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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Someone Knows in Books
Jun 26, 2019
I was on the fence about reading Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline. I kept wanting to read it, but then I'd change my mind. However, when I noticed it was available at my library, I decided to check it out. While it wasn't a great read, it was still alright.
Allie is a 15 year old overweight teenage girl. When popular and beautiful Sasha talks to her and invites her to hang out, she can't say no. When another teenager moves to the area and hangs out with them one night, things go lethally wrong. None of the teens confess to what actually happen, and no one gets in trouble. However, Allie continues to feel guilty over the next twenty years. This big secret has affected every aspect of Allie's life. When Allie finally wants to confess, things turn deadly.
The plot to Someone Knows sounded very similar to a book I had read previously. However, once I started reading it, I noticed how Lisa Scottoline gave her book a bunch of little twits and turns to keep it fresh. The plot seemed very realistic. I enjoyed how each chapter was told from each character's point of view. It was interesting to see the thought process behind each person. It was easy to lose myself in the story because of how realistic everything felt. Although I've never been as privileged financially as all the teens in the book, I felt like I was part of the group. There were no cliffhangers in this book either which was nice. While I did predict one plot twist, there was one that I didn't see coming! That was a nice curve ball!
I liked Allie very much. She reminded me a lot of myself at 15 years old. I definitely could see myself as Allie. In fact, my thought process was a lot like Allie's. I've never lost a sibling like Allie, but I was saddened by the death of her sister Jill, and I sympathized with Allie's mother when it came to depression. I do wish Allie would have clued her husband about what was going on because I felt bad for him since Allie was distant throughout a lot of the marriage. I get why she kept her secret to herself, but I still felt bad for Allie's and Larry's marriage. Sasha was an interesting character. I've definitely known a few Sashas in my life! Sasha was able to make any guy putty in her hands. I loved reading Sasha's point of view. Even though she could sometimes be a mean girl, I enjoyed her very much. It was interesting to read about David and learn of his struggle especially when it came to how his father was. David came across as a nice guy. Julian was a character who I would say was a mix of Sasha and David. He could be really nice and charming when he wanted to be, but he would say mean things about Allie to Sasha which wouldn't be very nice. However, I did admire how business oriented he was. I loved Kyle so much, and I hated how he was shunned because of something his father did. Kyle seemed like such a sweet boy who was dealt a tough hand through no fault of his own.
The pacing in Someone Knows seemed to be fairly slow throughout about 80 percent of the book especially during the first half or so. I know it was probably to set up the world building and backstory, but it was just so tedious. I would have liked a bit more action or had the backstory given to me during and after the main event. The pacing is what really let this book down in my opinion.
Trigger warnings include underage drinking, adult drinking, prescription pill abuse, death, talks of suicide, violence, and sexual situations (both underage and adult which aren't overly graphic).
Although the pacing for Someone Knows lets this book down, it's still an alright read. It does have some interesting characters with realistic problems that readers can identify with. I would recommend Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline to those aged 17+ who are looking for an alright thriller to read.
Allie is a 15 year old overweight teenage girl. When popular and beautiful Sasha talks to her and invites her to hang out, she can't say no. When another teenager moves to the area and hangs out with them one night, things go lethally wrong. None of the teens confess to what actually happen, and no one gets in trouble. However, Allie continues to feel guilty over the next twenty years. This big secret has affected every aspect of Allie's life. When Allie finally wants to confess, things turn deadly.
The plot to Someone Knows sounded very similar to a book I had read previously. However, once I started reading it, I noticed how Lisa Scottoline gave her book a bunch of little twits and turns to keep it fresh. The plot seemed very realistic. I enjoyed how each chapter was told from each character's point of view. It was interesting to see the thought process behind each person. It was easy to lose myself in the story because of how realistic everything felt. Although I've never been as privileged financially as all the teens in the book, I felt like I was part of the group. There were no cliffhangers in this book either which was nice. While I did predict one plot twist, there was one that I didn't see coming! That was a nice curve ball!
