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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Men in Black International (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
When Men In Black 3 came out 7 years ago I wasn't convinced they'd be able to follow the first two films, but it's probably become my favourite of the franchise for that ending alone. Seeing the trailers for International I was a little dubious but knowing how I felt the last time I was slightly optimistic about it.
*Eyes closed. Pinch bridge of nose. Slow, pained exhale.*
I hate it when the internet is right, it sets a very bad precedent. This film was not good, and it was fairly evident early on. Considering that at the beginning of the film we're seeing a kid discovering aliens for the first time I can't fathom how there is so little wonder and excitement in it. I found myself thinking it was cute, but cute isn't enough to kickstart a film.
I hoped for a while that it was just a slow burner, but after a third of the film had passed it was difficult to hold on to that hope. There was almost nothing that was exciting in it to make you want to ever see it again.
Somehow the effects have got both better and worse at the same time. The aliens in general look a little shoddy, apart from the main evil duo. There are some moments where they turn into a gaseous entity, their appearance changes to a galaxy like blur, and it's actually pretty beautiful to see... but then they turn back.
Tessa Thompson plays our obsessed wannabe woman in black. Relatively speaking her performance was quite good. I've only seen her in things from the last couple of years, and apart from Ragnarok I haven't been overly impressed with the roles she's played but Molly was a nice addition to her roster.
Chris Hemsworth... oh my dear boy... I'm not convinced that he should do comedy. Thor is great in Ragnarok but outside of that I'm not overly fond. There's only so far handsome and a little dumb can get you, and I think Thor and Kevin really used all of that up. When he's so good at drama I'm not sure why he keeps picking the same type of comedic pieces, as a dramatic actor in 12 Strong and Bad Times At The El Royale he was great and I really want to go back and see more of his serious roles. H in this is basically just Kevin from Ghostbusters in a black suit with a few more brain cells. It's a terribly scripted role and a massively disappointing lead in a series that has so much possibility behind it.
The standout performance for me is from Kumail Nanjiani as Pawny. Pawny is fantastically scripted, to the point that I wondered if someone else had written his part. The wonderful thing about it was that I could feel Nanjiani in everything that Pawny was doing, if you'd had him as a real-life character it would have been (almost) exactly the same performance. The only times I laughed were Pawny moments and I was genuinely annoyed when they were interrupted by the rest of the film.
Our four main supporting actors are a bit of a mix. Emma Thompson gives a repeat performance as O and ooooo is she glorious as always. Liam Neeson plays High T, the head of the London branch of MIB, it's fairly non-descript, sadly he's no Rip Torn. Rafe Spall plays Agent C who's a bit of a snitch. He has a rather slow start and when we meet him it's not a great scene for anyone involved, I found him to be terribly boring but thankfully his part does improve as we get deeper into it. Lastly we've got the surprise inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson as H's ex-girlfriend, Riza... I just... what was the point of her character?
"But the bad guy fights must have been good?"... am I the only one that felt like there wasn't really a bad guy in this? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of options but we don't see enough of any of them to be really invested in the fact that they're bad. And when it comes to action scenes... were there really any of them either? I just... I can't even... ugh...
Considering I wasn't buzzing about this before I went in I'm amazed that I felt so disappointed by it. There was very little to enjoy beyond Nanjiani's Pawny, and hardly anything to workout as you watched because the trailers made it fairly obvious what was going to happen. You always hope that new instalments of series are going to stand up to its predecessors or at least not be so shit that they make you regret spending time watching it... yeah...
I want to like this more and I may give it a second chance after the slight success of Aladdin's second viewing, but no matter what happens, this is still going to be ranked fourth in the series.
What you should do
I really wouldn't bother watching this, spend your time rewatching the previous three instalments.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would like the only amazing thing from this film, one Pawny, please.
*Eyes closed. Pinch bridge of nose. Slow, pained exhale.*
I hate it when the internet is right, it sets a very bad precedent. This film was not good, and it was fairly evident early on. Considering that at the beginning of the film we're seeing a kid discovering aliens for the first time I can't fathom how there is so little wonder and excitement in it. I found myself thinking it was cute, but cute isn't enough to kickstart a film.
I hoped for a while that it was just a slow burner, but after a third of the film had passed it was difficult to hold on to that hope. There was almost nothing that was exciting in it to make you want to ever see it again.
Somehow the effects have got both better and worse at the same time. The aliens in general look a little shoddy, apart from the main evil duo. There are some moments where they turn into a gaseous entity, their appearance changes to a galaxy like blur, and it's actually pretty beautiful to see... but then they turn back.
Tessa Thompson plays our obsessed wannabe woman in black. Relatively speaking her performance was quite good. I've only seen her in things from the last couple of years, and apart from Ragnarok I haven't been overly impressed with the roles she's played but Molly was a nice addition to her roster.
Chris Hemsworth... oh my dear boy... I'm not convinced that he should do comedy. Thor is great in Ragnarok but outside of that I'm not overly fond. There's only so far handsome and a little dumb can get you, and I think Thor and Kevin really used all of that up. When he's so good at drama I'm not sure why he keeps picking the same type of comedic pieces, as a dramatic actor in 12 Strong and Bad Times At The El Royale he was great and I really want to go back and see more of his serious roles. H in this is basically just Kevin from Ghostbusters in a black suit with a few more brain cells. It's a terribly scripted role and a massively disappointing lead in a series that has so much possibility behind it.
The standout performance for me is from Kumail Nanjiani as Pawny. Pawny is fantastically scripted, to the point that I wondered if someone else had written his part. The wonderful thing about it was that I could feel Nanjiani in everything that Pawny was doing, if you'd had him as a real-life character it would have been (almost) exactly the same performance. The only times I laughed were Pawny moments and I was genuinely annoyed when they were interrupted by the rest of the film.
Our four main supporting actors are a bit of a mix. Emma Thompson gives a repeat performance as O and ooooo is she glorious as always. Liam Neeson plays High T, the head of the London branch of MIB, it's fairly non-descript, sadly he's no Rip Torn. Rafe Spall plays Agent C who's a bit of a snitch. He has a rather slow start and when we meet him it's not a great scene for anyone involved, I found him to be terribly boring but thankfully his part does improve as we get deeper into it. Lastly we've got the surprise inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson as H's ex-girlfriend, Riza... I just... what was the point of her character?
"But the bad guy fights must have been good?"... am I the only one that felt like there wasn't really a bad guy in this? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of options but we don't see enough of any of them to be really invested in the fact that they're bad. And when it comes to action scenes... were there really any of them either? I just... I can't even... ugh...
