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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4) in Books
Jan 21, 2020
Usually I don't read romance novels since they really aren't my thing. However, there was something about the synopsis of Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis that caught my attention. Perhaps it was the fact that there were family secrets involved! Luckily, I really really enjoyed Almost Just Friends.
Piper is a young woman who has always been in control, so much so that she even has a bullet journal to help her through life. She's raised her siblings since she was 13, and when they return home, Piper eventually learns what secrets her brother and sister are keeping from her. During this, she is falling head over heels for her next door neighbor's son, Cam, who is home from the military. These feelings for Cam might just be her undoing!
I will say that I loved the plot for Almost Just Friends. Everything about it felt very realistic and like something that happens almost every day in small town America. I enjoyed the love story between Cam and Piper and how it took its time developing instead of just being instalove. I also enjoyed the narrative between Piper and her siblings. I could picture every single scene in my mind quite clearly thanks to Jill Shalvis' fantastic story telling! Almost Just Friends answered all my questions by the end of the book, and there were no cliffhangers which I was thankful for.
I enjoyed every single character in Almost Just Friends. They all brought their own personality to the table, and they were each very interesting to read about. All of the characters in this novel felt like they could be someone I could relate to as well as making fantastic friends. Piper starts off being too self reliant. It was nice to see her start letting others help her. She was forced to grow up at a young age after the death of her parents, so I could understand why she was scared of losing control and putting faith in other people. I loved how patient Cam was with Piper. He was so loving and helpful. It was also nice to see him blending in so well with Piper's siblings and wanting to help out. Cam was such a charming man with such a larger than life personality. Gavin, Piper's brother, had been fighting his own demons. I kept wondering if he'd go back to his own ways or not. I loved his relationship with CJ and how he wasn't going to let CJ walk away from him so easily. Gavin always was great at relieving tense and awkward situations which one thing I really loved about him! Winnie, Piper's sister, was the youngest out of Piper, Gavin, and herself. Winnie decided it was time for her to start being more adult like instead of child like. Her news was the biggest, in my opinion, and while I could understand why she wanted to keep it from Piper, I wish she would have told Piper from the get go. However, Winnie had me smiling whenever I read about her. I admired her tenacity to want to be Miss Fix It. Emmit, Cam's dad, was ever the comedian! I loved how happy go lucky he was and his sunny disposition on life was. It was as if nothing ever bothered him, and I admired that about him. Every single character in Almost Just Friends made it such a fantastic read!
Trigger warnings for Almost Just Friends include profanity, some sexual situations (although nothing too graphic), death, and mentions of prescription drug abuse.
All in all, Almost Just Friends is such a heartwarming read with a fantastic set of characters and a solid plot. This was my first book I read by Jill Shalvis, but it certainly won't be my last! I would definitely recommend Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis to those aged 17+ who are after an uplifting novel that deals with family with a sweet romance thrown in.
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(A special thank you to William Morrow with a paperback of Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Piper is a young woman who has always been in control, so much so that she even has a bullet journal to help her through life. She's raised her siblings since she was 13, and when they return home, Piper eventually learns what secrets her brother and sister are keeping from her. During this, she is falling head over heels for her next door neighbor's son, Cam, who is home from the military. These feelings for Cam might just be her undoing!
I will say that I loved the plot for Almost Just Friends. Everything about it felt very realistic and like something that happens almost every day in small town America. I enjoyed the love story between Cam and Piper and how it took its time developing instead of just being instalove. I also enjoyed the narrative between Piper and her siblings. I could picture every single scene in my mind quite clearly thanks to Jill Shalvis' fantastic story telling! Almost Just Friends answered all my questions by the end of the book, and there were no cliffhangers which I was thankful for.
I enjoyed every single character in Almost Just Friends. They all brought their own personality to the table, and they were each very interesting to read about. All of the characters in this novel felt like they could be someone I could relate to as well as making fantastic friends. Piper starts off being too self reliant. It was nice to see her start letting others help her. She was forced to grow up at a young age after the death of her parents, so I could understand why she was scared of losing control and putting faith in other people. I loved how patient Cam was with Piper. He was so loving and helpful. It was also nice to see him blending in so well with Piper's siblings and wanting to help out. Cam was such a charming man with such a larger than life personality. Gavin, Piper's brother, had been fighting his own demons. I kept wondering if he'd go back to his own ways or not. I loved his relationship with CJ and how he wasn't going to let CJ walk away from him so easily. Gavin always was great at relieving tense and awkward situations which one thing I really loved about him! Winnie, Piper's sister, was the youngest out of Piper, Gavin, and herself. Winnie decided it was time for her to start being more adult like instead of child like. Her news was the biggest, in my opinion, and while I could understand why she wanted to keep it from Piper, I wish she would have told Piper from the get go. However, Winnie had me smiling whenever I read about her. I admired her tenacity to want to be Miss Fix It. Emmit, Cam's dad, was ever the comedian! I loved how happy go lucky he was and his sunny disposition on life was. It was as if nothing ever bothered him, and I admired that about him. Every single character in Almost Just Friends made it such a fantastic read!
