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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Everybody Hurts in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I don't usually read cheesy YA romance novels, and very rarely do I enjoy them much. This was kind of an impulse read, and I probably wouldn't have read it usually. But I'm glad I did.
It is pretty cheesy, and the voices of the characters are maybe over-exaggerated and trging-too-hard. But something about the writing was just really good, and I often found myself not wanting to put it down. Even though it was about love and sex and brain tumours.
Jango is an interesting character, who seems like a plain old bully/idiot at first but actually turns out to be pretty good. His home life is complicated, and his friendship with Matt is more valuable than he lets on. But near-death experiences bring out the truth - and Jango's affectionate, kind side.
Like I said before, it does all feel a bit too artificial - the "teenage" lingo is just not right, and the events are maybe played out to be more dramatic than they needed to be. I'm not actually sure how much I liked either of the main characters, but the telling of the story was great and made up for any dislikes I had.
It is a bit of a feel-good, cheesy romance in the end, which is nice to read sometimes. It's got a lot of twists - bad luck, bad tempers - that make it a bit more unique than similar YA romances. 4 stars.
It is pretty cheesy, and the voices of the characters are maybe over-exaggerated and trging-too-hard. But something about the writing was just really good, and I often found myself not wanting to put it down. Even though it was about love and sex and brain tumours.
Jango is an interesting character, who seems like a plain old bully/idiot at first but actually turns out to be pretty good. His home life is complicated, and his friendship with Matt is more valuable than he lets on. But near-death experiences bring out the truth - and Jango's affectionate, kind side.
Like I said before, it does all feel a bit too artificial - the "teenage" lingo is just not right, and the events are maybe played out to be more dramatic than they needed to be. I'm not actually sure how much I liked either of the main characters, but the telling of the story was great and made up for any dislikes I had.
It is a bit of a feel-good, cheesy romance in the end, which is nice to read sometimes. It's got a lot of twists - bad luck, bad tempers - that make it a bit more unique than similar YA romances. 4 stars.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
<i>One Night for Love</i> was a lovely book, with a touching love story. Yes, I'll admit the story is a little heavy-handed, but Ms. Balogh did a nice job of anchoring it with believable, and likable, characters. I especially liked how she let the heroine be her own person, had her find herself, and had the hero accept her the way she was before any of it! That in itself is unique in the romance genre, in particular in historical (Regency) romances. I felt for everyone - Lily and Lauren, mostly. I'm not sure how I feel going into <i>A Summer to Remember</i> right after this, but hope Mary Balogh can work her magic and I'll grow to love Lauren as I do Lily...just in a different way. :) I know how Lily felt, never feeling like she was home, so I'm glad she was able to become a whole person with a new and extended family.
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated The Mountain Between Us in Books
Mar 23, 2018 (Updated Mar 23, 2018)
Two successful strangers, Ben Payne the doctor and Ashley the Columnist, end up plane crashed in Utah. As they struggle to survive, Ben pushes all the odds to get them rescued. Is this the end or the beginning?
Let me begin by saying, I liked this book. It was an easy read; and with all the hype around it, I really wanted to read it. I pushed it to the front of my pile and have read it in between official review books. I liked how you get to know Ben, his strength and character through his recordings to his his wife. Sadly, that was about the only thing I truly enjoyed in this book.
With all the recommendations to read this book, I was excited. I thought I was in for an exciting, thriller. I was disappointed. I kept waiting for moments that made my heart pound, my breath catch, fear, anything. It was flat , in my opinion. The book focuses on Ben. You do not learn anything about Ashley other than she is one hell of a strong woman. I feel like that was a missed opportunity. She may have well been a log dragged around.
Charles Martin's writing style feels generic. I kept having to check the front of the book to make sure it was a book churned out by Nicholas Sparks. I did like the way he told Ben's past. It was touching, and the emotions got through to me.
