I liked the premise, but once things got underway this became pretty standard wish-fulfillment YA. Protagonist who we are constantly reminded is "untrI liked the premise, but once things got underway this became pretty standard wish-fulfillment YA. Protagonist who we are constantly reminded is "untrained," but who somehow has that special thing no one else has. Love interest who serves literally no purpose except to tell protagonist how wonderful she is. Friendship that is challenged. Difficult background and obstacles that must be overcome.
Ultimately, I didn't find Dana to be a full character. She didn't have any real signs that her background was as difficult as it seemed, she fulfilled her role in the plot and not much else. I will say, it had a strong ending, but I never felt like the setting of the life training for a girl group really gelled. (And given that I'm the same age these characters were at this time--graduated 1997 just like Dana and Olivia--and remember well the manufactured boy band craze of the era, I would have liked to see that done well.)...more
I liked this better than Ware's previous effort, IN A DARK DARK WOOD, which suffered from a bit of narrative whiplash, but it's still just 2.5 stars fI liked this better than Ware's previous effort, IN A DARK DARK WOOD, which suffered from a bit of narrative whiplash, but it's still just 2.5 stars for me. It feels like it's a very deliberate effort to follow the path paved by THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Replace the alcoholism with anxiety and the train with a boat and, well, they're quite similar. Woman sees what she thinks is a murder, she isn't a terribly reliable witness, no one seems to believe her. Here, Ware ups the ante by putting her protagonist, Lo, under a real threat of danger and uses the boat setting to give us a limited cast of potential wrongdoers.
But there are still a lot of characters to remember, and when you've got a locked room kind of scenario with a limited number of suspects, that can make it a lot harder to follow. No one really gets much time on the page except for Lo's ex-boyfriend who happens to be on the trip.
There are a couple of solid twists, but the eventual solution didn't have that inevitable yet surprising feel of excellent plotting or that earned payoff of a big climax. Plus I'm just not a fan of the thriller that follows an increasingly hysterical woman who wonders if she's on the verge of madness. The book is a bit too stuck in Lo's head, which was also an issue with her previous novel. Too much telling, not enough showing. ...more
Any time a mystery/horror novel can change the game, I am interested. And Security definitely has a gimmick. It's an ambitious one, too, so I recommenAny time a mystery/horror novel can change the game, I am interested. And Security definitely has a gimmick. It's an ambitious one, too, so I recommend it solely to have the experience of getting into this book, being really thrown off by this book, and trying to figure out what is actually happening.
The formatting in my e-galley was wonky, so I don't actually know how well some of the structural decisions work, but even if Security can't hold up under much scrutiny (guns! why not just use guns??) a good 75% of it is rip-roaring suspense-fest. But I do have to warn: the Visit from the Goon Squad comparisons are absolutely nonsensical. This is a slasher novel. And if you come in expecting literary fiction, you'll be really disappointed. Bad move from the publisher....more
I've been a regular Joshilyn Jackson reader for years and she remains one of the authors I recommend the most often. Her books are funny, wise, and poI've been a regular Joshilyn Jackson reader for years and she remains one of the authors I recommend the most often. Her books are funny, wise, and poignant all at the same time. The Opposite of Everyone is not as sweet as its cover makes it look, and I'm actually rather miffed about the cover. Not only does it make the book like like a sugary confection, it also sure looks to me like the woman on it is white when Paula Vauss, the woman at the center of the book, is biracial and obviously so. (I acknowledge that I read an e-galley of the book and haven't seen the cover up close, so I could be off, but the thumbnail sure looks that way.)
This is a story of a girl brought up in unsavory conditions with a caring but delusional mother who spends a few years in foster care, and ends up fending for herself. Paula is tough as nails and built her life basically from scratch, so the yellow dress and clouds? An odd choice.