I liked Allie very much. She reminded me a lot of myself at 15 years old. I definitely could see myself as Allie. In fact, my thought process was a lot like Allie's. I've never lost a sibling like Allie, but I was saddened by the death of her sister Jill, and I sympathized with Allie's mother when it came to depression. I do wish Allie would have clued her husband about what was going on because I felt bad for him since Allie was distant throughout a lot of the marriage. I get why she kept her secret to herself, but I still felt bad for Allie's and Larry's marriage. Sasha was an interesting character. I've definitely known a few Sashas in my life! Sasha was able to make any guy putty in her hands. I loved reading Sasha's point of view. Even though she could sometimes be a mean girl, I enjoyed her very much. It was interesting to read about David and learn of his struggle especially when it came to how his father was. David came across as a nice guy. Julian was a character who I would say was a mix of Sasha and David. He could be really nice and charming when he wanted to be, but he would say mean things about Allie to Sasha which wouldn't be very nice. However, I did admire how business oriented he was. I loved Kyle so much, and I hated how he was shunned because of something his father did. Kyle seemed like such a sweet boy who was dealt a tough hand through no fault of his own.
The pacing in Someone Knows seemed to be fairly slow throughout about 80 percent of the book especially during the first half or so. I know it was probably to set up the world building and backstory, but it was just so tedious. I would have liked a bit more action or had the backstory given to me during and after the main event. The pacing is what really let this book down in my opinion.
Trigger warnings include underage drinking, adult drinking, prescription pill abuse, death, talks of suicide, violence, and sexual situations (both underage and adult which aren't overly graphic).
Although the pacing for Someone Knows lets this book down, it's still an alright read. It does have some interesting characters with realistic problems that readers can identify with. I would recommend Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline to those aged 17+ who are looking for an alright thriller to read.
Under My Skin
6.3
Rate It
Book
Named one of the most anticipated and top thrillers of fall 2018 by BookBub, Bookish and CrimeReads ...
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Men in Black II (2002) in Movies
Feb 17, 2020
I really didn't think it could get worse and then I watched the second film. I think the only thing I liked about this movie was Frank, the pug.
I think the plot was just bad, so many of the characters just felt useless. Kay and Jay spent the majority of the film running around trying to solve this puzzle that Kay had left himself and somehow made Jay look seriously dumb? But somehow we're still talking about the same agent who hesitated and shot the little girl in the first film because he evaluated the whole situation before taking a shot. But he couldn't figure out the picture frame, was basically talked down to the whole film, and barely beat the guy with the multiple flying versions of himself? It's like he somehow lost 100+ IQ points between the first and second films.
The saddest thing of them all? I'm still going to watch the third one with a small chance that it gets better. My expectations are already extremely low.
I think the plot was just bad, so many of the characters just felt useless. Kay and Jay spent the majority of the film running around trying to solve this puzzle that Kay had left himself and somehow made Jay look seriously dumb? But somehow we're still talking about the same agent who hesitated and shot the little girl in the first film because he evaluated the whole situation before taking a shot. But he couldn't figure out the picture frame, was basically talked down to the whole film, and barely beat the guy with the multiple flying versions of himself? It's like he somehow lost 100+ IQ points between the first and second films.
The saddest thing of them all? I'm still going to watch the third one with a small chance that it gets better. My expectations are already extremely low.
Great War: The Countdown to Global Conflict
Book
On 7 August 1914 the first British troops - 120,000 highly trained members of the regular Army...
Mr March (Calendar Men #3)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Curiosity didn’t kill this cat… Jason Eddings is a foreman for a construction company by day...
5 star reads male/male romance shifters crime/thriller
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Ash’bani ( The Five Angels 2) in Books
Apr 6, 2024
65 of 220
Kindle
The Ash’bani ( The Five Angels 2)
By Kimberly M. Ringer
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything has changed. Megan has lost her ability to see the future and CJ is a Vernadali. An Angels Blessed Vernadali at that. What does that even mean?
When Clarice gets a message that her father is dying, Megan and CJ come home to travel with Clarice to Obsecuritan. No one knows what awaits them there, but they can only hope that they can find answers as to how they can stop Ansel.
Clarice’s closely guarded secrets are about to be revealed, but at what cost? And just what is Ansel up to?
This was a vast improvement on book 1 it had more story and more grounding. I actually enjoyed most of it. The only thing that really bothered me was the slushy mushy stuff and yea I get the love and strength that is between CJ and Megan but come on it was over bearing. Really overbearing!!! I do want to see where it goes though as things make a lot more sense.
