spoiler)]
i'm really excited to keep continuing this series, first w ryke and daisy, these two again, and of course the OGs, lilo.
“Kiss the sky with me,” Connor whispers, a beautiful smile pulling his lips, “and don’t ever come down.”...more
He is as much a part of me as the sun is a part of the sky, as the Earth is to the universe.
when i saw that this book was almost twice as long as
He is as much a part of me as the sun is a part of the sky, as the Earth is to the universe.
when i saw that this book was almost twice as long as the previous two, i got nervous bc sometimes authors ruin their own books with too much ambition and filler. however, this one did not disappoint.
lily and lo reunite after his stint in rehab, but can she handle her greatest temptation?
i loved watching them overcoming obstacles together, and i think the ritchie sisters handled writing addiction and the therapy around it with tact and sensitivity. i'm rooting for these two so hard and even with their challenges this book, i'm seeing them hit couple goals status and i love it ...more
I want to love Lo without people telling me that our love is too much.
i am just breezing through this series, i'm obsessedddd.
normally, i rating: 4.5
I want to love Lo without people telling me that our love is too much.
i am just breezing through this series, i'm obsessedddd.
normally, i get annoyed when mc's are split up and there's a lot of flashback scenes, but i think in the context of the story it really worked to help build the background to their relationship and made sense for what's happening. first book focused on the oblivious pining, this book hones in on their friendship over the years, which i feel like is only further cementing me rooting for them. and the present-time scenes w lo's dirty talk ...more
this one was harder for me to get into, which is a shame because i actually loved book 2. i think because we barely got into the crime much in that onthis one was harder for me to get into, which is a shame because i actually loved book 2. i think because we barely got into the crime much in that one, minus a kind of fun art heist scene.
i have fun watching them, but this book in particular really departed from all the elements i love reading about rich, spoiled people having messy lives - the vacations, the clothes, the parties. all of that is glossed over in this because we're reiterating events we've already seen in the previous book, just adding more monologuing from daisy/julian/christian.
My unique feature is that I lose everyone, and everyone loses me....more
She and I, we’re forever waiting for green. It’s always the red man.
i couldn't stand them in the first book. i much preferred daisy & christian in bookShe and I, we’re forever waiting for green. It’s always the red man.
i couldn't stand them in the first book. i much preferred daisy & christian in book 2.
to be fair, i always enjoyed jessa hasting's writing. i was just incredibly frustrated with their back and forth - not that that doesn't change in this book (in fact, it only increases in occurrence and severity), but this time the curtains are pulled back on the masterpiece that is bj and magnolia, and we learn more and more of their shared history, fully seeing just how intertwined the two are, heart and soul.
“Do you think I’m crazy?” she asked, quietly. “No.” I shook my head. “I think you’re the best.” “Even though you know the worst parts of me?” “I don’t know the worst parts of you.” I ran my thumb over her scar. “I just know you, Parks.”
There’s a hole in the bottom of the cup where I broke her and all the ways I want her fall through it.
this time around, i learned to just enjoy the ride. these two make chuck and blaire feel like a chill carousel compared to their emotional rollercoaster. buckle up and have fun. you're never sure if anyone else they pull into their tangled web is just collateral damage or a real threat to their happy ending.
“In another life I reckon I could have loved you.” I tilt my head, looking up at him. “In another life I would have let you."
“That’s Julian Haites. I couldn’t break his heart if I hit it with a sledgehammer.” “Baby girl—” Gus gives me a look. “You are the sledgehammer.”
“You love him. I love no one. Yeah?” I shrug, a bit confused. “Okay?” “Okay.” He nods and drops his weight on me.
And the thought rattles through my mind only for a second, but I wonder whether perhaps I’ve had more loves than I knew of in this lifetime.
i do love magnolia's (and, i'm assuming, hastings's) fashion obsession (i have 129 highlights of clothing descriptions alone), and i really appreciate the dry humor that manages to sneak in some comedic relief to this modern-day, upper echelon-centered soap opera.
“About as subtle as a brick in the face, you are.”
“You know,” I hear Bridget say as I leave the room, “she can’t spell ‘parallel’ either.”
“I’ll have you know that I am a breeze to live with.” “She told me you put all her vegetables she just bought into the dishwasher.” “I was trying to clean them!”
