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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Ruthless ( The Privileged of Pembroke High 4) in Books
Mar 23, 2024
55 of 220
Kindle
Ruthless ( The Privileged of Pembroke High 4)
By Ivy Fox
⭐️⭐️
Since before I could even spell the name Grayson, I only had eyes for one boy—my perfect, larger than life best friend, who always managed to bring his bright light into my very dark existence with just one of his boyish smiles.
With Chad, I could forget the dismal life I had of being the flawless privileged daughter of a cruel, evil man.
He was my escape.
My solace.
My hope that one day I’d be free of it all and live how I always envisioned with my green-eyed boy at my side.
He was my everything until the devil’s piercing black eyes seduced him away from me.
They call him Saint, but heaven is not at fault for his pitiful creation.
Only the devil could produce such mouth-watering beauty to hide the ugliness that dwells inside.
He’s the demon that terrorizes my days and haunts my restless nights.
Saint wants to steal all that I love, believing he can beat me, but the fool has another thing coming.
I’m Eleanor Grayson, b*tch.
You want a fight, Saint?
Well, I’ll give you one you’ll never forget.
I was born and bred to be ruthless.
By the time I’m through, not even hell will recognize you.
Got to admit I wasn’t keen on this one! Think i expected more as the I really enjoyed the first 3 something was missing. This is the start of Elles story but I honestly struggled.
Kindle
Ruthless ( The Privileged of Pembroke High 4)
By Ivy Fox
⭐️⭐️
Since before I could even spell the name Grayson, I only had eyes for one boy—my perfect, larger than life best friend, who always managed to bring his bright light into my very dark existence with just one of his boyish smiles.
With Chad, I could forget the dismal life I had of being the flawless privileged daughter of a cruel, evil man.
He was my escape.
My solace.
My hope that one day I’d be free of it all and live how I always envisioned with my green-eyed boy at my side.
He was my everything until the devil’s piercing black eyes seduced him away from me.
They call him Saint, but heaven is not at fault for his pitiful creation.
Only the devil could produce such mouth-watering beauty to hide the ugliness that dwells inside.
He’s the demon that terrorizes my days and haunts my restless nights.
Saint wants to steal all that I love, believing he can beat me, but the fool has another thing coming.
I’m Eleanor Grayson, b*tch.
You want a fight, Saint?
Well, I’ll give you one you’ll never forget.
I was born and bred to be ruthless.
By the time I’m through, not even hell will recognize you.
Got to admit I wasn’t keen on this one! Think i expected more as the I really enjoyed the first 3 something was missing. This is the start of Elles story but I honestly struggled.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated A Time for Dying ( Araneae Nation 3) in Books
Jun 30, 2024
127 of 220
Kindle
A Time for Dying ( Araneae Nation 3)
By Hailey Edwards
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
They just might survive...if they don't kill each other first.
Once the future Segestriidae maven, Kaidi lived a privileged life. Now she spends her nights haunting cities ravaged by the plague. Spade in hand, she stalks rows of freshly dug graves for corpses...and then she takes their heads.
Her new life is caked in blood and spattered with gore, but it's hers. At least until--to her fury--she's caught napping.
A plague survivor by the skin of his teeth, Murdoch risks his neck to solve the mysteries left in its wake. Bodies have gone missing. Guards have left their posts and never returned home.
When he rouses a female dozing among the dead, he's unprepared for the violence of her response. Or his. Beneath the grime, she's lovely. Too bad the blood under her fingernails belongs to his clansmen.
He has no choice but to follow this alluring creature deeper into her world of winged beasts and flesh-eating monsters. She holds the knowledge he craves, but the price is high--and they may both pay for it with their lives.
I’ve become so invested in this series I absolutely love the different clans and how diverse they are. The story is just so interesting and the characters really are so well written you become part of that world. Really good read this brought us new characters while keep us updated on some old faces.
Kindle
A Time for Dying ( Araneae Nation 3)
By Hailey Edwards
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
They just might survive...if they don't kill each other first.