Overall, I gave The Mountain Between Us 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it as an easy read to anyone who loves Nicholas Sparks type books. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller, let this one pass you by.
Let me begin by saying, I liked this book. It was an easy read; and with all the hype around it, I really wanted to read it. I pushed it to the front of my pile and have read it in between official review books. I liked how you get to know Ben, his strength and character through his recordings to his his wife. Sadly, that was about the only thing I truly enjoyed in this book.
With all the recommendations to read this book, I was excited. I thought I was in for an exciting, thriller. I was disappointed. I kept waiting for moments that made my heart pound, my breath catch, fear, anything. It was flat , in my opinion. The book focuses on Ben. You do not learn anything about Ashley other than she is one hell of a strong woman. I feel like that was a missed opportunity. She may have well been a log dragged around.
Charles Martin's writing style feels generic. I kept having to check the front of the book to make sure it was a book churned out by Nicholas Sparks. I did like the way he told Ben's past. It was touching, and the emotions got through to me.
Overall, I gave The Mountain Between Us 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it as an easy read to anyone who loves Nicholas Sparks type books. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller, let this one pass you by.
Kristina (502 KP) rated Nine Perfect Strangers in Books
Dec 7, 2020
Really, one word describes the entirety of this book: trippy. It was different, for sure, not something I expected. There was nothing sinister, just wholly unhinged. I kept looking for a terrifying secret, waiting for a crime to be committed, anticipating more action and less words. The beginning reminded me of An Unwanted Guest, both set in isolated areas in which a group of strangers have vacated to in order to relax, but that's where the similarities ended. It wasn't difficult for me to keep up with the change in perspective, despite reading from more than 9 of them. What I liked most was how much hatred, contempt, yet sympathy and compassion I felt for Masha - she was crazy, very unorthodox, but I feel as if she truly had good intentions (at least in the beginning).
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Blood Lust in Books
Jan 7, 2021
This is my second book by the author, the first being Hooking Up, which I enjoyed. This was a little more gritty.
I wasn't so sure on the style of this. I know it was two gangs going against each other and they use different terms than other people but I wasn't exactly a fan of it.
The first 25-30% was a little off-putting, reading about what her boss had her doing and did to her, but then when she met Jace it perked up a bit. I liked him almost instantly, maybe because of my like of vampires, and I was sad that he didn't get as much book-time as he could have.
Nexess annoyed me a bit, mainly because of her loyalty to her boss after everything he makes her do. When she's not near him, she realises what's happening, but as soon as he comes back, she's fawning all over him again! She drove me a little insane.
Short and gritty.
I wasn't so sure on the style of this. I know it was two gangs going against each other and they use different terms than other people but I wasn't exactly a fan of it.
The first 25-30% was a little off-putting, reading about what her boss had her doing and did to her, but then when she met Jace it perked up a bit. I liked him almost instantly, maybe because of my like of vampires, and I was sad that he didn't get as much book-time as he could have.
Nexess annoyed me a bit, mainly because of her loyalty to her boss after everything he makes her do. When she's not near him, she realises what's happening, but as soon as he comes back, she's fawning all over him again! She drove me a little insane.
Short and gritty.
Mariafrancesca (30 KP) rated Only Ever Yours in Books
Mar 30, 2019
I am not sure what to think about this book.
I didn't like a single thing, I couldn't put it down for a second but I didn't like it: I didn't like the story or the settings, and the characters are horrible.
Then again I don't think this book is meant to be liked.
It disturbs me in a way that I cannot really understand: it disturbs me because it is so cliche that I would like to laugh at it, but in the same time I can see so much of my younger self in those girls that it scares the hell out of me: all the doubts, and the mean best friends, the willing to fit in no matter the costs - even if it means betraying yourself.
This book makes me feel uncomfortable.
