krysteldallas's reviews
218 reviews

I absolutely ate this up. I didn't want to put it down, and anytime I had to, I was thinking about it. Grady Hendrix takes his time to put you right there alongside his characters and that's exactly how you feel.

I enjoyed that horror existed in several forms in this book. Historical horror at the ways unwed mothers were treated before Roe, authoritarian horror in the ways the girls and their decisions are controlled, body horror in the pregnancies, and in the practice of witchcraft. The witches themselves...And the patriarchy!

Thank you Grady Hendrix for entertaining me with your feminist horror book. I felt for these girls. I wasn't an unwed, pregnant teen in Florida in the 70s...but I was a 20-year-old unwed mother in Canada in the 00s. Not the same, not even close. But you nailed the discomfort, the worries, the feelings. Well done, Sir. 

 My goal is to read more French books this year. My first French finish of 2025 is Là où je me terre by Caroline Dawson (the English version: As the Andes Disappeared, translated by Anita Anand). I had this goal last year too. I read one French book last year (sorry, mom). So I only need one more to improve on said goal 😝

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce petit roman autofictionnel. Caroline joue bien avec les mots. J'ai surtout aimé le chapitre "Cité RockDétente". Je ne m'attendais pas à lire les mots de "C'est Zéro" de Julie Masse et à avoir la chanson prise dans la tête. Je pensais qu'elle y resterait pendant toute ma lecture... mais, quelques phrases plus tard, c'est "Tous les garçons et les filles" qui a gagné la battle of the bands.

J'ai aussi aimé le chapitre "Ce soir l'amour est dans tes yeux". Le garçon qui ne vous souvient pas, ugh! Mais surtout l'aspect poignant du fait qu'elle était déjà consciente des difficultés que sa mère affrontait dans son travail de femme de ménage. Ce n'est que lorsqu'elle se retrouve elle-même en plein chaos qu'elle comprend pleinement la douleur de sa mère, qui devra nettoyer cette même porcherie.

Il y avait aussi beaucoup d'humour et de nostalgie. En tant qu'enfant des années 80 et 90, j'ai apprécié les références culturelles. 

Short chapters and a fast pace, this is the kind of book you could get through in one sitting - YOU could, not me, not with THIS attention span. There's no unnecessary filler, and no parts seem to drag so this was a straightforward, enjoyable read overall. While there were no *gasp* moments or major twists, I was entertained. Nothing too complex, perfect for a mindless afternoon.