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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Separate Lives in Books
Feb 13, 2018
It all begins when Susie sees the text on Alex's phone: "Start living a different kind of life ...P :-) xxx." Convinced he's having an affair, Susie sets off on her own trajectory that threatens their partnership of ten years and their life with their two children. And Alex? Is he completely innocent in all of this? And what about the mysterious P?
This novel is told from the alternating point of view of Susie, Alex, and Pippa. Susie's pieces come via standard narrative, Alex's mainly through email exchanges with his brothers and sister, and Pippa via emails to her sister. While this starts off as sort of enjoyable and different, it can grow old quickly (though the email format moved quickly at least). For instance, Pippa and Susie have a way of veering off into tangents about their past, which drove me absolutely insane. These summaries seemed not at all relevant to the book (what they wore and read at seventeen!) and dragged the narrative down and the story on forever.
Meanwhile, the novel sounds interesting in its premise: a group of characters brought together by a potential technological misunderstanding. It's certainly why I selected it as an ARC. The problem is that none of the characters are remotely redeemable or likeable. While a book that revolves around infidelity may not always have the most personable of characters, you can usually find some humanity them. This group: I just could not find any reason to root for them. I would find an occasional glimpse in Susie or Pippa, but overall, they all annoyed me with their whining and life choices, and I felt sorry for their children! Add to that a plot filled with a variety of twists and turns that would be better off in a soap opera or Lifetime movie (surprise pregnancies! love affairs with a spouse's siblings!), and my frustration level reached its peak. Again, there were moments I liked, but overall I just didn't find a lot of humor or enjoyment in this novel. 2.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/06/2016
This novel is told from the alternating point of view of Susie, Alex, and Pippa. Susie's pieces come via standard narrative, Alex's mainly through email exchanges with his brothers and sister, and Pippa via emails to her sister. While this starts off as sort of enjoyable and different, it can grow old quickly (though the email format moved quickly at least). For instance, Pippa and Susie have a way of veering off into tangents about their past, which drove me absolutely insane. These summaries seemed not at all relevant to the book (what they wore and read at seventeen!) and dragged the narrative down and the story on forever.
Meanwhile, the novel sounds interesting in its premise: a group of characters brought together by a potential technological misunderstanding. It's certainly why I selected it as an ARC. The problem is that none of the characters are remotely redeemable or likeable. While a book that revolves around infidelity may not always have the most personable of characters, you can usually find some humanity them. This group: I just could not find any reason to root for them. I would find an occasional glimpse in Susie or Pippa, but overall, they all annoyed me with their whining and life choices, and I felt sorry for their children! Add to that a plot filled with a variety of twists and turns that would be better off in a soap opera or Lifetime movie (surprise pregnancies! love affairs with a spouse's siblings!), and my frustration level reached its peak. Again, there were moments I liked, but overall I just didn't find a lot of humor or enjoyment in this novel. 2.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/06/2016
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue in Books
Jun 8, 2018
This was excellent! First, all the diversity here - between the bisexual main character, his best friend, who is biracial, has an "invisible" disability, and also likes men (or at least likes Monty!) and his seemingly asexual sister - the book covers so many facets, it's great.
Given that it's historical fiction, set in Victorian Europe, Percy's biracial heritage has him just seen as black to most people they encounter. Monty doesn't seem to understand what that means, most of the time, and is a little blinded by his rich white boy privilege. He gets talked to a couple of times about how he's being blind to the problems his friend is facing.
I liked that we got to peek under Monty's playboy facade a few times, when being punched has him flashing back to being beaten by his father for being a "disappointment." An interaction between him and a pirate captain was particularly sweet, teaching him to fight back because he's worth defending.
I LOVE Felicity, Monty's sister, and I'm really eager to read her story in the sequel to this book, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. She is so badass, and incredibly intelligent.
The writing was fun, the action well-paced, and the dialogue clever. I was a little put off at first by the size of the book, but I flew through it quickly. I especially liked Monty's bisexuality - how he just cheerfully perved on practically everyone his age. It definitely reminded me of a few people I know!
Something that I noted, near the end of the book, was Percy not asking Monty to stop his perving. What he said was "if you ever go behind my back..." which implies as long as Percy knows, it's not an issue. Yay for non-monogamy being present in YA! It's nice to see alternative relationship structures being presented, though I wish it had been more than just implied.