Considering I wasn't buzzing about this before I went in I'm amazed that I felt so disappointed by it. There was very little to enjoy beyond Nanjiani's Pawny, and hardly anything to workout as you watched because the trailers made it fairly obvious what was going to happen. You always hope that new instalments of series are going to stand up to its predecessors or at least not be so shit that they make you regret spending time watching it... yeah...
I want to like this more and I may give it a second chance after the slight success of Aladdin's second viewing, but no matter what happens, this is still going to be ranked fourth in the series.
What you should do
I really wouldn't bother watching this, spend your time rewatching the previous three instalments.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I would like the only amazing thing from this film, one Pawny, please.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Leatherheads (2008) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
The movie opens with John Krasinski’s character, “Carter Rutherford”, playing college-level football for Princeton at a bleacher-groaning, over-packed game chock full of screaming patrons and die-hard fans. The kid is a golden-child, a war hero, and the nation’s most promising young athlete in the good old year of 1925. Carter is dynamic, attractive, and exactly what the country needs at a time of World War I. It is little wonder his face plasters billboards across town, that his name is uttered with awe and adoration. In truth, how could you not? The kid had, after all, single-handedly forced a contingent of German soldiers to surrender without even shooting one bullet.
Cut to George Clooney’s character, the aging “Dodge Connelly”, playing pro-football in mire-like conditions; his audience a tangle of bored fans and uninspired locals. It is a far cry from the opulent circumstance of college-level football. Men, bedraggled and sweating under the promise of returning to work at the mines and fields if their football dreams go under, play with reckless abandon and forgotten morals in hopes of winning that next game. Yet, as fate will go, the Bulldogs lose their sponsorship and the team goes under, forcing men to return to their day-jobs and leaving Dodge without a future. The man has no marketable skills, no trade. He is a football player and is determined to see his team back in the game.
Of course, that isn’t the only bit of chaos. There has to be a girl; there is always a girl involved in stories like these. Enter Renée Zellweger’s character, the vivacious and equally tenacious “Lexie Littleton” – a news reporter for the Tribune. Lexie is on a mission to expose Carter Rutherford and get to the bottom of his infamous war story. It comes to no surprise that when Lexie and Dodge meet in a hotel lobby awaiting the arrival of Carter Rutherford and his manager, “CC Frazier” (played by Jonathan Pryce), that sparks immediately fly between them. Dodge has a proposal for CC and Carter: have Carter take a leave of absence from Princeton to play pro-football for the Bulldogs, thus saving pro-football and paying Carter for his efforts. Naturally, CC wants a cut from the profits and finds a way to do so to accommodate his own needs. Dodge, without any other alternative, agrees.
Meanwhile, Lexie is working her magic on Carter to try and weasel the true story out of him as best she can. Try as she might she cannot ignore Dodge, no matter how acid her tongue wags in his direction. In the end, Lexie gets her story yet realizes she must decide between exposing the truth or letting America bask in the glory of its self-proclaimed war-hero.
In review, there is a true chemistry between all of the main characters and both Zellweger and Clooney do a good job of conveying the vehement (and callous) emotion between Lexie and Dodge. However, no matter how funny the banter becomes between these three main characters or how well the scene plugs along, in the end the movie comes off as a passable but by no means memorable. Betimes it seems to stretch on and on and more then once I found myself looking at my clock. In truth, the movie didn’t need to be nearly two hours long. It felt two hours long which is never a good thing, especially when we’re talking about theatre seats.
That said, I thought the movie was a cute and enjoyable comedy. It won’t crack your funny bone but it will certainly tickle it more then once. All in all I give it 3.5 out of 5. It succeeded in making me laugh and did keep me entertained. Above all, I’m sure many will find it enjoyable to some extent.
Cut to George Clooney’s character, the aging “Dodge Connelly”, playing pro-football in mire-like conditions; his audience a tangle of bored fans and uninspired locals. It is a far cry from the opulent circumstance of college-level football. Men, bedraggled and sweating under the promise of returning to work at the mines and fields if their football dreams go under, play with reckless abandon and forgotten morals in hopes of winning that next game. Yet, as fate will go, the Bulldogs lose their sponsorship and the team goes under, forcing men to return to their day-jobs and leaving Dodge without a future. The man has no marketable skills, no trade. He is a football player and is determined to see his team back in the game.
Of course, that isn’t the only bit of chaos. There has to be a girl; there is always a girl involved in stories like these. Enter Renée Zellweger’s character, the vivacious and equally tenacious “Lexie Littleton” – a news reporter for the Tribune. Lexie is on a mission to expose Carter Rutherford and get to the bottom of his infamous war story. It comes to no surprise that when Lexie and Dodge meet in a hotel lobby awaiting the arrival of Carter Rutherford and his manager, “CC Frazier” (played by Jonathan Pryce), that sparks immediately fly between them. Dodge has a proposal for CC and Carter: have Carter take a leave of absence from Princeton to play pro-football for the Bulldogs, thus saving pro-football and paying Carter for his efforts. Naturally, CC wants a cut from the profits and finds a way to do so to accommodate his own needs. Dodge, without any other alternative, agrees.
Meanwhile, Lexie is working her magic on Carter to try and weasel the true story out of him as best she can. Try as she might she cannot ignore Dodge, no matter how acid her tongue wags in his direction. In the end, Lexie gets her story yet realizes she must decide between exposing the truth or letting America bask in the glory of its self-proclaimed war-hero.
In review, there is a true chemistry between all of the main characters and both Zellweger and Clooney do a good job of conveying the vehement (and callous) emotion between Lexie and Dodge. However, no matter how funny the banter becomes between these three main characters or how well the scene plugs along, in the end the movie comes off as a passable but by no means memorable. Betimes it seems to stretch on and on and more then once I found myself looking at my clock. In truth, the movie didn’t need to be nearly two hours long. It felt two hours long which is never a good thing, especially when we’re talking about theatre seats.
That said, I thought the movie was a cute and enjoyable comedy. It won’t crack your funny bone but it will certainly tickle it more then once. All in all I give it 3.5 out of 5. It succeeded in making me laugh and did keep me entertained. Above all, I’m sure many will find it enjoyable to some extent.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Black Bird of the Gallows in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
"I'm going to sleep!” says reviewer, as she furiously types on the keyboard. The next time she looks up, an hour has passed, leaving her with one less hour of sleep and an 8 am class looming closer.
