Mini Review: Plague Land by Alex Scarrow

Plague Land by Alex Scarrow (Dec. 5, 2017)
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Young Adult Horror/Survival
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Source: I received a free eARC from the publisher through Edelweiss. This did NOT affect my honest review. Thanks Sourcebooks!
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: Leon and his younger sister Grace have just moved to London from New York when news of an unidentified plague begins to fill the news. Within a week the virus hits London. People in the streets turn to liquid before their eyes, and what follows is a frantic hunt for a safety which may no longer exist. A new gripping series from Alex Scarrow.

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My Review

Plague Land in Three Words: Gore. Survival. Family.

Leon notices a plauge mentioned on tv, yet no one except him is giving it second thought. Leon finds this odd, if not a little unsettling. When shortly after the world comes crashing down around him and his family, he can't say he is that surprised. Leon must step up and help his family survive the plague. This horror novel is unique, gruesome, unexpected, and a little frightening.

The Bottom Line: An interesting read worth checking out at your local library, or perhaps even purcahsing if gory/horror/survivor books are your thing.

Review: The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo

The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo (July 1, 2015)
441 pages
Genre: Adult/Fiction/Family Drama
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. Thanks Theresa!
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: How far would you go to save the one you love?

Reporter Skylar Kendall has run from commitment all her life, pushing people away before they leave her, until her niece worms her way into Skye’s heart and settles in tight. Skye relaxes into a career she enjoys and relishes being a doting aunt.

Then her niece becomes gravely ill. Unable to bear yet another loss, Skye is determined to find a cure, but the girl’s only hope lies in the embryonic stem cell therapy Michigan Senator Edward Hastings repeatedly opposes. When Skye fails to find alternative treatment in time, she vows to end the senator’s political career.

Curious about the woman behind the scathing articles on his best friend, Mark Dutton pursues Skye. Dating Mark gives her access to Hastings’s life and secrets that would launch Skye's career and satisfy her need for retribution… Only she hadn’t counted on falling in love.

Can she avenge the lives lost to politics at the expense of her new love and friends?

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My Review

I have previously read two books by this author and liked them a great deal. I can honestly say that The Lives Between Us is another beautiful and heartfelt story by this author that I thoroughly enjoyed. Theresea Rizzo really knows how to write a complex and moving family drama.

The Lives Between Us captured me from the first page, and I wasn't freed from its grasp until the very end. I don't read a lot of books about politics or super controversial subjects, but I am glad I read this one. Its fast pace and interesting subject matter makes for a quick and interesting read.

The best part of this novel has to be the strong characters whose presences can be felt through the page. The MC, Skye, is probably my least favorite due to her sometimes very immature attitude, but she did grow as a character and watching her struggle between her career as a reporter and keeping that separate from her personal life was compelling. I appreciated every single character and what they brought to this story about family, love, and living life to its fullest. They were complex and unique in their own way. Mark is especially sweet and genuine and a character I really liked, even if he wasn't a bad boy, he was a good fit for Skye. 

The Lives Between Us is a pretty well written thought provoking piece on stem cell research and how far a person would go to save their loved one. I know that I would go to the ends of the earth if someone I loved was in danger of dying. Although I wasn't too shocked by any of the secret reveals in this one, I still appreciated the overall plot and the different family and relationship dramas.

If you like a good story that focuses on politics, family, a little romance, and what the struggle is like when dealt with having to make the right ethical choice for you, then you will enjoy The Lives Between Us. 

Review: Panic by: Lauren Oliver

Panic by: Lauren Oliver (2014)

Genre: Young Adult Fiction
408 pages

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

My Review

I had such high hopes for Panic, BUT

in the end I just felt indifferent toward the whole book. 

I’m not sure if it was my high expectations, my personal mood when I started reading, the fact that I could relate to no one in this book, or simply because Panic was just mediocre. I just wasn’t interested for most of the book.

I can say with certainty that there was one very captivating element of this novel, every time there was an awesome cool dangerous challenge in the competition I was ready for it. 

I was excited. Game on. They were the best parts of the book. I practically skimmed through the rest of the book to get to them. Sadly, they were the only time I felt something and there aren't even that many challenges.

Whenever there wasn’t a challenge going on I looked a little something like this. 

I didn’t care about the characters, I just couldn’t connect with them. Even when I found out how harsh some of these kids’ home lives were, it did nothing to bring me to care about them. I actually did care a little bit for some the characters….in the very last chapter. That is something at least. Otherwise the kids (and adults, cops, everyone) were kind of idiots that I didn't understand.

I realize they are only teenagers, but aren't these kids who will be adults very soon and going away to college? Ugh. I sure hope not. It’s a darker novel, but yet didn’t bring out any strong emotions in me. Sadly, I feel that Oliver just didn’t deliver on this one. It felt like she tried too hard, or maybe just not hard enough. On top of the blah characters, everything seemed pretty predictable to me as well.

However, to the last 100ish pages...

I was finally completely pulled into the story (besides the very beginning for like two pages), but also this book is 400 pages long…so yea I don’t think that is saying much.

The only panic I felt while reading was an overwhelming worry that this book wouldn’t be great, and I was totally right to panic, because it wasn’t. I was very disappointed. I was hoping for something more.

If you are really looking forward to reading Panic don't let me stop you. There are plenty of readers out there who enjoyed Panic, but it just wasn't for me. The whole book was just very bland. I would however recommend Oliver's other novels.

