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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated All I Ever Wanted in Books
Apr 27, 2018
All I Ever Wanted really made me happy, and got me hooked on Kristan Higgins. This is why:
First, I loved the characters. Some were quirky (Louis the mortician, Noah her one-legged grandfather), some were funny (Her sister Hester! ROFL) Some were just mean. (MOM.) And some had the biggest heart in the world (Our hero, Ian). The relationships and the characters played out in such a real tangible way, and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m glad my family isn’t like Callie’s… it’s fun to sit back and watch.
Second: I was very pleased with the fact that the characters, dialogue, and plot weren’t perfect (happyland syndrome.) Some of you may know that happyland syndrome—everything working out perfectly all the time—will make me close a book in three minutes. All I Ever Wanted had nothing of the sort. It felt like real life, and because of that, it was relatable.
Third: It was a very sweet, very real, very good romance. And it was CLEAN. Yes! No skipping chunks of pages and trying to avoid unnecessary scenes! This pretty much made my day—maybe my week—that I’ve found a good romance author who doesn’t write sex scenes into her novels. Thank you Kristan Higgins, you’ve just made my bookshelf.
So that’s why I loved it. And that’s why I’ll be reading more of Higgins’ work in the future.
Content/recommendation: little language, very few sexual references. Ages 14+
First, I loved the characters. Some were quirky (Louis the mortician, Noah her one-legged grandfather), some were funny (Her sister Hester! ROFL) Some were just mean. (MOM.) And some had the biggest heart in the world (Our hero, Ian). The relationships and the characters played out in such a real tangible way, and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m glad my family isn’t like Callie’s… it’s fun to sit back and watch.
Second: I was very pleased with the fact that the characters, dialogue, and plot weren’t perfect (happyland syndrome.) Some of you may know that happyland syndrome—everything working out perfectly all the time—will make me close a book in three minutes. All I Ever Wanted had nothing of the sort. It felt like real life, and because of that, it was relatable.
Third: It was a very sweet, very real, very good romance. And it was CLEAN. Yes! No skipping chunks of pages and trying to avoid unnecessary scenes! This pretty much made my day—maybe my week—that I’ve found a good romance author who doesn’t write sex scenes into her novels. Thank you Kristan Higgins, you’ve just made my bookshelf.
So that’s why I loved it. And that’s why I’ll be reading more of Higgins’ work in the future.
Content/recommendation: little language, very few sexual references. Ages 14+
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls #1) in Books
May 10, 2018
Learning about the history of other cultures has always been something I've been interested in. All of our ancestors came to the United States in various ways. They all had to struggle to find their own ways in this world. Pearl and May are no exception.
Living in Shanghai, China in the '30's Pearl and May were considered beautiful girls. Their pictures were on calendars and other forms of advertising for the city. Their father owned a rickshaw company and they spent many nights out in Shanghai. Then one day it all came to a screeching halt. The girls learn that their father had gambled all their money away and now they were to have arranged marriages and a new life in America. The girls were not too happy about this and avoided the situation at all costs. Including the costs of life, freedom and the opportunity to have children.
Through all of the struggles to get from China to America, Pearl and May stood together always. They suffered through everything together.
I'm not sure that I could ever survive the things that they had to endure, with or without my sister. And I never knew of the different struggles that Chinese-American's had to suffer once they were in this country. For this reason, it made the book much more interesting. The writing was smooth and easy to read and comprehend. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Lisa See.
Living in Shanghai, China in the '30's Pearl and May were considered beautiful girls. Their pictures were on calendars and other forms of advertising for the city. Their father owned a rickshaw company and they spent many nights out in Shanghai. Then one day it all came to a screeching halt. The girls learn that their father had gambled all their money away and now they were to have arranged marriages and a new life in America. The girls were not too happy about this and avoided the situation at all costs. Including the costs of life, freedom and the opportunity to have children.
Through all of the struggles to get from China to America, Pearl and May stood together always. They suffered through everything together.
I'm not sure that I could ever survive the things that they had to endure, with or without my sister. And I never knew of the different struggles that Chinese-American's had to suffer once they were in this country. For this reason, it made the book much more interesting. The writing was smooth and easy to read and comprehend. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Lisa See.