This was an excellent read for Pride Month, and I loved the amount of diversity and intersectionality present in it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Given that it's historical fiction, set in Victorian Europe, Percy's biracial heritage has him just seen as black to most people they encounter. Monty doesn't seem to understand what that means, most of the time, and is a little blinded by his rich white boy privilege. He gets talked to a couple of times about how he's being blind to the problems his friend is facing.
I liked that we got to peek under Monty's playboy facade a few times, when being punched has him flashing back to being beaten by his father for being a "disappointment." An interaction between him and a pirate captain was particularly sweet, teaching him to fight back because he's worth defending.
I LOVE Felicity, Monty's sister, and I'm really eager to read her story in the sequel to this book, The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. She is so badass, and incredibly intelligent.
The writing was fun, the action well-paced, and the dialogue clever. I was a little put off at first by the size of the book, but I flew through it quickly. I especially liked Monty's bisexuality - how he just cheerfully perved on practically everyone his age. It definitely reminded me of a few people I know!
Something that I noted, near the end of the book, was Percy not asking Monty to stop his perving. What he said was "if you ever go behind my back..." which implies as long as Percy knows, it's not an issue. Yay for non-monogamy being present in YA! It's nice to see alternative relationship structures being presented, though I wish it had been more than just implied.
This was an excellent read for Pride Month, and I loved the amount of diversity and intersectionality present in it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated The Darkest Part of the Forest in Books
Jul 14, 2018
The Knight is Young
Holly Black sticks with folklore for Faeries and still is able to make her own twist about a town called Fairfold where the townspeople coexist cautiously with the Fae. In this town there is a boy who is a changeling pretending to be human, a boy who wishes for love out of fairy tales, a girl who desires to be more than ordinary, and a horned prince in a glass coffin all of who are very important to the story because without one it is possible none of which is happening would be happening.
Ben and Hazel are on the hunt for their prince who's awoken from the glass coffin, but what is the cost of finding him when his freedom is the start of the town pointing fingers at Jack? Will these once duo in hunting the wild faeries drift further apart? Will Hazel be able to decide who she wants to be? Can she decide which side she must be on? Or will be betray those she loves, those who have confessed to her what they hold for her to keep her place? Will Ben betray his sister for the horned prince? Will he allow his jealousy for her to overcome him to ensure he is able to finally have what he wants? Will he ruin his friendship for all this?
And is anyone safe in town?
The flow of this book was amazing. We're introduced to our key characters, minor ones, and even less important ones within the first few pages or throughout without any of the development taking from the story or plot. It takes off into the action without pause and even though one would think not skipping a beat would be bad to convey the story it works here as there is so much occurring to piece the puzzles pieces together. The relationship between brother and sister despite what is between them is wonderful as it shows you can care for someone no matter what you believe within your own mind. Their interactions are what makes TDPOTF so great. I believe without Hazel's and Ben's siblinghood this book would have not worked.
Ben and Hazel are on the hunt for their prince who's awoken from the glass coffin, but what is the cost of finding him when his freedom is the start of the town pointing fingers at Jack? Will these once duo in hunting the wild faeries drift further apart? Will Hazel be able to decide who she wants to be? Can she decide which side she must be on? Or will be betray those she loves, those who have confessed to her what they hold for her to keep her place? Will Ben betray his sister for the horned prince? Will he allow his jealousy for her to overcome him to ensure he is able to finally have what he wants? Will he ruin his friendship for all this?
And is anyone safe in town?
The flow of this book was amazing. We're introduced to our key characters, minor ones, and even less important ones within the first few pages or throughout without any of the development taking from the story or plot. It takes off into the action without pause and even though one would think not skipping a beat would be bad to convey the story it works here as there is so much occurring to piece the puzzles pieces together. The relationship between brother and sister despite what is between them is wonderful as it shows you can care for someone no matter what you believe within your own mind. Their interactions are what makes TDPOTF so great. I believe without Hazel's and Ben's siblinghood this book would have not worked.
