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July 20, 2023
This is going to be a fun post to write (and hopefully read)! Recommending books is a complicated art. Just because you like it does not mean others will, obviously. Here are some books that received completely opposite reviews from our customers.
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This book isn't a book I would normally pick up but I ended up really enjoying it. It was super uplifting and really made me think. The religious element got to be a bit much for me toward the end but only because I don't believe in any kind of higher power.
⭐️
I find the author insufferable.
These are fairly different reviews; however, I wonder if the last line of the 4 star review is what the 1 star reviewer was driving yet.
Both of these subscribers were fans of memoirs. The 4 star reviewer had been with us for five months whereas the 1 star reviewer had only been with us for 2 months. We like to think this makes a difference. The more we know you, the better books we can pick!
The Queen’s Fool by Philipa Gregory
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Phillipa Gregory books, but somehow hadn’t read this one before. The time period/story was PERFECT.
⭐️⭐️
I definitely was excited about this one since the blurb made it sound like a fun mix of fantasy and historical fiction. However, it ended up being mostly historical fiction and sometimes it read like a history book instead of a fun, engaging look at the Tudors. Really the only reason I was able to finish was because I find the Tudors and that time period in England super interesting and dramatic, but this book didn't always hold my attention.
This scenario is my favorite. In all of the cases below, this was the first or second book we sent. For each subscriber, this book was a great litmus test. Each reviewer gave us a little more insight into their preferences.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was a great read. Educational, historic, women empowerment, romance, grief, redemption. It had it all.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Upon first glance I didn't think I was going to like this book at all, but I actually loved it! I'm not really a religious person (having grown up in that environment it comes with a heavy dose of trauma), but this one didn't really touch on that at all except for the biblical names and basic plotline. I really enjoyed the feminist viewpoint of the Jacob story and loved the glimpse at the struggle of ancient women to find their place in the world. It reminded me a lot of Circe that I read last year, which I also really enjoyed. The ending (last like 1/4 of the book) was dragged out quite a bit but other than that not too many complaints.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this book. I really liked that many stories I was familiar with from the Bible were retold from a different vantage point and that it was from a woman's perspective. This was a quick read and I had fun with it.
⭐️
While I usually love historical fiction, I just did not like this one. I think it was the idea of taking Bible characters and making a whole subplot.
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February 12, 2024