Once the future Segestriidae maven, Kaidi lived a privileged life. Now she spends her nights haunting cities ravaged by the plague. Spade in hand, she stalks rows of freshly dug graves for corpses...and then she takes their heads.
Her new life is caked in blood and spattered with gore, but it's hers. At least until--to her fury--she's caught napping.
A plague survivor by the skin of his teeth, Murdoch risks his neck to solve the mysteries left in its wake. Bodies have gone missing. Guards have left their posts and never returned home.
When he rouses a female dozing among the dead, he's unprepared for the violence of her response. Or his. Beneath the grime, she's lovely. Too bad the blood under her fingernails belongs to his clansmen.
He has no choice but to follow this alluring creature deeper into her world of winged beasts and flesh-eating monsters. She holds the knowledge he craves, but the price is high--and they may both pay for it with their lives.
I’ve become so invested in this series I absolutely love the different clans and how diverse they are. The story is just so interesting and the characters really are so well written you become part of that world. Really good read this brought us new characters while keep us updated on some old faces.
Debbiereadsbook (1440 KP) rated Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024) in Books
Nov 1, 2024
I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This book is part of the Road to Rockoberfest 2024, but can be read as a stand alone to the other books in the series.
Owen is the fiddler in Flightless, an up and coming rock band. Jared joins as a stand in when the keyboard player takes some family time. But time is short for Owen and Jared.
For the most part, I liked this book.
Both Jared and Owen have a say, and they say a great deal. I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal.
It's not overly explicit but there are smexy times. No real angst or drama, I didn't think.
I did like the way it all played out.
It's an easy read, a Nice book.
*insert sigh*
I just felt I was missing MUCH information. About both men, and their history. Case in point: these guys met before, The Beer Guy incident. I needed that explained. I don't fully get that and I wanted it. I also found it was a little . . . flat . . .on the romance. They meet, they kiss, and they are in love. I wanted more build up.
BUT like I said, I did enjoy it, I'm just saying what I wanted that I didn't get.
3.5 stars, but rounded UP for the blog.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This book is part of the Road to Rockoberfest 2024, but can be read as a stand alone to the other books in the series.
Owen is the fiddler in Flightless, an up and coming rock band. Jared joins as a stand in when the keyboard player takes some family time. But time is short for Owen and Jared.
For the most part, I liked this book.
Both Jared and Owen have a say, and they say a great deal. I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal.
It's not overly explicit but there are smexy times. No real angst or drama, I didn't think.
I did like the way it all played out.
It's an easy read, a Nice book.
*insert sigh*
I just felt I was missing MUCH information. About both men, and their history. Case in point: these guys met before, The Beer Guy incident. I needed that explained. I don't fully get that and I wanted it. I also found it was a little . . . flat . . .on the romance. They meet, they kiss, and they are in love. I wanted more build up.
BUT like I said, I did enjoy it, I'm just saying what I wanted that I didn't get.
3.5 stars, but rounded UP for the blog.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Fairies Never Fall
8.0
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A fairy whose touch is poison. A cuddly human who’s immune. Three years out of prison, I came...
MM Fantasy Romance
Waters of Destruction
9.0
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Retired caterer Valerie Corbin investigates a suspicious drowning in this Orchid Isle cozy culinary...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Hangover Part II (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
It has been two years since writer-director producer Todd Phillips unleashed the mother of all benders on audiences with The Hangover. The film about four buddies on a lost weekend in Vegas was a comedic tour de force that left audiences laughing from start to finish and went on to be the highest grossing R-rated film in history. Naturally when a film does this kind of business, thoughts turned to a sequel and Phillips has returned with the original cast and crew to follow up this comedy classic.
Plot of the film mild-mannered dentist Stu (Ed Helms), who is getting married in Thailand to the girl of his dreams. Undaunted by the fact that his fiancé’s father despises everything about him, Stu convinces his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha), to take the 16 hour flight to attend the ceremony. When news reaches them that a crestfallen Alan (Zach Galifianikis), is waiting for his invitation to the ceremony, Stu is reluctant because he does not want a repeat of what happened in Vegas.
