Welcome to another collective review but this time it’s different, this time we actually liked the book (I swear)!!! This is the first time with Solene where we read a book and actually enjoyed it. This review is shorter because the book was short and we had the same point of view.
Why did you decide to read this book?
S: Eponine told me about this book, and I had sort of understood it was in a sci-fi, futurist kind of setting, which is usually the sort of universe that really speaks to me. I was, however, very curious about how thin the book was: how are we going to get a comprehensive world building, a storyline and an actual ending within so few pages? Will I actual understand anything that goes on?
E.: I have a friend who was selling this book and I decided to bought it. I loved the story and was very curious. Also, it was short so it’s always a bonus!
After the first chapter, did you wanted to read more?
S: While the first chapters lost me a little, I was very impressed by the writing. It was poetic and beautiful, and it made me want to read every last word. I quickly understood that this was going to be a love story, which scared me because I don’t really read romance books (really, I never do), and this wasn’t really what I expected.
E.: At first it was very confusing and I tried to immerse myself into this new world. I really liked the length of the chapters and that it was always ending with a letter. I still wanted to read more. However, not going to lie, I was not the biggest fan after the first chapter and thought I was going to hate the book.
Rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10?
S: 8/10 I really loved it, but I would have loved some more background, especially on the sci-fi part of the story. l really liked the use of time-travel in the plot as well. Even if romance isn’t really my favorite genre, I thought it was very well written. I like the idea of the « letters » they write to each other, but I do wish there was more context to them. Truthfully, I wish I was more of a romantic so that I could enjoy this book to its fullest potential.
E.: A solid 8.5/10!!! The letters slowly becoming love letters was my favourite part of this book. I was hooked to the story and could not put down the book towards the end. The length is perfect. Also, I loved that there was wlw representation.
Favourite character? Most hated character?
S: In terms of characters, it’s complicated to pick a favorite because there really only are two, and the story focuses more on their path to understanding what binds them together.
E.: There are only two characters in this story and I don’t have a favourite. I loved both of them equally.
Would you recommend this book?
S: Absolutely. It’s an easy read, I think people who like LGBTQ+ representation and romance in general would really appreciate this book. It’s also quite original in both writing and plot.
E.: I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. It was easy to read and I loved the story. It’s mixes different genre making it perfect for people who love science fiction but also for people who prefer romance.
What’s next?
S.: I read The Metamorphosis by Kafka, because sometimes you just need to have truly no clue what’s happening in a book.
E.: After this book I read Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton that I had received free from Net Galley and I had to review it for the month of January (I posted it on my blog if you are interested click here). This was very different from This Is How You Lose the Time War.
Our next collective review will be This Savage Song by V. E. Schwab, my first novel from this author. Spoiler alert: we also enjoyed this book very much.
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