At the beginning I didn't like the line that the author put between women and men, like saying "this is all men's fault, they did this, they are the bad guys", and then you meet this men and you realize that they are just scared teenager as well, with a life already decided for them. Maybe this book disturbs me because it just put you in the middle of the story but it does't explain how humanity arrived at that point: how is it possible that people just stopped to have daughters? Why women didn't fight this culture when it was spreading? Why did they accept all of that in the first place?
Maybe again, this is not the point of the book and maybe what it really bothers me about it is the complete lack of hope: there is not a single character that can be considered good (even though no one can be considered the bad guy), not a single character took the right path, they are all absolutely incapable. But worst than that I think is the complete lack of hope for the society, the resignation to a system that cannot be changed, drugs and death as the only way out.
I didn't like this book at all, I wasn't impress by it, I felt offended, angry, sometimes bored.
But I couldn't put it down until the end, and maybe this is why is worth reading it.
I didn't like a single thing, I couldn't put it down for a second but I didn't like it: I didn't like the story or the settings, and the characters are horrible.
Then again I don't think this book is meant to be liked.
It disturbs me in a way that I cannot really understand: it disturbs me because it is so cliche that I would like to laugh at it, but in the same time I can see so much of my younger self in those girls that it scares the hell out of me: all the doubts, and the mean best friends, the willing to fit in no matter the costs - even if it means betraying yourself.
This book makes me feel uncomfortable.
At the beginning I didn't like the line that the author put between women and men, like saying "this is all men's fault, they did this, they are the bad guys", and then you meet this men and you realize that they are just scared teenager as well, with a life already decided for them. Maybe this book disturbs me because it just put you in the middle of the story but it does't explain how humanity arrived at that point: how is it possible that people just stopped to have daughters? Why women didn't fight this culture when it was spreading? Why did they accept all of that in the first place?
Maybe again, this is not the point of the book and maybe what it really bothers me about it is the complete lack of hope: there is not a single character that can be considered good (even though no one can be considered the bad guy), not a single character took the right path, they are all absolutely incapable. But worst than that I think is the complete lack of hope for the society, the resignation to a system that cannot be changed, drugs and death as the only way out.
I didn't like this book at all, I wasn't impress by it, I felt offended, angry, sometimes bored.
But I couldn't put it down until the end, and maybe this is why is worth reading it.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) in Movies
Dec 29, 2020 (Updated Dec 29, 2020)
I was lucky enough to see this in theaters with my 'rents. I do not agree with Warner Bros decision to release same day on HBO Max, so I initially wasn't going to see it, but my dad bought the tickets.
The story itself isn't bad, but it is wayyyyy too long. I have an issue with how long the first section of the film was, taking place on Themiscyra. It didn't really add to the story, other than showing the gold armor that's worn later. I think it was just an excuse to have Robin Wright and crew in the film.
Kristen Wiig, of course, as horrible as every. Normally, I avoid everything with her like the plague, she's not funny, nor is she a good actress. She was highly annoying, and the CGI at the end was SO BAD. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for bad CGI for these delayed films, they had an extra six months to make sure it looked good.
I loved that Chris Pine returned in WW84, I'm always up for some Chris Pine in movies. I did find Diana's unwillingness to give him up initially a little off for the character. It just wasn't Wonder Woman, and coming from a woman writer, it was weak.
The climatic speech was not the strongest, not unlike the climatic speech in the first film (Seriously, the improper grammar during the climactic speech in WW haunts me). It was just kind of lame.
Now, good ol' Pedro Pascal, I liked his character overall. I wish they'd have shown more of the little snippets of his history prior to the climax, i.e. being made fun of due to being Hispanic, changing his name to something anglo. That was the only point in the film where I actually felt something.
I did like it in general, and I would watch it again. It just wasn't as strong as I wanted.
The story itself isn't bad, but it is wayyyyy too long. I have an issue with how long the first section of the film was, taking place on Themiscyra. It didn't really add to the story, other than showing the gold armor that's worn later. I think it was just an excuse to have Robin Wright and crew in the film.