But despite their misgivings, the friends decide to include Alan in the ceremony and embark to the airport for the long flight to Thailand. They’re joined at the airport by Stu’s future brother-in-law Teddy (Mason Lee), a child prodigy who was already attending Stanford at 16 and has designs on a future medical career. As Stu’s fiance explains later in the film, Teddy is their father’s “most prized possession.”
Alan takes an instant disliking to Teddy and sees him as an outsider in their “wolf pack” and doesn’t miss an opportunity to try to exclude Teddy. Upon their arrival in beautiful Thailand, the friends get through a somewhat awkward dinner with the future in-laws and relax on the beach for a bonfire and bachelor party. Phil makes sure to be extra careful to avoid any of the issues they had in Vegas and selects bottled beer that was given to them by the hotel staff and makes sure that every one of them only gets an unopened bottle to drink.
Despite these precautions, Stu, Phil, and Alan wake up the next morning in a seedy hotel with absolutely no memory of how they got there and what happened the night before. Stu now sports a fresh facial tattoo while Alan has a completely shaved head. Matters are further complicated when the group realizes that Teddy is missing and that what appears to be his severed finger is found to be floating in a bucket of water.
As if things were not bad enough, matters take an even extreme turn for the worse when a monkey and Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), show up and add even bigger complications to the already complex situation. The group learns that Doug is safely back at the resort and waiting for their arrival at breakfast after having left the bonfire early, leaving Stu, Alan and Phil to piece together the forgotten events of the night and locate Teddy before the wedding. Along the way they run into criminals, the sleazy side of Bangkok, upset monks, and much more as they race against time to solve the mystery and locate Teddy.
What follows is a comedic adventure complete with jaw-dropping sequences that leaves the audience shocked at just how far they push the envelope. The cast works well with one another and there are some truly funny moments in the film. The biggest issue with the movie is that it must walk a fine line between using the established formula of friends trying to remember and deal with the consequences of their lost evening while not repeating itself.
This is a very tricky proposition as the film essentially follows the same plot line of the original film: a group of friends are trying to remember the previous night and locate a missing member prior to a wedding. There are also similar jokes such as Stu dealing with a tattoo instead of a missing tooth and Alan’s constant nonsensical bantering and plethora of useless information.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel director Todd Phillips instead focuses on the relationship of the cast and allows the unique and exotic setting to be the new character and foil for the comedy. Many times in the film it is established that Teddy must be located before “Bangkok gets him” and as such the city offers endless opportunities for the cast.
The film does drag at the three quarters mark but recovers nicely, leading to a predictable finale. While the film was not as thoroughly funny as the original, in terms of humor and storytelling, but there are still plenty of laughs and eye-popping scenes that make it an enjoyable comedy. There are rumors that Phillips has plans for third film in the series to complete the trilogy. If this is indeed the case I would welcome a third film with the understanding that more care be put into the plot to avoid rehashing previous jokes and situations.
Plot of the film mild-mannered dentist Stu (Ed Helms), who is getting married in Thailand to the girl of his dreams. Undaunted by the fact that his fiancé’s father despises everything about him, Stu convinces his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), and Doug (Justin Bartha), to take the 16 hour flight to attend the ceremony. When news reaches them that a crestfallen Alan (Zach Galifianikis), is waiting for his invitation to the ceremony, Stu is reluctant because he does not want a repeat of what happened in Vegas.
But despite their misgivings, the friends decide to include Alan in the ceremony and embark to the airport for the long flight to Thailand. They’re joined at the airport by Stu’s future brother-in-law Teddy (Mason Lee), a child prodigy who was already attending Stanford at 16 and has designs on a future medical career. As Stu’s fiance explains later in the film, Teddy is their father’s “most prized possession.”
