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Darren (1599 KP) rated All Between Us (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: All Between Us starts as engaged couple Clara (Lawton) and Ray (Hooks) are hosting a diner party for family and friends to make their big announcement. Clara’s parents will be meeting Ray for the first time and Clara’s best friend Mishawn (Haddish) has started to settle down with Ty (Levatino).
As the night unfolds secrets have been coming out and now the mistakes of the past will come to life and will need to be worked through for the happiness of the people involved.
Thoughts on All Between Us
Characters – Clara is one of the hosts for the party, it is her family that will be attending the party with her big announcement, she must bring out the best in Ray for the first-time meeting, knowing her love can make him stronger. Ray is the fiancée of Clara a writer for profession that is nervous to meet his future parents-in-law knowing they are judgemental and already don’t approve of him. He spends the night getting verbal abuses from the family. Mishawn is Clara’s best friend, the one that knows the news she wants to tell and has turned her party ways into a more stable relationship with Ty. We have plenty of other characters are this party with Clara’s loud brother who has always been against most people and her judgemental father that spends the night putting Ray down. They all work for different moments in the film.
Performances – This is a great ensembled cast giving us strong performances throughout, the biggest known star is Tiffany Haddish after last years ‘Girls Trip’ who only gives us glimpses of the pure energy she bought to that film, she must take the back burner at times in this film. Denyce Lawton and Brian Hooks are great too, while Esau McGraw gives us a character we grow to dislike early.
Story – The story brings friends and family together for a couple’s announcement, with the whole story taking place over this one evening. This does give us a real-time feel with the story and the secrets coming out push relationships to limits. The story does keep things simple and each character does fit into a group even being individual enough. This is a story that could easily be a play too which is something I like to point out with this style of storytelling.
Comedy – The comedy in the film does work for the most part, the funniest moments do hit well, it is the small jokes that can sometimes miss. Freddy does get the most laughs, mostly for the wrong reasons because of his characters race related opinions.
Settings – The film takes place in one location, the apartment which plays out well because this is the only place we need to be for the events unfolding.
Scene of the Movie – Standing up to Mr Tillman.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The over use of the N-word.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful ensembled cast performance, the solo night gives us the laughs we need and the truths show us how lives can be hiding something from everyone.
Overall: Enjoyable comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/05/14/all-between-us-2018/
As the night unfolds secrets have been coming out and now the mistakes of the past will come to life and will need to be worked through for the happiness of the people involved.
Thoughts on All Between Us
Characters – Clara is one of the hosts for the party, it is her family that will be attending the party with her big announcement, she must bring out the best in Ray for the first-time meeting, knowing her love can make him stronger. Ray is the fiancée of Clara a writer for profession that is nervous to meet his future parents-in-law knowing they are judgemental and already don’t approve of him. He spends the night getting verbal abuses from the family. Mishawn is Clara’s best friend, the one that knows the news she wants to tell and has turned her party ways into a more stable relationship with Ty. We have plenty of other characters are this party with Clara’s loud brother who has always been against most people and her judgemental father that spends the night putting Ray down. They all work for different moments in the film.
Performances – This is a great ensembled cast giving us strong performances throughout, the biggest known star is Tiffany Haddish after last years ‘Girls Trip’ who only gives us glimpses of the pure energy she bought to that film, she must take the back burner at times in this film. Denyce Lawton and Brian Hooks are great too, while Esau McGraw gives us a character we grow to dislike early.
Story – The story brings friends and family together for a couple’s announcement, with the whole story taking place over this one evening. This does give us a real-time feel with the story and the secrets coming out push relationships to limits. The story does keep things simple and each character does fit into a group even being individual enough. This is a story that could easily be a play too which is something I like to point out with this style of storytelling.
Comedy – The comedy in the film does work for the most part, the funniest moments do hit well, it is the small jokes that can sometimes miss. Freddy does get the most laughs, mostly for the wrong reasons because of his characters race related opinions.
Settings – The film takes place in one location, the apartment which plays out well because this is the only place we need to be for the events unfolding.
Scene of the Movie – Standing up to Mr Tillman.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The over use of the N-word.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful ensembled cast performance, the solo night gives us the laughs we need and the truths show us how lives can be hiding something from everyone.
