Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2919)

Content

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Were There Too in Books

Mar 19, 2020

You Were There Too

Colleen Oakley | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Mia and Harrison move to tiny Hope Springs from Philadelphia, each hoping to escape their own problems. Here they have a picture-perfect house and a supposedly matching perfect life. But Mia is struggling with infertility and her husband has his own hidden demons. Plus Mia has a secret: at night, she has recurring dreams about another man. So imagine her surprise when she runs into him--in the flesh--in Hope Springs. Even more surprising? He tells her he dreams of her, too.

This was an odd and intense read--nothing like what I expected, though I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. In fact, it was so serious at times, I had to read it in chunks. It was too much to take in, Mia's miscarriages and her emotions, the dreams and what they could mean. I don't really mean this in a bad way, either. The feelings in this book are just strong and extremely well-done.

I really liked the idea of dreams in the novel and how they are presented. I mean, what would you do if you were suddenly face to face with your fantasy, with someone who had been in your dreams for over a decade? What a particular situation.

"It's only that--at times--he feels so real. And has for the ten or more years that he's been starring in my nighttime reveries."

For me, where this book went off the rails, is when it started to meander. Oliver--Mia's dream guy in real life--and Mia join forces to try to figure out what their dreams mean. Mia laments about the men in her life. And then the book takes a turn and is just so damn sad. I felt betrayed, honestly, by its outcome. While I feel that it was very well-written--the way infertility is portrayed is well-done in a lot of ways--I felt as if I read an entire book for nothing. Why, I wondered, did we go through all that?

So, while I found the book to be quite captivating and emotional, what was going to be a 4-star read fell down to 3. Alas.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Fast & Furious 6 (2013) in Movies

Aug 7, 2019

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are back in “Fast & Furious 6” the latest chapter in the hugely popular “Fast & Furious” series. This time out the renegade crew is enticed from their comfortable and no-extradition lifestyles with the promise of full pardons by Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Hobbs is willing to meet the team’s high demands due to the international threat posed by a team of drivers who are headed by a former military specialist named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).

A rough first encounter and pursuit through London not only proves just how dangerous and skilled Shaw and his crew are, but brings Dominic (Vin Diesel), face to face with Letty (Michelle Rodriquez), who was thought to have been killed years ago. Battling conflicting emotions with finding Letty not only alive but also on the team he’s trying to bring down, Dominic must get the crew into shape to discover where Shaw will strike next. Thankfully Brian( Paul Walker) is able to use his skills from his law enforcement days in order to get a much needed lead despite the peril it costs him to do so. In a race against time, the crew must risk it all to thwart Shaw who is the most skilled and dangerous foe they have encountered to date. What follows is an action-packed, adrenaline-fueled all out romp that is a solid action film.

The movie requires you to take great leaps of logic and faith even for a film of this type and while it does not work as well as the previous two entries, Director Justin Lin knows his audience and delivers what they want. There is plenty of racing and action and the film does use plenty of actual stunts rather than CGI and the Fast & Furious crew throw themselves into the highly physical roles. The cast works well with one another and seem to be having a good time being back with one another, which is a good thing as the jaw-dropping after credits scene promises that the series still has enough gas in the tank to thrill audiences.