MY REVIEW OF 'CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN' BY COCO MELLORS | WHIMSICAL SOUL

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“When the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light.”

This book took the author seven years to write, and it felt like it took me much longer than that to read.

I'm conflicted about my feelings about this book. Sometimes I felt like this was just another predictable, shallow story with superficial characters with no depth to them whatsoever. I was furious about what they did to the poor sugar glider, but by the end, I realized they were humans with complicated feelings. I felt like giving each of these sad, traumatized people a hug, and sometimes I thought they had it coming for them.

This book was one of a kind. I've never read anything like this before. At the heart of it, it was a love story, but not of the characters you expect. With complex, layered, and exciting characters and underrated humor on every page, this book was an effortless read.

Cleo and Frank had instant chemistry, which led to a shotgun wedding, and despite their differences, they seemingly fit together. The supporting characters of their friends, family, and colleagues were the perfect addition to their story. But they both had several unresolved issues that prevented them from loving each other completely. They were better off being apart from each other, honestly.

The side characters were way more entertaining than the main ones. This book started getting more interesting when Eleanor first came into the picture. She's my favorite, and I would've killed someone if she hadn't got the good ending she deserved. Frank's sister Zoe had significant character development throughout the book. She became one of the more likable characters by the end of the book.

In conclusion, this was no Sally Rooney, but I would still recommend it for its humor and (a couple) endearing characters.

"People are like this too, you know," he says eventually. "We break. We put ourselves back together. The cracks are the best part. You don't have to hide them."