“What the fuck happens to you and I in the next fifteen years that we devolve so heavily that we’re forced to buy our own milk?”
frankly, i was more emotionally devastated by the first ~30% or so than the ending. i don't know how to feel about it... i feel like i've had the rug ripped out from under me. i don't like the decision personally, though i can see why hastings made it storytelling-wise.
i guess i have to see in the next book what comes of it......more
Sitting next to him saying nothing feels like taking off a corset. A great undoing, if you will, and he will. In every way.
i think i can chalk up likiSitting next to him saying nothing feels like taking off a corset. A great undoing, if you will, and he will. In every way.
i think i can chalk up liking daisy haites MPU2 more than its former counterpart for a few reasons.
one, we watch the culmination of daisy and christian's relationship from fairly early-on. with magnolia and bj, it's very much second chance, which is not a trope i enjoy much to begin with. we're also thrown right into the angst with them, without seeing what exactly we're supposed to be rooting for, why we would want them together, or really believe them to actually be the loves of each others' lives. with daisy and christian, we get to experience the highs in real time and not just in brief references of memory.
“He has a lot of ‘just friends’,” I say out loud accidentally. BJ follows my gaze. “Yeah, he does.” He gives me a look. “But you’re not one of them.”
secondly, daisy was much more relatable to me. magnolia is an archetype i don't care for. they both rely a lot on validation from men, but magnolia has this added quality of overachieving perfectionism and, while mostly well-meaning, ultimately self-serving, put-on miss sunshine personality that i don't care for. i didn't like magnolia in her own book from her own perspective, and that was only compounded by seeing her through daisy's and christian's eyes.
And actually, the more I think about it, the more I think about Magnolia these days—and in a lot of ways, I actually think about her a lot less—I think that maybe she’s just trash.
(omg drag her Christian lmfaoooo)
daisy did have a bit of that girl-everyone-loves syndrome with a dash of not like other girls, but ultimately i connected w her more personally. she's sassy, determined, and tough as nails. she can be a petty queen, especially when it comes to magnolia, but it only made me love her more.
I think I understand for a fleeting moment why everything that’s bad and painful and sad is worth it if you love someone, because I’ll remember how he’s looking at me now forever.
overall, i was immediately more invested in this story, esp having been teased at it in book 1. there was a bit of an area where it started to slow and lag for me about 50 - 65% through, but it starts to pick up again. i really liked the choice of having julian's POV. i don't think i've read a romance with one of the romantic lead's siblings POV and i think it helped color the story. a lot of people love julian, i can't say i care for him bc i don't care for the contemporary crime trope and i didn't like what he did near the end, but i don't hate him.
with this book, i lost myself in their story and really got to appreciate jessa hasting's writing. i do love her attention to wardrobe detail especially, and i for one thought daisy's footnotes were really fun.
i'm not loving the idea that i will have to revisit magnolia and bj before i get more daisy & christian, but i've heard some things that have intrigued me about book 3, so i'll dive in soon.
“There is a fatal flaw to your normal plan, you know,” he tells me. I turn to face him, lift my brows but make sure he doesn’t let me go. “And what’s that?” He locks the door behind me. “You have that face and that brain and you’ll never be normal—” Shakes his head. “Couldn’t be if you tried.”...more
...he’s the kind of guy who wants to slay all those monsters for me. Too bad he can’t get to the ones in my head. Even if he tries.
rating: 3.5 ok o
...he’s the kind of guy who wants to slay all those monsters for me. Too bad he can’t get to the ones in my head. Even if he tries.
rating: 3.5 ok off the bat, i will just say i am still not a fan of the age gap we worked with. i think i wouldn't care if ryke hadn't really thought much of daisy before. like give me a "oh shit one day she grew up and i just realized she's a woman but i can't reckon with it" trope. that being said, i chose to roll with it for the story's sake.
this was good ptsd rep and i think a lot of what daisy goes through is what a lot of young celebs or people close to celebrity have to suffer as a sort of collateral damage to fame. i do love how much ryke is there for her and cares for her, he really does do a lot for the people he loves.