I admit that I was so invested in present-day Paula that I got bored with growing-up Paula, even though I admire Jackson greatly for writing those sections. We see so little of the life of kids out of the mainstream and as someone who worked with juveniles in Georgia's court system, it felt pretty true to me. But I'm a sucker for a story about a kickass lawyer so I kept getting drawn back to the present. But it should satisfy Jackson's fans and her wit and humor and warmth never cease to amaze me....more
Your feelings on Kaling's first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, will probably be pretty similar to this one. It follows the same kind of foYour feelings on Kaling's first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, will probably be pretty similar to this one. It follows the same kind of formula, although it shifts most of the action to her post-tv life than her pre-tv life.
Kaling handles the famous-person stuff deftly. She gets that there is both a desire to see behind the curtain and a low-level resentment that the average person has towards famous people and she works hard to let us know she's grateful for her life and aware of the fact that she's got crazy amounts of privilege. Kaling, more than any celebrity memoirist/essayist out there is incredibly self-aware and happy to share that awareness with us. She has no qualms about sharing her best and worst traits, and doesn't really care all that much about whether we want to be BFF's with her. (My verdict is probably no, I think Mindy is too much of a crazy extrovert to my measured introvert, but I still enjoy her company in the book.)
I had the impression this book would mostly be about her romantic life, and I'm not sure whether that was something that was actually pushed or whether I assumed it based on the title. There is one love affair of sorts that plays out in one chapter, but that's the extent of it. Mostly it's similar to her last book, a few bits and pieces of her life, funny stories, and attempts to make you laugh.
I listened to the audiobook, as is my wont with a celebrity I recognize as well as an author reading their own work. I was kind of disappointed, but this is probably due more to my celebrity expectations than my author expectations. Kaling's reading is sweet and friendly, but it's not as lively as I expected. Compared to a reader like Amy Poehler, whose excitement always bleeds into her speech, Kaling is a pretty understated reader.
All that said, I do find Kaling very funny and I look forward to her next project (co-written with B.J. Novak) and you don't have to actually like or watch her show to enjoy this book. She's a personable writer and a celebrity who seems to be one of us undercover scouting the whole thing out. This is, like the first, a perfect airplane book....more
Okay, let's be straight here. This is a romance novel. It is straight-up wish fulfillment for 30- and 40-something women. And there is absolutely nothOkay, let's be straight here. This is a romance novel. It is straight-up wish fulfillment for 30- and 40-something women. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The writing is good, and while I had plenty of hangups with the plots and characters, it's nothing outside of your normal rom-com.
If you want a book to curl up with that's the reading equivalent of watching your favorite chick flick, you can't really go wrong. Ally is smart, Jake is perfect, the book is sexy as hell.
For the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if it was going to work out between me and China Rich Girlfriend. But I pushed through, gave it a little timFor the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if it was going to work out between me and China Rich Girlfriend. But I pushed through, gave it a little time, and sure enough we had a great time together. Once the three major threads of the story get some traction, the book gets moving and you once again get to enjoy Kwan's humor and his oddly detailed eye for fashion and luxury.
Moving the main setting of this book to China lets you start mostly from scratch. Some characters return, but no worries, you don't need a summary of Crazy Rich Asians before you get started. (Good for me because I'd forgotten almost all of it.) Nicholas and Rachel are back, as Rachel searches for her long lost father. Astrid is back, still floating through life in a strange inbetween. And there is Kitty Pong, the former soap star now married into a hugely wealthy family who wants to make her mark on the highest levels of the Chinese social circles. There are new heights of wealth and crazy and plenty to enjoy. A great summer beach book for people who love tabloids as well as people who consider themselves too snooty and well-bred for tabloids....more
The thing about Rainbow Rowell books is that you're reading it and it should be a 3-star book. But she always makes it 4. She's just too witty and briThe thing about Rainbow Rowell books is that you're reading it and it should be a 3-star book. But she always makes it 4. She's just too witty and bright. And she almost always manages to push her plots beyond what's comfortable into a place where you really don't know where it will go.
It's comforting, the consistency of that experience.
Also, I can't help but think that she should be writing movies and TV. Her dialogue is always so strong, her characters so interesting, I'd watch pretty much any movie she wrote....more
I trust Heather and Jessica (aka The Fug Girls) to bring me snappy wit, and they definitely delivered. Sure, their snappy dialogue may well be the higI trust Heather and Jessica (aka The Fug Girls) to bring me snappy wit, and they definitely delivered. Sure, their snappy dialogue may well be the highlight of the book, but it brings a bouncy life to a pretty by-the-book romance.