Overall: Enjoyable comedy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/05/14/all-between-us-2018/
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Cuckoo Song in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Frances Hardinge’s <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is a historical, horror story for children. Six years have past since the end of the First World War, a war in which the Crescent family lost their eldest child. Eleven-year-old Theresa Crescent “Triss” lives with her parents and nine year old sister, Penelope “Pen” in the fictional town of Ellchester, England. Since losing Sebastian, Triss has become a very frail child and so it is no surprise to her parents that she develops an awful fever after falling into a millpond. The question, though, is how she came to be in the pond to begin with and why Pen is so scared of her?
Things become even more mystifying when Triss sees dolls start to move, finds leaves on her pillow, and is constantly ravenously hungry. Her parents begin to consider that Triss is suffering from some form of mental illness, however, Pen, the bad-tempered child, is adamant that that is not the case. She claims that Triss is a fake.
The horrible realization is that perhaps Triss is not Triss at all. This discovery leads the tale into paranormal territory with the introduction of unique new creatures: Besiders.
Cuckoo Song is not just an entertaining, fantastical story; it also deals with themes of family and personal emotion. Piers and Celeste Crescent are examples of parents whose behaviour and response to the death of a child impact on their remaining children. Triss becomes a child they want to protect and save leaving Pen to become an attention-seeking troublemaker.
As the story progresses, Triss and Pen’s relationship develops, or rather Pen and Not-Triss’, into something more recognizable and sisterly. Through their strength and newfound love for each other, they fight to get the happy ending they deserve. And through it all Triss discovers that just because someone calls you a monster, it does not mean that you are a monster.
The 1920’s setting did not feel quite accurate. At times it felt as though the story could have been set today. This, however, was not a major issue as, apart from Sebastian’s death during WW1, the time period was not a key aspect of the plot.
Initially the children, particularly Pen, were written in a way that made them seem older than Hardinge intended them to be, although by the end it is clear that they are fairly young. This is shown in the way that Pen begins to become attached to, and slightly more dependent, on Triss.
It is difficult to say who the target audience of <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is. The protagonist is eleven but the writing may be a little difficult for some children, on the other hand it cannot exactly be classed as Young Adult fiction since the characters are not even in their teens.
Overall, <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is an exciting, fast paced, fairy tale-like story with original characters. It is not scary and is fun to read; there is nothing to stop older readers from enjoying it too!
Frances Hardinge’s <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is a historical, horror story for children. Six years have past since the end of the First World War, a war in which the Crescent family lost their eldest child. Eleven-year-old Theresa Crescent “Triss” lives with her parents and nine year old sister, Penelope “Pen” in the fictional town of Ellchester, England. Since losing Sebastian, Triss has become a very frail child and so it is no surprise to her parents that she develops an awful fever after falling into a millpond. The question, though, is how she came to be in the pond to begin with and why Pen is so scared of her?
Things become even more mystifying when Triss sees dolls start to move, finds leaves on her pillow, and is constantly ravenously hungry. Her parents begin to consider that Triss is suffering from some form of mental illness, however, Pen, the bad-tempered child, is adamant that that is not the case. She claims that Triss is a fake.
The horrible realization is that perhaps Triss is not Triss at all. This discovery leads the tale into paranormal territory with the introduction of unique new creatures: Besiders.
Cuckoo Song is not just an entertaining, fantastical story; it also deals with themes of family and personal emotion. Piers and Celeste Crescent are examples of parents whose behaviour and response to the death of a child impact on their remaining children. Triss becomes a child they want to protect and save leaving Pen to become an attention-seeking troublemaker.
As the story progresses, Triss and Pen’s relationship develops, or rather Pen and Not-Triss’, into something more recognizable and sisterly. Through their strength and newfound love for each other, they fight to get the happy ending they deserve. And through it all Triss discovers that just because someone calls you a monster, it does not mean that you are a monster.
The 1920’s setting did not feel quite accurate. At times it felt as though the story could have been set today. This, however, was not a major issue as, apart from Sebastian’s death during WW1, the time period was not a key aspect of the plot.