Obviously, I am a complete night owl because all of my decent reviews (aka my usual self and not some half hearted attempt of I THINK THIS IS A REVIEW BUT MY BRAIN IS CRYING SO I GIVE UP *presses schedule*) are all written after all the other souls in the house are sleeping soundly.
<b>There's only one other soul 99% of the time.</b>
Also, I read this weeks ago and completely forgot about the release date being last week, so I started writing other reviews and reading other books and poor Meg Kassel’s debut just sat there crying at me silently, “Are you going to review me?”
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Five Things about Black Bird of the Gallows</b></h3>
At the same time, I had high expectations for Kassel’s debut novel, I also didn't, for some weird and odd reason my brain won't conjure up (the brain is strange, very strange). Here are some things to be aware of before/when picking up the book:
<b>Death is a theme, but used differently </b>- the few novels I've read with a death theme always have something in common: there's probably a grim reaper, and the grim reaper collects souls. Kassel uses a similar theme, but <b>it's not the exact same theme</b>. Honestly, I'm curious if this has mythology ties - is it okay if I kind of regret dropping myth and folklore senior year? I sacrificed it for college credit in speech instead (that's okay, right?).
<b>I am in love with gorgeous lines, and Kassel delivers</b> - I mean, they're not enough that I want to <i>draw </i>them (this is a rare thing to happen), but there are lovely lines and descriptions! And there's humor. I think I enjoyed the humor more often.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Suddenly, I notice the light steam coming off his skin—the same coming from my mouth when I speak. It feels like I’m sitting next to an attractive, boy-shaped wood stove.</blockquote>
<b>There's a music aspect</b> - As a once upon a violin player, music is important! Okay, maybe not important in my life as much as books are, but music books are cute. Music plays a major role in <i>Black Bird of the Gallows</i> when it comes to character development. When we first meet Angie, she's not as confident with her music as she eventually becomes later in the book.
<b>
</b> <b>Birds! (Okay, Crows)</b> - It's probably a bad idea for me to read another book involving birds after <i>Shatter Me</i>, but I'm fine with birds in this one. The crows are also one of my favorite parts of the book - the crows aren't directly involved with death, but they play a role as well.
<b>It gets dark </b>- <i>Black Bird of the Gallows </i>might be less dark at the beginning, but it gets dark, VERY dark near the end. (Secretly my evil little heart likes this. I'm worried.)
Overall: <i>Black Bird of the Gallows</i> is perfect for those who enjoy books about death but are looking for something different than what we usually see.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/black-bird-of-gallows-by-meg-kassel-arc-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
"I'm going to sleep!” says reviewer, as she furiously types on the keyboard. The next time she looks up, an hour has passed, leaving her with one less hour of sleep and an 8 am class looming closer.
Obviously, I am a complete night owl because all of my decent reviews (aka my usual self and not some half hearted attempt of I THINK THIS IS A REVIEW BUT MY BRAIN IS CRYING SO I GIVE UP *presses schedule*) are all written after all the other souls in the house are sleeping soundly.
<b>There's only one other soul 99% of the time.</b>
Also, I read this weeks ago and completely forgot about the release date being last week, so I started writing other reviews and reading other books and poor Meg Kassel’s debut just sat there crying at me silently, “Are you going to review me?”
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Five Things about Black Bird of the Gallows</b></h3>
At the same time, I had high expectations for Kassel’s debut novel, I also didn't, for some weird and odd reason my brain won't conjure up (the brain is strange, very strange). Here are some things to be aware of before/when picking up the book:
<b>Death is a theme, but used differently </b>- the few novels I've read with a death theme always have something in common: there's probably a grim reaper, and the grim reaper collects souls. Kassel uses a similar theme, but <b>it's not the exact same theme</b>. Honestly, I'm curious if this has mythology ties - is it okay if I kind of regret dropping myth and folklore senior year? I sacrificed it for college credit in speech instead (that's okay, right?).
<b>I am in love with gorgeous lines, and Kassel delivers</b> - I mean, they're not enough that I want to <i>draw </i>them (this is a rare thing to happen), but there are lovely lines and descriptions! And there's humor. I think I enjoyed the humor more often.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Suddenly, I notice the light steam coming off his skin—the same coming from my mouth when I speak. It feels like I’m sitting next to an attractive, boy-shaped wood stove.</blockquote>
<b>There's a music aspect</b> - As a once upon a violin player, music is important! Okay, maybe not important in my life as much as books are, but music books are cute. Music plays a major role in <i>Black Bird of the Gallows</i> when it comes to character development. When we first meet Angie, she's not as confident with her music as she eventually becomes later in the book.
<b>
</b> <b>Birds! (Okay, Crows)</b> - It's probably a bad idea for me to read another book involving birds after <i>Shatter Me</i>, but I'm fine with birds in this one. The crows are also one of my favorite parts of the book - the crows aren't directly involved with death, but they play a role as well.
<b>It gets dark </b>- <i>Black Bird of the Gallows </i>might be less dark at the beginning, but it gets dark, VERY dark near the end. (Secretly my evil little heart likes this. I'm worried.)
Overall: <i>Black Bird of the Gallows</i> is perfect for those who enjoy books about death but are looking for something different than what we usually see.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/black-bird-of-gallows-by-meg-kassel-arc-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Avokiddo ABC Ride - Fun Alphabet & Spelling Games
Education and Games
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Have you ever seen the letter E hatched from an egg? How about a K popping out of a kangaroo’s...
Debbiereadsbook (1647 KP) rated I've Got You in Books
Jul 3, 2019
a stunning follow up!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is sort of the second book in the set, Let Me Show You is the first, and you really should read that one, I think, to give you the full picture of what Scott did to Carter in that book, and why he feels so bad about himself in this one. Not totally NECESSARY, but I think it would help a great deal.
Scott was awful to Carter, and then came out to him, which made what Scott did all the worse. When Scott kisses Davis, Tanner’s best friend, at Carter and Tanner’s party, Scott runs. It takes a great deal of Carter to bring Scott out of himself. Davis is profoundly affected by that kiss, and he knows what Scott did to Carter was bad, but when Davis sees Scott, really SEES deep into his eyes, Davis knows Scott is desperately unhappy with his lot. But can the newly outed vet be happy with the single dad? Can he be happy, at ALL?
Like I said, I think it would help a great deal to read Carter and Tanner’s book before this one. If only to give you the full picture of what Scott did to Carter, and why Tanner is reluctant to forgive Scott, even if Carter does, and just why Scott hates himself so much. You need that bigger picture, I think. Just my personal opinion, is all.