Kristen Wiig, of course, as horrible as every. Normally, I avoid everything with her like the plague, she's not funny, nor is she a good actress. She was highly annoying, and the CGI at the end was SO BAD. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for bad CGI for these delayed films, they had an extra six months to make sure it looked good.
I loved that Chris Pine returned in WW84, I'm always up for some Chris Pine in movies. I did find Diana's unwillingness to give him up initially a little off for the character. It just wasn't Wonder Woman, and coming from a woman writer, it was weak.
The climatic speech was not the strongest, not unlike the climatic speech in the first film (Seriously, the improper grammar during the climactic speech in WW haunts me). It was just kind of lame.
Now, good ol' Pedro Pascal, I liked his character overall. I wish they'd have shown more of the little snippets of his history prior to the climax, i.e. being made fun of due to being Hispanic, changing his name to something anglo. That was the only point in the film where I actually felt something.
I did like it in general, and I would watch it again. It just wasn't as strong as I wanted.
Maya Flowers sees a new commuter on her train, and knows that he’s The One, so she becomes obsessed, imagining what his life is like and who he is until she plucks up the courage to give him a note.
When I realised that this was based on a true story, I decided to read it, thinking that because it was meant that it wouldn’t to be too pink and fluffy. And I was quite glad that I picked it up because it was entertaining.
I really liked Maya, the fact that she seemed so normal. I loved that her obsession with James was so obvious, it made her such a relatable character.
I did struggle a bit with the pace of the novel. It was quite slow all the way through, when I’m more into novels that jump straight into a good juicy plot. But I should have expected this from a book that’s about missed chances.
It was definitely an enjoyable read, with some funny parts. It also definitely made me smile. However I did definitely struggle with it, and to say that it’s only short, it took me a bit longer to read than I thought it would. It just seemed to be missing something.
But since it’s based on a true story, I’m not sure I can really comment much on the plot.
It’s definitely worth reading if you like Jojo Moyes, and I did enjoy it. My only comment is that the pace seemed to let it down.
When I realised that this was based on a true story, I decided to read it, thinking that because it was meant that it wouldn’t to be too pink and fluffy. And I was quite glad that I picked it up because it was entertaining.
I really liked Maya, the fact that she seemed so normal. I loved that her obsession with James was so obvious, it made her such a relatable character.
I did struggle a bit with the pace of the novel. It was quite slow all the way through, when I’m more into novels that jump straight into a good juicy plot. But I should have expected this from a book that’s about missed chances.
It was definitely an enjoyable read, with some funny parts. It also definitely made me smile. However I did definitely struggle with it, and to say that it’s only short, it took me a bit longer to read than I thought it would. It just seemed to be missing something.
But since it’s based on a true story, I’m not sure I can really comment much on the plot.
It’s definitely worth reading if you like Jojo Moyes, and I did enjoy it. My only comment is that the pace seemed to let it down.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Twisted in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book is a first stand-alone novel, written by Steve Cavanagh, following Maria, Paul, and Daryl in finding out who is the true LeBeau, a mysterious author, who writes amazing thrillers, but nobody ever saw him, and no one knows who that man really is. The book is told from multiple perspectives, and I really enjoyed the ability to read all the character’s thoughts. The characters chosen for this book were not very likeable and quite flawed as well, but the author manipulated them perfectly.
The plot of this book was absolutely insane. (In a good way!) It did not allow my mind to settle even for a moment. When I thought I knew what was going on, the author threw in gigantic twists, which changed EVERYTHING! This book was the twistiest book I ever read! The plot changes constantly and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore! 😀 I really liked, that the writer writes about a writer’s life. It is interesting to see, how much of the reality goes into the books. 🙂
Steve Cavanagh proved multiple times that he is amazing at what he does, and his writing style is absolutely absorbing. The chapters have a very decent length and didn’t leave me bored whatsoever. The book is set in a very peaceful environment, but it is not peaceful at all. The ending was an absolute jaw-dropper and I loved it!