Initially the children, particularly Pen, were written in a way that made them seem older than Hardinge intended them to be, although by the end it is clear that they are fairly young. This is shown in the way that Pen begins to become attached to, and slightly more dependent, on Triss.
It is difficult to say who the target audience of <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is. The protagonist is eleven but the writing may be a little difficult for some children, on the other hand it cannot exactly be classed as Young Adult fiction since the characters are not even in their teens.
Overall, <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is an exciting, fast paced, fairy tale-like story with original characters. It is not scary and is fun to read; there is nothing to stop older readers from enjoying it too!
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Gathering Frost (Once Upon a Curse, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Congratulations, Kaitlyn Davis. I've found my favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling (for now) – FINALLY! (Because a lot of the other retellings I've come across have been Sleeping Beauty, and I've managed to not get along with them.)
The first book in the <i>Once Upon a Curse</i> series is <b>set up in a futuristic New York where two worlds merged as one in an earthquake</b> when Jade was younger. Years later, Jade lives in a world where a queen strips all of the inhabitants' emotions away, leaving them with no emotion. When she comes across the queen's lost son, Prince Asher, the queen sets her on a mission to be captured and trusted by the prince, eventually betraying and returning him back to the queen.
<b>There's something I really liked about <i>Gathering Frost</i> – something that Davis did here that wasn't done in other Sleeping Beauty retellings.</b> I enjoyed the futuristic world Davis creates – two worlds, one of them believed to be parallel to Earth, being merged together and a queen who takes away all emotions from her people, along with the ability to control them. Somehow, throughout all of that, <b>Davis weaves in a bit of Sleeping Beauty and make her own fairytale world as well</b> – I really liked the addition of Jade coming across the original story while staying in the rebel camp.
There's also <b>something about Davis' writing style that I really enjoyed</b>, despite the fact there were a few moments where I started questioning the grammar, or there were commas where there really shouldn't have been any commas, or there were commas thrown in when the sentence would have worked so much better as two sentences. There were some parts that were <b>just written beautifully and flowed together extremely well</b> (read: the beauty of parallel structure).
I honestly can't say too much about the characters, particularly in Jade's case. Since her emotions have been taken away by the queen, <b>it was only natural for Jade to be depicted as a cold, detached, statuesque character and focus mainly on her surroundings.</b> As Jade spends more time in the rebel camp, though, <b>she slowly starts to develop emotions and feelings, and Jade's focus seems to balance out a little with her surroundings, her past, and her newly developed emotions.</b>
With a hint on what the sequel will probably be about, Davis doesn't actually leave us on a major cliffhanger. Instead, she seems to be conveying that <b>Jade's and Asher's story definitely won't be ending with <i>Gathering Frost</i></b> – they're more than likely to appear in the second book, and I can't wait to see what Davis comes up with for her retelling of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-gathering-frost-by-kaitlyn-davis/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Congratulations, Kaitlyn Davis. I've found my favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling (for now) – FINALLY! (Because a lot of the other retellings I've come across have been Sleeping Beauty, and I've managed to not get along with them.)
The first book in the <i>Once Upon a Curse</i> series is <b>set up in a futuristic New York where two worlds merged as one in an earthquake</b> when Jade was younger. Years later, Jade lives in a world where a queen strips all of the inhabitants' emotions away, leaving them with no emotion. When she comes across the queen's lost son, Prince Asher, the queen sets her on a mission to be captured and trusted by the prince, eventually betraying and returning him back to the queen.
<b>There's something I really liked about <i>Gathering Frost</i> – something that Davis did here that wasn't done in other Sleeping Beauty retellings.</b> I enjoyed the futuristic world Davis creates – two worlds, one of them believed to be parallel to Earth, being merged together and a queen who takes away all emotions from her people, along with the ability to control them. Somehow, throughout all of that, <b>Davis weaves in a bit of Sleeping Beauty and make her own fairytale world as well</b> – I really liked the addition of Jade coming across the original story while staying in the rebel camp.
There's also <b>something about Davis' writing style that I really enjoyed</b>, despite the fact there were a few moments where I started questioning the grammar, or there were commas where there really shouldn't have been any commas, or there were commas thrown in when the sentence would have worked so much better as two sentences. There were some parts that were <b>just written beautifully and flowed together extremely well</b> (read: the beauty of parallel structure).