Scott is hurting. He knows what he did was wrong, and the fact that Carter has taken it upon himself to become Scott’s best friend shocks him but gives him hope. He doesn’t know if he will ever be truly happy with himself for that, but he has to try. Meeting Davis at Carter and Tanner’s party was a bit of a revelation. He doesn’t know why he kissed Davis, but he liked it, a lot. Getting to know Davis seems like a good idea, but a deeply scary one for Scott, especially since Davis has a baby daughter.
Davis is lovely! I loved his patience with Scott, he knows Scott is hurting, and he knows Scott is newly out, so he understands explaining stuff is hard work, but very quickly, very early on, Davis knows Scott is the man for him. He just has to bide his time while Scott gets himself sorted. When Scott comes to work in Davis’ coffee shop, it gives Davis the ideal opportunity to get close to Scott. And when Scott meets Libby?? Davis is smitten, deeply!
There is, for Scott, a great deal of soul-searching in this book. Davis is an open book here and Scott is not. It takes time for Scott to come out of himself, and for the relationship between Davis and Scott to develop and I loved that. In Carter and Tanner’s review, I said I loved being made to wait for the main event but here? I wasn’t even sure we would GET the main event! It’s a close thing, I tell ya. But it’s right and proper that these two take their time, and get to know each other properly, I think.
It has some sexy time, some deeply emotional time, some funny moments and some shocking ones. Both Davis and Scott have their say, in the first person. Both voices are very different, and each change is clearly headed at the beginning of a chapter.
It also has some very homophobic comments from a shocking source, where you don’t expect them, but once you know, you understand why Scott was in a bad place before.
We leave this little town, with Scott and Davis, and Carter and Tanner happily settling down to their new lives together. We also get to meet Scott’s sister. I’d like her to be happy too. She had it tough for a long time, and reconnecting with Scott gives her the courage to do something about her life. She deserves the kind of happiness her brother has found, too, please Ms Seymour!
Not quite as warm and fuzzies and too stinking cute as Let Me Some You, but it’s a very close thing! Still. . .
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is sort of the second book in the set, Let Me Show You is the first, and you really should read that one, I think, to give you the full picture of what Scott did to Carter in that book, and why he feels so bad about himself in this one. Not totally NECESSARY, but I think it would help a great deal.
Scott was awful to Carter, and then came out to him, which made what Scott did all the worse. When Scott kisses Davis, Tanner’s best friend, at Carter and Tanner’s party, Scott runs. It takes a great deal of Carter to bring Scott out of himself. Davis is profoundly affected by that kiss, and he knows what Scott did to Carter was bad, but when Davis sees Scott, really SEES deep into his eyes, Davis knows Scott is desperately unhappy with his lot. But can the newly outed vet be happy with the single dad? Can he be happy, at ALL?
Like I said, I think it would help a great deal to read Carter and Tanner’s book before this one. If only to give you the full picture of what Scott did to Carter, and why Tanner is reluctant to forgive Scott, even if Carter does, and just why Scott hates himself so much. You need that bigger picture, I think. Just my personal opinion, is all.
Scott is hurting. He knows what he did was wrong, and the fact that Carter has taken it upon himself to become Scott’s best friend shocks him but gives him hope. He doesn’t know if he will ever be truly happy with himself for that, but he has to try. Meeting Davis at Carter and Tanner’s party was a bit of a revelation. He doesn’t know why he kissed Davis, but he liked it, a lot. Getting to know Davis seems like a good idea, but a deeply scary one for Scott, especially since Davis has a baby daughter.
Davis is lovely! I loved his patience with Scott, he knows Scott is hurting, and he knows Scott is newly out, so he understands explaining stuff is hard work, but very quickly, very early on, Davis knows Scott is the man for him. He just has to bide his time while Scott gets himself sorted. When Scott comes to work in Davis’ coffee shop, it gives Davis the ideal opportunity to get close to Scott. And when Scott meets Libby?? Davis is smitten, deeply!
There is, for Scott, a great deal of soul-searching in this book. Davis is an open book here and Scott is not. It takes time for Scott to come out of himself, and for the relationship between Davis and Scott to develop and I loved that. In Carter and Tanner’s review, I said I loved being made to wait for the main event but here? I wasn’t even sure we would GET the main event! It’s a close thing, I tell ya. But it’s right and proper that these two take their time, and get to know each other properly, I think.
It has some sexy time, some deeply emotional time, some funny moments and some shocking ones. Both Davis and Scott have their say, in the first person. Both voices are very different, and each change is clearly headed at the beginning of a chapter.
It also has some very homophobic comments from a shocking source, where you don’t expect them, but once you know, you understand why Scott was in a bad place before.
We leave this little town, with Scott and Davis, and Carter and Tanner happily settling down to their new lives together. We also get to meet Scott’s sister. I’d like her to be happy too. She had it tough for a long time, and reconnecting with Scott gives her the courage to do something about her life. She deserves the kind of happiness her brother has found, too, please Ms Seymour!
Not quite as warm and fuzzies and too stinking cute as Let Me Some You, but it’s a very close thing! Still. . .
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Sweet Baby Doll House Game
Lifestyle and Games
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*** Create a beautiful princess castle for your baby dolls free of charge! *** ** If you are...
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Room Service in Books
Jun 11, 2019
Desperate Woman Gets Housekeeping Job at a Brothel
Genre: Erotic Romance
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Word Count: 17,530 words
After getting conned and dumped by a traveling guitar player, Lucy is struggling to make ends meet and things only get worse when she’s laid off from her waitressing job. Her last customer– a sexy, mysterious man wearing clothes that cost five times her annual salary– leaves her a $1,000 tip out of sympathy, but that money will only last so long.
But when she gets offered a job as a housekeeper at a brothel, things are looking up. Cleaning up after sex isn’t her usual line of work, but at least she won’t have to struggle financially anymore. When she literally runs into her heavy tipper at the brothel, however, things might get a little more complicated, especially when just looking at him is enough to fill her fantasies.
I’m still not sure what to make of this book, but I definitely wish there was more of it. I’m fascinated by this high-class brothel where everything is safe and 100% consensual and everyone treats each other like old friends. There are panic buttons in every room and all of the “Room Service” workers carry panic buttons on them as well (where they carry them isn’t mentioned, unfortunately).