Alan takes an instant disliking to Teddy and sees him as an outsider in their “wolf pack” and doesn’t miss an opportunity to try to exclude Teddy. Upon their arrival in beautiful Thailand, the friends get through a somewhat awkward dinner with the future in-laws and relax on the beach for a bonfire and bachelor party. Phil makes sure to be extra careful to avoid any of the issues they had in Vegas and selects bottled beer that was given to them by the hotel staff and makes sure that every one of them only gets an unopened bottle to drink.
Despite these precautions, Stu, Phil, and Alan wake up the next morning in a seedy hotel with absolutely no memory of how they got there and what happened the night before. Stu now sports a fresh facial tattoo while Alan has a completely shaved head. Matters are further complicated when the group realizes that Teddy is missing and that what appears to be his severed finger is found to be floating in a bucket of water.
As if things were not bad enough, matters take an even extreme turn for the worse when a monkey and Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), show up and add even bigger complications to the already complex situation. The group learns that Doug is safely back at the resort and waiting for their arrival at breakfast after having left the bonfire early, leaving Stu, Alan and Phil to piece together the forgotten events of the night and locate Teddy before the wedding. Along the way they run into criminals, the sleazy side of Bangkok, upset monks, and much more as they race against time to solve the mystery and locate Teddy.
What follows is a comedic adventure complete with jaw-dropping sequences that leaves the audience shocked at just how far they push the envelope. The cast works well with one another and there are some truly funny moments in the film. The biggest issue with the movie is that it must walk a fine line between using the established formula of friends trying to remember and deal with the consequences of their lost evening while not repeating itself.
This is a very tricky proposition as the film essentially follows the same plot line of the original film: a group of friends are trying to remember the previous night and locate a missing member prior to a wedding. There are also similar jokes such as Stu dealing with a tattoo instead of a missing tooth and Alan’s constant nonsensical bantering and plethora of useless information.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel director Todd Phillips instead focuses on the relationship of the cast and allows the unique and exotic setting to be the new character and foil for the comedy. Many times in the film it is established that Teddy must be located before “Bangkok gets him” and as such the city offers endless opportunities for the cast.
The film does drag at the three quarters mark but recovers nicely, leading to a predictable finale. While the film was not as thoroughly funny as the original, in terms of humor and storytelling, but there are still plenty of laughs and eye-popping scenes that make it an enjoyable comedy. There are rumors that Phillips has plans for third film in the series to complete the trilogy. If this is indeed the case I would welcome a third film with the understanding that more care be put into the plot to avoid rehashing previous jokes and situations.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2019
Solid Film For a Solid Trilogy
In this third installment, Hiccup is trying to find a home for all the dragons the community keeps bringing in while Toothless come across a dragon that he can’t seem to stay away from.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 5
It wasn’t like I didn’t like the characters as I would probably score this category for the previous two films much higher. I think my biggest concern was the cohesiveness between the characters. It felt like everyone was off doing their own thing and there wasn’t much of a connection like there was in the past two films. Maybe I was missing something, but I didn’t feel the connection I was hoping to between Hiccup and his mom. Sure she had been missing from his life for the majority of his childhood, but I feel like an opportunity was missed here to bring them closer.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
This series has been known for its stunning visuals to date and the third installment doesn’t disappoint. There’s so much attention to detail, especially as it pertains to the dragons. There are a countless number of dragons, each with their own abilities, size, and strength. it’s cool watching them take flight in numbers through the clouds and over the ocean.
Conflict: 10
Those who are coming to be entertained won’t be disappointed with the amount of action in the movie. From its hot start and onwards, you can expect plenty of hand-to-hand combat, dragon battles, and narrow getaways. The way the air dynamics are used is something that has been perfected since the first movie and keeps getting better. The conflict was aided greatly by a solid villain with some pretty creepy dragons.
