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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Too Good To Be Real: A Novel in Books
Jul 22, 2021
A very meta romantic comedy
Julia is a writer desperate to save her job. She's tired of posting nothing but quizzes and lists. So she pitches an article to her boss in an attempt to save her job: a new resort that's letting its guests live out their romantic comedy dreams via role playing. Julia doesn't believe in love, of course, but she'll play along if it means keeping her job. But when she and her two best friends show up, she meets a handsome man by the lake via the quintessential meet-cute: a humorous seagull incident. She thinks Luke is taking part in the rom-com experience, but he's actually one of the event planners, along with his best friend and sister. Luke decides to take part in the experience in order to impress a reviewer arriving. Sparks fly between the two, but can their love be real when no one is being honest about who they are?
"I'm as likely to find the wardrobe to Narnia as I am to find my own Mark Darcy. Life isn't like a romantic comedy."
This was a perfectly cute romantic comedy and it's important to remember that 3-stars is in no way a negative rating. Did this book wow me or sweep me off my feet? No. But it had its funny moments.
The concept is an interesting and original one: a rom-com resort, where guests are assigned a character, a role to play, select activities, and then the games begin. The characters get funny names associated with famous romantic comedies (think Sally, a la Harry Met Sally) and there are a ton of references to all sorts of rom-com favorites. If you're a romantic comedy fan, you'll love all the little inside jokes.
"For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing. Make the fantasy real."
I liked Julia's character and enjoyed Luke, although I must admit the guy was a bit of a clueless idiot. The seagulls were easily the best characters in the book and some of their scenes made me laugh out loud. I'm never a fan of "lying by omission" plots, so it was a little hard to stomach that the story that was based off of falsehoods. Julia and Luke did have chemistry but also suffered a bit from instalove--maybe it was the seagulls?
Overall, this is a fun, fairly quick read, peppered with rom-com references. It's definitely silly and a bit cheesy, but sweet too. 3 stars.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"I'm as likely to find the wardrobe to Narnia as I am to find my own Mark Darcy. Life isn't like a romantic comedy."
This was a perfectly cute romantic comedy and it's important to remember that 3-stars is in no way a negative rating. Did this book wow me or sweep me off my feet? No. But it had its funny moments.
The concept is an interesting and original one: a rom-com resort, where guests are assigned a character, a role to play, select activities, and then the games begin. The characters get funny names associated with famous romantic comedies (think Sally, a la Harry Met Sally) and there are a ton of references to all sorts of rom-com favorites. If you're a romantic comedy fan, you'll love all the little inside jokes.
"For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing. Make the fantasy real."
I liked Julia's character and enjoyed Luke, although I must admit the guy was a bit of a clueless idiot. The seagulls were easily the best characters in the book and some of their scenes made me laugh out loud. I'm never a fan of "lying by omission" plots, so it was a little hard to stomach that the story that was based off of falsehoods. Julia and Luke did have chemistry but also suffered a bit from instalove--maybe it was the seagulls?
Overall, this is a fun, fairly quick read, peppered with rom-com references. It's definitely silly and a bit cheesy, but sweet too. 3 stars.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Only Child in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Our protagonist in this book is a seven-year-old Zach, during shooting in his school, his older brother Andy got killed. This book is a story of how Zach and his parents deal with Andy’s loss. The variety of characters is pretty limited in this book, it sticks to Zach’s close family. I really liked Zach and his father Jim in this book. I think Zach is a very smart, kind and very cute boy. I liked his dad because he was the only one, who was paying attention to Zach after the tragedy. Father was trying to talk to Zach and make him open up about what he, as a child, is going through. I absolutely despised Zach’s mother. I think she is a self-centred cow, who cared only about what she feels and ignored her family for her own sake. I am not a parent, but I know one thing, I would put my child first.