Bex, a sporty and artsy American girl, manages to snag the hunky Prince Nicholas while spending a semester at Oxford. If you expect this book to be all about the insanity that is the life of the royal family in the internet age, you'll only get that for the last portion of the book. Before then there's plenty of ups and downs, and a lot of subplots about Bex's relationship with her parents, her twin sister Lacey, Nick's mischievous younger brother, and her group of friends.
Things are often a bit too tidy, but the book is too sly to be boring. It's a lot longer and has more going on than most books like it. A great escape book....more
The world of this novel is so well done that it was frustrating not to see the novel live up to the premise. Lehrman's almost-normal reality is slightThe world of this novel is so well done that it was frustrating not to see the novel live up to the premise. Lehrman's almost-normal reality is slightly altered from ours by the presence of hekamists, who are basically witches. Hekamists are illegal but still operate in a kind of black market. They can make spells to make you pretty, make someone fall in love with you, and all that. But these spells have side effects.
The characters here are oversimplified, boiled down to a single defining characteristic or two and don't get to feel as fleshed out as you'd like. Markos is the bad boy who's thinking of going good but can't break out of his role. Kay is the sidekick who just wants to be noticed. And Ari is the girl who's always defined herself through dance until she starts dating Win. That these characters are so easy to define is the novel's biggest weakness. Otherwise it has a strong plot and the hekamists are excellent.
It's a quick and easy read, and the comparisons to WE WERE LIARS and ETERNAL SUNSHINE are appropriate. ...more
I think I need to quit Sophie Hannah. She hooks me so hard at the beginning, but the ending just never delivers. This is a particularly egregious examI think I need to quit Sophie Hannah. She hooks me so hard at the beginning, but the ending just never delivers. This is a particularly egregious example. The explanations make sense and all but they're so much less interesting than the original fake explanations that it's hard to embrace the book....more
This book could've been a real trifle, but it gets extra bonus points for heart and super-meta-awareness. If you've ever watched any science fiction sThis book could've been a real trifle, but it gets extra bonus points for heart and super-meta-awareness. If you've ever watched any science fiction show, this is worth a read....more
So technically this is fluff. Technically it's a book that I just fluttered through. But it had a pretty firm grip on my heart and did plenty of squeeSo technically this is fluff. Technically it's a book that I just fluttered through. But it had a pretty firm grip on my heart and did plenty of squeezing and twisting. After 3 books, I now basically feel like Rainbow Rowell is a friend who's set up space in my brain. The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is that I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and I wanted MORE.
It's hard for me to read a book about a tough marriage that was once beautiful. I am out of a marriage that was once beautiful, so I didn't always have the hopeful approach I expect most readers will bring to this book. But as someone who's dating and looking for love, I thought Rowell really captured the feelings of pre-marriage Georgie and how that all went down. I really loved this book....more
It's hard to talk about Mormon fiction because it has an awful lot of translating to do, all the little cultural rituals have to be explained and whetIt's hard to talk about Mormon fiction because it has an awful lot of translating to do, all the little cultural rituals have to be explained and whether you know them or you don't it can interfere with the story. But Harrison has the details right, and probably explains more than she needs to. That's my main beef with the whole book, much telling rather than showing, the protagonist spends so much time ruminating that it gets a little frustrating when you want to move the story along.
All that said, this book surprised me. About halfway through I was thinking it was predictable but then not one plot line ended where I expected it to. With a strong plot, I wish the writing held up a bit better....more
I got this book on my Kindle because I wanted something to read in one sitting. It obliged. It's not as meaty as Lockhart's previous novel, The DisrepI got this book on my Kindle because I wanted something to read in one sitting. It obliged. It's not as meaty as Lockhart's previous novel, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, which I love unabashedly. But I enjoyed it a lot even though I dislike books about rich families on private islands and such.
Lockhart is great at rolling out the plot just so and capturing the essence of teenage-dom. A great beach or plane read....more
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