“But if I crash,” she says, slinging her leg over the seat. “I’d rather crash with you.”
the moment where daisy is thinking about how mad she is that lily is a famous sex addict and how much it has affected her life and how much it's hurt her... it just felt like one of the most real moments in daisy's head where she had some real AGENCY where she wasn't a victim and wasn't just pretending to be daredevil penny lane. it was raw and imperfect and human and i felt like it was a place she could work from to stand on her own two feet finally.
i think i would have really loved this had daisy been aged up to 21/22 instead of just turned 18, but beyond that i wouldn't change anything else. something i'd like to see in daisy and ryke's next book is maybe her finding what her real passion is.
She’s the sun. I’m the dark. If she’s gone, I can kiss that fucking light away. Without her, I know I’ll never see it again.
i've never hated a FMC and MMC more. i finished this book purely out of spite.
Magnolia Parks can't let go of her shitty childhood best friend to loveri've never hated a FMC and MMC more. i finished this book purely out of spite.
Magnolia Parks can't let go of her shitty childhood best friend to lover who stupidly cheated on her and now fucks every girl he can get his hands on (but constantly tells her she's the one fucking their relationship up ???).
i felt sympathetic in the beginning. i've been there, i think most people experience that young but toxic love that takes a bit too long to shake themselves free from. however... after the 15th time of her thinking "i should give BJ a chance", finding him mid-coitus with another girl, then running away upset only to fall back into their usual weird codependent pattern with ZERO groveling from him to warrant its allowance ..... i got real exhausted of her dumbassery. i stg i almost threw my phone at the wall at one point. eventually i just laughed. i can enjoy angsty, toxic romances but it felt like the same routine over and over again.
then there's the three other guys who are ~ in love ~ with Magnolia, mostly felt like a way to create drama. Tom was great for a bit but then he was sort of just... there to be her support, and then fizzled out. you deserve better Tom.
i enjoy Hasting's writing style, i don't think it's bad- but storywise, i just have never been so frustrated to the point of anger by two MCs. am i supposed to root for them? like them? i guess i can chalk it up to a blaire x chuck -esque romance inspiration, but even chuck wasn't this awful. or maybe he was and i'm just older and wiser now. but at least we loved blaire, i can't say i have any of the same affection for Magnolia.
i saw the reveal coming, was pretty disappointed in the characters. but also (view spoiler)[Magnolia barely spent any time w this girl, i could barely consider her a "best friend". (hide spoiler)]
more ranting about the end: (view spoiler)[ so we get the full details of him cheating on her w her best friend, he enjoyed it, didn't think about magnolia once. what am i supposed to make of that? how is there another book focused on them, why would i ever want them back together after that, let alone all the other shit that happens throughout this book? (hide spoiler)]
i will say though, this book really gave crazy rich asians a run for its money when it came to designer name-dropping. there has to be a pinterest board out there somewhere with all the outfits. it's curious Magnolia works as an editor of the leisure section of a magazine rather than literally anything directly fashion-related, even a style influencer or creative director of a brand.
i could potentially skip to book 3 just to see how stupid these two are at trying to get back together YET AGAIN, but i think i need to put a couple dozen other reads in between them for my own sanity.
TLDR: don't expect fluffy new adult contemp, this is purely angst and toxicity. if you're into that, enjoy!...more
Neither of us is willing to give up what we love for each other. Not yet. And I’m not sure what it’s going to take to let go of our addictions.
y'all..Neither of us is willing to give up what we love for each other. Not yet. And I’m not sure what it’s going to take to let go of our addictions.
y'all... i ate this UP. i picked it up to "give it a go" and read it in one sitting.
my jaw DROPPED in chapter 1 when he kissed her and then asked her if she blew some guy, i knew i was SOLD on this.
this relationship is giving me exactly the angst i need - first with the OBVIOUS pining and cluelessness to each others' feelings because the love between them is so real and tangible, but also bc their addictions and self-destructive tendencies are so strong. the side characters are so loveable as well - connor and rose. connor is my fav, he's a real one. i could predict some of the things coming (ryke) but i enjoyed it.
i went into it thinking this would be a soap-ish rich bitch drama, which it kind of is, but they're fairly down to earth (considering everything) relatable characters. there's something about this relationship that anchors them and makes me love them and root for them, flaws and all.
i'm hoping at the end when all is said and done, lily and lo give me couple goals.
“Just repeat this phrase whenever you feel the urge to jump some other guy’s bones.” His mouth brushes my ear. “Loren Hale fucks better.”...more
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