Kindle
The Ash’bani ( The Five Angels 2)
By Kimberly M. Ringer
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything has changed. Megan has lost her ability to see the future and CJ is a Vernadali. An Angels Blessed Vernadali at that. What does that even mean?
When Clarice gets a message that her father is dying, Megan and CJ come home to travel with Clarice to Obsecuritan. No one knows what awaits them there, but they can only hope that they can find answers as to how they can stop Ansel.
Clarice’s closely guarded secrets are about to be revealed, but at what cost? And just what is Ansel up to?
This was a vast improvement on book 1 it had more story and more grounding. I actually enjoyed most of it. The only thing that really bothered me was the slushy mushy stuff and yea I get the love and strength that is between CJ and Megan but come on it was over bearing. Really overbearing!!! I do want to see where it goes though as things make a lot more sense.
Merissa (14214 KP) rated Broken (Reflections, #1) in Books
Apr 4, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
Adri is dealing with a lot at the moment. She has lost half of her family and really her mum isn't really there either, except sporadically - VERY sporadically. They have moved to a new town which is a lot smaller than were they have come from and she knows that she will be focus of attention for a while. She is befriended by another 'new' girl, Brittany, who has only been there for a year. Somehow, she manages to draw the attention of the two hottest guys at the school and is drawn into the middle of something she doesn't understand.
There are already a lot of comments saying that this is like Twilight so I won't bother with any of that. All I will say is that although there are similarities, there are also big differences. This book actually made me shout out (much to my husband's delight and confusion) as Adri thought her mysterious benefactor was one person and I was shouting that it wasn't, it was someone else.
I really enjoyed this book and will be getting Torn which is the next book in the series. This is definitely one for me to continue reading but I definitely need to know Alec's side in this! If you like YA, Twilight, shapeshifters, then give this one a go. Recommended.
* Verified Purchase - February 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 10, 2016
There are already a lot of comments saying that this is like Twilight so I won't bother with any of that. All I will say is that although there are similarities, there are also big differences. This book actually made me shout out (much to my husband's delight and confusion) as Adri thought her mysterious benefactor was one person and I was shouting that it wasn't, it was someone else.
I really enjoyed this book and will be getting Torn which is the next book in the series. This is definitely one for me to continue reading but I definitely need to know Alec's side in this! If you like YA, Twilight, shapeshifters, then give this one a go. Recommended.
* Verified Purchase - February 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 10, 2016
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Dreamland in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-dreamland-by-sarah-dessen.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Original Rating: 1.5
<b>Note: </b>Formatting may be lost due to copy and pasting.
I was told that Sarah Dessen's works were awesome. So I basically went into the frame of mind that it would be a good book when I actually started reading it.
I don't really hate saying this, but as a first time peep (read: I'm reading her works for the first time) on reading a work of Sarah Dessen's, I left with a pretty "eh..." view. I did try to keep the fact in mind that Sarah Dessen is a good writer, which was why I didn't go all <s>mini stomping off with a hmph</s> frowny faced at the wall.
I don't exactly hate the book - not really - but I found it very boring from page 1 to the end. I'm pretty surprised I didn't fall asleep. Yet. There was just something missing. While I don't really mind reading gushy romances (YA speaking), I'm not one who prefers reading a book that's pretty much completely - as in 90% or more - lack of action.
Dreamland is basically your typical realistic fiction in the terms of romance. It was also pretty predictable (but then... I tend to predict things near the bull's eye usually...). And every time a character in a book is getting suspicious of events, it would go down the drain a little more.
If it wasn't required reading, I probably would've ended up just setting it down, walk away, read another book, and then return it. But, if you're one who likes realistic fiction and romances rolled into one "bookrito," then you probably just got another recommendation. However, if you're one for romance and action rolled into one, then I don't exactly recommend it.... but feel free to read it if you want to try it out, as everyone's reading preference is different....
Original Rating: 1.5
<b>Note: </b>Formatting may be lost due to copy and pasting.
I was told that Sarah Dessen's works were awesome. So I basically went into the frame of mind that it would be a good book when I actually started reading it.