Genre: 8
It’s hard for the third movie in a trilogy to receive a perfect score from a genre standpoint. While this movie does bring some of its own flare to the animated genre, there is a bit of it that feels like more of the same. Not a bad thing, but I would be looking for a little bit more to score this higher.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
Never really a dull moment as the story is handled consistently and properly throughout. My nephew needed to go to the bathroom somewhere in the middle of the film and there was action happening even as I was walking him down and back up the stairs. The plot development is not overdone and cuts right back into conflict when necessary.
Plot: 10
No issues here. Basic and straightforward, but enough to build a story on. They found a way to bring the series to a fitting ending.
Resolution: 10
Very fitting and touching ending for this series. It was exactly what I could have hoped for and then some. The type of ending (a la Toy Story 3) that made me sorry to see the series go.
Overall: 92
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World gets off to a decent start then does nothing but build momentum throughout. While it didn’t wow me with originality, it most certainly entertained me and that, to me, is largely what a good movie is all about. You and your kids wlll love it.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 5
It wasn’t like I didn’t like the characters as I would probably score this category for the previous two films much higher. I think my biggest concern was the cohesiveness between the characters. It felt like everyone was off doing their own thing and there wasn’t much of a connection like there was in the past two films. Maybe I was missing something, but I didn’t feel the connection I was hoping to between Hiccup and his mom. Sure she had been missing from his life for the majority of his childhood, but I feel like an opportunity was missed here to bring them closer.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
This series has been known for its stunning visuals to date and the third installment doesn’t disappoint. There’s so much attention to detail, especially as it pertains to the dragons. There are a countless number of dragons, each with their own abilities, size, and strength. it’s cool watching them take flight in numbers through the clouds and over the ocean.
Conflict: 10
Those who are coming to be entertained won’t be disappointed with the amount of action in the movie. From its hot start and onwards, you can expect plenty of hand-to-hand combat, dragon battles, and narrow getaways. The way the air dynamics are used is something that has been perfected since the first movie and keeps getting better. The conflict was aided greatly by a solid villain with some pretty creepy dragons.
Genre: 8
It’s hard for the third movie in a trilogy to receive a perfect score from a genre standpoint. While this movie does bring some of its own flare to the animated genre, there is a bit of it that feels like more of the same. Not a bad thing, but I would be looking for a little bit more to score this higher.
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
Never really a dull moment as the story is handled consistently and properly throughout. My nephew needed to go to the bathroom somewhere in the middle of the film and there was action happening even as I was walking him down and back up the stairs. The plot development is not overdone and cuts right back into conflict when necessary.
Plot: 10
No issues here. Basic and straightforward, but enough to build a story on. They found a way to bring the series to a fitting ending.
Resolution: 10
Very fitting and touching ending for this series. It was exactly what I could have hoped for and then some. The type of ending (a la Toy Story 3) that made me sorry to see the series go.
Overall: 92
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World gets off to a decent start then does nothing but build momentum throughout. While it didn’t wow me with originality, it most certainly entertained me and that, to me, is largely what a good movie is all about. You and your kids wlll love it.
Beautifully-written, incredibly captivating book
Sadie's pretty much always been an adult. Her mom struggled with drugs and alcohol since Sadie was born. Sadie basically raised her younger sister, Mattie. So when Mattie is found dead at the age of thirteen, Sadie's life completely falls apart. The police have no idea who killed her, so Sadie is determined to find justice for her little sister. She leaves town following the only bits of evidence she has. Meanwhile, a few months later, West McCray, a radio anchor, hears about Sadie's story while on the road. He starts thinking about missing girls, as Sadie's de facto grandmother, May Beth, is now convinced she's missing. He starts a podcast that tracks Sadie and her trail for Mattie's killer, trying to find out what happened. But is he too late?
"I'm going to kill a man. I'm going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren't supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer."
I had heard a lot of hype about Sadie before I started it, but luckily this is one of those rare books that really lives up to all the buzz. The novel gets off to a captivating start and never really lets up. It's quite the page-turner and really a tense, heartbreaking journey. You get fully immersed into Sadie's journey between Summers' gorgeous writing and the book's format. The novel alternates between chapters told in Sadie's point of view and then chapters told in West's podcast format.