Trigger warnings for Almost Just Friends include profanity, some sexual situations (although nothing too graphic), death, and mentions of prescription drug abuse.
All in all, Almost Just Friends is such a heartwarming read with a fantastic set of characters and a solid plot. This was my first book I read by Jill Shalvis, but it certainly won't be my last! I would definitely recommend Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis to those aged 17+ who are after an uplifting novel that deals with family with a sweet romance thrown in.
--
(A special thank you to William Morrow with a paperback of Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The First Purge (2018) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019 (Updated Jun 11, 2019)
Definitely killed a few brain cells
The concept behind The Purge films is kind of good I guess? (If you don't think about it too hard), but none of them have really delivered much to the horror genre, and this prequel somehow delivers less to the point where it actually takes away from the horror genre!
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
I found myself disinterested in any of the characters after just a few minutes. So much so, that when the first 'Purge' actually begins, I just found myself thinking 'why?' Why are these characters even taking part, why are so many people taking part (surely they can't all have weird murder boners), why did this film even get passed a storyboard phase, why am I still watching!?
It's just dumb, and not even in a slightly so-dumb-its-good way.
Any scares or horror are completely absent, to the point where the film devolves into a low quality action B-movie rip off of The Raid.
The whole sorry affair just seemed like an excuse for some people to whack some contact lenses in and roam about with 'sinister' grins on their faces, like a pack of 14 year olds who have had one too many cans of Monster Energy.
Won't be watching this one again! ?
Merissa (13866 KP) rated Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3) in Books
Dec 7, 2017
Smitty's Sheriff (Hope #3) by Cardeno C.
Smitty's Sheriff is the third book in the Hope series, and this series is one where I never know what I'm going to get. McFarland's Farm was a 4-star, Jesse's Diner was a 5. Each story is completely individual, and that is always a good thing.
Now, first off, I need to say that this story is of the same high quality as all of Cardeno C.'s work. The pace is smooth, the characters believable, and certain scenes are steamy enough for anyone.
The reason for my 3-stars is that whilst I enjoyed their story, I couldn't actually get with the relationship between the main two characters. I found myself getting quite annoyed whenever Rich spoke to Todd like he was a child. I know there is an age difference between them, but to me, their relationship was more father/son with sexy bits, rather than boyfriends/lovers/whatever you want to call them.
NOW, that is just my opinion, and I know that some readers will devour this story and love every word. I'm just sorry that I'm not one of them, although I did enjoy it. As it is Cardeno C.'s work, I have no hesitation in recommending this book, even if I didn't like it 100%.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Now, first off, I need to say that this story is of the same high quality as all of Cardeno C.'s work. The pace is smooth, the characters believable, and certain scenes are steamy enough for anyone.
The reason for my 3-stars is that whilst I enjoyed their story, I couldn't actually get with the relationship between the main two characters. I found myself getting quite annoyed whenever Rich spoke to Todd like he was a child. I know there is an age difference between them, but to me, their relationship was more father/son with sexy bits, rather than boyfriends/lovers/whatever you want to call them.
NOW, that is just my opinion, and I know that some readers will devour this story and love every word. I'm just sorry that I'm not one of them, although I did enjoy it. As it is Cardeno C.'s work, I have no hesitation in recommending this book, even if I didn't like it 100%.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Secret Ingredient in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I’m fairly new to Nancy Naigle’s work, having only read one other book by her. But, that said, let me tell you this: she is amazing! Having the chance to read this delicious novel was so fun! I loved her writing style, the hope and the characters that are woven together, all of it! It was a phenomenal read!
Andrew and Kelly’s characters were awesome. I loved the way they were chiseled, and seeing them interact together really played out like it was a movie on the Hallmark channel. I truly love when a book can do that!
