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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated A Sparrow in Terezin in Books

Jan 2, 2019  
A Sparrow in Terezin
A Sparrow in Terezin
Kristy Cambron | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am apparently a glutton for punishment and decide to read all the books that will rip out my heart and stomp on it back to back. Story SHOULD move you though. As you read the words of the author's heart poured out on the page...If you finish unchanged...What was the point? These characters, these stories, may be fictional, but they represent many people who had to live through one of the darkest times in history. Ask yourself, what can we learn from them? What are they trying to tell us? Fiction CAN and WILL challenge you to grow, to learn, to thrive...

Multiple times I wanted to cry (and there were times tears escaped) while listening to this story. Knowing that the horrors depicted in this book were lived out in reality during WWII. Kristy Cambron...I tip my hat to you...You have found BEAUTY in the ashes of a history that is riddled with sorrow and death. You have brought redemption to life on the page. You have spoken TRUTH and LIFE and LOVE into the hearts of any who lay a hand on your books. But none more so than this one*. Thank you. A Sparrow in Terezin truly is a masterpiece.

*Revision: And The Lost Castle

I won a print copy of this book from the author. This review is based on the audio version which I borrowed from my public library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Love at First Like in Books

Mar 19, 2020  
Love at First Like
Love at First Like
Hannah Orenstein | 2020 | Contemporary, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First of all, please congratulate me for reading a book on my Netgalley backlist! Go me! Second, congratulate me again for reading a book based on a premise I despise: sitting on a throne of lies! :)

When Eliza discovers via Instagram that her last serious ex-boyfriend, Holden is engaged, she flips out. Despite the fact that she runs a successful business, Brooklyn Jewelers, with her sister, Sophie, Eliza feels as if she's lost the breakup--and life--when Holden gets engaged first. After all, she's still single. To console herself, she takes out some of the jewelry store pieces and snaps some insta-worthy shots of them on her left (ring) finger. This process is accompanied with a little alcohol to soothe the loss. Everything seems fine until she wakes up in the morning and realizes she's posted a shot to the store's page--and it's basically gone viral. From there, Eliza makes the perfectly rational (??!!) decision to pretend she's engaged and line up a free wedding and honeymoon to drum up business for Brooklyn Jewelers. All she needs now is a groom.


"My wedding is exactly six months from tomorrow. All I have to do now is find the groom."


I have no idea why I picked this book, I'm guessing it was a Netgalley widget, because I really really hate books based on lies like this. It truly makes me nervous and on edge. I almost didn't keep reading, but I decided to give it a shot. And I will grudgingly admit that Eliza grew on me, okay? If you aren't as bothered by me by the "throne of lies" concept, you might enjoy this book. And if you are into Instagram and jewelry, you could even love it.

Some pluses... Eliza has a lesbian sister. Sure, it's token lesbian representation, but at least it's there. Eliza pines for a man, but she's also a strong businesswoman and her business is very important to her (so much that she'd go along with this harebrained scheme to keep it). She and her sister are running a fairly successful storefront in New York. They admit part of that is because they received an inheritance, but Eliza also puts a lot of work into it. That's cool.

Some negatives... a lot of the dilemmas and plot points come across as very flat and one dimensional. Oh no, suddenly the rent is being raised, heightening the stakes in Eliza's fake wedding scheme?! Her sister's health insurance no longer covers IVF, so she needs more money to have a baby with her wife? You don't say, etc. At times, the plot feels like a trainwreck, where you know something horrible is going to happen, but you just can't look away. Eliza is determined that she's getting married--no matter the cost to anyone. The book stressed me out a lot. (Just tell people the truth!)

Still, much like a Hallmark movie, I found myself invested. I knew how it would probably all wind up, but I was weirdly captivated by it all. The Instagram heavy scenes, Eliza's dramatics, the looming wedding date. Somehow it worked in the end. It was crazy and ridiculous, but oh well. 3 stars.