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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Heard It in a Love Song in Books
Oct 28, 2021
Layla is recently divorced after a ten-year marriage to a man who never truly appreciated her and subjected her to constant financial and emotional stress. Once a lead singer in a rock band, Layla is now an elementary music teacher struggling to find her place in the world. One thing that brightens her day is her interactions with Josh, the father of one of her students. A single father, Josh was married to his high school sweetheart, Kimmy, for nearly twenty years. He too is trying to find his way now that he's single. Both wary about getting back into the dating grind, Layla and Josh decide to be "friends with potential." But with all their baggage, are they destined for heartbreak?
"And she wasn't lonely, not really. Layla had been lonely for years while she was married, and she'd take being alone over lonely any day."
I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't the sweeping romance I was hoping for. This one redefined slow burner, as Josh and Layla sloowly made their way toward one another. Most of this is the format--told from both Layla and Josh's point of view, each chapter breaks off to delve into how that particular's character's marriage fell apart. So we may get a few moments of them in the present and then--boom--it quickly flashes back to Josh and Kimmy in high school or Layla and her ex-husband, Liam, meeting when Layla is singing in her band. Each piece is just a snippet, slowly parsed out per chapter and building up to the end of the marriage, so both the past and the present is a build-up. I admire the style, but wow... everything takes time. A lot of time! It made the story feel quite plodding at times.
And, I just couldn't quite find the spark between Layla and Josh. Individually, they were great people, and I liked and rooted for their characters to move on from their past relationships. Together, I just didn't feel that they had "it"--that special something that really makes you want a particular couple to succeed. I certainly desired for each to find themselves again, but I didn't necessarily need it to be with one another. I did, however, have great fondness for Norton, the older dog Josh adopts, and whom Layla often dog-sits. So there you go.
This isn't a bad book, and I know lots of people who enjoyed it. It received a 3-star rating from me, which is *not* a poor rating. It just wasn't what I was hoping for, and I had wanted more passion. But if you enjoy a character-driven read, especially one that really delves into the characters' pasts, you'll find a lot to love here. (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
"And she wasn't lonely, not really. Layla had been lonely for years while she was married, and she'd take being alone over lonely any day."
I didn't dislike this book, but it wasn't the sweeping romance I was hoping for. This one redefined slow burner, as Josh and Layla sloowly made their way toward one another. Most of this is the format--told from both Layla and Josh's point of view, each chapter breaks off to delve into how that particular's character's marriage fell apart. So we may get a few moments of them in the present and then--boom--it quickly flashes back to Josh and Kimmy in high school or Layla and her ex-husband, Liam, meeting when Layla is singing in her band. Each piece is just a snippet, slowly parsed out per chapter and building up to the end of the marriage, so both the past and the present is a build-up. I admire the style, but wow... everything takes time. A lot of time! It made the story feel quite plodding at times.
And, I just couldn't quite find the spark between Layla and Josh. Individually, they were great people, and I liked and rooted for their characters to move on from their past relationships. Together, I just didn't feel that they had "it"--that special something that really makes you want a particular couple to succeed. I certainly desired for each to find themselves again, but I didn't necessarily need it to be with one another. I did, however, have great fondness for Norton, the older dog Josh adopts, and whom Layla often dog-sits. So there you go.
This isn't a bad book, and I know lots of people who enjoyed it. It received a 3-star rating from me, which is *not* a poor rating. It just wasn't what I was hoping for, and I had wanted more passion. But if you enjoy a character-driven read, especially one that really delves into the characters' pasts, you'll find a lot to love here. (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Perfect on Paper in Books
Mar 11, 2021
A cute teen love story
Darcy Phillips is excellent at doling out relationship advice. So good, in fact, that she secretly runs locker 89 at her high school where her fellow classmates drop off letters asking for help and Darcy answers them (for a $10 fee). But her secret identity is challenged when Alexander Brougham catches her at the locker after school. So Darcy reluctantly agrees to help him get back together with his ex-girlfriend, Winona. At a hourly cost, because Alexander is loaded and Darcy's a rare scholarship student. And after all, if everyone finds out she runs locker 89, not only will her secret be out, her best friend/crush, Brooke, will realize she's done some questionable meddling in Brooke's life via the locker. All she needs to do is help a rich, entitled guy win his former girlfriend back? How hard can it be?
"Why was it so much harder to answer my own relationship questions than everyone else's?"
This is a really cute and fun read. It totally stressed me out in places. I'm not good with lying, and here we have Darcy not only fibbing about "being" locker 89, but then she's using the locker to meddle with her friends' relationships? Ahh! Cue my blood pressure going up.
But I couldn't help but feel fondly for this girl who so meticulously researched her letters, who so desperately wanted to help others, but was afraid to take risks in her own world. She's starry-eyed in love with Brooke, but too scared to say anything. Who hasn't been there?