To conclude, it is hard to review it without spoilers because this novel is a mirage, incredibly twisted, suspenseful, and you can not believe a single word you read. 😀 I absolutely loved this book, it left me shook and book hungover for at least a few days! Just get it and read it, I am pretty sure you won’t regret it.
The plot of this book was absolutely insane. (In a good way!) It did not allow my mind to settle even for a moment. When I thought I knew what was going on, the author threw in gigantic twists, which changed EVERYTHING! This book was the twistiest book I ever read! The plot changes constantly and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore! 😀 I really liked, that the writer writes about a writer’s life. It is interesting to see, how much of the reality goes into the books. 🙂
Steve Cavanagh proved multiple times that he is amazing at what he does, and his writing style is absolutely absorbing. The chapters have a very decent length and didn’t leave me bored whatsoever. The book is set in a very peaceful environment, but it is not peaceful at all. The ending was an absolute jaw-dropper and I loved it!
To conclude, it is hard to review it without spoilers because this novel is a mirage, incredibly twisted, suspenseful, and you can not believe a single word you read. 😀 I absolutely loved this book, it left me shook and book hungover for at least a few days! Just get it and read it, I am pretty sure you won’t regret it.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated King Series Bundle (King, #1-4) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
I read the first one back in December and was drawn into the story especially with how it just ended. Then I saw the four book box set for 99p and bought it straight away.
KING - 4 stars
WTF?! You can't just end it like that!
What a way to end it. Who's the kid? Where's Max?
I really need to read Tyrant now to see how it all plays out. I'm sure everything will work out in the end but something tells me it's going to be a bumpy ride.
TYRANT - 3.5 stars
I finished it a little before midnight and got all the answers I needed but I honestly didn't see a lot of it coming. I liked how the author put some serious thought into who was who and how it was going to link it all together in the end.
I still love Preppy!!
LAWLESS - 3 stars
I liked Bear so I was interested in what girl was going to turn his head and never did I think a little girl who he made a promise to ten years ago would be the one. I loved that scene! BUT what is with this series and ten year age gaps?
I have to also admit that by the end of this that I was beginning to lose interest in this series. It's being dragged out for too long. Just go and kill your arse of a dad already!
SOULLESS - DNF
I lost interest in this. I got fed up of the same stuff happening. People want him dead. People just seem to want everyone dead in this series and I didn't care anymore, hence me getting to chapter four and not wanting to carry on.
It might have been better if i'd read something in between each book to break them up somewhat.
I stand by what I keep saying about Preppy being my favourite and I might read his story when it's released but for the rest of them. Nope.
KING - 4 stars
WTF?! You can't just end it like that!
What a way to end it. Who's the kid? Where's Max?
I really need to read Tyrant now to see how it all plays out. I'm sure everything will work out in the end but something tells me it's going to be a bumpy ride.
TYRANT - 3.5 stars
I finished it a little before midnight and got all the answers I needed but I honestly didn't see a lot of it coming. I liked how the author put some serious thought into who was who and how it was going to link it all together in the end.
I still love Preppy!!
LAWLESS - 3 stars
I liked Bear so I was interested in what girl was going to turn his head and never did I think a little girl who he made a promise to ten years ago would be the one. I loved that scene! BUT what is with this series and ten year age gaps?
I have to also admit that by the end of this that I was beginning to lose interest in this series. It's being dragged out for too long. Just go and kill your arse of a dad already!
SOULLESS - DNF
I lost interest in this. I got fed up of the same stuff happening. People want him dead. People just seem to want everyone dead in this series and I didn't care anymore, hence me getting to chapter four and not wanting to carry on.
It might have been better if i'd read something in between each book to break them up somewhat.
I stand by what I keep saying about Preppy being my favourite and I might read his story when it's released but for the rest of them. Nope.