The result is really spellbinding: West is just a little behind Sadie in her quest, but somehow it all works perfectly, and you feel like you're hurtling (to nowhere good) along with these characters. I wouldn't have thought the podcast pieces would work so well, but they were great, and I found myself enjoying those chapters a lot. You get swept up with West and his desire to find Sadie.
Part of feeling so much a part of this book is because it's so, so well-written. Wow, Courtney Summers can write. This novel is almost lyrical it's so beautiful in its descriptions, in Sadie's narration of her life and her situations. The characters--both the good guys and the bad--are so vivid they almost fly off the pages. You can just picture Sadie--alone in the world and hurting--with the world against her. The book is magical in that sense.
I live in a place that's only good for leaving, is all that needs to be said about it, and I don't let myself look back. Doesn't matter if I want to, it's just better if I don't.
I mean. C'mon. This girl. I dare you to read this book and not fall for Sadie. It's pretty much impossible. It's certainly not an easy read, and I felt like this one sort of broke me down and spit me out a bit. I wasn't sure about that ending, but I completely understood it. It was what the book deserved, just perhaps not what I hoped.
Overall, this is a beautifully-written, incredibly captivating book. I was immediately sucked in wondering what happened to Mattie and Sadie. The characters are real, and it's a read that will stick with you. Definitely recommend.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for my copy, which I received in return for an unbiased review.
"I'm going to kill a man. I'm going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren't supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer."
I had heard a lot of hype about Sadie before I started it, but luckily this is one of those rare books that really lives up to all the buzz. The novel gets off to a captivating start and never really lets up. It's quite the page-turner and really a tense, heartbreaking journey. You get fully immersed into Sadie's journey between Summers' gorgeous writing and the book's format. The novel alternates between chapters told in Sadie's point of view and then chapters told in West's podcast format.
The result is really spellbinding: West is just a little behind Sadie in her quest, but somehow it all works perfectly, and you feel like you're hurtling (to nowhere good) along with these characters. I wouldn't have thought the podcast pieces would work so well, but they were great, and I found myself enjoying those chapters a lot. You get swept up with West and his desire to find Sadie.
Part of feeling so much a part of this book is because it's so, so well-written. Wow, Courtney Summers can write. This novel is almost lyrical it's so beautiful in its descriptions, in Sadie's narration of her life and her situations. The characters--both the good guys and the bad--are so vivid they almost fly off the pages. You can just picture Sadie--alone in the world and hurting--with the world against her. The book is magical in that sense.
I live in a place that's only good for leaving, is all that needs to be said about it, and I don't let myself look back. Doesn't matter if I want to, it's just better if I don't.
I mean. C'mon. This girl. I dare you to read this book and not fall for Sadie. It's pretty much impossible. It's certainly not an easy read, and I felt like this one sort of broke me down and spit me out a bit. I wasn't sure about that ending, but I completely understood it. It was what the book deserved, just perhaps not what I hoped.
Overall, this is a beautifully-written, incredibly captivating book. I was immediately sucked in wondering what happened to Mattie and Sadie. The characters are real, and it's a read that will stick with you. Definitely recommend.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for my copy, which I received in return for an unbiased review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I Found You in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Alice Lake is a frazzled single mother of three children. One day she spots a man on the beach; he is alone and getting drenched in the rain. Despite her better judgement, Alice goes to talk to him. He has no memory of who he is or where he came from. Alice is drawn to him, and she invites him to stay in the shed on her property. Her young daughter dubs him "Frank." Meanwhile, in Surrey, Lily reports her husband missing. Married for less than a month, Lily cannot believe that her husband would simply abandon her: they are madly in love. She hasn't been in the country for long, though, and soon Lily learns that the name on her husband's passport was fake: he never truly existed. Cut to more than twenty years ago: teenagers Gray and Kirsty are (reluctantly) on vacation with their parents. While on the beach, they meet a young man who clearly has eyes for fifteen-year-old Kirsty. He charms their parents, but quickly rubs Gray the wrong way. Together, these characters combine for Jewell's latest.