I honestly can't say too much about the characters, particularly in Jade's case. Since her emotions have been taken away by the queen, <b>it was only natural for Jade to be depicted as a cold, detached, statuesque character and focus mainly on her surroundings.</b> As Jade spends more time in the rebel camp, though, <b>she slowly starts to develop emotions and feelings, and Jade's focus seems to balance out a little with her surroundings, her past, and her newly developed emotions.</b>
With a hint on what the sequel will probably be about, Davis doesn't actually leave us on a major cliffhanger. Instead, she seems to be conveying that <b>Jade's and Asher's story definitely won't be ending with <i>Gathering Frost</i></b> – they're more than likely to appear in the second book, and I can't wait to see what Davis comes up with for her retelling of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-gathering-frost-by-kaitlyn-davis/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Wanderers (The Wanderers, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>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></b>
Kate Ormand takes a unique twist in <i>The Wanderers</i>, following a group of nomad shapeshifters traveling under the guise of a circus. Flo has been part of the circus ever since she was young but has always thought of what the world would be like if she were not a part of the circus. When she accidentally reveals what the circus really is to the public, shapeshifter hunters attack and take away everything she has ever known.
There aren't a lot of shapeshifter books out there all the ones I've come across so far typically have characters that shift into wolves (<i>technically</i> werewolves are like shapeshifters. They're interchangeable). <i>The Wanderers</i>, on the other hand, don't really have wolves (I don't think there are any here). Ormand takes the concept and expands the idea of shapeshifter to include all kinds of animals bears, seals, tigers, horses, etc. It's a breather to have all kinds of animals instead of the usual furry four-legged ones. Have I mentioned there's a shapeshifting parrot? Uber-cool.
Flo (I started imagining her as that Progressive chick) has elements of a good character she's realistic and brave, even though she's watching her back constantly for hunters. She has a constant inner battle with a desire and curiosity to see the world outside of the circus but has no clue if she wants to take that opportunity when she's old enough to be offered a life outside. But Flo is a bit of a mystery to me, and so are most of the shifters.
<i>The Wanderers</i> feels more like a discovery book no one aside from the "elders" know how the circus originated in the first place. Flo and the other shifters seem as though they've been there all their lives they all have a similar past and their way to the circus are all similar. The book becomes more of a survival book after the attack and the remaining shifters work together (albeit the tolerable tension some have towards Flo) to escape the clutches of the hunters going after them. In the midst of it all, Flo discovers a disturbing plot and sets about breaking it before other shifters get hurt as well.
Ormand pulls off an ending similar to <a title="Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-killer-of-enemies-by-joseph-bruchac/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruchac's in <i>Killer of Enemies</i></a> there's a solid ending, but it's very open-ended and lots of things could potentially happen. The ending to <i>The Wanderers</i> feels very fitting with the story considering the title and the concept. Even though I'm not a huge fan of this book, Ormand has certainly left a mark with just the entire idea.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-wanderers-by-kate-ormand/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Kate Ormand takes a unique twist in <i>The Wanderers</i>, following a group of nomad shapeshifters traveling under the guise of a circus. Flo has been part of the circus ever since she was young but has always thought of what the world would be like if she were not a part of the circus. When she accidentally reveals what the circus really is to the public, shapeshifter hunters attack and take away everything she has ever known.
There aren't a lot of shapeshifter books out there all the ones I've come across so far typically have characters that shift into wolves (<i>technically</i> werewolves are like shapeshifters. They're interchangeable). <i>The Wanderers</i>, on the other hand, don't really have wolves (I don't think there are any here). Ormand takes the concept and expands the idea of shapeshifter to include all kinds of animals bears, seals, tigers, horses, etc. It's a breather to have all kinds of animals instead of the usual furry four-legged ones. Have I mentioned there's a shapeshifting parrot? Uber-cool.
Flo (I started imagining her as that Progressive chick) has elements of a good character she's realistic and brave, even though she's watching her back constantly for hunters. She has a constant inner battle with a desire and curiosity to see the world outside of the circus but has no clue if she wants to take that opportunity when she's old enough to be offered a life outside. But Flo is a bit of a mystery to me, and so are most of the shifters.