As it says in the blurb, the narrative is told by Zach, and all the events are from his perspective. This book is like a seven-year-old’s diary. Zach talks a lot about what he sees around him, how he feels and how he deals with various situations. The narrative is very detailed, and even though there are some interesting nuances, there is not much happening in this book. I hoped that something groundbreaking will happen to pace up the book, but it kind of plodded along, making me pretty bored. There are some interesting topics discussed in this book, related to family and it’s issues, and the grown-ups have an insight into a child’s point of view. Which is quite interesting, and I am curious, how the author got all this information, and how she came up with this kind of writing style.
The writing style was very cute, simplified and easy to read. The setting of the book doesn’t change much and is concentrated around the family’s house. I liked that the chapters are pretty short, I didn’t want to DNF this book, so the short chapters helped to finish it. The ending rounded up the story nicely and left me satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, even though it started really promising, this book wasn’t for me. It has well-developed characters, and I see where it can be heartbreaking for some people, but for me, it was too detailed and kind of draggy. If you like family drama, books about loss, and curious to find out how a child sees and deals with loss, give this book a try, and I hope you will enjoy it.
As it says in the blurb, the narrative is told by Zach, and all the events are from his perspective. This book is like a seven-year-old’s diary. Zach talks a lot about what he sees around him, how he feels and how he deals with various situations. The narrative is very detailed, and even though there are some interesting nuances, there is not much happening in this book. I hoped that something groundbreaking will happen to pace up the book, but it kind of plodded along, making me pretty bored. There are some interesting topics discussed in this book, related to family and it’s issues, and the grown-ups have an insight into a child’s point of view. Which is quite interesting, and I am curious, how the author got all this information, and how she came up with this kind of writing style.
The writing style was very cute, simplified and easy to read. The setting of the book doesn’t change much and is concentrated around the family’s house. I liked that the chapters are pretty short, I didn’t want to DNF this book, so the short chapters helped to finish it. The ending rounded up the story nicely and left me satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, even though it started really promising, this book wasn’t for me. It has well-developed characters, and I see where it can be heartbreaking for some people, but for me, it was too detailed and kind of draggy. If you like family drama, books about loss, and curious to find out how a child sees and deals with loss, give this book a try, and I hope you will enjoy it.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated One Small Thing (One Thing, #1) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
So Rue finds out he's going to be a dad after a one night drunken thing with a girl and he wants the baby. On sight he falls in love with baby Alice.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif"/></a>
And she's treated like a Princess by her daddy and Uncle Dusty. It's so cute!
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif"/></a>
There's only one problem. Rue needs to go back to school so he can have his dream job as hairdresser. After scouring day-cares and finding them lacking he posts an ad in his building looking for a baby-sitter.
In comes Erik, his neighbour. Erik is fairly shy, he doesn't like change and large crowds but after meeting Rue and his baby daughter he's drawn to them and offers his services.
It was such cute reading for the first 40% or so when they're interacting with Alice, the awkwardness but the love she receives from her daddy, uncle and Erik.
I don't want to go into too much detail in case it spoils it for you but over time feelings change and a sweet romance blossoms between the two main characters.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif"/></a>
Alice grows up some.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif"/></a>
As usual in books there was some conflict that our characters had to deal with and for that. I had many of these moments
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif"/></a>
And then of course:
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif"/></a>
But all ends up good, so I'm one very happy person right now.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif"/></a>
I'm interested in reading Dusty's story too, off to hunt it out on Scribd :D
So Rue finds out he's going to be a dad after a one night drunken thing with a girl and he wants the baby. On sight he falls in love with baby Alice.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_m8r241MBHz1rdt98to1_5001.gif"/></a>
And she's treated like a Princess by her daddy and Uncle Dusty. It's so cute!
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_lxdoqoPwAA1qm6oc3o1_5001.gif"/></a>
There's only one problem. Rue needs to go back to school so he can have his dream job as hairdresser. After scouring day-cares and finding them lacking he posts an ad in his building looking for a baby-sitter.
In comes Erik, his neighbour. Erik is fairly shy, he doesn't like change and large crowds but after meeting Rue and his baby daughter he's drawn to them and offers his services.