Andrew’s character was my favorite. I loved how he developed throughout the story, and seeing how things were when he returned home. Though I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to think of his breaking their engagement and traveling away. I wanted to shake him! But, I also saw how it needed to be like that to full feel the emotions of these awesome characters, to fully understand that it needed to be done so he could understand his true feelings.
This is most definitely a 4 star novel that I should high praises to. Andrew and Kelly needed just one thing from Naigle for this book……just one secret ingredient……..and she did it beautifully! Well done, Naigle. This is a keeper book on my shelf and I can’t wait to read more of your work!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Andrew and Kelly’s characters were awesome. I loved the way they were chiseled, and seeing them interact together really played out like it was a movie on the Hallmark channel. I truly love when a book can do that!
Andrew’s character was my favorite. I loved how he developed throughout the story, and seeing how things were when he returned home. Though I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to think of his breaking their engagement and traveling away. I wanted to shake him! But, I also saw how it needed to be like that to full feel the emotions of these awesome characters, to fully understand that it needed to be done so he could understand his true feelings.
This is most definitely a 4 star novel that I should high praises to. Andrew and Kelly needed just one thing from Naigle for this book……just one secret ingredient……..and she did it beautifully! Well done, Naigle. This is a keeper book on my shelf and I can’t wait to read more of your work!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
I tried. I really did. It sounded like a story that I was going to like, plus, it's a very short novel. Vigilance is about a reality TV show that puts active shooters in randomly selected places while the violence and drama plays out on national TV. The premise being that America should constantly stay vigilant against foreign and domestic threats of any kind. However, for a 190 page book, the actual TV show hadn't even been set up with a chosen shooter "cast" yet by the 50th or so page. Up until that point, it was just the executive producer, preparing to launch the episode in one way or another. At some point, he is supposed to get wound up in the action, or at least some sort of trouble, according to the blurb on the back of the book. However, at that point, the rest of the book gives little to no time to make for a good, descriptive story, so I can't imagine that it could blow my mind by the end. Most of what I've read is part satire, part almost lecture about gun-control and how owning doesn't equal trained to use properly, disguised as some of the characters' backstories. I truly looked forward to reading this book, but have decided to quit. There are way too many books out there to be read to spend time on a bad one. I think the premise was good, and the story had the potential of being really interesting. This one, however, just seems to have missed its mark. Pass.
Dean (6927 KP) rated Colossal (2016) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Sudden change in direction at the end (1 more)
Odd plot
I missed this at the cinema so gave it a watch as it's on Netflix currently. It comes across as quite a quirky odd film. A girl with a drink problem has to go back to her small town home after being kicked out by her boyfriend. She randomly discovers she has a connection to a giant monster that appears in South Korea.
The problem with this film is it doesn't feel it's going anywhere. What's the connection and why? Why does the lead character make some of her choices? It just doesn't add up. Then the last 15 minutes have a very different change in direction and tone that just didn't fit with the rest of the film. One for those who like quirky films.
The problem with this film is it doesn't feel it's going anywhere. What's the connection and why? Why does the lead character make some of her choices? It just doesn't add up. Then the last 15 minutes have a very different change in direction and tone that just didn't fit with the rest of the film. One for those who like quirky films.
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Alice (117 KP) rated Yes No Maybe So in Books
Mar 3, 2021
4.5 STARS
Becky Albertalli books are my happy place, truly no other author makes me feel this happy when reading. Can I be reincarnated in a Becky Albertalli universe please and thank you. I've been going through a rough patch of really enjoying the books I'm reading at the minute and who knew that all it would take was Becky Albertalli? (Me, I probably knew that)
I wasn't instantly hooked on this like I was with Simon vs but once it got to a point, I just absorbed it. I've never read anything by Aisha Saeed before but I really enjoyed her parts of the story too! The story was really well balanced and not to compare political romance stories but <s>this was better than red white and royal blue</s> in my honest opinion but maybe I just related more.
Becky Albertalli books are my happy place, truly no other author makes me feel this happy when reading. Can I be reincarnated in a Becky Albertalli universe please and thank you. I've been going through a rough patch of really enjoying the books I'm reading at the minute and who knew that all it would take was Becky Albertalli? (Me, I probably knew that)
I wasn't instantly hooked on this like I was with Simon vs but once it got to a point, I just absorbed it. I've never read anything by Aisha Saeed before but I really enjoyed her parts of the story too! The story was really well balanced and not to compare political romance stories but <s>this was better than red white and royal blue</s> in my honest opinion but maybe I just related more.