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Becs (244 KP) rated Mom's Perfect Boyfriend in Books
Sep 4, 2019
Not what I was expecting but overall decent read
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: fixation on weight and appearance
Review:
Thank you to Galbadia Press for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy of Mom's Perfect Boyfriend for review purposes and my honest opinion.
Mom's Perfect Boyfriend is a fast-paced romantic comedy set in an epistolary format that tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship and the pitfalls of trying to please overly demanding parents. It's told through mostly emails, texts, and journal entries and makes for a perfect summer read! It released on July 16, 2019 and is similar to Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Bridget Jones. Mom's Perfect Boyfriend is also perfect for those who are fans of Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot.
Crystal and her mother, Margot are at the core of this story and it follows their relationship with one another and others. Margot is a bit demanding of her daughter Crystal, calling and texting all the time. She wants to be in the middle of everything in Crystal's life but Crystal wants limits and to live her own life without having an overbearing mother. One day her boyfriend leaves on an adventure by himself and Crystal loses her job, resulting in her having to move back in with her mom.
I ended up giving Mom's Perfect Boyfriend a 3.5 out of 5 star rating because I found it to be a really strange read. It wasn't a bad type of strange, but I also don't think it was generally a style of book I'd normally pick up.
This was supposed to be a book about a cyborg boyfriend and that didn't come into play until almost halfway through the book. Once it did though, nothing really interesting happened. This wasn't a detriment though as I stilled pretty much enjoyed the read. I did enjoy watching Crystal and Margot grow not only closer but also within themselves as well. They both had their own journeys and watching them navigate through their relationship was a fun perspective!
Mom's Perfect Boyfriend was a fun read at times but I also found it a bit boring in other parts. One thing that really urked me was how the characters fixated on their weights and appearances and I know that's a reality that most people go through, but it was a bit too much at times.
When I first read the synopsis of Mom's Perfect Boyfriend I was intrigued and was not expecting how the story actually unfolded. It was fun in parts and the messages were comical at times. The pacing could have used a bit of oomph, but the different formats provided an easy and light read.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: fixation on weight and appearance
Review:
Thank you to Galbadia Press for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy of Mom's Perfect Boyfriend for review purposes and my honest opinion.
Mom's Perfect Boyfriend is a fast-paced romantic comedy set in an epistolary format that tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship and the pitfalls of trying to please overly demanding parents. It's told through mostly emails, texts, and journal entries and makes for a perfect summer read! It released on July 16, 2019 and is similar to Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Bridget Jones. Mom's Perfect Boyfriend is also perfect for those who are fans of Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot.
Crystal and her mother, Margot are at the core of this story and it follows their relationship with one another and others. Margot is a bit demanding of her daughter Crystal, calling and texting all the time. She wants to be in the middle of everything in Crystal's life but Crystal wants limits and to live her own life without having an overbearing mother. One day her boyfriend leaves on an adventure by himself and Crystal loses her job, resulting in her having to move back in with her mom.
I ended up giving Mom's Perfect Boyfriend a 3.5 out of 5 star rating because I found it to be a really strange read. It wasn't a bad type of strange, but I also don't think it was generally a style of book I'd normally pick up.
This was supposed to be a book about a cyborg boyfriend and that didn't come into play until almost halfway through the book. Once it did though, nothing really interesting happened. This wasn't a detriment though as I stilled pretty much enjoyed the read. I did enjoy watching Crystal and Margot grow not only closer but also within themselves as well. They both had their own journeys and watching them navigate through their relationship was a fun perspective!
Mom's Perfect Boyfriend was a fun read at times but I also found it a bit boring in other parts. One thing that really urked me was how the characters fixated on their weights and appearances and I know that's a reality that most people go through, but it was a bit too much at times.
When I first read the synopsis of Mom's Perfect Boyfriend I was intrigued and was not expecting how the story actually unfolded. It was fun in parts and the messages were comical at times. The pacing could have used a bit of oomph, but the different formats provided an easy and light read.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Lost in the Sun (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – John is a crook, he seems to be freshly out of prison needing to payback debts for protection in prison, he offers to take Louis to his grandparents and starts using him to help pay of the debts, showing him the life of crime, it is clear early on that he does have a connection to Louis, we are left to see what that connection is. Louis is the teenager that has been left orphaned when his mother dies, he reluctantly joins John in the cross-country trip where he gets to learn certain things he wouldn’t have before, including how to drive and how to shoot a gun. We do only meet characters along the way, some help and most are the people they are robbing.
Performances – Josh Duhamel is good in the leading role, it is one of his better performances as she shows how conflicted his character is and just how desperate he is to clear his debts, while trying to guide the teenager. Josh Wiggins is great in his role of the film, he gets to show moments of grief and moments of moving on with life as he is the one that needs to learn the biggest life lessons. The rest of the cast are solid without needing to do that much.
