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You and Me (Faith to Love, #7)
You and Me (Faith to Love, #7)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You and Me by Cleopatra Margot is just that, a story about you and me. It is the everyday moments, the big life decisions, the family drama, and finding love for the first time. I enjoyed Cleopatra Margot’s writing style as it was down to earth and read like you were part of the family. From the decisions that Sam was faced with, the mysteries surrounding Braeden’s family, to some surprising revelations in Sam’s own family; Cleopatra Margot spun a heartwarmingly real and engaging story that kept me hooked from the very first chapter.

 I enjoyed getting to know Sam and felt for her and the decisions that she had to make. Her character was very relatable, strong, and gentle all wrapped up in one complete package. Braeden fits his description to a T, Tall, Dark, and Yummy (first time I have heard it put like that, but it fits his character's sense of humor). He had quite a few obstacles to overcome and I loved how he treated Sam through everything, a true gentleman. With the additional side characters, I thought this book was very well rounded and I loved the layers added by the secondary characters.

“But despite the slight chill air this late in August held, there was a warmth inside her.”

  The plot was filled with a good bit of mystery mixed with finding your place in the world and a friends to lovers’ type theme. One of my favorite things about this book was the characters continually pointed out that God must be the center of your life before anything else can really grow. I enjoyed this book, and I am going to be going back and reading the previous books in the series so I can read the other family member's stories. Readers who enjoy family centered books (like Susan May Warren or Dee Henderson’s books) will enjoy this one.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Drama
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot is a fantasticly B-Movie style title, hiding a genuinely touching and quite beautiful character drama.

The film focuses on the life of Calvin Barr, an old man portrayed by Sam Elliott. He's a guy who's lonely, seen some shit in his time, and feeling his age until one day, he's approached by the government to hunt and kill the legendary Bigfoot, and put a stop to a potential world ending plague. Calvin is a bit of a legendary creature himself, having served in WWII, and is said to have killed Hitler himself before it was covered up, and his immunity to this killer plague makes him the perfect candidate.
This quirky other wordly narrative is quite a jarring contrast to the otherwise grounded drama that makes up the rest of the plot. Flashbacks tell of Calvin's life before the war, and how he met the woman he wanted to marry. It's essentially a love story, that veers into bonkers territory at the flick of a switch.

Somehow though, it all works really well. The screenplay is top notch and gives us some engaging characters with a great cast. Sam Elliott has the grizzled old man role down to a tee by now. Aidan Turner plays the younger Calvin, and the relationship between him and Caitlin Fitzgerald's character is believable and touching. Larry Miller also stars as Calvin's brother and the two of them also have decent chemistry.
This movie is overflowing with gorgeous shots. The last third especially is a visual feast, and it's all complimented by a wonderful score, courtesy of Joe Kraemer.

If you're looking for a schlocky bad-good film suggested by the title then you're in the wrong place. This is a charming and quirky character drama with sprinkles of a creature feature, and I can fully see why some might not get on with it, but for me, it just works.
  
UT
Until There Was You
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I love Kirstan Higgins so much. She's a good writer, she's funny, she's clever, her characters are awesome, and there's always a cute dog or cat.

Also she rocks at writing kissing scenes. WOW!.

The number-one thing I love about her novels is this: She writes these awesome contemporary romance novels, but she doesn't litter them with explicit sex, which I DON'T like to read (I mean really, I feel like I'm sneaking into a XXX movie when I read stuff like that. It's private, man! The characters don't want you to know what's going on under the sheets!).

Anyway, Until There Was You didn't disappoint. Liam was amazing, Posey was sweet, Nicole (the daughter) was adorable, and the family was family: a-typical in every way and funny and weird and full of life. I love it. I wish I could keep this book forever instead of bringing it back to the library. I tore through this thing in like five hours... I stayed up until 4am reading.

But hey, other people have to read it too, right?

:D
  
Sadie
Sadie
Courtney Summers | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sadie freaking broke me.
“I wish his darkness lived outside of him, because you have to know it's there to see it. Like all real monsters, he hides in plain sight.”

Sadie freaking broke me.

I’ve never wanted to give up on a book and not put a book down so bad in my life.

This book was one of the few times I was really glad I didn’t know what I was getting into because if I did I probably wouldn’t have actually read it because of the subject matter (CW: pedophilia) it’s just one of those topics I really don’t like to read about. And while Sadie was a hard book to read it was amazingly written with characters you can’t help but feel for…. Whether those feelings are good or bad now that was what really made Sadie an amazing book.

I really liked the format of the book, switching between the podcast on Sadies POV was really unique and kept me reading because I was hooked on both POVs and could wait to get back to the other one.
  
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Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies

May 5, 2019 (Updated May 5, 2019)  
Upgrade (2018)
Upgrade (2018)
2018 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Gore and storyline (0 more)
Some of the script (0 more)
What if Robocop wasnt a cop??
Stumbled across this beaut of a film. Premise is man and wife get into a car accident and then robbed. Wife is killed and man is left paralysed below the neck. Mans friend (who is a computer designer type person) offers him the chance at a normal life with a new chip that can operate limbs for you. Man takes off and starts to investigate his wife's murder and mystery and who done it starts. This film is at its heart a thriller but is based in a sci fi futuristic world. It is also has some excellent body horror and gore in it including a 'mouth cut' which was bloody awesome! Some of the dialogue is a bit silly with the main character giving crappy 1 liners whilst fighting the people who he suspects of killing his wife but it's not that off putting and I was able to laugh these off. All in all a really good film and well worth a watch.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Madbatdan82 (341 KP) May 6, 2019

It was really good. Wasnt expecting much - love it when I stumble onto a gem.

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Andy K (10823 KP) May 6, 2019

Yeah me too.

Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
1993 | Comedy
You haven't seen this movie... It’d be a lot cooler if you did.
I quote this movie so much it's insane.. Like every single day type of quoting and I can hoestly say that as soon as someone gets my reference we become instant friends.

Dazed and confused is such a piece of life movie that it just works so beautifully. Even though I wasn't born until 89 and this movie wasnt made till 93 its such an iconic 70s movie that you just don't question it.


The casting was just so spot in that even the most minor characters feel like real people you could have gone to high school with and it's with that detail that Dazed and confused sucks you in and doesn't let you got to the point that you can watch this movie and rewatxg it multiple times and it's still just as good.


The other stand out factor is the soundtrack is one of the best there is each song just fits so well.
  
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Deborah (162 KP) rated Hungry Hill in Books

Dec 21, 2018  
HH
Hungry Hill
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really got stuck into this family saga from Daphne du Maruier, following five generations of a family and their relationship with the mine at Hungry Hill. With du Maurier you know there's going to be tragedy in there somewhere and there are senseless deaths and senseless happenings a plenty. Despite being beautifully written, I felt somewhat depressed at the end of the novel because I didn't feel it was concluded very well and a lot of very bad things happened to people who frankly didn't deserve it! I feel John-Henry's story wasn't properly tied up and he was just left almost hanging there. The Donovans also seem to come out of things rather well despite their atrocious, murdering behaviour! I think I'm one who likes a good bit of poetic justice in my reading as real life is so unfair to some people!

So, brilliantly written, but I'm not sure I'd want to put myself through reading it again, with all the agonies and the ending which I found unsatisfactory.