Bitter Spirits

"Love and ghosts in 1920s San Francisco. A fun read! "

"If you're wondering why a 1-star review is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/818916855">the top review</a>, it's because it's pretty much spot-on. But—and I can't speak here for the other reviewers—the high rating is because I couldn't help myself: I really enjoyed the story despite its shortcomings.<br/><br/>Yes, the descriptive prose was often lazy. The same adjectives were sometimes used within sentences of each other when a synonym would've been better.<br/><br/>Yes, there are certain things that are repeated ad nauseam. He is massive in every way and has high Scandinavian cheekbones. She freckled is freckled petite freckled and freckled.<br/><br/>Yes, I was hoping for a lot more of the paranormal stuff and the mystery stuff and the focus was much more on the romance.<br/><br/>Buuuuuut. But.<br/><br/>I don't know a whole lot about romance novels, but I was expecting a lot of fluff. I got a lot more depth than I expected. There's social commentary here that bubbled to the surface of my consciousness whilst reading and that wasn't at all preachy. I think the historical realism and accuracy are a bit selective, and that's fine—I would have been happy to have the envelope pushed even further. <br/><br/>The main and supporting characters are mostly wonderful. The women are self-sufficient, strong, independent, resourceful, and commanding of respect. There's agency and there's sex positivity. There's honest introspection and self-awareness in characters, wherein they question their beliefs and biases; they listen, reflect, grow, and adapt.<br/><br/>I liked the pace at which Aida and Winter's relationship developed. I don't particularly have anything against instalove, but I get tired of it being used in romances. Here the relationship gets more intimate very naturally, and there's a lot of sweetness and hesitation and doubt. And dopey grins. I love the dopey grins.<br/>"