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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
In this third entry into the Where Are They Now? series, Tilda Harper finds herself doubting her abilities as a journalist after two unfortunate incidents go awry. Invited to meet and interview the star of the movie, which itself is based on a comic from the eighties that is now a cult classic, Tilda sets off. As she interviews the star, John Laryea, who was also in a musical-adventure television show as a teen, and various others involved with the film project, she witnesses the hit-and-run of Laryea and his assistant. While she discovers who was behind that "accident" and works to clear the main suspect's name, she also is hired to find out who Leviathan, the mysterious creator of the classic comic book series, Pharos, actually is.
A smart main character, Tilda may make some mistakes but she's never dumb and never annoying. She goes about her work in a very professional way even if she may have some sarcastic thoughts about someone or something. I really do like her, she's not a silly nitwit who gets by on luck or relies on a guy. The cast of characters are, as usual, interesting and incorporated very well into the plot. Along with the new faces, some familiar ones are here as well. Cooper, Tilda's best friend who always brings some lightheartedness, isn't as prominent in this book as he has been in the others, I believe it's only through phone conversations, but luckily the book doesn't suffer because of this. Tilda's sister, June is in it for a short amount of time that doesn't diminish her repartee with Tilda. Nick (Tilda's former and maybe future love interest) and his dad, Dom, are the two who feature predominantly since Dom's company is in charge of the film's security. Following the pattern of each book, a new roommate is introduced, though I'm sure she'll be gone by the next outing, this time the roommate is an animal collector, the latest being a snake Tilda's not too fond of.
The two plots are well-paced and complement each other nicely. Pretty much every page of the book was interesting, with clues so subtly embedded I didn't always pick up on them, that it held my attention to the very end. I love the concept of this series and while I liked the previous books, I believe this may just be the best one to date and hope there are many more to come.
Series order:
[b:Curse of the Kissing Cousins|2384227|Curse of the Kissing Cousins (Where are They Now?, #1)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266777949s/2384227.jpg|2391239]
[b:Who Killed the Pinup Queen?|7518303|Who Killed the Pinup Queen? (Where are They Now?, #2)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277167352s/7518303.jpg|9733117]
[b:Blast from the Past|8592435|Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3)|Toni L. P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327922876s/8592435.jpg|13462058]
A smart main character, Tilda may make some mistakes but she's never dumb and never annoying. She goes about her work in a very professional way even if she may have some sarcastic thoughts about someone or something. I really do like her, she's not a silly nitwit who gets by on luck or relies on a guy. The cast of characters are, as usual, interesting and incorporated very well into the plot. Along with the new faces, some familiar ones are here as well. Cooper, Tilda's best friend who always brings some lightheartedness, isn't as prominent in this book as he has been in the others, I believe it's only through phone conversations, but luckily the book doesn't suffer because of this. Tilda's sister, June is in it for a short amount of time that doesn't diminish her repartee with Tilda. Nick (Tilda's former and maybe future love interest) and his dad, Dom, are the two who feature predominantly since Dom's company is in charge of the film's security. Following the pattern of each book, a new roommate is introduced, though I'm sure she'll be gone by the next outing, this time the roommate is an animal collector, the latest being a snake Tilda's not too fond of.
The two plots are well-paced and complement each other nicely. Pretty much every page of the book was interesting, with clues so subtly embedded I didn't always pick up on them, that it held my attention to the very end. I love the concept of this series and while I liked the previous books, I believe this may just be the best one to date and hope there are many more to come.
Series order:
[b:Curse of the Kissing Cousins|2384227|Curse of the Kissing Cousins (Where are They Now?, #1)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266777949s/2384227.jpg|2391239]
[b:Who Killed the Pinup Queen?|7518303|Who Killed the Pinup Queen? (Where are They Now?, #2)|Toni L.P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277167352s/7518303.jpg|9733117]
[b:Blast from the Past|8592435|Blast from the Past (Where Are They Now? #3)|Toni L. P. Kelner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327922876s/8592435.jpg|13462058]
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated When the lights go out in Books
Mar 11, 2019
Creepy & befuddling but diminished by its ending
Jessie Sloane's mom has passed away, but before doing so, she encouraged Jessie to find herself. Jessie decides to apply to college, but the college flags her social security number. Apparently it belongs to someone who is deceased. As Jessie attempts to unravel the bureaucracy behind her application, she becomes more and more convinced that something is up with her past. Even worse, her thoughts are jumbled by the fact that she hasn't slept well since her mother's death. She's no longer able to tell what's truly happening around her. What's the story with her identity? And is she crazy or is something sinister going on in her life?
"Find yourself, Mom told me. One of two wishes she had for me before she died. Maybe she didn't mean for me to apply to college. Maybe it was far less esoteric than that. Maybe it was quite literal. Find yourself, she said, because Jessie Sloane isn't you."
Well, I'm not so sure about this one. The novel goes back in forth in time between present-day Jessie and her story and a woman named Eden, whose story mainly takes place in the 1990s. Eden's timeline varies a bit though, which makes it hard to keep track of. (At least for me.) A lot of Eden's storyline revolves around infertility, which I thought was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with that, I identified with her and probably liked the book a bit more just because of that.
As for Jessie and her tale, it was definitely creepy at times, which is something Mary Kubica can do very well. With her sleep deprivation, Jessie is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and it's very hard to tell if she's crazy or what on earth is happening. At times, it seems as if the book is leading you down a particular path, but you're never exactly sure who or what to trust.