Gonzales gives us a huge handful of diverse representation--such an excellent set of queer characters. Darcy is part of the Queer and Questioning Club at her school. There's an episode at the club covering bi-phobia that made me cheer out loud and honestly is worth the read alone. I love the trend of all these YA books with such strong, positive queer messages. I could have used this as a teen, for sure. Now if we could normalize bisexuality in literary and contemporary fiction!
There's some melodrama in this one and Darcy's self-centeredness and angst got to me, at times--perhaps this book could have been just a bit shorter. But, it was probably a fair representation of the turmoil teens experience.
Overall, this is an easy read covering both serious and fun (romance! Disneyland!) topics. It offers an excellent cast, lots of cute moments, and some strong insight into bisexuality and other LGBTQIA issues facing teens today.
I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"Why was it so much harder to answer my own relationship questions than everyone else's?"
This is a really cute and fun read. It totally stressed me out in places. I'm not good with lying, and here we have Darcy not only fibbing about "being" locker 89, but then she's using the locker to meddle with her friends' relationships? Ahh! Cue my blood pressure going up.
But I couldn't help but feel fondly for this girl who so meticulously researched her letters, who so desperately wanted to help others, but was afraid to take risks in her own world. She's starry-eyed in love with Brooke, but too scared to say anything. Who hasn't been there?
Gonzales gives us a huge handful of diverse representation--such an excellent set of queer characters. Darcy is part of the Queer and Questioning Club at her school. There's an episode at the club covering bi-phobia that made me cheer out loud and honestly is worth the read alone. I love the trend of all these YA books with such strong, positive queer messages. I could have used this as a teen, for sure. Now if we could normalize bisexuality in literary and contemporary fiction!
There's some melodrama in this one and Darcy's self-centeredness and angst got to me, at times--perhaps this book could have been just a bit shorter. But, it was probably a fair representation of the turmoil teens experience.
Overall, this is an easy read covering both serious and fun (romance! Disneyland!) topics. It offers an excellent cast, lots of cute moments, and some strong insight into bisexuality and other LGBTQIA issues facing teens today.
I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Facebook in Apps
Dec 29, 2017
Wasting too much time (1 more)
Can never seem to decide on exactly what it wants to be
Where everyone who never liked you in high school can be your friend.
For the most part I really only use Facebook for two things
1. To waste time honestly you don't realize how much down time you have until you don't have your phone with you to scroll through Facebook.
2. Probably not the safest thing but I really want to use it so I can make it counts places without having to actually fill out the new user information.
I can honestly say I've met a lot of really cool people using Facebook even some that I've met in person it is a really good platform to get to know people see their day-to-day life without actually having to communicate face-to-face I guess I'm not the most social person Facebook as a pretty good buffer for me having to actually interact with people but still getting to know new people.
I really just wish Facebook would decide what it wants to be instead of constantly updating itself to either beat Instagram or SnapChat just be its own thing stop changing crap around so often and figure out all its bugs just be Facebook don't be anything else.
1. To waste time honestly you don't realize how much down time you have until you don't have your phone with you to scroll through Facebook.
2. Probably not the safest thing but I really want to use it so I can make it counts places without having to actually fill out the new user information.
I can honestly say I've met a lot of really cool people using Facebook even some that I've met in person it is a really good platform to get to know people see their day-to-day life without actually having to communicate face-to-face I guess I'm not the most social person Facebook as a pretty good buffer for me having to actually interact with people but still getting to know new people.
I really just wish Facebook would decide what it wants to be instead of constantly updating itself to either beat Instagram or SnapChat just be its own thing stop changing crap around so often and figure out all its bugs just be Facebook don't be anything else.
Stoneysilence (30 KP) rated Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Written for Teens
I guess I was expecting too much when I bought this book and decided to read it. It cover twelve famous people from the wild west, but at less than 300 pages that puts each famous person at only getting about 20 pages each and that is included probably 4-6 photos or drawings for each character probably taking up 2-3 pages of the alloted 20.
So in essence what I had hoped would have been a well done more in depth detail of these famous people turned out to be college level essays on each one. It’s well written, there is no doubt about that. It’s just something I would expect from a Freshman college level course or a High School Senior. Maybe that is because this books is targeted at a very casual audience. In fact if I was a teacher in HS or MS I probably would assign this as reading.
But if you know much at all about the wild west or where hoping for a more in depth book, then look elsewhere and get this for you kid or grand kid instead.
Normally I would have rated it 4/5 but it has DRM so it gets a 3/5 instead, especially at the outrageous price it is selling for.
So in essence what I had hoped would have been a well done more in depth detail of these famous people turned out to be college level essays on each one. It’s well written, there is no doubt about that. It’s just something I would expect from a Freshman college level course or a High School Senior. Maybe that is because this books is targeted at a very casual audience. In fact if I was a teacher in HS or MS I probably would assign this as reading.
But if you know much at all about the wild west or where hoping for a more in depth book, then look elsewhere and get this for you kid or grand kid instead.
