so i read a book! finally! and here’s what i have to say about it :) (assuming that u care haha)
- Justinne Horteza
- Aug 20, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 2, 2020
it has been toooo loooong! hello and welcome! aaah omg! im finally back with a new entry after 2 freakin months T_T i’ve been too caught up with watching series that’s why i haven’t been reading but we’re back on track and we’re trying to stay on track XD
oh and! my blog turned 5 months old yesterday so yeepee for that!! (i was originally gonna post yesterday, but the laziness got to me teehee)
today i have a very special book to review but before that, in light with everything that’s going on right now, i have below a carrd that has a compilation of issues that we are currently facing in our own country and in the world. there—u can read about these issues and learn more about them, u can sign petitions, and even donate. im sure a lot of u have time to do so, since u’re here, so please spare some of that time to check it out:
https://issuesintheworld.carrd.co/?fbclid=IwAR1BZiNUE_d3PrwxzMbFBPxKpnfIfJlhF-wNKT-SaGKGCeCaxTSGlFOMhFE (ctto of this card, u da best and to my friend who found it, ily <3)
here are some links from that carrd that i think u should check out:
https://checkpoint.carrd.co/ > this one might help those who are in need of someone to talk to, but don’t know who to reach out to.
now before we get into the review, just a little disclaimer. it’s been a while since i’ve blogged and my mind... my thoughts... my words... idk where they all went. so please bear with me because this literally seems new to me and i hate that but that’s that. lmao what am i saying. okay let’s go.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
first off, i just wanna mention that i had no idea what this book was about. i’ve never even heard of it (i know. idk which cave i live in, too) and i only saw it from paperbackdream’s video with her sister. they mentioned about the book having the “friends to lovers” trope so i was like, yep, im in. so i literally dived into this book and read it at 2am, head empty, no thoughts! :D
okay where do i even begin!? how does this work again? i—
the book, Ask Again, Yes. it follows two neighboring families; the Gleesons and the Stanhopes. it is set in the 90s and runs for about 40 years.
basically, to cut it short, here’s the book’s summary:
“Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.”
eventually, after years of being married, both partners had children and so that’s when we meet our main characters—Francis’ daughter, Kate, who becomes best friends with Brian’s son, Peter.
fast forward to one unfortunate night—an event unfolded and they were forced to be separated for years. the story basically narrates the times they spent away from each other and how they found their way back to one another (and with that comes the new tests to their relationship, as well as with the people around them—but that’s for u to find out). of course, without leaving behind the family dynamics (love that).
honestly, there’s sooo much to this book that i just can’t put into words. it’s a story of heartache, loss, love, growing, making mistakes (lots of them), and forgiveness. it talks about different topics like alcoholism, mental illnesses, trauma, marriage, and family drama. there’s most probably more that i’ve forgotten to mention or went over my head but i’ll just say that this book has everything. and it’s just great.
see, it has a simple plot, in my opinion. there were some shocking things that happened, but they weren’t something we’ve never seen before (to me, ha!). it was the characters that really did it for me. oh gosh, i can literally talk for HOURS about these characters.
they were the ones who made me push through the book. admittedly, im not really a part of the audience that this book caters, for im more of a YA-Coming of Age-Contemporary reader and as far as i know, Ask Again, Yes isn’t any of those. like i said, i didn’t know what the book was about, so naturally, i wasn’t expecting that the first few chapters were going to be about grown men and i confess that i was bored—a lot of times, even. especially when the premise of the POV was Francis’ or Brian’s because why would i wanna know what they did during their duties as cops, right? but i pushed through because i found myself really caring about the characters and just really sympathizing with them. and im pretty nosy and so i just wanted to know what happened next XD
i have no idea how Ma’am Keane did it, but she did great.
Kate, u’ll love her, hate her, and just love her all over again. she’s a strong woman and a very smart one, too! Peter, oh gosh Peter! he’s amazing. an intellectual! super sweet and caring and he has flaws! surprise! their relationship. i must say, communication? who is she? don’t know her. it annoyed me, really. but, i still love them for many reasons (and i bet u will, too, but that’s for u to find out :P).
Lena, i love her so much. she’s a runner up of my favorite characters from this book. she’s really caring, very strong, a badass but also very sweet and gentle. Francis, he made me uncomfortable a few times here and there, he made me angry, furious, and just loathe him, but he also made me soft and cry and just made me want to give him a hug. their relationship is a very valuable lesson and that’s all im gonna say on that.
Anne, first off, she’s the character that u’re just SUPPOSED to hate, or maybe it’s just me. she got on my nerves multiple times. Brian, too, her husband. both of them did. i wanna say that Peter deserved better parents, but the development of these characters were spot on that i just can’t bring myself to say that, even to Brian who was such a selfish a-hole. so yes, in conclusion, i still ended up sympathizing with them and rooting for them.
can u tell that im being too biased? no? yes? well, i just can’t help it.
now, my favorite character of all time, George, Brian’s brother, Peter’s uncle. George is the best. period. never complained, was always there to help, and never asked for anything in return. very sweet and friendly, basically that one cool uncle u have—that’s George. he’s truly lovable. he was always there for Peter and their relationship, although a little awkward at times (not in a bad way), was just so wholesome.
i really wanna say so much more about them but i don’t wanna reveal too much so that’s where i’ll leave u at about the characters. just know that the author did an amazing job with the development of each and every character of this book.
this book came at the perfect time for me. it was like i was destined to read it. reading about their struggles as families and their relationships opened my eyes and made me truly realize so many things. it’s just really close to my heart and i never expected it to be something i’d genuinely enjoy so much.
one thing i do wanna note tho is that it is pretty lengthy (or maybe it’s just me because it’s been a while since i last read) and the pacing is very fast because as i’ve mentioned, it ran for about 40 years! but, that didn’t really bother me at all because the book is very well written, simple, and easy to understand.
a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this one. such a roller coaster of emotions read. the drama and tension between the characters really hit me. i was crying with them and i was anger towards them. it made me feel so many emotions and made me rant so many times (gosh, if only u could see my notes on this book lol).
i highly recommend this book. it can be quite sensitive and may possibly be triggering; there were even parts that made me uncomfortable, but i promise u, it is such a great read and is important, too.
right, that’s all i have for now! my thoughts are all over the place for this one, i apologize! it’s just been a while and i really want to say a lot more about this book but it’d be a better reading experience if u get into it with little to no knowledge on it so please do because i tried really hard not to spoil the important highlights of the book!
anyways, it’s been a crazy long read and long rant, i guess i’ll see u around next time! hopefully not a month or two later! toodles! :P
August 20, 2020
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