I’m a little uneasy about what happens if one of the staff wants to quit, though. That’s never really mentioned, and Mrs. Stark, the owner of the brothel and Iron Man’s mother, isn’t someone to cross. Are they allowed to leave as long or have they taken a blood oath?
” Just know that if you accept you will be all-in. The secrets you keep will need to go to your grave with you. We take this vow very seriously.” — Mrs. Stark
Sounds like a blood oath to me.
Lucy’s a pretty cool character. She took getting fired well and she’s pretty kind and relatable overall. But her emotions when it comes to her ex are really simplistic. She’s just enraged that he left her destitute. And she definitely has reason to be. But anger is all she’s feeling. She’s not sad that he didn’t love her enough to stick around. She’s not regretting her decision to squander her savings on his debt (and it really was her decision. He might have sweet-talked her into it, but he didn’t hold a gun to her head). There aren’t even any lingering feelings of love or any sign she loved him at all. When it comes to her past, her entire character falls flat.
Of course, she’s better than Adam Palmer, the heavy tipper we know next to nothing about so far. The description “billionaire alpha” basically sums up everything about him. Not that I really mind Adam. He was actually pretty nice to Lucy. Despite the circumstances, I didn’t sense a disturbing power imbalance between them and he seems to genuinely care about her. I wish we saw at least one scene from his point of view. It would have gone a long way to making him a real character instead of an alpha-billionaire-on-the-verge-of-manly-tears stock photo.
I have a theory that he’s the one who got her the job at the brothel, but this has yet to be confirmed. I’ll be sad if this isn’t the case.
The sex scene, was honestly more comical than sexy to me. Reading about them screaming out each others’ names while doin’ it made me giggle.
“OH ADAM,” I cried out at the top of my lungs.
For real, have you or anyone you know actually shouted your partner’s name during sex because you were so caught up in the moment? It doesn’t count if you’re faking it.
Honestly, they talked a lot for two people who were supposed to be lost in the magical sensations of expert boning. Adam could even get out full sentences.
“Fuck Lucy, you are going to make me explode and I am definitely not done with you yet.”
As you can probably guess, this story is in need of some editing. Not just for punctuation issues (not too distracting, but still there), but also for the dialogue which is about as good as the best-written porn out there. The first chapter is also just Lucy straight-up telling her backstory. It only lasts for about a page, but it kept me from getting pulled into the story immediately and kept me from connecting to Lucy.
But despite all its faults, I still enjoyed the story. I thought it was really cute and I want to see more of Lucy and Adam together.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Word Count: 17,530 words
After getting conned and dumped by a traveling guitar player, Lucy is struggling to make ends meet and things only get worse when she’s laid off from her waitressing job. Her last customer– a sexy, mysterious man wearing clothes that cost five times her annual salary– leaves her a $1,000 tip out of sympathy, but that money will only last so long.
But when she gets offered a job as a housekeeper at a brothel, things are looking up. Cleaning up after sex isn’t her usual line of work, but at least she won’t have to struggle financially anymore. When she literally runs into her heavy tipper at the brothel, however, things might get a little more complicated, especially when just looking at him is enough to fill her fantasies.
I’m still not sure what to make of this book, but I definitely wish there was more of it. I’m fascinated by this high-class brothel where everything is safe and 100% consensual and everyone treats each other like old friends. There are panic buttons in every room and all of the “Room Service” workers carry panic buttons on them as well (where they carry them isn’t mentioned, unfortunately).
I’m a little uneasy about what happens if one of the staff wants to quit, though. That’s never really mentioned, and Mrs. Stark, the owner of the brothel and Iron Man’s mother, isn’t someone to cross. Are they allowed to leave as long or have they taken a blood oath?
” Just know that if you accept you will be all-in. The secrets you keep will need to go to your grave with you. We take this vow very seriously.” — Mrs. Stark
Sounds like a blood oath to me.
Lucy’s a pretty cool character. She took getting fired well and she’s pretty kind and relatable overall. But her emotions when it comes to her ex are really simplistic. She’s just enraged that he left her destitute. And she definitely has reason to be. But anger is all she’s feeling. She’s not sad that he didn’t love her enough to stick around. She’s not regretting her decision to squander her savings on his debt (and it really was her decision. He might have sweet-talked her into it, but he didn’t hold a gun to her head). There aren’t even any lingering feelings of love or any sign she loved him at all. When it comes to her past, her entire character falls flat.
Of course, she’s better than Adam Palmer, the heavy tipper we know next to nothing about so far. The description “billionaire alpha” basically sums up everything about him. Not that I really mind Adam. He was actually pretty nice to Lucy. Despite the circumstances, I didn’t sense a disturbing power imbalance between them and he seems to genuinely care about her. I wish we saw at least one scene from his point of view. It would have gone a long way to making him a real character instead of an alpha-billionaire-on-the-verge-of-manly-tears stock photo.
I have a theory that he’s the one who got her the job at the brothel, but this has yet to be confirmed. I’ll be sad if this isn’t the case.
The sex scene, was honestly more comical than sexy to me. Reading about them screaming out each others’ names while doin’ it made me giggle.
“OH ADAM,” I cried out at the top of my lungs.
For real, have you or anyone you know actually shouted your partner’s name during sex because you were so caught up in the moment? It doesn’t count if you’re faking it.
Honestly, they talked a lot for two people who were supposed to be lost in the magical sensations of expert boning. Adam could even get out full sentences.
“Fuck Lucy, you are going to make me explode and I am definitely not done with you yet.”
As you can probably guess, this story is in need of some editing. Not just for punctuation issues (not too distracting, but still there), but also for the dialogue which is about as good as the best-written porn out there. The first chapter is also just Lucy straight-up telling her backstory. It only lasts for about a page, but it kept me from getting pulled into the story immediately and kept me from connecting to Lucy.
But despite all its faults, I still enjoyed the story. I thought it was really cute and I want to see more of Lucy and Adam together.
Louise (64 KP) rated I'll Give You the Sun in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I'll give you the sun follows twins Noah and Jude that are aspiring artists. They are both working on their portfolios to get into a prestigious art school in the local area when a tragedy pulls them apart and they start to live two separate lives.
I loved this book the writing was so poetic and beautiful. The story is written from two perspectives and at different times. Noah's perspective is written when he is 13. 5 years old and before 'said' tragedy struck and Jude's when she is 16 - two years later. At 13 years old the pair were close with sibling rivalries, respecting each others art and dividing the world up.
“I gave up practically the whole world for you,” I tell him, walking through the front door of my own love story. “The sun, stars, ocean, trees, everything, I gave it all up for you.”