I don't really hate saying this, but as a first time peep (read: I'm reading her works for the first time) on reading a work of Sarah Dessen's, I left with a pretty "eh..." view. I did try to keep the fact in mind that Sarah Dessen is a good writer, which was why I didn't go all <s>mini stomping off with a hmph</s> frowny faced at the wall.
I don't exactly hate the book - not really - but I found it very boring from page 1 to the end. I'm pretty surprised I didn't fall asleep. Yet. There was just something missing. While I don't really mind reading gushy romances (YA speaking), I'm not one who prefers reading a book that's pretty much completely - as in 90% or more - lack of action.
Dreamland is basically your typical realistic fiction in the terms of romance. It was also pretty predictable (but then... I tend to predict things near the bull's eye usually...). And every time a character in a book is getting suspicious of events, it would go down the drain a little more.
If it wasn't required reading, I probably would've ended up just setting it down, walk away, read another book, and then return it. But, if you're one who likes realistic fiction and romances rolled into one "bookrito," then you probably just got another recommendation. However, if you're one for romance and action rolled into one, then I don't exactly recommend it.... but feel free to read it if you want to try it out, as everyone's reading preference is different....
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2672 KP) rated Life on the Mississippi in Books
Feb 22, 2023 (Updated Feb 22, 2023)
Book Wanders Like a River – Not Always for the Best
Journalist Rinker Buck decided to take his love for the flat boats of the 1800’s and make that his next trip into America’s past. He has one built for himself and sets out to sail it down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Along the way, he studies up on this part of American history. How will his journey go?
The idea of a trip like this appealed to me, so I sat down to read this with high hopes. Sadly, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be, mostly thanks for things the author put in he didn’t need to. There was more history than I was expecting; I was expecting more of a travelogue. That’s on me, although I did find much of this interesting if a little too long. However, I didn’t need all the biographical sketches about Rinker. I feel like some of that was his grieving process over having recently lost his mother. It would make for good reading, but in a different book. He also seemed to want to inject politics into the book where it didn’t need to be, and his attitude was very smug when this came up, even condescending at times. However, when he was actually describing the river and talking about what it took to navigate it, I was enthralled. I never thought about what it would take. The stories about some of the people he met along the way were good as well. The end result was a mixed bag.
The idea of a trip like this appealed to me, so I sat down to read this with high hopes. Sadly, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be, mostly thanks for things the author put in he didn’t need to. There was more history than I was expecting; I was expecting more of a travelogue. That’s on me, although I did find much of this interesting if a little too long. However, I didn’t need all the biographical sketches about Rinker. I feel like some of that was his grieving process over having recently lost his mother. It would make for good reading, but in a different book. He also seemed to want to inject politics into the book where it didn’t need to be, and his attitude was very smug when this came up, even condescending at times. However, when he was actually describing the river and talking about what it took to navigate it, I was enthralled. I never thought about what it would take. The stories about some of the people he met along the way were good as well. The end result was a mixed bag.
Sarah (8 KP) rated Girls' Night Out in Books
Sep 4, 2018
Gripping (3 more)
Perfect description of girl friendship
Page turner
Easy read
Love this book
Estranged friends Ashley, Natalie and Lauren take a vacation to Mexico to try to repair their lost friendships. The night before they are to return home Ashley disappears, leaving Natalie and Lauren to figure what happened to their 'friend'.
This book was gripping...from page one for me. We all have those friendships that become distant or strained through time. And this story takes you on the journey of hidden secrets and possibilities of when the truth comes out...can relationships survive nthe truth?!? Again, loved this booked, it was gripping, engaging and transported me to the beautiful location of Tulum, Mexico as Natalie and Lauren scramble to find out what happened to their missing friend.
Great work Liz and Lisa, you did it again and knocked it out of the park!
This book was gripping...from page one for me. We all have those friendships that become distant or strained through time. And this story takes you on the journey of hidden secrets and possibilities of when the truth comes out...can relationships survive nthe truth?!? Again, loved this booked, it was gripping, engaging and transported me to the beautiful location of Tulum, Mexico as Natalie and Lauren scramble to find out what happened to their missing friend.
Great work Liz and Lisa, you did it again and knocked it out of the park!