<i>The Wanderers</i> feels more like a discovery book no one aside from the "elders" know how the circus originated in the first place. Flo and the other shifters seem as though they've been there all their lives they all have a similar past and their way to the circus are all similar. The book becomes more of a survival book after the attack and the remaining shifters work together (albeit the tolerable tension some have towards Flo) to escape the clutches of the hunters going after them. In the midst of it all, Flo discovers a disturbing plot and sets about breaking it before other shifters get hurt as well.
Ormand pulls off an ending similar to <a title="Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-killer-of-enemies-by-joseph-bruchac/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruchac's in <i>Killer of Enemies</i></a> there's a solid ending, but it's very open-ended and lots of things could potentially happen. The ending to <i>The Wanderers</i> feels very fitting with the story considering the title and the concept. Even though I'm not a huge fan of this book, Ormand has certainly left a mark with just the entire idea.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-wanderers-by-kate-ormand/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Korean director Joon-ho Bong takes us on a Science fiction ride with Snowpiercer. Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is a story set on a train which acts as a human Noah’s Ark as it is the only place to survive after an attempt to stop global warming caused the planet to over freeze and become inhabitable. Not only is the train humanity’s last salvation, but it also mirrors human society as each portion of the train represents a different class structure. The poor and underprivileged are kept imprisoned in the back of the train, while the first class passengers are living in privilege in the front of the train. When the back of the train has finally had enough, they revolt and attempt to take control of the train and improve their place.
This is the film that Chris Evans chose to do in-between filming The Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier. In my opinion, he made a great choice. To me, Evans has always been just blah and one-dimensional. While he does not stray too far from how we have seen him act in the past, this film gives him a chance to show some depth and grit of character that we have not truly seen from him. Everyone looks at him as being the leader and you can see why. He embodies that character. I was impressed by his performance.
Along with Evans, Tilda Swinton helps carry this film from basic Sci-Fi ride to better than average film. She is fantastic in this film. She plays Mason, the governance of the train that helps keep things in order. She is the one that comes down from the front of the train and explains how and why the people in the back should keep their place. She steals the show with her presence every time she is on screen and gives a fantastic performance that causes us to both spite her, but also understand she is doing what is best for the train.
Without revealing too much about the story, the pacing of the film is great. It is not in a rush to get you from point A to point B, but rather takes the time to intertwine character development into story. The first half of the film is the revolt film where we see the dregs of life and the fight for freedom. The second half of the film is the reveal of wonderment where we see how the other side lives. In true Sci-Fi fashion, the story is a social commentary on our current place in society with regards to the richest 1% in the world. The revolt changes to a question of control which in turn changes to a question of true freedom, but at what cost?
I would recommend this film to any Sci-Fi fans or anyone looking for a thoughtful film and change of pace from the big summer blockbuster.
For a more in-depth discussion about the film, be sure to check out our podcast review.
This is the film that Chris Evans chose to do in-between filming The Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier. In my opinion, he made a great choice. To me, Evans has always been just blah and one-dimensional. While he does not stray too far from how we have seen him act in the past, this film gives him a chance to show some depth and grit of character that we have not truly seen from him. Everyone looks at him as being the leader and you can see why. He embodies that character. I was impressed by his performance.
Along with Evans, Tilda Swinton helps carry this film from basic Sci-Fi ride to better than average film. She is fantastic in this film. She plays Mason, the governance of the train that helps keep things in order. She is the one that comes down from the front of the train and explains how and why the people in the back should keep their place. She steals the show with her presence every time she is on screen and gives a fantastic performance that causes us to both spite her, but also understand she is doing what is best for the train.
Without revealing too much about the story, the pacing of the film is great. It is not in a rush to get you from point A to point B, but rather takes the time to intertwine character development into story. The first half of the film is the revolt film where we see the dregs of life and the fight for freedom. The second half of the film is the reveal of wonderment where we see how the other side lives. In true Sci-Fi fashion, the story is a social commentary on our current place in society with regards to the richest 1% in the world. The revolt changes to a question of control which in turn changes to a question of true freedom, but at what cost?
