This month’s book club read was, to be blunt, uncomfortable. We did actually split into two groups this time because there were some of us who didn’t want to read the popular pick. After we read this one, however, we wondered if we had chosen wrong. A quick disclaimer, in order to fully give my review, there will be some spoilers in this book review. I believe they are necessary, especially if you are considering reading it. You should be properly warned. With that out of the way, let’s talk about All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.
Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a fictional story written by Bryn Greenwood. For the majority of this story we follow Wavonna Quinn, fondly called Wavy by our other main character, Kellen. Wavy is the daughter of Kellen’s boss, Liam. One night, she witnesses Kellen’s bike accident and after that they form a questionable relationship. At first it seems innocent, almost like a parental role for Kellen. When they first meet, Wavy is 8 years old and he’s in his 20s. The more time they spend together, the closer they get and by the time she’s 13, Wavy is in love with Kellen. He can’t deny that he loves her as well. But when certain people find out about them, they are forced apart and try to find a way back to each other.
Positives
When we discussed it in book club, we could all agree that the writing itself was beautiful. Wavy found peace from her chaotic life in constellations and loved star gazing. She took care of her little brother, Donal, when their parents neglected them. She was her own character and didn’t really apologize for it or let others dictate how she should be. Before it got weird, I loved that Kellen made sure that the house was clean, that there was food in the house, as well as getting Wavy to school on time.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Negatives
Obviously, I didn’t like the romantic relationship between a grown man and a child. The amount of times Kellen told himself that it couldn’t and shouldn’t happen, he also never really resisted. The relationship between the two, as wrong as it was in my mind, was also built with manipulation. Even as a child, Wavy could get Kellen to do whatever she wanted. And if he upset her, she made him work to apologise. I felt dirty and gross reading this. In fact I almost DNF’d the book. I didn’t like most of the characters either. In fact, I don’t think I was rooting for anyone in this book.
Why Not DNF it
I mentioned that I almost DNF’d the book and you’re probably wondering why I didn’t. Because it was a book club read, I wanted to make sure that I could be a part of the discussion because there were not many of us who did read it. But also, when I read the author’s note, she says that she based Wavy on her. The author had grown up with a drug dealer parent and was in a relationship with an older man at 13. Knowing that this was her way of, in a way, telling her story in a fictional way, gave me slight intrigue to finish the book. But other than that, I wanted to lose the book and not finish it.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Rating
I rated this book a 2 star. Even though the writing itself was beautiful, the story was something I couldn’t get past. It left me wanting to take a shower to rid myself of it. I don’t think I’ll recommend this book to anyone, but if you do decide to read it, I’ll warn you that there were some very uncomfortable scenes. I’m ready to move on and hopefully have some good books this month. I’ll admit that I do not have high hopes for the sports romance that I have to read, but at least it won’t be as bad as this.
Slowly Making it
I’m slowly making my way through two books right now. One is audio and the other is an e-book, although I do have the physical copy of the audiobook, so I’ve been trying immersive reading with that one. And I’m glad for it too. It’s a fun experience. This week has been so crazy, which is why my first blog this week only got posted on Wednesday. Summer in general is looking quite busy with work, so I’m not sure how that will affect my blogs. But I do intend to keep at two blogs a week. And I intend to keep working on paying for my book publishing journey. Honestly, I’m so excited and hopeful. And I will keep working on novels as well. I’m very excited about becoming a published author. Remember that dreams can come true, and anything can happen if you try.