At 16 the pair couldn't be further apart, they constantly avoid each other and barely talk. When lies start to unravel and they discover the truth, can they become two once more.
Noah is a painter, he's such a cute young boy, with his confusion of being gay and what it means to come out is so cleverly portrayed through this character. The frustration and tension is palpable between him and Brian. The want of your heart desires and the reality of doing and facing the backlash from the people around you is what stops him. Noah has never been perceived as 'normal' to his class mates and being bullied is a daily problem until he meets the new kid Brian who is a baseball player for his local school, with Brian by his side he becomes socially accepted, even though he knows that Brian is a bit of geek like himself with his meteorite collections.
Jude an ambitious sculptor is a young impressionable girl at the age of 14, however as she is telling her POV at the age of 16 she has had a lot of time to develop but also grieve at the same time. Jude is struggling at school, she hasn't made any good artwork for the past 2 years and believes there is someone out to destroy her pieces. She has one last chance to make it right and is sent to work with a local but famous sculptor. The sculptor has problems of his own and between the both of them they start to overcome their grief through the process of sculpting.
Oscar is not the typical cool guy, who has everything going for him with his distinguishable features, his past and present he is also on the road to self discovery. When we first meet Oscar in Noah's perspective he is a drunk, with ambitions to be a model. 2 years later in Jude's perspective he is a recovering alcoholic/drug user, going to college for photography and has a cocky side to him which covers up the true Oscar.
“It occurs to me that Jude does this too, changes who she is depending on who she’s with. They’re like toads changing their skin color. How come I’m always just me?”
There were only two things that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars and it's not much but I had to factor them in. I found the book a bit predictable in some parts. You could tell how it was going to pan out. Also the ending felt a bit rushed for me towards the end, I think it could have been a bit longer to make the ending a bit more bulkier. The thing I liked with Nelson's writing is your reading away and then BAM! She just lets you have this incredible fact like it's nothing major and I had to reread to make sure I hadn't read it wrong. The grandma's bible that Jude follows got a bit tiresome in the end.
I went in to this book blind, not knowing too much about the premise and I recommend it, I like going in to books not knowing much it is more surprising and enjoyable to read. There are references in the book to famous people and quotes such as Winston Churchill and E.E Cummings. This book deals with love, bullying, grief, growing up, self discovery and all the challenges of being a teenager.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read Young Adult and Contemporary novels.
Overall I rated this book 4.5 stars out of 5.
I loved this book the writing was so poetic and beautiful. The story is written from two perspectives and at different times. Noah's perspective is written when he is 13. 5 years old and before 'said' tragedy struck and Jude's when she is 16 - two years later. At 13 years old the pair were close with sibling rivalries, respecting each others art and dividing the world up.
“I gave up practically the whole world for you,” I tell him, walking through the front door of my own love story. “The sun, stars, ocean, trees, everything, I gave it all up for you.”
At 16 the pair couldn't be further apart, they constantly avoid each other and barely talk. When lies start to unravel and they discover the truth, can they become two once more.
Noah is a painter, he's such a cute young boy, with his confusion of being gay and what it means to come out is so cleverly portrayed through this character. The frustration and tension is palpable between him and Brian. The want of your heart desires and the reality of doing and facing the backlash from the people around you is what stops him. Noah has never been perceived as 'normal' to his class mates and being bullied is a daily problem until he meets the new kid Brian who is a baseball player for his local school, with Brian by his side he becomes socially accepted, even though he knows that Brian is a bit of geek like himself with his meteorite collections.
Jude an ambitious sculptor is a young impressionable girl at the age of 14, however as she is telling her POV at the age of 16 she has had a lot of time to develop but also grieve at the same time. Jude is struggling at school, she hasn't made any good artwork for the past 2 years and believes there is someone out to destroy her pieces. She has one last chance to make it right and is sent to work with a local but famous sculptor. The sculptor has problems of his own and between the both of them they start to overcome their grief through the process of sculpting.
Oscar is not the typical cool guy, who has everything going for him with his distinguishable features, his past and present he is also on the road to self discovery. When we first meet Oscar in Noah's perspective he is a drunk, with ambitions to be a model. 2 years later in Jude's perspective he is a recovering alcoholic/drug user, going to college for photography and has a cocky side to him which covers up the true Oscar.
“It occurs to me that Jude does this too, changes who she is depending on who she’s with. They’re like toads changing their skin color. How come I’m always just me?”
There were only two things that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars and it's not much but I had to factor them in. I found the book a bit predictable in some parts. You could tell how it was going to pan out. Also the ending felt a bit rushed for me towards the end, I think it could have been a bit longer to make the ending a bit more bulkier. The thing I liked with Nelson's writing is your reading away and then BAM! She just lets you have this incredible fact like it's nothing major and I had to reread to make sure I hadn't read it wrong. The grandma's bible that Jude follows got a bit tiresome in the end.
I went in to this book blind, not knowing too much about the premise and I recommend it, I like going in to books not knowing much it is more surprising and enjoyable to read. There are references in the book to famous people and quotes such as Winston Churchill and E.E Cummings. This book deals with love, bullying, grief, growing up, self discovery and all the challenges of being a teenager.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read Young Adult and Contemporary novels.
Overall I rated this book 4.5 stars out of 5.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Virgin River (Virgin River, #1) in Books
Feb 3, 2020
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3099359251">Virgin River</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/VirginRiverBlogTourBanner.jpg?resize=512%2C1024&ssl=1"/>;
I am so thankful to the team at Mills & Boon for letting me a part of this amazing blog tour. It is an honour, and a pleasure! <a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/2020/01/29/virgin-river-by-robyn-carr-blog-tour/ ">Click HERE to read the first chapter!</a>
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Book-Review-Banner-18-1024x576.png"/>;
<i>When recently widowed Melinda sees an advert for a midwife in the quiet town of Virgin River, she decides this is the perfect place to escape her heartache and to revitalise the nursing career she loves.
However, her dreams are shattered as soon as she arrives. The cabin is uninhabitable, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor has nothing to do with her. But when a tiny baby is abandoned on a front porch, Mel needs to make a decision.