I would recommend this film to any Sci-Fi fans or anyone looking for a thoughtful film and change of pace from the big summer blockbuster.
For a more in-depth discussion about the film, be sure to check out our podcast review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated In the Role of Brie Hutchens... in Books
Jul 2, 2020
Brie Hutchens is an eighth-grader at a Catholic school. She loves soap operas and dreams of being the star of the school play. She wants to go to drama school next year. Brie also has feelings that she's pretty sure are different than the other kids at her school. For instance, she gets a fluttery feeling looking at photos online of her favorite soap opera actress. But when Brie's (very religious) mom walks in on her doing so, Brie freaks out and tells her Mom she's been chosen to crown the Mary statue at her school's ceremony. She hasn't of course, and even worse, she probably stands no chance at earning the gig, since it usually goes to a top student. One like Kennedy, whom Brie usually avoids. But as Brie starts to spend a little more time with Kennedy, she realizes Kennedy gives her the same feeling as that soap actress. And that none of this is going to make her mother happy (or help her crown Mary).
This is a very sweet, heartwarming, and touching story about a young girl finding her way and finding herself. I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, but when they are lesbian coming of age stories? I'm sold. Brie is an interesting character, who even comes across a little ungrateful at times--though perhaps she's just a typical teenager. She's embarrassed her dad works at her school and often seems a bit self-centered and in her own world. Okay, yeah, she's a teenager. But her battle with her sexual identity is certainly one I could identify with and it's presented in a lovely and truthful way. It's exactly the kind of book kids this age need, especially teens being raised in a religious environment.
The book is more religious than I expected, but it's not off-putting. As someone whose first love love came from a religious Catholic family, I saw so much of my past life in this book. I loved the fact that Brie is a soap fan--as kid who grew up loving Dallas, Days of Our Lives, Passions, and Sunset Beach, this part of the book was totally fun. Yet, Melleby worked in the angle in a serious way, too, as Brie uses soaps as a way to realize that maybe she isn't so different after all (thank you, soaps, for having some progressive characters ahead of your time).
"But when Brie and her mom sat in the living room, watching their soaps, Brie forgot they had so little in common."
Brie is fun and sweet and she's decidedly her own person, yet scared of how her religious mom and her Catholic school friends might see her if she reveals she likes girls. Her agonizing over this, her fear of coming out, is raw and realistic. The difficultly of coming out really resonates here, and Melleby does a wonderful job capturing how hard it is, even now.
Overall, this is a lovely and tender book--funny and sweet--and a great children's/YA read. If you love coming of age stories, YA novels, or any LQBTIA youth fiction, I think this novel will tug at your heartstrings.
This is a very sweet, heartwarming, and touching story about a young girl finding her way and finding herself. I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, but when they are lesbian coming of age stories? I'm sold. Brie is an interesting character, who even comes across a little ungrateful at times--though perhaps she's just a typical teenager. She's embarrassed her dad works at her school and often seems a bit self-centered and in her own world. Okay, yeah, she's a teenager. But her battle with her sexual identity is certainly one I could identify with and it's presented in a lovely and truthful way. It's exactly the kind of book kids this age need, especially teens being raised in a religious environment.
The book is more religious than I expected, but it's not off-putting. As someone whose first love love came from a religious Catholic family, I saw so much of my past life in this book. I loved the fact that Brie is a soap fan--as kid who grew up loving Dallas, Days of Our Lives, Passions, and Sunset Beach, this part of the book was totally fun. Yet, Melleby worked in the angle in a serious way, too, as Brie uses soaps as a way to realize that maybe she isn't so different after all (thank you, soaps, for having some progressive characters ahead of your time).
"But when Brie and her mom sat in the living room, watching their soaps, Brie forgot they had so little in common."
Brie is fun and sweet and she's decidedly her own person, yet scared of how her religious mom and her Catholic school friends might see her if she reveals she likes girls. Her agonizing over this, her fear of coming out, is raw and realistic. The difficultly of coming out really resonates here, and Melleby does a wonderful job capturing how hard it is, even now.
Overall, this is a lovely and tender book--funny and sweet--and a great children's/YA read. If you love coming of age stories, YA novels, or any LQBTIA youth fiction, I think this novel will tug at your heartstrings.
