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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Yesterday (2019) in Movies

Sep 23, 2019 (Updated Sep 23, 2019)  
Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Better than I thought it would be.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Failing musician gets hit by a car during a mysterious worldwide 12-second blackout, and wakes up to a world in which The Beatles never existed (also never existed: Coca-Cola, cigarettes (?), and Harry Potter). Musician claims the songs as his own and becomes an overnight sensation.

(There are also the rom-com elements: failing musician is oblivious to the feelings of his friend-slash-manager until he's uber-famous and it's almost too late, friend-slash-manager starts seeing someone else, etc.)

Evidently, there are two other people in the world who also remember The Beatles, and though the movie attempts to make you think there may be something sinister happening there (*gasp* are they going to expose him??), there isn't. These two people aren't even mad that the musician is claiming he wrote the songs; they're just happy to hear the songs again.

There's a pretty great sequence in which our main character looks up John Lennon (played by Robert Carlyle) and goes to visit him, because hey, if The Beatles never existed, then it follows that John must still be alive, right? I didn't even think of that until he showed up on screen, but it seemed like a quietly brilliant piece of the movie.

So what caused the mysterious 12-second blackout and the disappearance of The Beatles (and Coca-Cola, cigarettes, Harry Potter)? I HAVE NO IDEA BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TELL US. Anybody who knows me will tell you I always need to know the "why" of things, so this mostly happily-ever-after ending left me super frustrated.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

May 14, 2020  
Author Jodi Thomas talks about finding her writing nest in a fascinating guest post on my blog. You can also read up on her latest novel BREAKFAST AT THE HONEY CREEK CAFE, and enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a signed copy!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/05/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-breakfast.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
From Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Mornings on Main and Indigo Lake, comes this heartwarming new novel set in Honey Creek, Texas—a small town where family bonds and legends run deep, and friendship and love are always close at hand . . .

Piper Jane Mackenzie, mayor of Honey Creek, won’t let a major scandal rip her quirky hometown apart or jeopardize her dream of one day running for higher office. So she’s willing to welcome undercover detective Colby McBride, hired to help solve the mystery behind her wannabe fiancé’s disappearance. Colby’s cover? That he is an old boyfriend now begging Piper for a second chance—always when there are plenty of townsfolk around to witness his shenanigans.

Piper hardly knows whether to laugh or cry, especially when she finds herself drawn to the handsome rascal. He's not the only newcomer she has to deal with. There’s a new interim preacher in town, Sam Cassidy. Drifting from one assignment to another since his one love died, Sam isn’t sure he’s the right fit for Honey Creek. But as Piper knows, this is a place chock-full of surprises. And if she can keep her town—and her heart—from going completely off the rails, there may be a sweet, unexpected future in store . . .
     
Good Girl, Bad Blood
Good Girl, Bad Blood
Holly Jackson | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s not every time that a sequel manages to live up to the first novel but this book just made me fall in love with the characters even more.
We are back with Pip in the aftermath of the first book and she is trying to not get involved with anything that could get her in the same trouble as last time. Until her best friend’s brother, Jamie, goes missing. She tries to stay out of it, but when the police aren’t interested as he is an adult, Pip knows she can’t just sit back and hope for the best. So Pip goes back into investigative mode, but this time she has the help of Ravi, her boyfriend.
Pip has managed to document the murders of Andie Bell and Sal Singh (the previous book) on a podcast, which has a lot of followers and so she utilises this to get the news of the disappearance out there. Pip agrees with the family that she can use the investigation for a second series of her podcast.
The investigation has many twists and turns and at one point I couldn’t have told you how it was going to end. But the ending was unexpected and a character that I hadn’t anticipated was involved.
Holly Jackson’s use of different kinds of media such as photographs, articles and transcripts made the book so much more interesting to read than your usual crime fiction and I think that’s what has kept me so hooked throughout this series. Hopefully the third instalment will be just as good as this one.
  
Staying Wet: A Southern Tale Told One Sip at a Time
Staying Wet: A Southern Tale Told One Sip at a Time
Jacqueline Schnitzer | 2014 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Staying Wet is written from the perspective of her bedroom companion, her best friend who has always been there for her, but you never get a name. It continues through the book as Caddy talks out her memories of her life to her friend.

This is not a cheery-everything-is-fine book. Caddy has dealt with some serious issues in her life, including the disappearance of her father and brother at a very young age, drinking to excess, and drugs. What this book is though is completely enthralling, a definite page-turner.

Instead of the timing remaining constant throughout, sometimes Caddy will follow that particular thread through to the conclusion. For example, she might be nineteen when the story starts, but in her forties when it concludes. You stay with the story until its conclusion, and then you go back to Caddy at nineteen where she recommences with the rest of her story. It can be off-putting to start with but stick with it, and I promise you'll be glad that you did.

The ending is perfect for the book. I can't say I liked it, but I understood it and thought it was exceedingly well-written. I loved the companion as it all made sense. This book was a complete surprise to me, not what I expected at all, but I loved it! Highly recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 15, 2016