I am sort of at a loss for how to review this book. I have only read A Man Called Ove, which I loved, but I was excited to get a physical ARC of this I am sort of at a loss for how to review this book. I have only read A Man Called Ove, which I loved, but I was excited to get a physical ARC of this book. This one is just so depressing. Ted is telling Louisa about one summer 25 years ago. Ted and his friends all came from horrible family lives but they were loyal to each other. I did not find this book of friendship nostalgic in any way. My friends are I were not delinquents and did not come from abusive homes. It was just so depressing and I was just on edge of who will die and when and how. I just did not connect with the characters. I also had to suspend disbelief at a lot of the things happening in the book. I also did not like the constant mention of 39 being old. Really?! Louisa is 18 and I did not feel like she acted 18 just as Ted is 39 and I definitely did not feel he was acting like a 39 year old. I think if you are a fan of Backman you will probably like it but it was just okay to me. I probably would have DNFd it if I hadn't been given the ARC. Too much depressing stuff for me.
There were some great quotes though they may be different in the actual copy:
-Being a parent is so strange, all our children's pain belongs to us, but so does their joy.
-It's hard to say "I love you" when you're fourteen years old. And completely impossible to dare to whisper: "Don't hurt yourself, because you'd be hurting me too."
-"Joar tried to save everyone he loved. It was like he knew he had a clock inside him, counting down to destruction, so he was in a hurry to fix everything for...all of us."
-The janitor looked ashamed at that, sometimes you don't appreciate your own blessings until you see the envy in someone else's eyes.
-You can't love someone out of addiction, all the oceans are the tears of those who have tried. We're not allowed to die for our children, the universe won't let us, because then there wouldn't be any mothers left.
I think I liked this one better than the first book. This book also has the sprayed edges. This one started off a little slow for me but towards the eI think I liked this one better than the first book. This book also has the sprayed edges. This one started off a little slow for me but towards the end I could not put it down. Rose is in the castle with Snow White's evil stepmother and Snow White is in Rose's cottage in the woods. Snow White needs to get back to the castle before the crowning ceremony or else she forfeits the crown and her stepmom will be queen instead of her. She finds a group of people to take her back only to realize they are looking for her. Her stepmom has made everyone believe that Snow White has cursed the village. As in the first book I enjoyed the twists on the original tale and the nods to it. I liked Rose and Snow and I liked how it all ended. ...more
I have not read Sarah Penner but this became available to review and it looked good. We have two timelines 1821 and present day. We have sea witches iI have not read Sarah Penner but this became available to review and it looked good. We have two timelines 1821 and present day. We have sea witches in 1821 that can control the currents so they help out the local fishermen and also keep pirates at bay. Mari is one of the sea witches but she despises the sea. Her mother and sister were both taken by the sea. She wants to leave Positano. I loved the Italian backdrop in this book. In present day we have a Nautical archaeologist, Haven, who is in Positano to investigate some shipwrecks. Her late father was pretty sure he had discovered some gems but died before he could go back out in the water so she wants to continue the search. There have been some crazy underwater activity going on in Positano and people are fleeing the area. She needs to figure out what the heck is going on. Haven discovers a diary from a man on one of the ships that sank. She starts to learn about the sea witches and wonders if it could all be true but he scientist mind finds it all hard to believe. I enjoyed this one and the characters. Sometimes with dual timelines you like one more than the other but I liked both. ...more
I devoured Gothikana so I was so excited to get this ARC. This one was just okay to me. It was very slow with not much happening. At 50% I looked up rI devoured Gothikana so I was so excited to get this ARC. This one was just okay to me. It was very slow with not much happening. At 50% I looked up reviews to give me a pep talk to finish and I did not get them. But at least I knew not much was coming and I did finish the book. It is about Salem and it is dark academia. She goes to this exclusive school in an old castle. She meets a mysterious and very handsome and dark classmate. They are attracted to each other but both are trying to stay away from each other. I enjoyed their push and pull relationship. We are told about secrets but we are not told them. At about halfway we finally get a secret about Caz, the handsome classmate, but it is a secret reveal that we, the reader, already suspected, so not a good reveal. At the beginning we are told Salem's dad killed someone, but later, several times in fact, it said he killed a family. What?! I was so confused. Maybe that was an error in the ARC? I'm not sure. We are told of students dying and secret societies and those just fell flat. At halfway when I still knew nothing since the beginning, that is not a good sign. I enjoyed Caz and Salem so take it as character driven and not much to the plot. I would read more about Caz and Salem but I felt this book, at almost 500 pages, kept promising things that did not deliver. I did end with a smile on my face though.
