2.75/5 ⭐️ this book had SO MUCH potential. women who are half human half mushroom?? insane! the story fell a bit flat for me, though, unfortunately. we're put in this society where women are 'born' to be wed to specific men, having the face of that mans first wife. how does this happen? well, we learn it... but it doesn't feel as if it truly impacts nicole, our fmc, very hard. i wish i could have seen more emotion from her as she learns the truth. but all she wants to do is l

4/5 ⭐️ this story was crazy from start to finish. i wondered what Ballard would do next and was consistently disgusted and shocked. while he may have been falsely accused of rape, he still sexually assaulted that woman. (this is hardly a spoiler. it happens within the first few chapters). i could have never predicted the ending, but... he deserved it.

5/5 ⭐️ all i said on goodreads was "so heartbreaking." i really enjoyed this story. if you like, you'll like the long walk and vice versa. the whole time i was rooting for these two to make it. when they finally made it to the coast, i was in fear for what was going to happen because there were so many pages left. this story shows the struggles people will go to to survive and others will do when they no longer wish to keep going.

3/5 ⭐️ i really feel like we could have learned more about yamasaki asami’s childhood trauma more than the bit we get at the very end. i just felt like i truly didn’t know most of the characters except for the fact that aoyama felt entitled but saw no wrong in anything he did. the book doesn’t come to a head until the very end and then the last page fell flat for me… loved getting to read the whole scene of asami trying to cut off aoyama’s feet. didn’t love the death of gangs