And then, of course, there's that twist. I'd heard a lot about it, so I was expecting something, but with Kubica, it's hard to know what. I'll admit, it wasn't this. I had sort of figured out where things were leading, but it didn't diminish how cheated I felt by the ending. I've seen a lot of reviews where folks loved it and others where they didn't--I just felt letdown. I won't go further so as to avoid spoilers, but know that it did diminish my overall enjoyment of the book. And while I wasn't loving it entirely--it's sort of a jumble of confusion and weird characters--the ending deflates what I did enjoy.
Overall, this is a creepy book in many ways, with a story that befuddles but intrigues you. It's compelling but the ending diminishes a lot of the early drama and excitement.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley/Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
"Find yourself, Mom told me. One of two wishes she had for me before she died. Maybe she didn't mean for me to apply to college. Maybe it was far less esoteric than that. Maybe it was quite literal. Find yourself, she said, because Jessie Sloane isn't you."
Well, I'm not so sure about this one. The novel goes back in forth in time between present-day Jessie and her story and a woman named Eden, whose story mainly takes place in the 1990s. Eden's timeline varies a bit though, which makes it hard to keep track of. (At least for me.) A lot of Eden's storyline revolves around infertility, which I thought was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with that, I identified with her and probably liked the book a bit more just because of that.
As for Jessie and her tale, it was definitely creepy at times, which is something Mary Kubica can do very well. With her sleep deprivation, Jessie is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and it's very hard to tell if she's crazy or what on earth is happening. At times, it seems as if the book is leading you down a particular path, but you're never exactly sure who or what to trust.
And then, of course, there's that twist. I'd heard a lot about it, so I was expecting something, but with Kubica, it's hard to know what. I'll admit, it wasn't this. I had sort of figured out where things were leading, but it didn't diminish how cheated I felt by the ending. I've seen a lot of reviews where folks loved it and others where they didn't--I just felt letdown. I won't go further so as to avoid spoilers, but know that it did diminish my overall enjoyment of the book. And while I wasn't loving it entirely--it's sort of a jumble of confusion and weird characters--the ending deflates what I did enjoy.
Overall, this is a creepy book in many ways, with a story that befuddles but intrigues you. It's compelling but the ending diminishes a lot of the early drama and excitement.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley/Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Teach Me to Forget in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Ellery, a high school student, has a plan. Not a plan for after graduation, or for prom, or even how to pass her next exam. Ellery's plan is how she's going to kill herself. But when Ellery's plan fails, she finds herself at the local Kmart, trying to return the gun that foiled her suicide attempt. There she is confronted by the store security guard, a student in her English class. Colter Sawyer appears to be everything Ellery is not: namely, happy. But Colter has some skeletons in his past, as well, and he quickly deduces Ellery's plans. He gives Ellery an ultimatum: if she can hang on until Halloween, he won't reveal her intentions to anyone else. As Ellery tries to hide her depression from Colter, she also finds herself surprised to have a friend--and discovers herself potentially falling in love with Colter. But is love enough to save her from herself?
This novel starts with a line that immediately grabs your attention and it does a pretty good job of keeping it throughout. It's a quick read, but a heartbreaking one. The pain these teenagers are in is horrific, but overall Chapman does a fairly good job of capturing their real emotion. Your heart will hurt that these teens are dealing with such burdens in their lives.
Overall, I was mostly impressed with the realism in this novel; it truly captures why Ellery would want to kill herself, as well as her friend Dean, another mentally ill kid she meets at school. It is a pretty accurate portrayal overall of depression, and this comes from someone who has lost someone they loved to suicide and who suffers from depression. This book is certainly a good learning experience for those dealing with depression (and especially for those who love them), but it could be a trigger to those dealing with suicidal thoughts. Please keep that in mind.
While reading, I was initially annoyed because I thought this would be a "love can triumph over true depression" but the novel becomes more realistic as time passes. I also almost didn't give the book 4 stars as it seemed a bit of a "straw book": the characters and emotions are there, but I felt it lacked a bit of the depth of a [a:Rowell|15897936|Rowell Rainbow|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] or [a:Jennifer Niven|45592|Jennifer Niven|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332194516p2/45592.jpg]'s latest. Still, it contains such an important message, and I felt so strongly for Ellery and Colter by the end, that 4 stars seemed warranted. There's a depth in feeling in dear Ellery that cannot be ignored. (Also, there should be more Colters in the world.)
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/2/2016.
This novel starts with a line that immediately grabs your attention and it does a pretty good job of keeping it throughout. It's a quick read, but a heartbreaking one. The pain these teenagers are in is horrific, but overall Chapman does a fairly good job of capturing their real emotion. Your heart will hurt that these teens are dealing with such burdens in their lives.
Overall, I was mostly impressed with the realism in this novel; it truly captures why Ellery would want to kill herself, as well as her friend Dean, another mentally ill kid she meets at school. It is a pretty accurate portrayal overall of depression, and this comes from someone who has lost someone they loved to suicide and who suffers from depression. This book is certainly a good learning experience for those dealing with depression (and especially for those who love them), but it could be a trigger to those dealing with suicidal thoughts. Please keep that in mind.
While reading, I was initially annoyed because I thought this would be a "love can triumph over true depression" but the novel becomes more realistic as time passes. I also almost didn't give the book 4 stars as it seemed a bit of a "straw book": the characters and emotions are there, but I felt it lacked a bit of the depth of a [a:Rowell|15897936|Rowell Rainbow|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] or [a:Jennifer Niven|45592|Jennifer Niven|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332194516p2/45592.jpg]'s latest. Still, it contains such an important message, and I felt so strongly for Ellery and Colter by the end, that 4 stars seemed warranted. There's a depth in feeling in dear Ellery that cannot be ignored. (Also, there should be more Colters in the world.)
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/2/2016.