It was such cute reading for the first 40% or so when they're interacting with Alice, the awkwardness but the love she receives from her daddy, uncle and Erik.
I don't want to go into too much detail in case it spoils it for you but over time feelings change and a sweet romance blossoms between the two main characters.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n56mn6JBsi1skkueko1_5001.gif"/></a>
Alice grows up some.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_m9b8cdhOtg1ryfwpio1_5001.gif"/></a>
As usual in books there was some conflict that our characters had to deal with and for that. I had many of these moments
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n3lyd3cmvm1r4vgdao1_5001.gif"/></a>
And then of course:
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_n3204qyaHC1t1prrio1_5001.gif"/></a>
But all ends up good, so I'm one very happy person right now.
<a href="http://s216.photobucket.com/user/leannecrab/media/tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/leannecrab/tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif"; border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_mls5tuR5HK1qhuxpco1_5001.gif"/></a>
I'm interested in reading Dusty's story too, off to hunt it out on Scribd :D
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RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated The Sunbearer Trials in Books
Sep 8, 2022
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is a five out of five stars. I loved it and it was hard to put down once the Trials started. The Golds who take part in the Trials are Ocelo, Marino, Twins: Auristela, Aurelio, Atzi, Xochi, Dezi and Niya. The Jades who takes part are Xio and our main character Teo Son of Quetzal. The Sunbearer Trials are trials that take place to decide who will be this decade's Sunbearer and who will be the one sacrificed in order to fuel the Sol Stone for the next ten years to keep the people safe from the Obsidians. The Obsidian God's were locked away when Sol sacrificed themselves to protect their people. If a sacrifice doesn't take place every ten years to refuel the stone they will be set free. The eight golds and two jades must compete in five Trials to see who Sol deems worthy enough of being Sunbearer and the one who is sacrificed to protect all others.
This boom had a lot of action which I loved and made it very interesting. I love books that are action packed. Some Trials were more interesting than the others. My favorite was probably the trial where Aurelio and Teo teamed up and won it. They were friends when little so it must have been nice being able to work together again. I also loved the animal one the animal that Teo collected was so cute. The trial they had to collect all the stones seems fun as well. The last one was pretty scary though especially Auristela's outburst at the end of it. By the end of the book I was crying. Teo, Nina and Xio were friends throughout the Trials but I always had a bad feeling about Xio. Something about him just seemed off. So I was surprised but not surprised by their betrayal at the end.
My least favorite character of the ten competitors was probably Ocelo. He just gives off bad vibes. It was Auristela at first to but I came to realize deep down she was just trying to protect her twin brother Aurelio and help him to become Sunbearer. She wanted this for him so their mom would deem him worthy and stop treating him so badly.
Outside the Trials my favorite scene was probably when Aurelio and Teo sneaked off the boat to get the candy to cheer up Niya. I loved when Aurelio touched Teo's wings it was cute. If you love books with God's, Goddesses, and their children I definitely recommend reading this. Also, I love the cover it fits the story perfectly.
This boom had a lot of action which I loved and made it very interesting. I love books that are action packed. Some Trials were more interesting than the others. My favorite was probably the trial where Aurelio and Teo teamed up and won it. They were friends when little so it must have been nice being able to work together again. I also loved the animal one the animal that Teo collected was so cute. The trial they had to collect all the stones seems fun as well. The last one was pretty scary though especially Auristela's outburst at the end of it. By the end of the book I was crying. Teo, Nina and Xio were friends throughout the Trials but I always had a bad feeling about Xio. Something about him just seemed off. So I was surprised but not surprised by their betrayal at the end.
My least favorite character of the ten competitors was probably Ocelo. He just gives off bad vibes. It was Auristela at first to but I came to realize deep down she was just trying to protect her twin brother Aurelio and help him to become Sunbearer. She wanted this for him so their mom would deem him worthy and stop treating him so badly.