Debbiereadsbook (1662 KP) rated Missing Pieces (The White Creek #1) in Books
Mar 7, 2019
good start for a first time author
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I'm a bit in two minds about this book, and I can't figure out why but I'll try.
It's a Nice book. I know I hate using that word but it's the best I can come up with! It has drama, passion, love, hate, lots of different emotions with just enough of each to not be overpowering.
I will say this, only Harper has a say. In the first person AND present tense. And it took me til way past halfway to figure out it was present tense, so well done to Fox for making me NOT see something that might have made me dump it!
I did need to hear from Easton though. I think he would have had a lot to say, especially about what he's dealing with, with his sisters and his nutty ex.
And I found out after I'd read this, that this is a first time author! So very well done to Fox for this book, even if it wasn't quite my cuppa tea.
I enjoyed it, it didn't quite push any buttons for me, BUT! I would like to read the next one, just to see how Fox' skill is growing. And Easton's sister really could be an interesting character!
3 GOOD solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I'm a bit in two minds about this book, and I can't figure out why but I'll try.
It's a Nice book. I know I hate using that word but it's the best I can come up with! It has drama, passion, love, hate, lots of different emotions with just enough of each to not be overpowering.
I will say this, only Harper has a say. In the first person AND present tense. And it took me til way past halfway to figure out it was present tense, so well done to Fox for making me NOT see something that might have made me dump it!
I did need to hear from Easton though. I think he would have had a lot to say, especially about what he's dealing with, with his sisters and his nutty ex.
And I found out after I'd read this, that this is a first time author! So very well done to Fox for this book, even if it wasn't quite my cuppa tea.
I enjoyed it, it didn't quite push any buttons for me, BUT! I would like to read the next one, just to see how Fox' skill is growing. And Easton's sister really could be an interesting character!
3 GOOD solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Better Than I Know Myself in Books
Apr 3, 2019
Did you ever have a friend who was more like family? For Regina Foster, Jewel Prescott, and Carmen Webb this is exactly true. Better Than I Know Myself starts in the late 70's when the girls are seniors in high school and making the decision on where to go to college. Three different girls from three very different backgrounds. Jewel, a former child star. Regina, the daughter of two college educated parents and little sister to older brothers who had all attended and graduated from college. And Carmen whose parents had left her at a young age.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
I listened to this book through the iPod and Overdrive. The audio was read by Lisa Renee Pitts.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
I listened to this book through the iPod and Overdrive. The audio was read by Lisa Renee Pitts.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Deal Breaker (Myron Bolitar #1) in Books
Apr 3, 2019
Myron Bolitar is an accomplished sports agent in New York City. He doesn't have very many clients, and the ones he does have aren't very big names. His newest client, Christian Steele has been signed by the Titans this year, but trouble seems to find Christian around every turn. A year ago, his fiancee went missing and now her father has turned up dead. What is the connection of these two incidents? How can Myron help clear Christian's name and find out what happened to Cathy? With the help of Myron's best friend, Win and his ex-girlfriend Jessica, who also happens to be Cathy's sister, they will get to the bottom of this no matter what they have to do, to get to the truth.
This book is the first in the Myron Bolitar series. We are introduced to Myron and his cohorts and find out about his background. I enjoy a good series and I can't wait to find out more about these characters.
This was a book that kept my attention the whole time. There are times when listening to an audio book that the story gets lost along the way. But not for this one. I found myself wanting to listen and find out what was going to happen next. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I can't wait to see what Book 2 in the series has in store.
This book is the first in the Myron Bolitar series. We are introduced to Myron and his cohorts and find out about his background. I enjoy a good series and I can't wait to find out more about these characters.
This was a book that kept my attention the whole time. There are times when listening to an audio book that the story gets lost along the way. But not for this one. I found myself wanting to listen and find out what was going to happen next. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I can't wait to see what Book 2 in the series has in store.
Kaz (232 KP) rated The Keeper Of Lost Things in Books
Jun 9, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
I thought that this book was generally good. The writing of this was, at times, beautiful and I think that the majority of the characters were likable and well formed. I think that Portia, Bomber's sister was rather cartoony and over exaggerated and I didn't really like her involvement in the story, it was a little bit too silly for me.
I think the story line with Bomber was much more interesting and heart wrenching than the modern one. The idea of lost things, kind of fizzled out into something that was conventional, rather than having a more mysterious edge to it.