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest</i>
People grieve in many different ways, as Shari Arnold shows in her young adult novel <i>Neverland</i>. It has been four months since seventeen-year-old Livy lost her little sister Jenna to leukemia. Her mother has become a workaholic, her father a ghost, but Livy has become determined to help as many sick children as she can, either by reading to them or becoming a bone marrow donor. Livy’s life revolves solely around the children at the hospital but things begin to change when she meets the mysterious Meyer who takes her out of her comfort zone and challenges her to have fun.
As suggested by the title, <i>Neverland</i> is based upon the well-known story of Peter Pan. Meyer, like Peter, loves an adventure and whisks Livy away to do things she would never have thought to do on her own. By showing Livy how to have fun, Meyer hopes to encourage her to move on, but the big question is, is Livy ready to live without her sister?
The first part of the book has a contemporary setting that makes the story appear to be the typical girl meets boy who makes everything better type of novel, however the second section is completely different. Part two is so full of fantasy and magical ideas that it feels like a completely different book. Initially it was exciting when Meyer was something of an enigma, but suddenly the story becomes childish and fake once his true identity has been revealed, thus making the novel less gripping.
Nonetheless, <i>Neverland</i> is very moving as is anything regarding the death of young children. Arnold provides an interesting retelling of the delightful fairytale giving a totally new meaning to the children who do not grow up. Those who enjoy contemporary and fantasy novels will enjoy both elements however some readers expecting a young adult love story may be disappointed with the unrealistic turn the novel takes part way through.
People grieve in many different ways, as Shari Arnold shows in her young adult novel <i>Neverland</i>. It has been four months since seventeen-year-old Livy lost her little sister Jenna to leukemia. Her mother has become a workaholic, her father a ghost, but Livy has become determined to help as many sick children as she can, either by reading to them or becoming a bone marrow donor. Livy’s life revolves solely around the children at the hospital but things begin to change when she meets the mysterious Meyer who takes her out of her comfort zone and challenges her to have fun.
As suggested by the title, <i>Neverland</i> is based upon the well-known story of Peter Pan. Meyer, like Peter, loves an adventure and whisks Livy away to do things she would never have thought to do on her own. By showing Livy how to have fun, Meyer hopes to encourage her to move on, but the big question is, is Livy ready to live without her sister?
The first part of the book has a contemporary setting that makes the story appear to be the typical girl meets boy who makes everything better type of novel, however the second section is completely different. Part two is so full of fantasy and magical ideas that it feels like a completely different book. Initially it was exciting when Meyer was something of an enigma, but suddenly the story becomes childish and fake once his true identity has been revealed, thus making the novel less gripping.
Nonetheless, <i>Neverland</i> is very moving as is anything regarding the death of young children. Arnold provides an interesting retelling of the delightful fairytale giving a totally new meaning to the children who do not grow up. Those who enjoy contemporary and fantasy novels will enjoy both elements however some readers expecting a young adult love story may be disappointed with the unrealistic turn the novel takes part way through.
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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Mirrorland in Books
Jul 1, 2021
This book was not at all what I expected, but in the best way.
We start off with Cat flying back from America to Edinburgh after her twin sister El has gone missing. Cat goes back to Edinburgh to find that her twin and her husband, Ross, have moved back into El and Cat’s childhood home. Whilst there, memories of their shared past start to come back to Cat but she spends most of the time trying to work out if they’re real memories or memories of the fantasies that the girls made up and played out. The main part of the girls’ childhood was a place that they called Mirrorland, a hidden tunnel that led to a locked wash house that they used to play in most of their childhood. As more and more memories come back, Cat has to deal with the trauma that occurred during their childhood. At the same time, she also has to deal with her sister missing and presumed dead. Cat is adamant the whole time that El isn’t dead and that she would know if she was as she would “feel” it, being identical twins she could always feel her sister’s pain. Cat also has to deal with her feelings for Ross resurfacing as he was also a large part of their childhood and she has never got over her feelings for him.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, that I had a hard time telling what was real from what was fantasy and it really put me in the mindset of Cat and her struggle to separate the two. I thought for the last part of the book that I had it all figured out, but in the last couple of chapters Carole Johnstone really threw a spanner in the works and changed everything again. Whilst a little confusing at times, it was good because it did make you empathise with Cat and how she was remembering things that had happened in her past.
Thank you to Carole Johnstone and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review, I loved it!