<i>This was a rather spellbinding novel for me, even if it requires you to sort of check your rational thought at the front door when beginning it.</i> Alice is a bit of an odd duck--a loner mom with three children by three different fathers who doesn't really play by the rules. The fact that she so easily invites a complete stranger, with no history or backstory, to stay with her family is rather bizarre. As is everyone's reluctance to not just report Frank missing (found?), to say, the police. But we're led to believe that this is rather par for the course for the eccentric Alice and if you can just go along with that, the story falls into place fairly easily. This novel probably came along at a good point for me: I'd just finished a big project at work and needed something for a quick escape. I FOUND YOU is perfect for that: I blew through it in about 24 hours and while I basically had things figured out, it kept me guessing the entire time, wondering if I was right.
I was never truly attached to any of Jewell's characters - Alice is a bit flighty, Lily a tad remote, and Gray and Kirsty a little young. If anything, I was almost more drawn to "Frank" and his predicament. Still, I enjoyed how the story unfolded in bits and pieces, slowly letting the reader in on the past, while still giving us points of view from Lily, Alice, and Frank in the present. As I said, I was never quite sure if I was on the right track with the story, which kept me compulsively reading. Many of the characters' decisions are a bit bizarre, but I still found this to be a fun, quick read for a bit of an escape. Overall, 3.5+ stars. Great for a vacation or an airplane ride.
You can read my reviews of two of Jewell's previous novels here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276357-the-girls-in-the-garden">THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22430311-the-third-wife">THE THIRD WIFE</a>.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a></center>;
<i>This was a rather spellbinding novel for me, even if it requires you to sort of check your rational thought at the front door when beginning it.</i> Alice is a bit of an odd duck--a loner mom with three children by three different fathers who doesn't really play by the rules. The fact that she so easily invites a complete stranger, with no history or backstory, to stay with her family is rather bizarre. As is everyone's reluctance to not just report Frank missing (found?), to say, the police. But we're led to believe that this is rather par for the course for the eccentric Alice and if you can just go along with that, the story falls into place fairly easily. This novel probably came along at a good point for me: I'd just finished a big project at work and needed something for a quick escape. I FOUND YOU is perfect for that: I blew through it in about 24 hours and while I basically had things figured out, it kept me guessing the entire time, wondering if I was right.
I was never truly attached to any of Jewell's characters - Alice is a bit flighty, Lily a tad remote, and Gray and Kirsty a little young. If anything, I was almost more drawn to "Frank" and his predicament. Still, I enjoyed how the story unfolded in bits and pieces, slowly letting the reader in on the past, while still giving us points of view from Lily, Alice, and Frank in the present. As I said, I was never quite sure if I was on the right track with the story, which kept me compulsively reading. Many of the characters' decisions are a bit bizarre, but I still found this to be a fun, quick read for a bit of an escape. Overall, 3.5+ stars. Great for a vacation or an airplane ride.
You can read my reviews of two of Jewell's previous novels here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276357-the-girls-in-the-garden">THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22430311-the-third-wife">THE THIRD WIFE</a>.
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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated A Missing, Presumed in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/missing-presumed-by-susie-steiner
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
There aren’t really any more avenues for detective novel writers to go down, each story follows a very similar storyline to the last but still we pick them up. Why? Because some are shite and others are amazing but it’s so hard to tell by just reading the synopsis. This one? Well it’s certainly similar to other novels <i>but</i> it’s refreshingly lighthearted, still managing to tackle dark subjects but in an easy-to-read way.
My one problem with the book that I noticed straight away was <b>too many narrators.</b> Luckily, as the novel went on, it got easier to remember who was who so it wasn’t as annoying as in the beginning but it was a little confusing at the start.