I thought that the way the story lines in the present and the past were tied together, was rather flimsy and too convenient. I liked all of the characters in the present, but this story line was a little cheesy and a bit cliche ( it seems like every single woman that has a break up or a bad marriage gets a dog!)
Personally, I think it would have been better to get rid of the modern plot line all together and just have a book about Bomber and a separate book of the different short stories about the lost things, as I enjoyed reading them and felt they were the stronger points of the book.
Despite its problems, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a easy and quick read.
I think the story line with Bomber was much more interesting and heart wrenching than the modern one. The idea of lost things, kind of fizzled out into something that was conventional, rather than having a more mysterious edge to it.
I thought that the way the story lines in the present and the past were tied together, was rather flimsy and too convenient. I liked all of the characters in the present, but this story line was a little cheesy and a bit cliche ( it seems like every single woman that has a break up or a bad marriage gets a dog!)
Personally, I think it would have been better to get rid of the modern plot line all together and just have a book about Bomber and a separate book of the different short stories about the lost things, as I enjoyed reading them and felt they were the stronger points of the book.
Despite its problems, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a easy and quick read.
Jennifer Daniell (108 KP) rated The Stillwater Girls in Books
Jun 9, 2019
A twisting and turning pair of storylines that you won't see coming.
Wren and Sage have spent their entire lives hidden away from the Evils of the world in
a one room off grid cabin with their younger sister Evie and their Mother, who protects and
provides for them. Then Evie got sick and Mother made the decision to take her and seek medical help.
That was months ago, Wren and Sage still wait for their return and supplies are running low, as is hope.
One day three knocks on the door changes everything as a stranger has come looking for Mother and he won't take
no for an answer. The girls are left to take their fates into their own hands and discover that everything
they thought they knew is wrong.
From the outside looking in, Nicolette has the perfect life. She is married to the love of her life, a successful photographer,
and they frequently travel the world together for his work. They have all the nice cars, the big fancy house. But something is missing, the
one thing Nicolette can't have - a child. And lately Brent seems to be pulling away, almost as if he's hiding something. Then she finds a photograph - and
that he's been taking money from her trust in secret. Determined to get to the bottom of what seems to be a spiraling situation, Nicolette starts digging
and finds more than she could have ever expected to find.
a one room off grid cabin with their younger sister Evie and their Mother, who protects and
provides for them. Then Evie got sick and Mother made the decision to take her and seek medical help.
That was months ago, Wren and Sage still wait for their return and supplies are running low, as is hope.
One day three knocks on the door changes everything as a stranger has come looking for Mother and he won't take
no for an answer. The girls are left to take their fates into their own hands and discover that everything
they thought they knew is wrong.
From the outside looking in, Nicolette has the perfect life. She is married to the love of her life, a successful photographer,
and they frequently travel the world together for his work. They have all the nice cars, the big fancy house. But something is missing, the
one thing Nicolette can't have - a child. And lately Brent seems to be pulling away, almost as if he's hiding something. Then she finds a photograph - and
that he's been taking money from her trust in secret. Determined to get to the bottom of what seems to be a spiraling situation, Nicolette starts digging
and finds more than she could have ever expected to find.
It would be silly of me to repeat that this is an Asian version of Cinderella, since so many others do it. I am just annoyed that every story is compared to Cinderella considering rags to riches, marrying the prince is nothing new and Cinderella was certainly not the first of its kind. If you read the author's note, it says she was inspired by some Chinese students telling their native fairy tales.
All in all, I liked the novel. Xing Xing is crafty and clever unlike Cinderella who has a fairy godmother to do everything for her. No, Xing Xing takes care of not only herself but her father's second wife and half sister as well. You cannot really say the second wife is evil because she is only doing what any Chinese mother would do for her daughter in that day in age. To us, it may seem archaic and barbaric, but that is how it was back then.
Xing Xing is a strong heroine who does not just do the second wife's every whim. And when Xing Xing finally flat out defies her, it ultimately leads to Xing Xing's freedom and salvation.
I forgot how annoying yet efficient Napoli's style is. It seems so juvenile but is perfect for its purpose. I do not think the story would have been the same if it had been written any other way.