We start off with Cat flying back from America to Edinburgh after her twin sister El has gone missing. Cat goes back to Edinburgh to find that her twin and her husband, Ross, have moved back into El and Cat’s childhood home. Whilst there, memories of their shared past start to come back to Cat but she spends most of the time trying to work out if they’re real memories or memories of the fantasies that the girls made up and played out. The main part of the girls’ childhood was a place that they called Mirrorland, a hidden tunnel that led to a locked wash house that they used to play in most of their childhood. As more and more memories come back, Cat has to deal with the trauma that occurred during their childhood. At the same time, she also has to deal with her sister missing and presumed dead. Cat is adamant the whole time that El isn’t dead and that she would know if she was as she would “feel” it, being identical twins she could always feel her sister’s pain. Cat also has to deal with her feelings for Ross resurfacing as he was also a large part of their childhood and she has never got over her feelings for him.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, that I had a hard time telling what was real from what was fantasy and it really put me in the mindset of Cat and her struggle to separate the two. I thought for the last part of the book that I had it all figured out, but in the last couple of chapters Carole Johnstone really threw a spanner in the works and changed everything again. Whilst a little confusing at times, it was good because it did make you empathise with Cat and how she was remembering things that had happened in her past.
Thank you to Carole Johnstone and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review, I loved it!
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Other Twin in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
I had a chance to read many great reviews about this book, so I was very excited to receive it from publisher. After reading it, I noticed, that even though this book is not very long, it carries a very important message, and I am very glad the author shared it with the world.
The main character in this book was Poppy, a sister of a girl who killed herself by jumping from the bridge. She has to come back to Brighton, and is trying to figure out ,why India jumped from that bridge. I really enjoyed, that this story was sister’s investigation and no detectives were participating. I found this novel really realistic and believable, just a sister trying to find out the truth. Nevertheless, all characters in this book where very realistic, just like ordinary people you would meet in the street, with their flaws and strengths. I found the characters really well thought through and interesting. They had really mysterious personalities, and I loved the way Poppy was trying to figure everything out.
The narrative of this book was very smartly created, jumping between two different stories, the one of Poppy’s investigation and the other one, mysterious one, which kept me guessing and very intrigued, and I will admit, that outcome really surprised me. I really enjoyed the way L.V. Hay described Brighton in this book, I loved the details and the described spirit of this great place. Even though it is a crime novel, I admired the way L.V. Hay incorporated her message, by showing what struggles some LGBT communities people are facing. I would love to talk more about it, but it would spoil the reading experience.
The writing style of this book is easy to read and those lovely short chapters makes this book a quick and pleasant read for those naughty rainy summer days. Every chapter opened up a new clue and made this book really fast paced read. There were plenty of turns and twists and very unexpected climax. So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this intense crime thriller, full of difficult family relations, unforgotten love and surprising outcome.
Was given this book by publisher for honest review.
I had a chance to read many great reviews about this book, so I was very excited to receive it from publisher. After reading it, I noticed, that even though this book is not very long, it carries a very important message, and I am very glad the author shared it with the world.
The main character in this book was Poppy, a sister of a girl who killed herself by jumping from the bridge. She has to come back to Brighton, and is trying to figure out ,why India jumped from that bridge. I really enjoyed, that this story was sister’s investigation and no detectives were participating. I found this novel really realistic and believable, just a sister trying to find out the truth. Nevertheless, all characters in this book where very realistic, just like ordinary people you would meet in the street, with their flaws and strengths. I found the characters really well thought through and interesting. They had really mysterious personalities, and I loved the way Poppy was trying to figure everything out.
The narrative of this book was very smartly created, jumping between two different stories, the one of Poppy’s investigation and the other one, mysterious one, which kept me guessing and very intrigued, and I will admit, that outcome really surprised me. I really enjoyed the way L.V. Hay described Brighton in this book, I loved the details and the described spirit of this great place. Even though it is a crime novel, I admired the way L.V. Hay incorporated her message, by showing what struggles some LGBT communities people are facing. I would love to talk more about it, but it would spoil the reading experience.
The writing style of this book is easy to read and those lovely short chapters makes this book a quick and pleasant read for those naughty rainy summer days. Every chapter opened up a new clue and made this book really fast paced read. There were plenty of turns and twists and very unexpected climax. So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this intense crime thriller, full of difficult family relations, unforgotten love and surprising outcome.
Was given this book by publisher for honest review.