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Chloe (778 KP) rated Just My Luck in Books

Sep 4, 2021  
Just My Luck
Just My Luck
Adele Parks | 2020 | Romance, Thriller
6
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twists and turns (0 more)
Stupid characters (1 more)
Boring
Good premise. Poorly executed
Having now read this I am quite confused why it has such rave reviews on the back cover. I was quite excited for this, considering at easy read between a series I'm reading. The premise seemed promising and there was certainly some interesting characters including Toma.

The plot twist towards the end could have been much better in my opinion, Parks really missed a trick.

Lexi has absolutely no backbone and just rolls with whatever Jake feels like doing. I just found the winning couple to be so stupid, especially Jake.

I think a lot of the story was obvious once you know the premise. Overall, not as great as I anticipated.

Would I recommend it? Probably as a quick and easy read when you haven't got the brain cells for anything too difficult.
  
The Night Circus
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.1 (106 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Night Circus is a book I have been intending to read for quite some time. I will start by saying the book is not quite what I expected. Actually I know don’t really know what I expected from this book. I will start by saying I found the first 30-40% of the book quite confusing, dull and at times I contemplated giving up on it completely. The time changes for each chapter whilst confusing at first did become easier to decipher as I learnt the time sequences I was switching between.

This book is worth persevering with as once the dull start is past what you’re left with is actually a beautifully enchanting story. Love and magic in its most subtle forms developing gradually. I fell in love with the elements of the circus and the way they were described, it is almost sad that the place does not exist, that there is no possibility of attending.

This is a book, I think you will come to love if you get past the rocky beginning. Would recommend to people who like me don’t give up on books and read them until they are finished.
  
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Peter (3 KP) rated Stranger Things in TV

Dec 28, 2017  
Stranger Things
Stranger Things
2016 | Sci-Fi
Great acting (0 more)
Bit slow at times and predictable (0 more)
It's well written and the acting is amazing especially when you think the main characters are so young. I didn't watch it untill everyone was going on about it which may have ruined it for me as it didn't live up to the hype. I found it a bit predictable at times and just wanted the story to pick up a bit. Season 2 for me was a lot better than the 1st
  
A Monster Calls (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
2016 | Drama, Fantasy
It was filmed beautifully. (2 more)
Every actor does the story justice.
Will induce tears in 80% of viewers.
Perhaps the pacing is a little slow - not something you can hold against. (0 more)
Emotional, visually beautiful, and unique
Anyone who has been through a loss of a loved one can relate to this young man in one way or another. After watching, I found myself recalling moments in the film that I had experienced myself almost exactly.
It's not a film you'll forget any time soon.
  
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
10
8.7 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
A creative progression story that starts with a simple act of kindness, giving a mouse a cookie. From there, however, things progress until they loop back around.

The book is simple but filled with great illustrations. And the journey is so creative. I missed this book until I read it with my niece and found it absolutely charming.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/07/book-review-if-you-give-mouse-cookie-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Charley (64 KP) rated Sex Education in TV

Jan 26, 2019  
Sex Education
Sex Education
2019 | Comedy, Drama
Relatable themes (0 more)
Difficult to tell when it's set (0 more)
Funny from start to finish
This Netflix show files the life of a 16year old lady and his struggles to navigate teenage life. His mum is a sex therapist and he has issues with his ability to get a girl.
Eventhough it is about teenagers I found that I could still enjoy the show as it made me laugh the things that you know all teenagers go through.
Looking forward to another series.
  
Come A Little Closer
Come A Little Closer
Karen Perry | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nope ... not for me ... hard to feel anything for any of the characters and hard to get into - sorry but I found it pretty boring and I can't bring myself to recommend it although there are plenty of very positive and 4 and 5 star reviews out there so obviously it appeals to others so don't take my word for it ... try it for yourself.

Thank you to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel
Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.7 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had really mixed feelings for this. I was really excited to start it because of how much I enjoyed listening to the podcast, and I hoped it would be exactly the same as the podcast. And it was, which turned out to be my first problem with it. The format and themes of Welcome to Night Vale are perfect for a podcast, but not so much for a book. I just felt that it didn’t quite work right.

You have to keep an open mind when you’re reading this. Similarly to the podcast, you have to keep an open mind and you can’t take anything literally. To me, that wasn’t so much of a problem and I quite liked the metaphors throughout the book, but I know that for others it makes the storytelling more confusing than it needs to be.

I loved that it had all of the usual characters from the podcast in it. I was half worried with this that it would follow new people and that would have spoilt it for me. The fact that the podcast and the book flow together works nicely and really helped me get into the book.

I felt like the plot needed more though. I think this goes back to what I said about the format of a podcast being wrong for a book. In the Night Vale podcast, you have all of the different characters and forms of entertainment meaning that a major plot isn’t needed so desperately. However, the lack of action in the plot in the book really held it back.

I could see myself enjoying the audiobook of this, but I feel like that would defeat the point. I got it because I liked the idea of a change in format from the podcast, but I found myself wishing I’d gotten the audiobook because it would have flowed better.

I suppose if you usually read more in this sort of genre, you may like this a lot more than I did. I think the major jump in genre also didn’t aid my enjoyment of the book. I’ll let you make your mind up for yourself.
  
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Alice (117 KP) rated Ghosts in Books

Mar 3, 2021  
Ghosts
Ghosts
Dolly Alderton | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release!

I hadn't read anything by Dolly Alderton before but I'd heard great things about 'Everything I Know About Love' so when I heard about her fiction debut I knew I needed to try it! I love Dolly's voice, it's so wonderfully British which as someone who reads so much American based fiction was refreshing. There was quite a lot of heavy swearing so if that's not your thing be wary (but that's what you get for being British I guess). I loved the different aspects of ghosting that were covered from dating, to friendships fading, and to dementia and the ghosting of memories. It was such a poignant read. I enjoyed this book immensely but I just couldn't get invested, it took me quite a while to get through as I only found myself reading a chapter at a time so hence the reason for my lower rating but I think I'm slightly younger than the target audience for this book so that's potentially why but I'd say if you are older and single you'll definitely see a lot of yourself here, I'm young and single and I definitely did. It made me think a lot about the future.
  
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Dan Lacey (7 KP) rated The Stranger in TV

Feb 26, 2020  
The Stranger
The Stranger
2020 | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Acting (2 more)
Storyline
Bingeworthy
Bingeworthy (0 more)
A genuine masterpiece.
I want to start with the trailer to this Netflix original. Whilst flicking through the vast abyss that is the Netflix catalogue I stumbled upon this and allowed the trailer to play in full. It painted a picture of a bit of a mystery caper and I found it quite captivating.

Now I wont lie to you, my wife and I watched all 8 episodes over 2 nights not through choice but through what we deemed at the time (1am to be exact) a necessity. Every episode ended on a perfect cliffhanger.

Now I'm going to keep this spoiler free but I do want to talk about the story in general. I like to think of myself as someone who can normally guess early on 'who dunnit' why they 'dunnit' and any general twists and turns along the way, but the whole series I sat second guessing myself coming up with general theories that would feel at home with someone wearing a tin foil hat. And the moment I thought I'd worked it all out was the moment it was revealed to me some 5 seconds later.

This is the series you will recommend to your family, your friends and maybe even.... a stranger ( yep I just said that).

I emplore you to take a few hours grab the popcorn and give this a watch I promise you will not regret it.