Helped by a local barman and former marine, Jack Sheridan, Mel has to face her past, and realises that there may be a future in Virgin River after all. </i>
<i><b>First Impression</b></i>
I don’t usually go for the drama romance stories. But I do love a bit of new town girl, and I also love watching medical shows, despite knowing close to nothing about medicine. Grey’s Anatomy, The Resident, Doctor House, The Good Doctor, ER, etc. fans - please let yourselves known! :)
I loved this book. It has a very good vibe about if from the beginning until the end. First of all, I fell in love with Virgin River. A lovely quiet place, with amazing selfless people living in it. I would love to live in a town like that! The author described the place so well, that it made me feel like I was there, in the pub, in the doctor’s office, by the river…
<i><b>Characters</b></i>
We found ourselves to have Mel as a main character, followed by Jack. However, we had a lot of side characters, who actually played a crucial role in the development of Mel and Jack and their story.
<i><b>Mel is a city girl, born and raised.</b></i>
Always lived in big cities, most recently in L.A. and she is used to all the poshy posh stuff that come along with such a lifestyle. She was married to Mark, an emergency doctor, who recently passed away. We never get to meet Mark, but we get to know him through Mel’s memories of him.
Wanting and needing change, she sells everything and moves to Virgin River, a promising quiet town, where she can start again. But things don’t go as planned. They never do. When struggling with challenges, she has to find a way to cope with her pain, then learn how to live with it, so she can move on and be happy in life.
<i><b>Then we have Jack, who owns a bar in Virgin River, and who is the person that helps everyone around.</b></i>
When Mel arrives, he is determined to make her stay and show her that this place is not so bad after all. But as a former marine, he also has his demons, and as much as he will help Mel, he also needs her to help him get over his pain as well.
From the side characters, I really loved Doc, the sassy old doctor, Preacher, Jack’s friend from the marines and Joey, Mel’s sister. Even though I hated Joey at the beginning, she started to grow on me as time passed by.
Very interesting story, a lot of dramatic events that change our characters and teach them something. The plot was predictable in the sense that I knew there would be a love story between Jack and Mel, but it was still adorable and cute to read how both of them grow by each other.
<i><b>The Netflix Show</b></i>
You might have heard, but now Virgin River also has a TV show as well. My plan was to read and watch them simultaneously, and I did watch the first few episodes. I love the show, and I will definitely continue watching. However, the plot is changed a lot and it is quite different from the book, so I suggest you read the book first before watching the TV show.
<i><b>Have you read this book? Have you read something similar? I would love to read your thoughts. :) </b></i>
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3099359251">Virgin River</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/VirginRiverBlogTourBanner.jpg?resize=512%2C1024&ssl=1"/>;
I am so thankful to the team at Mills & Boon for letting me a part of this amazing blog tour. It is an honour, and a pleasure! <a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/2020/01/29/virgin-river-by-robyn-carr-blog-tour/ ">Click HERE to read the first chapter!</a>
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Book-Review-Banner-18-1024x576.png"/>;
<i>When recently widowed Melinda sees an advert for a midwife in the quiet town of Virgin River, she decides this is the perfect place to escape her heartache and to revitalise the nursing career she loves.
However, her dreams are shattered as soon as she arrives. The cabin is uninhabitable, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor has nothing to do with her. But when a tiny baby is abandoned on a front porch, Mel needs to make a decision.
Helped by a local barman and former marine, Jack Sheridan, Mel has to face her past, and realises that there may be a future in Virgin River after all. </i>
<i><b>First Impression</b></i>
I don’t usually go for the drama romance stories. But I do love a bit of new town girl, and I also love watching medical shows, despite knowing close to nothing about medicine. Grey’s Anatomy, The Resident, Doctor House, The Good Doctor, ER, etc. fans - please let yourselves known! :)
I loved this book. It has a very good vibe about if from the beginning until the end. First of all, I fell in love with Virgin River. A lovely quiet place, with amazing selfless people living in it. I would love to live in a town like that! The author described the place so well, that it made me feel like I was there, in the pub, in the doctor’s office, by the river…
<i><b>Characters</b></i>
We found ourselves to have Mel as a main character, followed by Jack. However, we had a lot of side characters, who actually played a crucial role in the development of Mel and Jack and their story.
<i><b>Mel is a city girl, born and raised.</b></i>
Always lived in big cities, most recently in L.A. and she is used to all the poshy posh stuff that come along with such a lifestyle. She was married to Mark, an emergency doctor, who recently passed away. We never get to meet Mark, but we get to know him through Mel’s memories of him.
Wanting and needing change, she sells everything and moves to Virgin River, a promising quiet town, where she can start again. But things don’t go as planned. They never do. When struggling with challenges, she has to find a way to cope with her pain, then learn how to live with it, so she can move on and be happy in life.
<i><b>Then we have Jack, who owns a bar in Virgin River, and who is the person that helps everyone around.</b></i>
When Mel arrives, he is determined to make her stay and show her that this place is not so bad after all. But as a former marine, he also has his demons, and as much as he will help Mel, he also needs her to help him get over his pain as well.
From the side characters, I really loved Doc, the sassy old doctor, Preacher, Jack’s friend from the marines and Joey, Mel’s sister. Even though I hated Joey at the beginning, she started to grow on me as time passed by.
Very interesting story, a lot of dramatic events that change our characters and teach them something. The plot was predictable in the sense that I knew there would be a love story between Jack and Mel, but it was still adorable and cute to read how both of them grow by each other.
<i><b>The Netflix Show</b></i>
You might have heard, but now Virgin River also has a TV show as well. My plan was to read and watch them simultaneously, and I did watch the first few episodes. I love the show, and I will definitely continue watching. However, the plot is changed a lot and it is quite different from the book, so I suggest you read the book first before watching the TV show.
<i><b>Have you read this book? Have you read something similar? I would love to read your thoughts. :) </b></i>
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<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Jamie (131 KP) rated When Dimple Met Rishi in Books
Aug 15, 2017
Sweet romance (1 more)
Great commentary about cultural identity
Underdeveloped plot (2 more)
Unconvincing setting
Frustrating main character
A sweet summer romance with potential that just didn't work for me
Sigh. It’s hard for me to decide how to start this review because I found myself confused and disappointed when I finished. I think I suffered a little bit from overhype about this book since it was recommended so highly and talked about like mad over the summer. I wanted to love this book because everything just sounded so perfect: a strong willed STEM girl heroine, a clash between cultures, a sweet summer romance with lots of laughs, and one of the cutest book covers I’ve seen in a long time–I was all over it!