The Ballymaloe Cookbook
Book
First published in 1977, The Ballymaloe Cookbook espouses a food philosophy rare for its time, but...
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Not My Daughter in Books
Oct 5, 2020
I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for Not My Daughter by Suzy K. Quinn. Thank you to the team at HQ, for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Have a look at the Blog Tour Banner below and check out the other bloggers.
Suzy K Quinn is a British fiction author, and writes in three different genres: psychological thriller, comedy and romance. She was first published by Hachette in 2010 with her debut novel Glass Geishas (now Night Girls), then self-published a romance series, the Ivy Lessons, which became an international bestseller and a #1 Kindle romance bestseller in the US and UK.
After her second daughter was born in 2013, she self-published the Bad Mother’s Diary series, which also went on to become a #1 Kindle romantic comedy bestseller. Suzy K Quinn’s novels have been translated into 7 languages and her books have sold over ¾ million copies worldwide.
She lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband Demi and two daughters, and travels to Mexico every year to write and study Mayan story telling. Suzy loves her family, friends and readers, but when pushed to add more to the list, she also loves travelling, food and alcohol.
Synopsis:
Lorna has been trying to protect her daughter Liberty for sixteen years. There are dark secrets from her past about her father that Lorna wishes her daughter never finds out. Liberty’s father is a monster, and the best solution is to hide. Forever.
But Liberty has other plans. One day, Liberty decides to find her father, no matter the cost. And Lorna can’t protect her if she doesn’t know where she went…
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Not My Daughter. It was a novel that kept me on my toes throughout the whole book and I was eager to know what happens in the end and who the true villain is.
We begin the story in one way, where we have an idea of who the bad person is, and how Lorna is the protector. But once we start reading more, this story becomes more twisted, and we don’t know who to trust anymore. This is something I see in books quite often, but it is not usually as well-written. Suzy did an amazing job writing this part, and making us switch sides as she wanted us to.
The ending was not predictable at all, although, it was a bit unrealistic. However, it really fit nicely with the whole story and I cannot be disappointed.
It is interesting to see how the mother-daughter relationship develops. But more so, how a relationship forms when a daughter wants to get to know her father, no matter what. You meet this person that you share genes with, and you want them to like you. You want them to accept you, like nothing happened. We could see this wish in Liberty as she meets her father – the need to be accepted as a daughter.
I would recommend this book to everyone that loves mystery thrillers. It is a one of a kind, and a very well-written one too.
Suzy K Quinn is a British fiction author, and writes in three different genres: psychological thriller, comedy and romance. She was first published by Hachette in 2010 with her debut novel Glass Geishas (now Night Girls), then self-published a romance series, the Ivy Lessons, which became an international bestseller and a #1 Kindle romance bestseller in the US and UK.
After her second daughter was born in 2013, she self-published the Bad Mother’s Diary series, which also went on to become a #1 Kindle romantic comedy bestseller. Suzy K Quinn’s novels have been translated into 7 languages and her books have sold over ¾ million copies worldwide.
She lives in Wivenhoe, Essex, with her husband Demi and two daughters, and travels to Mexico every year to write and study Mayan story telling. Suzy loves her family, friends and readers, but when pushed to add more to the list, she also loves travelling, food and alcohol.
Synopsis:
Lorna has been trying to protect her daughter Liberty for sixteen years. There are dark secrets from her past about her father that Lorna wishes her daughter never finds out. Liberty’s father is a monster, and the best solution is to hide. Forever.
But Liberty has other plans. One day, Liberty decides to find her father, no matter the cost. And Lorna can’t protect her if she doesn’t know where she went…
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Not My Daughter. It was a novel that kept me on my toes throughout the whole book and I was eager to know what happens in the end and who the true villain is.
We begin the story in one way, where we have an idea of who the bad person is, and how Lorna is the protector. But once we start reading more, this story becomes more twisted, and we don’t know who to trust anymore. This is something I see in books quite often, but it is not usually as well-written. Suzy did an amazing job writing this part, and making us switch sides as she wanted us to.
The ending was not predictable at all, although, it was a bit unrealistic. However, it really fit nicely with the whole story and I cannot be disappointed.