Outside the Trials my favorite scene was probably when Aurelio and Teo sneaked off the boat to get the candy to cheer up Niya. I loved when Aurelio touched Teo's wings it was cute. If you love books with God's, Goddesses, and their children I definitely recommend reading this. Also, I love the cover it fits the story perfectly.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
How To Flirt with a Naked Werewolf was a cute fun quick read. I was sucked into the story right away by the fun witty voice of the interior monologue, relaxed writing style, and likeable characters (oh ok and drool-worthy male protagonist). I don't often find such a fun writing style or voice from romance novels, but Molly Harper has surprised me. She used creative descriptions, character, and personality in her writing.
(minor spoiler alert, this paragraph only!) The plot itself was a little "twilight-esque" with the whole "we can't be together so I'm going to leave and be emo" thing, the "I'm too dangerous for you" thing, and the constant nausea and realizing she's pregnant thing. But I liked Mo a lot better than Bella (who, can I just say, deserved an emo masochist) so I'm not too bothered by it. Plus, these 370 pages had just as much plot—and maybe more—than the entire twilight saga combined. Then again that's not hard to do.
I really enjoyed this book and would pick up the next ones in the series if I had money and a job. Alas, I have $0.70 in my checking account and no income. I'll have to pick it up over the summer when I get my job back…
Content: some sex, mild language. Ages 18+
(minor spoiler alert, this paragraph only!) The plot itself was a little "twilight-esque" with the whole "we can't be together so I'm going to leave and be emo" thing, the "I'm too dangerous for you" thing, and the constant nausea and realizing she's pregnant thing. But I liked Mo a lot better than Bella (who, can I just say, deserved an emo masochist) so I'm not too bothered by it. Plus, these 370 pages had just as much plot—and maybe more—than the entire twilight saga combined. Then again that's not hard to do.
I really enjoyed this book and would pick up the next ones in the series if I had money and a job. Alas, I have $0.70 in my checking account and no income. I'll have to pick it up over the summer when I get my job back…
Content: some sex, mild language. Ages 18+
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Bailey's Day in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Bailey's Day by Robert Haggerty, illustrated by Bobbi Switzer
Genre: Kids
Rating: 1
I loved reading Bailey's Day, it was really cute and funny, had fun illustrations, and fun animals. I loved Bailey's character. She was a perky little dog who spent all day running around the neighborhood with her friends and having a good ol' time… until the end.
At the end of the story… Bailey get's scolded for going out and running around the neighborhood all day. I expected her to be sad and say "yes master" to her owner, and then realize that having fun wasn't worth it if she disobeyed her "daddy," or maybe that obedience was more important… or something... she didn't. She laid down on her bed, perfectly at ease, and knew her "daddy" (owner) was a "softie" and that he'd get over it, and that she'd have fun tomorrow too. My jaw dropped as I read that last page.
This totally ruined an adorable story. Kids fiction should have good examples to follow, and bad examples to learn from with the lesson clearly stated, but this one makes it look like disobedience and disregard and disrespect are perfectly ok if you can get away with it. I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend it to anyone for this reason.
Genre: Kids
Rating: 1
I loved reading Bailey's Day, it was really cute and funny, had fun illustrations, and fun animals. I loved Bailey's character. She was a perky little dog who spent all day running around the neighborhood with her friends and having a good ol' time… until the end.
At the end of the story… Bailey get's scolded for going out and running around the neighborhood all day. I expected her to be sad and say "yes master" to her owner, and then realize that having fun wasn't worth it if she disobeyed her "daddy," or maybe that obedience was more important… or something... she didn't. She laid down on her bed, perfectly at ease, and knew her "daddy" (owner) was a "softie" and that he'd get over it, and that she'd have fun tomorrow too. My jaw dropped as I read that last page.
This totally ruined an adorable story. Kids fiction should have good examples to follow, and bad examples to learn from with the lesson clearly stated, but this one makes it look like disobedience and disregard and disrespect are perfectly ok if you can get away with it. I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend it to anyone for this reason.