Story – The story here comes down to one man trying to make up for his own mistakes in life by helping a young teenage boy across country to live with his grandparents only along the way we see him teach him life lessons which could one day prepare him for the real-world. This gives us a chance to see a redemption story while also giving us a coming-of-age chapter in Louis’s life, this isn’t going to break any ground in the genre and does everything it needs to do for the characters. We do get moments of questioning moments of what Louis is forced to do and for the most we don’t get enough time to look at the crimes that have left John where he is in life.
Action – The action in the film is simple, we get a couple of weak chases and robberies, they are easy to watch and barely break into a sweat.
Settings – The film takes us across America, we don’t hit any landmarks which just shows us small town after small town or open roads.
Scene of the Movie – The final moment.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Boys don’t just want to drive cars and shoot guns.
Final Thoughts – This is a simple coming of age film, it checks the boxes well without doing anything we haven’t seen before.
Overall: Coming-of-age 101
Performances – Josh Duhamel is good in the leading role, it is one of his better performances as she shows how conflicted his character is and just how desperate he is to clear his debts, while trying to guide the teenager. Josh Wiggins is great in his role of the film, he gets to show moments of grief and moments of moving on with life as he is the one that needs to learn the biggest life lessons. The rest of the cast are solid without needing to do that much.
Story – The story here comes down to one man trying to make up for his own mistakes in life by helping a young teenage boy across country to live with his grandparents only along the way we see him teach him life lessons which could one day prepare him for the real-world. This gives us a chance to see a redemption story while also giving us a coming-of-age chapter in Louis’s life, this isn’t going to break any ground in the genre and does everything it needs to do for the characters. We do get moments of questioning moments of what Louis is forced to do and for the most we don’t get enough time to look at the crimes that have left John where he is in life.
Action – The action in the film is simple, we get a couple of weak chases and robberies, they are easy to watch and barely break into a sweat.
Settings – The film takes us across America, we don’t hit any landmarks which just shows us small town after small town or open roads.
Scene of the Movie – The final moment.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Boys don’t just want to drive cars and shoot guns.
Final Thoughts – This is a simple coming of age film, it checks the boxes well without doing anything we haven’t seen before.
Overall: Coming-of-age 101
Lee (2222 KP) rated Angel Has Fallen (2019) in Movies
Aug 23, 2019
Gerard Butler returns once again as secret service agent Mike Banning in this third entry in the 'fallen' series. The first movie, Olympus Has Fallen (not to be confused with White House Down, the Channing Tatum movie which was also released in 2013 and also covered a similar plot!) saw Banning trapped in the White House during a terrorist attack. It had an enjoyable Die Hard feel to it, and a sequel was inevitable. London Has Fallen (2016) saw Banning venture to London for the funeral of the Prime Minister and becoming involved in a terrorist plot to assassinate the world leaders who were in attendance. Not quite as good as Olympus, losing that enclosed claustrophobic setting from the first movie, but it was still a fun piece of action.
Which brings us to Angel Has Fallen. That angel being Mike Banning, guardian angel to President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) who has now been promoted from vice president in the last movie. Mike is starting to feel the strain of old age and his years of being a hero and one man army - insomnia, a reliance on pills, migraines. His secret service colleagues, even the president, are noticing his health issues and his doctor plainly tells him "You're a disaster waiting to happen"!
This time round, the terrorist attack comes in the form of a swarm of drones, which appear in the skies over the lake where the president is fishing on a boat. Taking out the secret service team on protection duty, both the president and Banning are forced into the water in order to try and avoid being blown to pieces. But, instead of being hailed a hero once again, Banning is now accused of masterminding and orchestrating the attack and it becomes clear that he is being setup, forcing him to go on the run in order to try and clear his name.
Once again, it's all ridiculous crowd pleasing stuff. Some elements make absolutely no sense whatsoever, and it's not exactly difficult to work out who the bad guys are right from the offset - hell, the trailer even gives one of them away! The action for the most part is fairly enjoyable, although it does suffer from the occasional bit of dodgy CGI and there are moments of dark close-up action - quickly edited, shaky camera work, which make it frustratingly difficult to work out what on earth is going on at times.
As with London Has Fallen, we lose that claustrophobic and confined Die Hard action once again, giving us something more alike to The Fugitive and a poor mans John Wick 3. But overall, it's still an enjoyable ride, with a fun cameo from Nick Nolte as Mike's long lost father and a third act which actually delivers.
Which brings us to Angel Has Fallen. That angel being Mike Banning, guardian angel to President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) who has now been promoted from vice president in the last movie. Mike is starting to feel the strain of old age and his years of being a hero and one man army - insomnia, a reliance on pills, migraines. His secret service colleagues, even the president, are noticing his health issues and his doctor plainly tells him "You're a disaster waiting to happen"!
This time round, the terrorist attack comes in the form of a swarm of drones, which appear in the skies over the lake where the president is fishing on a boat. Taking out the secret service team on protection duty, both the president and Banning are forced into the water in order to try and avoid being blown to pieces. But, instead of being hailed a hero once again, Banning is now accused of masterminding and orchestrating the attack and it becomes clear that he is being setup, forcing him to go on the run in order to try and clear his name.