It is interesting to see how the mother-daughter relationship develops. But more so, how a relationship forms when a daughter wants to get to know her father, no matter what. You meet this person that you share genes with, and you want them to like you. You want them to accept you, like nothing happened. We could see this wish in Liberty as she meets her father – the need to be accepted as a daughter.
I would recommend this book to everyone that loves mystery thrillers. It is a one of a kind, and a very well-written one too.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Book of Two Ways in Books
Oct 15, 2020
An interesting premise whose story is somewhat lost in the (many) details
When Dawn Edelstein survives a horrifying plane crash, it causes her to rethink her life and her marriage. She sees two paths she could have taken: her current one, married to her scientist husband, Brian, and mother to their daughter, Meret. In this life, she is a death doula, helping her clients at the end of their lives. She and Brian are also struggling, dealing with the unhappiness and infidelity in their marriage. In the other path, she's back in Egypt, picking up on a life she could have led, if her mother had not fallen ill when she was in graduate school: working as an Egyptologist and uncovering artifacts with Wyatt, an archaeologist, and the first love of her life. As the two paths unfold, Dawn's various choices and long-buried secrets do as well.
"For someone who makes a living through death, I haven't given a lot of thought to my own."
I love Jodi Picoult and her books, and I count many of them among my favorites. I was intrigued by this story, but overall, this book wasn't for me. I always appreciate when an author does their research for a book, but there was so very much Egypt (from Dawn) and various scientific concepts (via Brian) in this book. Some will really enjoy this and if these were topics I was more interested in, I probably would have too. But I read this book while was I was working endless days, and I just wanted to lose myself in a story and not read pages upon pages about ancient Egypt or so much scientific theory about multiverses. It was a lot.
When the novel focused on the characters, I was more in. Dawn is an intriguing protagonist--she's not always going to make choices that the rest of us might agree with. She takes a long hard long at her life--her regrets, her past love, her marriage, and more. I don't want to give too much away, but the various paths concept is an interesting one, for sure. I enjoyed both of them--especially Dawn's work as a death doula in her Boston life and then her relationship with Wyatt (who seemed very enigmatic--I could see why she was drawn to him) in Egypt.
No matter what, Picoult does what she does best--give us a fascinating look at love, marriage, and loss. She makes us think and question what we might do in Dawn's position. There are some twists and surprises thrown in along the way. I skimmed some of the Egypt stuff (I'm sorry!) and might have forgiven it all together, except then she gave me an up-in-the-air ending. After all that reading and reading! Sigh. No resolution endings seem to be a theme lately. And not one I'm a fan of, either. So, with that, a 3-star read for me. But I'll read Picoult's next book eagerly, as always.
"For someone who makes a living through death, I haven't given a lot of thought to my own."
I love Jodi Picoult and her books, and I count many of them among my favorites. I was intrigued by this story, but overall, this book wasn't for me. I always appreciate when an author does their research for a book, but there was so very much Egypt (from Dawn) and various scientific concepts (via Brian) in this book. Some will really enjoy this and if these were topics I was more interested in, I probably would have too. But I read this book while was I was working endless days, and I just wanted to lose myself in a story and not read pages upon pages about ancient Egypt or so much scientific theory about multiverses. It was a lot.
When the novel focused on the characters, I was more in. Dawn is an intriguing protagonist--she's not always going to make choices that the rest of us might agree with. She takes a long hard long at her life--her regrets, her past love, her marriage, and more. I don't want to give too much away, but the various paths concept is an interesting one, for sure. I enjoyed both of them--especially Dawn's work as a death doula in her Boston life and then her relationship with Wyatt (who seemed very enigmatic--I could see why she was drawn to him) in Egypt.
No matter what, Picoult does what she does best--give us a fascinating look at love, marriage, and loss. She makes us think and question what we might do in Dawn's position. There are some twists and surprises thrown in along the way. I skimmed some of the Egypt stuff (I'm sorry!) and might have forgiven it all together, except then she gave me an up-in-the-air ending. After all that reading and reading! Sigh. No resolution endings seem to be a theme lately. And not one I'm a fan of, either. So, with that, a 3-star read for me. But I'll read Picoult's next book eagerly, as always.
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