30 First Dates by Stacey Wiedower
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once again, I wish Goodreads had a half star rating. This is 4.5 stars but I wanted the author to get the benefit of a 5 star rating because this is probably the best chick lit novel I’ve read to date. I started this book and saw it was about a “bucket list”, a 30 by 30 list of things to accomplish. I just read a very similar book (Twenty Five by Rachel Hamm), so I was disappointed it would be about the same thing. Only it wasn’t. It was so poignant and funny and true to life. Sure, there were unrealistic things that happened and sure, I figured out the ending, but the journey was much better than I expected. In the first book I read the list was mostly about the character feeling inadequate for her age. Maybe I couldn’t relate because at 25 I was married with a career, a house and a baby on the way. I think I related more to the idea that thirty really is a turning point in your life. It’s the point where you say, “well now what?” Even though I wasn’t looking for love at 30, most of what Erin went through in this book resonated with me. To me it was about finding what made you happy and being true to that. I really admire Erin for realizing even though she had a great job, it wasn’t what she was meant to do. Taking that huge step to change careers, even at a young age of 30, is a huge risk.
I liked this book so much that I decided to make my own bucket list. I’m way too close to my 40th birthday, so I decided 50 things by 50. Some are risky, some are just about getting out of my comfort zone. But I know even if I don’t accomplish all of them, I’ll be proud of myself.
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The Carrier by Sophie Hannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is one of those times I really wish Goodreads allowed half stars in their rating. This book wasn’t quite just 3 stars, but it didn’t quite rate 4 stars.
I think Sophie Hannah was channeling her inner Agatha Christie in this one…maybe just coming off writing The Monogram Murders? This was not Ms. Hannah’s usual dark and twisted fare. To the average reader unfamiliar with her works such as The Wrong Mother and Hurting Distance, this novel may seem dark enough. But to those of us that have read her previous works with all the lights on, we know she can make Gillian Flynn look like Mr. Rogers. This book didn’t have any of that dark flare. In fact, it didn’t even seem mysterious aside from the “Whodonit” aspect. Don’t get me wrong, the novel was entertaining in its own right, but definitely not what I was expecting from the Queen of the Unexpected Twist that makes you say WTF. Maybe she’s lost her touch because other than The Monogram Murders, the last few that I’ve read from Ms. Hannah have been slightly disappointing. Maybe it’s because I’m used to her style and have become difficult to shock. I hope it’s not a case of her debut novel being the best and each subsequent novels becoming less and less impressive.
Jason was a character that was totally unnecessary and his ultimate fate was even more unnecessary and quite frankly, stupid. Dan and Kerry’s dying devoting to Tim? WEIRD and never really explained. And the poems…really, seriously, how would a normal person surmise clues from those? It seemed like Simon and Charlie got into Tim and Gaby’s head and miraculously knew what they meant which was totally unrealistic. Gaby was one character I really liked, although I found her to be quite inconsistent at times. I was wondering if she wasn’t going to be the killer after all…maybe she had periods of blacking out or something. And on what planet is everyone lined up to take the blame for a murder????
I think this was Ms. Hannah’s attempt to weave deep interpersonal relationships into her thrillers and I found it fell incredibly flat because of that. It was like she was trying way to hard to break from the mold she usually writes in and that was a disappointing result.
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A Dark and Twisted Tide by S.J. Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Of course I was up till the wee hours of the morning trying to finish this book on Sunday, with no regard for work in the morning. The first thing that hit me about this book is how different Lacey seemed…not that she was like a new or different character, but that she had appeared to have matured significantly since the last novel even though the time frame was only a few months. I liked the new Lacey; even though she took risks, her risks seemed more calculated and less impulsive…she told people where she was going for cripes sake! Old Lacey wasn’t that smart.
The beginning of this book was a little difficult to get through, though. Maybe it was the endless descriptions of the river and blah, blah, blah. I couldn’t care less about the Thames and I realize the details were to set the scene, but I found myself skimming over them on more than one occasion. I think it could have been about 50 pages shorter without all the details of the river and boating, etc. It didn’t seem to impact the actual plot much.
And what’s this about Lacey not having sex with Joesbury? Am I missing something? What??? I thought that was implied several books ago. How can a person so promiscuous as Lacey was in the first novel, just not have sex? It seems out of character.
The plot itself kept me turning the pages, wondering what all these women had in common. The main focus for me wasn’t even who killed them…I knew it would be someone who was in Lacey’s life. I just wanted to find out what bound them together.
While nothing will ever bet “Now You See Me” as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t like this novel as much as I liked “Lost”, but I do think it was much better than “Dead Scared” so that’s proof that S.J. Bolton still has it (and what’s with the name change? Seriously…pick a name and stay with it unless you’re switching genres!). Looking forward to Lacey’s next adventure!