Normally I would have rated it 4/5 but it has DRM so it gets a 3/5 instead, especially at the outrageous price it is selling for.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Better Than I Know Myself in Books
May 10, 2018
Did you ever have a friend who was more like family? For Regina Foster, Jewel Prescott, and Carmen Webb this is exactly true. Better Than I Know Myself starts in the late 70's when the girls are seniors in high school and making the decision on where to go to college. Three different girls from three very different backgrounds. Jewel, a former child star. Regina, the daughter of two college educated parents and little sister to older brothers who had all attended and graduated from college. And Carmen whose parents had left her at a young age.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Tryin' To Sleep In the Bed You Made in Books
May 10, 2018
Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made is a story of three friends. It traverses their lives from childhood to adults. And we get to see all the fun, joy, and pain that goes along with it.
Pat, Gail, Marcus, and Freddie are inseparable. They are classmates and best friends. One day when Freddie finds a gun and decides to share it with the rest of the group, the most tragic thing happens. This changes the lives of the other three forever. Pat is taken from her mother and temporarily put into foster care until Gail and her family take her in. Marcus, who was Freddie's brother feels he has to fulfill Freddie's life dreams instead of pursuing his own.
As they graduate high school and spread their wings to find new things, they are torn in different directions and their friendship is never the same.
I love reading books about friendship. Friendship lost and found. It makes me feel good on the inside and that is exactly how this book made me feel. It made me laugh and it made me cry, but overall, it made me want to call all of my friends and rekindle what we once had.
The DeBerry/Grant team are great writers. This is the second book I have read by them and I can't wait to read the next.
Pat, Gail, Marcus, and Freddie are inseparable. They are classmates and best friends. One day when Freddie finds a gun and decides to share it with the rest of the group, the most tragic thing happens. This changes the lives of the other three forever. Pat is taken from her mother and temporarily put into foster care until Gail and her family take her in. Marcus, who was Freddie's brother feels he has to fulfill Freddie's life dreams instead of pursuing his own.
As they graduate high school and spread their wings to find new things, they are torn in different directions and their friendship is never the same.
I love reading books about friendship. Friendship lost and found. It makes me feel good on the inside and that is exactly how this book made me feel. It made me laugh and it made me cry, but overall, it made me want to call all of my friends and rekindle what we once had.
The DeBerry/Grant team are great writers. This is the second book I have read by them and I can't wait to read the next.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated School Lies in Books
Feb 28, 2019
When I read the description of School Lies by Kimberly G. Giarratano on Goodreads I could not wait to start it. “Guilt, lies, and betrayal–all before first period.” What a great tagline.
Unfortunately I thought the book was just OK, 2 stars using Goodreads’ rating system. There seemed to be a lot left out of the story. It felt as if it was only allowed to be a certain length and much of the story needed to be deleted to fit the length or if this was a second book in a series where I had not read the first book.
I could not relate with the characters and the story felt as if there were gaps in it. I would have stopped reading except the writing was adequate and I did not hate the book. Also, the page was less than 300 pages so I was well into the story and did not have much left before I thought of stopping. The book has a high rating on Goodreads, 4.0, and I would be willing to give Kimberly G. Giarratano a 2nd read but I would not put her at the top of my “authors to try again” list.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/24/19.
Unfortunately I thought the book was just OK, 2 stars using Goodreads’ rating system. There seemed to be a lot left out of the story. It felt as if it was only allowed to be a certain length and much of the story needed to be deleted to fit the length or if this was a second book in a series where I had not read the first book.
I could not relate with the characters and the story felt as if there were gaps in it. I would have stopped reading except the writing was adequate and I did not hate the book. Also, the page was less than 300 pages so I was well into the story and did not have much left before I thought of stopping. The book has a high rating on Goodreads, 4.0, and I would be willing to give Kimberly G. Giarratano a 2nd read but I would not put her at the top of my “authors to try again” list.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/24/19.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated An Unexpected Role in Books
Mar 5, 2019
It's hard being a teenager, but when your mother is an author and uses your life as inspiration it can make living difficult. That was life for Josie DelRio. When her mother's newest book comes out, it sends Josie's classmates into a frenzy of malicious teasing, so Josie heads to North Carolina to spend the summer with her aunt.
Josie plans on spending her summer on the beach, taking it easy and trusting that she can find a place to fit in and have a summer on anonymity.
This was a delightful story, everyone can relate to being a teenager and what high school can be like. It is full of mystery, suspense, and some romance.
I enjoyed this book, it was a fast easy read. I do like that the author was able to insert Bible verses to help encourage the main character. What I saw in the book is that sometimes you just have to let go of things, don't carry your problems... let God take control and see what He can do!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Josie plans on spending her summer on the beach, taking it easy and trusting that she can find a place to fit in and have a summer on anonymity.
This was a delightful story, everyone can relate to being a teenager and what high school can be like. It is full of mystery, suspense, and some romance.
I enjoyed this book, it was a fast easy read. I do like that the author was able to insert Bible verses to help encourage the main character. What I saw in the book is that sometimes you just have to let go of things, don't carry your problems... let God take control and see what He can do!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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