This month we read They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman for a dark academia pick. It was a bit of a miss for us and therefore a challenging read for our group!
Several people didn’t start it, didn’t finish it, or decided to DNF it, and even among those who finished, the highest rating was a 5 out of 10! But one thing we can always count on is a great discussion, even when a book isn’t a group favorite!
A big thank-you to Basia ‘19 for leading such an interesting conversation about the book, the genre, and what it’s like to read stories about high school characters as adults. We talked about characters who can feel clichéd, flat, or hard to believe, along with the very detailed descriptions of their hair! We also wondered whether the author’s writing might have developed since this was her debut novel, especially since at least one member had read another of her books.
We also had an interesting observation about the book cover. The trade paperback cover shown in the voting app had very different vibes from the original hardcover cover. Would we have voted differently if we’d seen the hardcover version? We’ll never know!
Caroline ‘18 was a wonderful host. She made delicious chicken tortilla soup and we enjoyed some festive pumpkin cookies, too. Thank you, Caroline, for such a cozy evening!