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Bedside Manners by Phoebe Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I confess that I have not read the first in the series of this book so I was a little behind. Yet I felt like the characters were easy to acclimate to and had no problem getting into the story. Ms. Fox did a superb job at introducing them without shoving all their backgrounds at you at once. I liked their flaws, their imperfections and found them to be endearing. The writing was fresh and I found myself literally LOL at times. I loved Phoebe Fox’s writing style and it’s very similar to the style I use myself when writing chick lit.
My favorite part about this book is that it didn’t have the typical chick lit “Everything is awesome” ending that they usually have. I liked that Brook didn’t get everything she wanted and that she did learn some things along the way. I realize that it’s a series and this was the perfect way to wrap up a book in a series. Very realistic and humorous…I would highly recommend for a fun, lighthearted read.
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The Feathers by Cynthia Lott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was getting five stars from me until a somewhere around page 120 or so. Before page 120, I was loving this book; the premise, the characters, the way the killer was operating, the way she wrote from the victim’s point of view afterwards…everything was making this an award winning novel for me. I even turned to my husband at one point and raved that I had never read such a fantastic novel from a first time novelist.
And then, it all just seemed to fall apart. It was almost like two different people wrote this book…the first being a calculated and precise individual with a flawless writing style and the second half written by someone who just wanted to finish the book.
In all fairness, part of what spoiled this book was not the writer’s fault at all. It was the blurb. In the blurb, it is very clear that Thomas has come back from the dead to avenge his own murder and that Brenda is a target. Why oh why did the publisher put that on the back cover?!??? That complete took the mystery out of the book! There was absolutely nothing in the book that surprised me because it was all given away on the back cover.
Secondly, the writing got sloppy at the end. Forget about the scattered typos I found…I can ignore those. It was the inconsistencies that confused me. For example, one of the original “killers” was named Tobias and then at the end, the girl is creating the spell, she calls him Malcolm. Who the heck is Malcolm??? I could be wrong, but I went back and I am pretty sure she meant Tobias.
Some of the explanations got confusing and I had a hard time following who was descended from who. In an age where Google and cell phones don’t exist, I think it became way too easy for Brenda and Roy to find these “descendants” and put the mystery together towards the end of the book,as if the writer wanted to wrap it up quickly. It could have been another 100 pages easily. Even though I have no idea why the book needed to be set in 1978, I did find it interesting to read a novel where the detectives couldn’t get their information as easily as we can today. Going to the library? What a novel concept!
I also don’t think there was enough explanation about why this man’s friends became so out of control and violent all of a sudden. They seemed evil and calculated which doesn’t make sense, even in the time of Yellow Fever. His actual death and what led up to it warranted well more than the pages it actually got. Why did they take his stuff? Is that why he targeted the particular descendants?
Finally, the conversations between characters sounded stilted and fake towards the end and I started to really find Brenda to be an unlikable air head, when she had been such a strong character in the beginning.
I loved Cynthia Lott’s writing style and ideas in the beginning. I would say this was a fair attempt at a first novel and that she has tremendous potential with improvement. If she can write an entire novel like the beginning of this one, she will be a force to be reckoned with in the suspense novelist circle.
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Twenty-Five by Rachel L. Hamm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this book for my Chick lit book club. I joined the club because I love to read and discuss books with others and was look forward to being introduced to so new authors that I might not normally stumble upon. Now I confess, I don’t usually give chick lit more than 3 stars. To me, chick lit is a diversion from reality, a fun guilty pleasure of mine (like watching Ellen). It’s usually the same formula (Girl meets Boy, Girl swoons, Girl can’t have Boy for some reason and then after a whole bunch of trials and uphill battles, Girl and Boy get together. What makes each book unique is the writer’s humor and voice. It can get old quickly and sometimes it takes me even longer to get through such a novel than say, a Stephen King novel.
That being said, I read Twenty Five in less than twenty five hours (see what I did there?). The story was not the same old tired chick lit formula and if it was, I didn’t notice. I loved both Ben and Abby (my mother had Golden Retrievers named Ben and Abby so that made me chuckle…I admit I imagined them as dogs on more than one occasion). I loved how they see less went back and forth between both characters (although on my Kindle the formatting made it difficult to follow at times). Their characters were realistic and genuine, although I did feel Ben was a little “too perfect” at first. He certain redeemed himself by being a jerk later on, which was completely believable. I loved the concept of Abigail being frightened by her fears and Ben helping her overcome them and that being the basis of her column. I though the “virgin” angle added to the story, playing up on Abigail’s fears nicely. I admit, I did have tears in my eyes at one point too.
The only thing I didn’t like and I always find to be the case in chick lit or romance novels, is that everyone is always so damn beautiful. Why is that? Can we have butt ugly characters that find love, please? Or maybe not but ugly, but normal people that don’t make people gasp for breath when they walk by?