I absolutely adored the first half of this book. I could sympathize with both of the main characters, especially Dimple, whose mother reminded me of my own. I too was that nerdy awkward girl that felt uncomfortable wearing makeup and dresses and found happiness in front of a computer screen grinding out code to make websites and browser games. Like my mom, Dimple’s mother pushes her to be more feminine and doesn’t fully understand modern western culture. Dimple struggles with feeling like an outsider in both of her worlds, an experience shared by many American children with immigrant parents. It made me happy that this duality is explored in the novel as I think it’s important for children and teens that, like me, had difficulties with their cultural identity.
On the other hand there’s Rishi, who embraces his cultural heritage and doesn’t care whether or not he “fits in” with either group. He is still a modern young man adapted to western culture that also values tradition and believes with all of his heart in the fairy tale romance of his parents. He is exceptionally sweet and witty and is pretty much the ideal cute nerd boyfriend. The romance between Dimple and Rishi is swoon-worthy and made my heart melt.. Which was great for exactly half of the book.
With the Insomnia Con setting what I expected was a summer “coding camp” similar to ones like the Make School Summer Academy and others held on college campuses around the country every year. Many of these camps usually offer workshops to practice making programs, opportunities to make professional connections and to meet industry leaders, and very often have competitions where they can create and submit their own apps for a cool cash prize. I guess my expectations were misplaced because What I got, sadly, was high school drama with hook ups and a talent show that turned more into a dance competition? Dance? In a coding camp??
This was the start of when the book stopped working for me.
A large part of Dimple’s story revolves around her desire to develop her own app to catapult her into a successful tech career. The book talks at length about how much this matters to her, how she’s dying to make connections to help her on her way, and how she’s so different from other girls by being interested in coding. The book tells the reader all of these things but fails to actually show the reader these things. It’s easy to forget that the main characters are even at a coding camp because so little time is spent on it. The plot just gets plain weird and doesn’t seem to have any sort of focus, even the romance felt rushed.
Also I’m sorry, the dance competition was exceedingly boring to read. That and, well, the love story has already happened by then so the build up for that is finished as well. So what else was there? I thought heavily about skimming or just putting the book down at that point but I honestly wanted to know if Dimple would win the competition (the app one, not the dance one) and achieve her dream of becoming a high powered STEM girl. I was still optimistic that the book would get back to the code camp, but it never does. In fact, three weeks out of the six week camp is skipped completely as the story fast forwards to the result of the app completion. The more I read the more disappointed I was as the plot became more and more juvenile.
By the 3/4 mark it seemed like there was no story left to tell and was starting to seriously drag. So of course there had to be some drama to keep it going. I hated this part. Dimple’s actions in the later portion of the book quite frankly left me feeling confused because they didn’t make any sense whatsoever. It was frustrating and I quite frankly got a little mad at how Dimple treated Rishi in the latter half of the novel. Such a shame considering how amazing the story set up was and how strong the early chapters were.
The characters drift from dinners, parties, and dance practices with next to no time actually coding and it made for a surprisingly boring and mediocre read for me personally. Even despite my criticisms, When Dimple Met Rishi is still a sweet summer romance that shined in the first half of the book. Just because it didn’t work out so well for me doesn’t mean that it won’t work out for others, in fact I seem to be in quite the minority for this book. This book definitely had a lot of potential and I honestly wish that the tech girl part of the story could have been developed better and for the setting to be a little more convincing.
I absolutely adored the first half of this book. I could sympathize with both of the main characters, especially Dimple, whose mother reminded me of my own. I too was that nerdy awkward girl that felt uncomfortable wearing makeup and dresses and found happiness in front of a computer screen grinding out code to make websites and browser games. Like my mom, Dimple’s mother pushes her to be more feminine and doesn’t fully understand modern western culture. Dimple struggles with feeling like an outsider in both of her worlds, an experience shared by many American children with immigrant parents. It made me happy that this duality is explored in the novel as I think it’s important for children and teens that, like me, had difficulties with their cultural identity.
On the other hand there’s Rishi, who embraces his cultural heritage and doesn’t care whether or not he “fits in” with either group. He is still a modern young man adapted to western culture that also values tradition and believes with all of his heart in the fairy tale romance of his parents. He is exceptionally sweet and witty and is pretty much the ideal cute nerd boyfriend. The romance between Dimple and Rishi is swoon-worthy and made my heart melt.. Which was great for exactly half of the book.
With the Insomnia Con setting what I expected was a summer “coding camp” similar to ones like the Make School Summer Academy and others held on college campuses around the country every year. Many of these camps usually offer workshops to practice making programs, opportunities to make professional connections and to meet industry leaders, and very often have competitions where they can create and submit their own apps for a cool cash prize. I guess my expectations were misplaced because What I got, sadly, was high school drama with hook ups and a talent show that turned more into a dance competition? Dance? In a coding camp??
This was the start of when the book stopped working for me.
A large part of Dimple’s story revolves around her desire to develop her own app to catapult her into a successful tech career. The book talks at length about how much this matters to her, how she’s dying to make connections to help her on her way, and how she’s so different from other girls by being interested in coding. The book tells the reader all of these things but fails to actually show the reader these things. It’s easy to forget that the main characters are even at a coding camp because so little time is spent on it. The plot just gets plain weird and doesn’t seem to have any sort of focus, even the romance felt rushed.
Also I’m sorry, the dance competition was exceedingly boring to read. That and, well, the love story has already happened by then so the build up for that is finished as well. So what else was there? I thought heavily about skimming or just putting the book down at that point but I honestly wanted to know if Dimple would win the competition (the app one, not the dance one) and achieve her dream of becoming a high powered STEM girl. I was still optimistic that the book would get back to the code camp, but it never does. In fact, three weeks out of the six week camp is skipped completely as the story fast forwards to the result of the app completion. The more I read the more disappointed I was as the plot became more and more juvenile.
By the 3/4 mark it seemed like there was no story left to tell and was starting to seriously drag. So of course there had to be some drama to keep it going. I hated this part. Dimple’s actions in the later portion of the book quite frankly left me feeling confused because they didn’t make any sense whatsoever. It was frustrating and I quite frankly got a little mad at how Dimple treated Rishi in the latter half of the novel. Such a shame considering how amazing the story set up was and how strong the early chapters were.
The characters drift from dinners, parties, and dance practices with next to no time actually coding and it made for a surprisingly boring and mediocre read for me personally. Even despite my criticisms, When Dimple Met Rishi is still a sweet summer romance that shined in the first half of the book. Just because it didn’t work out so well for me doesn’t mean that it won’t work out for others, in fact I seem to be in quite the minority for this book. This book definitely had a lot of potential and I honestly wish that the tech girl part of the story could have been developed better and for the setting to be a little more convincing.