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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Why I Loathe Sterling Lane in Books

Jan 23, 2020

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I'm still in a reviewing funk of sorts, so I'm playing with style to keep my funk at bay. The funk is a horrible, horrible thing. It's crawled into my life like Medusa and turned my reviewing styles into stone.

Weird analogy. Anyways.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Three Reasons to Read Why I Loathe Sterling Lane</h3>
Kendall's dynamic with Harper - they're two completely different people who hate each other at a distance by the mere idea of the person. Seeing Kendall and Harper getting thrown together and their friendship develop is personally my favorite part of reading the book.

Enemies to Lovers - I'm usually not a fan of this trope, but I'm not really complaining since Sterling makes Harper less of a stick in the mud as she may appear to be early on in the book.

Admittedly, I'm also watching Boys Over Flowers, which is way too cute and hilarious.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2017/06/swan-boys-over-flowers.gif"; width="320" height="209" border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="500" /></div>
The format - Each chapter is based off a rule Harpers that she came up with from early in her life. I think it gave a better understanding of who Harper was and what kinds of rules she had in her life (that would definitely be something I would want to know if they weren't mentioned).

Overall: Why I Loathe Sterling Lane is a slow book to love, but the story picks up after a few rough patches and is perfect for those who enjoy a love-hate relationship between love interests.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-why-i-loathe-sterling-lane-by-ingrid-paulson/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

Kudos

Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated The Orphan's Tale in Books

Dec 13, 2018 (Updated Dec 13, 2018)

The Orphan's Tale

Pam Jenoff | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.8

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

Intensely compelling

This was a heart-stopping and painful read but there are no regrets in reading it. THE ORPHAN'S TALE broke my heart at the beginning and it didn't stop there. The premise for this story had me searching for the history behind the start of the book; a boxcar of babies on their way to be transported to a concentration camp and a young infant saved. This was based in reality and I can say this book was very well researched and the story throughout felt so tangible.

The two main characters in this book, Noa and Astrid are two women brought together through the rough and barren circumstances of war. They develop that kind of bond that feels like sisterhood. The main story centralises around a circus, such a contrast to war and occupation but this wasn't a joyful, fun life. These two aerialists, learner and mentor, continued in this world just to survive. There was a wonderful cast of characters both in the circus and also along their travels; the character development was superb.

This book provoked such emotion, making the reader really feel the desperation, attachments and loss and hope in 1940s war time Europe. This story was not neatly tied up to make the reader satisfied. Any discomfort or sadness I felt was necessary and right. I don't want to feel my emotions smoothed over for a more comfortable experience, I want to vicariously feel the experiences of these characters cast from real history....and I did.

Pam Jenoff has excelled in her writing, concept, story and character development. This is her best work yet.