No? Okay, well I tried.
I highly recommend this novel if you’d like a lighthearted but sweet and poignant diversion from reality.
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The Secret Place by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tana French’s “The Secret Place” sucks you in so quickly that you barely know what happened. You’re in a police station with a girl who has a clue about a Cold Case and then suddenly, you’re back a year prior, going through the case. You know what ultimately happened, but you don’t know why.
French does a phenomenal job with keeping her readers engrossed in both stories (now and then) without giving away too much at once.
The girls were absolutely perfect characters, teens you could relate to or recognize. A bit bizarre in the one clique while the other contained airheaded cliched girls. I loved the dynamic between Stephen and Conway, just enough tension there to keep it interesting but not a love story or hook up. The only thing I did not like about this book, which ultimately prevented me from giving it 5 stars, was the “supernatural” aspects of the girls’ “powers”. The ghost allusions did not bother me because everyone has their own theories on ghosts (and Finn’s explanation was pretty thought provoking), but the whole “moving things with our minds” seemed completely unnecessary and didn’t even garner an explanation in the novel. Like was the glade magical? Because that would make this a whole ‘nother book and that would ruin it for me.
Anyway, very pleased
With my first Tana French novel and I will be looking for more.
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Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though it doesn’t deal with the gut wrenching topic of childhood cancer, in some ways, Paper Towns is an even stronger and emotional novel than The Fault in Our Stars. Maybe because it’s so relatable. Who can’t remember being infatuated with someone who didn’t love us back but we were still willing to go to the ends of the Earth for them? And Q does just that. His friend (and girl of his dreams) is so traumatized by the discovery of a dead body when they are 9 years old, that she just can’t lead herself into having a normal life. It’s almost as if she feels she needs to do everything in her power to repel a “normal” life.
I especially enjoyed the interaction between Quentin and his friends. So realistic and humorous, much what you would expect a bunch of guys in high school to be talking about. John Green was spot on with the relationships between friends of that age. I do think his parent/ child relationships were a little flawed in the fact that the parents seemed Overprotective at times, but then were completely laid back about their trip to NY. I mean, my parents would have beat me for sure.
I found this book to be lighthearted, yet devastating painful at the same time. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. No wait, that’s wrong. I liked the ending but I felt the last few sentences were unclear about Quentin and Margo. But then again, that just seems to be John Green’s style. And yes, I did shed a tear or two.
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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I’m not quite sure how this book needed up on my “To Read” list. I’m pretty sure whatever blurb I read was completely misleading. Firstly, I didn’t even realize this was a sci fi novel and I spent quite a few of my first couple of hours reading this, completely perplexed. I kept googling the terms “donor” and “completing” thinking they were British terms I was unfamiliar with. Nope, just an invented scenario. Now, don’t get me wrong, the premise of the novel was intriguing, once I figured it out, but the way the author went about it was excruciating boring. I had absolutely no emotional attachment to any of these characters (in fact I absolutely hated Ruth), when given the situation of their lives, my heart should have broken for them. Seriously, why didn’t anyone ever really question it, other than the occasional attempt to get a “deferral”? Why did no one ever try to get away, make a life for themselves outside of what was expected? Too many questions and not enough answers, which is usually fine in a novel that evokes an emotional response, but this was like reading a how to install your garbage disposal manual. And this is coming from a person who gets choked up watching ASPCA advertisements.
I spent more than three days reading this short novel (novella?) and it was pure torture. I cannot remember a time that I hated such a highly acclaimed literary novel in recent times. The whole time I was reading this book, I felt like I was being forced to read something for a term paper back in high school. There were pages upon pages without dialogue and I found myself skipping over endless descriptions that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the story. I actually shouted “who cares”? at the book several times. The style was ADHD at times, the author bouncing all over with memories, leading me to stop often and say, “Wait, when did that happen?” If you are looking for a deeply engrossing, highly emotional novel, skip this one; maybe wait till it comes out in the movies. I, for one won’t be giving them my $13 when it comes out.
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The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
At first I was leery…how could Sophie Hannah evoke the spirit of the greatest suspense/ mystery writer of all time? I mean, Ms. Hannah is good, great even, but in her own right, with her own voice. Her signature twists and turns to her stories are not unlike Agatha Christie, but still…how was it possible to resurrect Piorot from the dead?
Well I don’t know how she did it (intense studying of the character I guess?), but this book was just like reading one of Piorot’s former adventures. In fact, in places the dialog and flow was even better than Christie’s work. True, it got a little confusing at the end and there is no way I would have solved the mystery (in fact, my head was spinning by the last page), but I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I read it in one night, much like I rip through any of Christie’s work. Bravo Sophie Hannah!
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