Once again, it's all ridiculous crowd pleasing stuff. Some elements make absolutely no sense whatsoever, and it's not exactly difficult to work out who the bad guys are right from the offset - hell, the trailer even gives one of them away! The action for the most part is fairly enjoyable, although it does suffer from the occasional bit of dodgy CGI and there are moments of dark close-up action - quickly edited, shaky camera work, which make it frustratingly difficult to work out what on earth is going on at times.
As with London Has Fallen, we lose that claustrophobic and confined Die Hard action once again, giving us something more alike to The Fugitive and a poor mans John Wick 3. But overall, it's still an enjoyable ride, with a fun cameo from Nick Nolte as Mike's long lost father and a third act which actually delivers.
Becs (244 KP) rated Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) in Books
Aug 23, 2019
Captivating story that leaves you enthralled
You can also find this review along with others on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence, manipulation, death, blood, absent of parent(s), emotional abuse, anger issues, anxiety – panic attacks, talk of hallucinations
Review:
Firstly, I did not realize that Shadow and Bone was set in Russia or should I say – based on Russia and spun into a fantasy filled folklore novel. It starts off strong in the prologue and holds that captivating appeal throughout. I was enthralled with the whole basis of the story.
The one thing that knocked half of a star off of this review is the extremely overused trope of “the main character is ordinary and then finds out that they are extraordinary.” In Leigh Bardugo’s doing, this trope works perfectly well with the plot line of this story. But it made me really dislike the main character, Alina, quite a lot. Behind that awful trope, lies a girl who is not only strong, but shows intelligence and loyalty. Alina was also extremely relatable through her sarcastic perceptiveness but there was something else about her that I couldn’t put my finger on and found rather annoying.
The Darkling on the other hand was this morally gray character that fascinated me. For example: how he is willing to be ruthless just to pursue his goal of freeing Ravka from the Shadow Fold. His sarcasm that outwits Alina’s. His good looks and charms. I love to hate him! Plus that one scene had me heated from head to toe. If only The Darkling were real…
Overall, all of the characters were multidimensional and extremely interesting! The pacing of Shadow and Bone was done excruciating well and I was absorbed in this fantastical world of magic and war, love and mystery. Finding out more of who the Grisha truly were, kept me turning page after page. The chemistry between characters was even amazing! There was a bit of a love triangle style of trope, yet it wasn’t quite that exactly. All in all, Leigh did an excellent job with giving Alina more than one love interest but showing how vastly different feelings she feels for each.
The plot was extremely engaging and continued on, even after the climax. It enthralled the reader, calling them with a whisper that is interwoven with a dark energy, seeking to break your heart. I did not notice any spelling and/ or grammatical errors that took away from the story. I do however want to know more of not only Alina’s and Ravkas fate, but The Darklings as well.
Leigh Bardugo, why do you do cruel things to me…
“What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: violence, manipulation, death, blood, absent of parent(s), emotional abuse, anger issues, anxiety – panic attacks, talk of hallucinations
Review:
Firstly, I did not realize that Shadow and Bone was set in Russia or should I say – based on Russia and spun into a fantasy filled folklore novel. It starts off strong in the prologue and holds that captivating appeal throughout. I was enthralled with the whole basis of the story.
The one thing that knocked half of a star off of this review is the extremely overused trope of “the main character is ordinary and then finds out that they are extraordinary.” In Leigh Bardugo’s doing, this trope works perfectly well with the plot line of this story. But it made me really dislike the main character, Alina, quite a lot. Behind that awful trope, lies a girl who is not only strong, but shows intelligence and loyalty. Alina was also extremely relatable through her sarcastic perceptiveness but there was something else about her that I couldn’t put my finger on and found rather annoying.
The Darkling on the other hand was this morally gray character that fascinated me. For example: how he is willing to be ruthless just to pursue his goal of freeing Ravka from the Shadow Fold. His sarcasm that outwits Alina’s. His good looks and charms. I love to hate him! Plus that one scene had me heated from head to toe. If only The Darkling were real…
Overall, all of the characters were multidimensional and extremely interesting! The pacing of Shadow and Bone was done excruciating well and I was absorbed in this fantastical world of magic and war, love and mystery. Finding out more of who the Grisha truly were, kept me turning page after page. The chemistry between characters was even amazing! There was a bit of a love triangle style of trope, yet it wasn’t quite that exactly. All in all, Leigh did an excellent job with giving Alina more than one love interest but showing how vastly different feelings she feels for each.
The plot was extremely engaging and continued on, even after the climax. It enthralled the reader, calling them with a whisper that is interwoven with a dark energy, seeking to break your heart. I did not notice any spelling and/ or grammatical errors that took away from the story. I do however want to know more of not only Alina’s and Ravkas fate, but The Darklings as well.
Leigh Bardugo, why do you do cruel things to me…
“What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.”
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