Other than my hatred for having to focus so much on whose chapter it was, I actually liked all of the characters in this book! It was so nice to have a police based book where none of them were arseholes and they all managed to get along, like most colleagues do in the real world! Even the SIO was normal! Though, I will admit, I found reading about Miriam a bit dull, I could have done without most of her stuff.
Manon was such a realistic person, she really reminds me of an actual human being rather than that fuddy duddy police machine type robot you find in so many of the these types of books. I loved that she had a life outside of work that we got to see, that wasn’t only depressing. Granted it was a little sad that she was so lonely but her internet dates were so funny and that made everything a lot nicer to read. Also, her whole spiel on hobbies was hilarious!
<b><i>”I’ve decided to get hobbied up.”
“And how is that going?” asks Davy, with hopefulness that would imply he’d never met Manon.
“Awful. I hate it. I mean, what’s the point of doing something just for the sake of it, when it isn’t your job?”</b></i>
Davy was by far my favourite character in the book. It was so refreshing to find an officer who thoroughly enjoyed their job and time with their colleagues. He was a total sweetheart, I loved him! I also loved the mystery that was Kim, she was a funny ol’ character to have as an extra, just brightening up a scene every now and then with her strangeness.
I felt the plot for this novel was more of a character building plot, rather than a fast paced mystery thriller, but that was something I didn’t mind when it came to this book because all of the characters were worth getting to know.
The resolution of the novel kind of disappointed me. It wasn’t how I would have pictured the missing person's case to have ended up, but I was happy with how the ending chapters gave us an insight into how everyone on the force was doing and how their personal lives ended up.
I’m glad to hear that Manon will be featured in other novels by the author because she was a great character and I will definitely be reading more novels with her in!
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
There aren’t really any more avenues for detective novel writers to go down, each story follows a very similar storyline to the last but still we pick them up. Why? Because some are shite and others are amazing but it’s so hard to tell by just reading the synopsis. This one? Well it’s certainly similar to other novels <i>but</i> it’s refreshingly lighthearted, still managing to tackle dark subjects but in an easy-to-read way.
My one problem with the book that I noticed straight away was <b>too many narrators.</b> Luckily, as the novel went on, it got easier to remember who was who so it wasn’t as annoying as in the beginning but it was a little confusing at the start.
Other than my hatred for having to focus so much on whose chapter it was, I actually liked all of the characters in this book! It was so nice to have a police based book where none of them were arseholes and they all managed to get along, like most colleagues do in the real world! Even the SIO was normal! Though, I will admit, I found reading about Miriam a bit dull, I could have done without most of her stuff.
Manon was such a realistic person, she really reminds me of an actual human being rather than that fuddy duddy police machine type robot you find in so many of the these types of books. I loved that she had a life outside of work that we got to see, that wasn’t only depressing. Granted it was a little sad that she was so lonely but her internet dates were so funny and that made everything a lot nicer to read. Also, her whole spiel on hobbies was hilarious!
<b><i>”I’ve decided to get hobbied up.”
“And how is that going?” asks Davy, with hopefulness that would imply he’d never met Manon.
“Awful. I hate it. I mean, what’s the point of doing something just for the sake of it, when it isn’t your job?”</b></i>
Davy was by far my favourite character in the book. It was so refreshing to find an officer who thoroughly enjoyed their job and time with their colleagues. He was a total sweetheart, I loved him! I also loved the mystery that was Kim, she was a funny ol’ character to have as an extra, just brightening up a scene every now and then with her strangeness.
I felt the plot for this novel was more of a character building plot, rather than a fast paced mystery thriller, but that was something I didn’t mind when it came to this book because all of the characters were worth getting to know.
The resolution of the novel kind of disappointed me. It wasn’t how I would have pictured the missing person's case to have ended up, but I was happy with how the ending chapters gave us an insight into how everyone on the force was doing and how their personal lives ended up.
I’m glad to hear that Manon will be featured in other novels by the author because she was a great character and I will definitely be reading more novels with her in!
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.