All in all, I liked the novel. Xing Xing is crafty and clever unlike Cinderella who has a fairy godmother to do everything for her. No, Xing Xing takes care of not only herself but her father's second wife and half sister as well. You cannot really say the second wife is evil because she is only doing what any Chinese mother would do for her daughter in that day in age. To us, it may seem archaic and barbaric, but that is how it was back then.
Xing Xing is a strong heroine who does not just do the second wife's every whim. And when Xing Xing finally flat out defies her, it ultimately leads to Xing Xing's freedom and salvation.
I forgot how annoying yet efficient Napoli's style is. It seems so juvenile but is perfect for its purpose. I do not think the story would have been the same if it had been written any other way.
I know I recently did a review for another one of Andersons novel, but I was able to download this for free and it was a quick read.
I still dont know how I feel about this novel. I felt like the sex scenes in Claimed were much hotter, but Masks didnt lack heat. However, she jumped into bed with him so quickly that it was mind-boggling. I am not saying anything against anonymous sex, but it seemed out of character for her. The author spends so many pages enforcing what a mouse she was, and then she has sex with him almost immediately. Honestly, I skipped most of the beginning because it was just Zoe and Chloe interacting, and it wasnt very interesting, nor progressive to the storyline.
The synopsis make the novel out to be BDSM erotica, but the closest it comes to BDSM is he ties her to a St Andrews Cross (only to immediately untie her) and leather everywhere. I am not saying it shouldnt be classified as BDSM. Just dont expect any more than some light bondage.
Not to mention I was annoyed with Zoe. She is a horrible sister and I would furious with her.
All in all, it wasnt terrible. It came nowhere near the level that Claimed was. Like I said, it was a quick read with a realistic ending that I appreciated.
I still dont know how I feel about this novel. I felt like the sex scenes in Claimed were much hotter, but Masks didnt lack heat. However, she jumped into bed with him so quickly that it was mind-boggling. I am not saying anything against anonymous sex, but it seemed out of character for her. The author spends so many pages enforcing what a mouse she was, and then she has sex with him almost immediately. Honestly, I skipped most of the beginning because it was just Zoe and Chloe interacting, and it wasnt very interesting, nor progressive to the storyline.
The synopsis make the novel out to be BDSM erotica, but the closest it comes to BDSM is he ties her to a St Andrews Cross (only to immediately untie her) and leather everywhere. I am not saying it shouldnt be classified as BDSM. Just dont expect any more than some light bondage.
Not to mention I was annoyed with Zoe. She is a horrible sister and I would furious with her.
All in all, it wasnt terrible. It came nowhere near the level that Claimed was. Like I said, it was a quick read with a realistic ending that I appreciated.
Dana (24 KP) rated All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. If you have ever struggled with the words on how to explain the advice you want to give or would have liked to have had as a younger person, give this book a read.
Carrie does a marvelous job getting across her message of hope and kindness, while keeping her advice genuine. It does not come across as a complete guidebook on how to live your life, but it can act as a helping hand when you are struggling.
There were so many sections in this book that I would have loved to have read as a younger teen. Not only does she make things relatable by having anecdotes of her own life, she also keeps the reader engaged by reminding them that they are not alone. No matter how alone you feel, there is someone who cares about you.
I loved how Carrie takes on the role of the honorary big sister. She keeps a line of communication open to those who need it, no matter the circumstances. It is refreshing to see someone who genuinely cares about helping others.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just teenage girls. I was able to relate much of this stuff to my life right now and I am no longer a teen!
It was an excellent read and I will be coming back to it whenever I need some reassurance.
Carrie does a marvelous job getting across her message of hope and kindness, while keeping her advice genuine. It does not come across as a complete guidebook on how to live your life, but it can act as a helping hand when you are struggling.
There were so many sections in this book that I would have loved to have read as a younger teen. Not only does she make things relatable by having anecdotes of her own life, she also keeps the reader engaged by reminding them that they are not alone. No matter how alone you feel, there is someone who cares about you.
I loved how Carrie takes on the role of the honorary big sister. She keeps a line of communication open to those who need it, no matter the circumstances. It is refreshing to see someone who genuinely cares about helping others.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just teenage girls. I was able to relate much of this stuff to my life right now and I am no longer a teen!
It was an excellent read and I will be coming back to it whenever I need some reassurance.