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The Oxford Guide to Plays

Michael Patterson

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Anyone with an academic, professional, amateur, or recreational interest in the theatre is likely to...

Fetching (Unleashed Romance #1)

Kylie Gilmore

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

He’s her knight in shining armor. Only she’s no damsel in distress. Wyatt I’m a self-made...

Adult Comedy Romance

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Good Neighbor in Books

Feb 13, 2018

Recently divorced, Izzy finds herself right back where she started -- literally, she's living in the house she grew up in (her parents have moved on to retirement), struggling to take care of her young son Noah, and dealing with the fact that her ex, Bruce, is dating again. A school counselor by day, Izzy finds solace in blogging about her woes and dating life online at night. But when she starts writing about an imaginary boyfriend, "Mac," to make herself feel better about Bruce's new girlfriend, things go south quickly, especially when Izzy's blog takes off after her friend hires her to write for her up and coming "Philly Over 40" site. The only person Izzy can confide in is her next door neighbor, Mrs. Feldman, but her sweet 80-something neighbor may have a few secrets of her own.

I must confess, I almost gave up on this book in the beginning. It just seemed to start slowly for me. There is a lot of hand wringing from Izzy about her life and her blog. Eventually things take off and the plot gets more exciting. My biggest issue is that, in many ways, Izzy's fabrication of "Mac" doesn't really seem to be the huge deal that she makes it out to be. Sure, she shouldn't be lying to everyone, but really, her lie is going to supposedly bring down her friends' business, destroy all her friendships, and ruin Izzy's life? It is just a blog after all. Some of that just seems to be a stretch. Compare to the heartwarming and heartbreaking storyline with Mrs. Feldman -- it truly can't compare.

However, because I'm a total sucker, I kept imagining this movie as a romantic comedy or sitcom. I was sort of tense reading this novel, because you knew eventually the lie would be revealed, everything would get crazy, and all would be for naught... but you hoped like any "good" romantic comedy or sitcom, it would still tie up pretty neatly with a bow at the end, right? (And I won't lie, I sort of like that sometimes. There's enough uncertainty in real life.)

(Note: I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)

Kudos

Mothergamer (1508 KP) rated Crazy Rich Asians (2018) in Movies

Jun 13, 2019

Entertaining (0 more)

Lead male character is not a good boyfriend in spots (0 more)

I did enjoy the movie for the characters and the story. The jokes were funny and I did find myself entertained. I also giggled at the aspects of the nosy aunties because my Filipino family is very much like that, always knowing your business or wanting to know. While I did like Nick, I found at times that he was rather a terrible boyfriend. For example, it seemed bad form to not tell Jessica that his family party would absolutely be a black tie affair or expecting her to be able to somehow get a ride to his house without really knowing where his family house was in another country. I know it's typical romantic comedy fare, but honestly if someone I was dating did that to me I would be pretty irritated with them. That being said, I did appreciate the movie for the engaging cast and the moments that had me smiling or laughing. It's a good, entertaining popcorn movie and has a lovely and cheerful optimism to it.

Kudos

Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated When Harry Met Sally (1989) in Movies

Feb 9, 2020

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

1989 | Comedy, Drama, Romance

7.6

(24 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

I thought this movie was cute. I definitely understand why it's a classic romantic comedy and why it's one that has transcended decades to make some of the all-time best rom-com movies lists out there. I like the progression of the plot, it feels the most real of rom-coms I've seen over the years. The timeline is something like 12 and a half years of friendship and ups and downs and realizing whether or not you've met the person you want to be with for the rest of your life.

My favorite part is when Sally is crying and she says, "I'm gonna be 40!" and Harry says, "When?" Sally replies, "Someday!" Harry says, "In 8 years!" and finally Sally says, "It's out there!" I don't know why that cracked me up so much but it did and I loved it. I'm sure I'll end up watching this film at some point. Maybe it'll make my list of movies to show my kids one day. It's not my favorite but it's definitely a good watch.

Kudos

Sarah (7798 KP) rated Juliet, Naked in Books

Jul 30, 2019

Juliet, Naked

Nick Hornby | 2009 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy

7.0

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

A little dull

When you think Nick Hornby, you usually think a funny, witty romantic comedy similar to his bigger hits like High Fidelity and About a Boy. Unfortunately Juliet, Naked doesn’t quiet meet up these rather high standards.

It’s well written which you’d definitely hope for from Nick Hornby, however it’s usually dull and rather long winded. The characters often go off into these dreary and long internal monologues that make this a bit of a slog. Annie and Tucker are fairly likeable characters but yet neither of them really stand out or make for a highly intriguing story. The plot itself while it sounds interesting, doesn’t actually play out as entertaining and fun as you’d think and the characters don’t really help much. The film has changed nearly everything in this book, especially the main events, and for once I don’t mind. The film has actually made this story a lot more entertaining for the most part, and those of you who know me on here know I won’t often admit that a film is better than the original book!