-"You're just stinking cute." "When I talk about murder?" "When you come alive?",...more
I won this book from the publisher and I wanted a light read. I have to say that I did not know anything about Napoleon's War. He took prison3.5 stars
I won this book from the publisher and I wanted a light read. I have to say that I did not know anything about Napoleon's War. He took prisoner anyone who was in France at the time. Englishmen were imprisoned for eleven years! So this book starts in 1814 when the war ends and Jon is now freed. I just have to say that anyone imprisoned for eleven years would probably have some PTSD and I do not feel like that was very addressed in this book. Jon just comes home and sleeps in a big comfy bed and takes over as Duke. But ignoring that, Jon's sister has a beautiful governess, Victoria. Victoria's father was imprisoned with Jon and did not survive it. Jon has great guilt and wants to make sure Victoria finds a husband to take care of her. Victoria wants nothing to do with finding a husband. Obviously, they fall in love. I enjoyed their banter and the book is under 300 pages so it is a quick read. I will probably continue the series. ...more
I had never heard of a "why choose romance". Basically this is polyamory. There are four princes and they have to choose one mate for them to share. TI had never heard of a "why choose romance". Basically this is polyamory. There are four princes and they have to choose one mate for them to share. They are perfectly okay with sharing. Rylee Gray was born in the poorest part of town. She has magic that if anyone finds out about she could be killed. Her sister has been missing for a while and she sneaks into the Royal City to try to find out about her sister. She is there during the Choosing when the four princes are going to choose a mate. They choose her. Obviously she is shocked. Rylee is very sassy and Jax immediately falls for her. Rylee spends a month with each prince so they can learn about her and she them. I enjoyed how different all the guys were and how she was with them. At the end of the trial period she will be tested by their mothers who are goddesses. I enjoyed the story and there is obviously lots of sex. I liked Rylee and all of the princes. I did not like the ending, I'll put that in spoilers, but I did enjoy it overall and I am looking forward to the next book. (view spoiler)[ Riley passes out at the end. She is the main character so we know she isn't dead (hide spoiler)] I just thought that was a weird way to end a book when we know there is another one coming.
Also, the book is very pretty!
-"I'll take you sometime if you're up for it. "You should already know I'm up for anything."...more
I would not consider this a romance. I have been duped. Enemies to lovers is a hard trope for me because if the guy is unlikable, which this guy is, tI would not consider this a romance. I have been duped. Enemies to lovers is a hard trope for me because if the guy is unlikable, which this guy is, then I do not want them to get together. Also, they do not get together until 85%, that is also a problem for me if the book is considered a romance. So ignoring the romance this could be a cute story with Zelda not believing in magic even though her sisters are witches. She does not believe in any of it. Morgan wants to get with her and he comes on way too strong. Another reviewer said he made her think of PePe Le Pew and I agree with that. He tells her he only wants to be with her so he can get some of her magic. That is just gross. I then thought that he must not be the romantic lead at that point but I was wrong. She does not believe she has any magic. They both go on a quest in the woods because she starts thinking maybe there is something to this magic that everyone else in town seems to believe in. The quest in the woods was all over the place. I just couldn't follow it. The book had funny moments and some redemptive qualities but there was also a lot of chaos.
-...I would've had to hear her complaints that I don't get out of my shell enough (which is preposterous. Would she say this to a turtle? Shells have a valuable function).
-Is there anything quite like a library? No, there is not. You're allowed to walk right in, open a book, any book. You can read whatever you like until closing time, and nobody will bother you. Interrupting the immersed reader with small talk is distasteful here. I thrive like a cockroach in this social system.
-Some stories you forget about as soon as you finish the last page, and some you carry in your soul forever....more
So this book is about the 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station. I occasionally like to read something different and this one fit the So this book is about the 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station. I occasionally like to read something different and this one fit the bill. I had to look up this disaster before reading so there would be no surprises at the end. Obviously this is a character driven novel because you are just reading about people riding on a train. But there is also anticipation for when the disaster is going to happen. I would recommend looking up this train disaster because the picture that comes up is fascinating. The picture is included in the book. So it was fine. In a book with so many characters there are always ones you care more about than others. It is a quick read though. ...more
I have some pretty classics and my goal is to actually read them. The podcast Novel Pairings did a read along and I thought now is my chance. We just I have some pretty classics and my goal is to actually read them. The podcast Novel Pairings did a read along and I thought now is my chance. We just read about 8-10 chapters a week so I thought it was a good pace. I just finished so I have not listened to the last podcast yet but it definitely helped having two English teachers explain to me what I read. My mind wanders sometimes when I try to read a classic (do we really need one paragraph to take up a whole page?) and I found I had missed things when I listened to the recap. Also they explain things going on in the time period to help you understand more what Jane Austen was talking about. I enjoyed it. I have only read one other Austen I think, Pride and Prejudice. I liked Emma's growth and there was a lot of humor in the book. ...more
I loved it! This is about America's first murder trial in 1800. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr work together to defend Levi Weeks who is accused ofI loved it! This is about America's first murder trial in 1800. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr work together to defend Levi Weeks who is accused of murdering Elma Sands. Elma went missing in December 1799 and her body was found in January 1800. Aaron Burr just wants to prove Levi didn't murder her while Hamilton wants to actually find out who did murder Elma. Obviously there is a lot of tension between the two men. Even though I already knew the outcome of the trial I was transfixed by what was going on and did not want to put the book down. I did not know all of the twists and turns of the trial and the real people involved.
-And by right, as Aaron knew all too well, Hamilton meant his way. If there was one thing of which Hamilton was assured, it was that he was right and everyone else was wrong, co-counsel be damned.
-"When once you let the mob have their voice, there is no hope of justice."
-"The court is trying to determine whether to adjourn. There is no precedent for a trial going into a second day."
-Everyone was lying, everyone was hiding something.
Loading...
