This novel has hilariously consistent reviews and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing or that the novel doesn’t deserve high ratings, but I do... more>> think that it’s not as strong as others suggest, especially when compared with other novels in the same genre. I think the enjoyment really comes from liking the characters (especially the MC’s close family and ML + ML’s relatives) rather than anything else. The plot is fine, the story keeps moving, but the some of the retribution the MC inflicts on her (noted to be young) sisters wasn’t as enjoyable as I hoped simply because it seemed to largely use r*pe as “just desserts” (which in-text does make a lot of sense) and it seems almost too quickly taken care of. Some of the reactions and abilities of characters don’t totally line up all the way through the narrative, but t he characters are really the saving grace.  <<less

九月流火 writes enjoyable romantic dynamics. If you read other novels by the same author, I suggest interspersing other titles, simply because while each novel maintains unique MCs/MLs/plots, the general mood is fun but can be too much after a while. ... more>>

These novels are reasonably gentle. You feel sympathy for the characters and the lives they’ve had to lead, but the MC and ML get their happy ending and the clearly marked characters take reasonably just desserts. The MC here is especially nice in that she’s motivated to take care of herself and remember that she has worth. She very quickly dodges the main event that caused her initial death, and tries to build herself a better life. I can’t tell if some of the characters are a little flat or just match their ages in terms of plotting — it didn’t particularly detract from anything but the novel makes it very clear which characters the audience should root for.  <<less

Angst at its most entertaining. This is long-running but very enjoyable in that the scheming is multilayered but traceable. My lack of satisfaction is that it often felt like “bad things happened to the MC because bad things happen to women,” which isn’t personally a fun read, especially since I was unhappy with the final romantic choice. The second male lead is for the readers, but in this case I found it almost absurd that [SPOILER the MC turned him down consistently /END SPOILER] and that gave me a bad taste in the end, though I thought some of the plots in the final quarter we’re still fun to read. ... more>>

Read for: well-developed women (though you may not like them, they are reasonably understandable); angst; scheming; difficult conversations and character dynamics; hating the ML but still reading through.  <<less

This is fun for people who like this sort of novel. I was craving light-reading about possessive characters and this certainly meets the criteria. Events take place but the consequences are only sometimes followed through. The whole older brother/younger sister experience gets a Lot of mileage. The treatment of disability is? Well, I’ve seen much worse. It gets sweet but I got plenty of whiplash during any especially romantic segments when I checked the ages of characters. ... more>>

Many of the family-related characters feel like caricatures but I don’t think this novel expected to provide AND engage with nuance beyond dynamic or witty dialogue for some parts and that’s not a bad thing.  <<less