Ouch

There is a lot I want to say about Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman, but going into depth would involved spoilers and I'd rather not spoil anything for those who actually might enjoy this book. Nevertheless, I will try my best to explain why this book only received 1 star from me.

Checklists

Yoga Pant Nation is about a mom/grandma who navigates the world of kids, PTA meetings, spin classes, and, well, that's it really. Other than that basic description, I have no idea what this book is about. Four chapters in, and I could not tell what the plot was. Every chapter was just the protagonist checking things off her to-do list, and while it is impressive that a checklist was published as a novel, I fail to see the hook.

The only juicy part of this book occurred when the protagonist's granddaughter's father, Raj, sues for custody of his daughter, presumably because his mother wants more time with her granddaughter. From there, a battle of the grandmas ensues. However, this whole issues is dependent on Raj's mom being painted as the stereotypical overbearing South Asian mom, so not only is this book mostly about every day middle-class problems, but it also became incredibly racist.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me access to this audiobook, but it was not for me.

Oh well, on to the next book! To share your thoughts, questions, or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

Comments

The House of the Spirits

A good friend of mine once told me, "if a book has a rating of 4 or more stars on Goodreads, it is probably a safe bet that you will like it." This is why I almost always choose my books by their Goodreads rating, a strategy I am currently rethinking after reading The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. With an average rating of 4.23/5 on Goodreads, I thought I was going to love this book, and for the first four chapters, I did. However, as the story progressed I started to struggle, which has led me to believe that when choosing books I might need to employ tactics that do not solely rely on Goodreads ratings. The Patriarch Isabel Allende's novel takes place in early to mid twentieth century Chile, and tells the story of landowner Esteban Trueba, a man who went from rags to riches using nothing but his mother's honourable last name. Esteban is a classic example of an upperclass patriarch; he believed that by going back to the land of his mother's fami...

The Will. The Words. The Way.

I started 2020 by reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, and although this past year has been hard for so many, for me, it was also one of adventure. I was accepted to my dream university, but prohibited from pursuing that particular adventure by events that we are all well aware of. I briefly lost my job, but became closer with my coworkers because of it. And I was hurt deeply by someone I trusted, but eventually moved on. I cannot say that Harrow's magical words from her debut novel were the reason behind all of these adventures, but I must admit that I was inspired by January to become more resilient, so I find it fitting that I start 2021 with Harrow's second novel, The Once and Future Witches. The Once and Future Witches Juniper, Agnes and Bella are three sisters that were separated, but somehow found each other again in the city of New Salem, a place where women who rally for the right to vote are accused of witching. "But witching is nothing ...

The Kings and Queens of Old

For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep, nearly obsessive, fascination with the past. The stories I was drawn to were ones of kings and queens, knights and wizards, myths and legends. Regardless of the truth behind these stories, the language and the heroic characters that populated the tales created a romantic attachment that lasts to this day. Even now, I prefer stories of fantasy and adventure to those of real life, and in admitting this I feel like I have failed in my duty as a bookworm, as I only just finished reading The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, even though it was published in 2018. The Lost Queen I have to sincerely thank Netgalley and Atria Books for giving me access to this ebook, because it was truly a wonderful adventure. The story begins when Languoreth, daughter of a King who still follows the Old Ways of their ancestors, is a child who just lost her mother and must learn to navigate womanhood in a changing world. As the years pass, Languoreth ex...

The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

Search This Blog