A Straight To The Point Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by: Maria Semple

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by: Maria Semple (2012)

Genre: Fiction
330 pages

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.

My Review

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a must read.

Here is why…

It’s Hilarious, Unique, Complex, and Real.

It’s full of Redemption, Betrayal, Love, and Laughter.

The characters are Enjoyable, Crazy, Adorable, and Smart.

It’s also Shocking, Well Written, Hopeful, and Beautiful.

The Bottom Line: Where’d You Go, Bernadette is fantastic. Read it.

**What did you think of my new straight to the point review? I had fun writing it, but I want your opinion! I won't do these kinds of reviews often, but I thought it would be nice to spice my reviews up a little bit from time to time. 

Review: City of Dark Magic by: Magnus Flyte

City of Dark Magic by: Magnus Flyte (2012)

448 pages

Genre: Fiction/Paranormal

Publisher: Penguin Books

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository 

Goodreads Summary: Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.

Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.

City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-com paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year.

My Review

When I first started reading City of Dark Magic I thought it would be a challenge to actually enjoy  it since I felt like the content about famous classical music was over my head, but luckily after plowing through the first chapter I became more confident and started feeling less dumb. This was a good thing since no one wants to read a book that makes them feel dumb. I had such a hard time writing this review so I apologize for its briskness.

City of Dark Magic was a very unique novel and nothing what I was expecting, but an enjoyable read all the same. The main character, Sarah, was a funny special kind of interesting person that I can say I immediately enjoyed reading about. I also found Prince Max to be intriguing and charming along with the many other very different minor characters. The only negative thing I have to say about the characters is that it was beyond frustrating that the readers don’t get a lot of time reading about Sarah and Max interacting. My favorite scenes were when they were working together. I also had a few moments where I just wanted to yell at them to TALK to each other instead of assuming things, etc. I guess I just wanted some more romance and even more action since there wasn’t a lot of action during the whole book, although the ending was fantastic.

The paranormal part of this book was a very pleasant addition. It was perfectly different. Without giving anything away… I’m just going to say that the author manages to mix the past and the present and a mystery seamlessly.

Even though City of Dark Magic wasn’t perfect, it was a delightful read and I plan to read the sequel soon. This book would be a great choice for fans of classical music, history, Prague, and a good adventure mystery novel.

Review: Just Destiny by: Theresa Rizzo

Just Destiny by: Theresa Rizzo (March 31, 2014)

Genre: Fiction

Source: I received a free copy of the book from the author for an honest review. Thanks!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon | Smashwords

Goodreads Summary: What would you do if your whole world fell apart?

Jenny Harrison made some poor choices in the past, but marrying Gabe was the best thing she’d ever done. They had the perfect marriage, until a tragic accident leaves Gabe brain dead and her world in ruins.

Devastated by grief, she decides to preserve the best of their love by conceiving his child, but Gabe’s family is adamantly opposed, even willing to chance exposing long-held family secrets to stop her. Caught in a web of twisted motives and contentious legal issues, Jenny turns to best friend and attorney, Steve Grant. Steve wants to help Jenny, but he has reservations and secrets of his own.

When something so private and simple turns public and complicated, will Jenny relent? What is Steve willing to sacrifice to help Jenny?

My Review

Just Destiny is a well written novel that focuses on some sticky ethical questions/situations that are handled with grace. If you choose to read Just Destiny, which you should, your heart will swell and deflate and race during the course of the novel.

The characters are very real, and even though they have problems outside of my knowledge/experiences I could still connect with them, all of them. I liked reading about the nice young Jenny who has to deal with the loss of her husband who she loves with all of her heart. I enjoyed reading about her best friend, Steve, and his issues just as much as Jenny, along with all the other complex characters.

Just Destiny shines a light on a controversial subject that I don't believe has a lot of press but is one worth reading about, and a very interesting topic at that. Jenny wants to have her recently deceased husband’s baby through insemination from sperm that she got doctors to extract from her husband when he was brain dead. The book also touches on other ethical situations (that I won’t say because I won’t give away spoilers), these different questions that arose throughout the novel really made me think about what I would do in these situations. No matter what my opinion, I thought Jenny's story was compelling. 

The court case was done exceptionally well and was my favorite part of the novel. I loved the questioning and the back and forth between the lawyers and whoever was on the stand. I actually think that I need to read more books that center around a court case because all the ones I have read I have enjoyed a great deal. The one other thing that I give the author high praise for is her ability to surprise me with one of the family secrets that was revealed, now not all of them were shocking, but there was one bigger one I didn't really see coming, and that is rare.

Just Destiny is a quickly paced novel full of heart. I enjoyed every minute of my time while reading it. It’s a good choice for those looking for a sad yet happy intense novel to read. It may not have been perfect, the synopsis made me believe this book was a little bit more drama filled than what it actually was, but it was still a strong novel.

ARC Review: The Rich and The Dead by: Liv Spector

The Rich and The Dead by: Liv Spector (Today: March 18, 2014)

320 pages

Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Time Travel

Publisher: William morrow & Company

Source: I received a free ARC from The Publisher for an honest review. Thanks!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: In exclusive Star Island, Miami, money and power can't protect you... In collaboration with branding powerhouse Alloy Entertainment comes a thrilling new series featuring a former Miami PD detective on the hunt for a mass murderer, who must face the past she thought she left behind.

On New Year's Day 2015, twelve powerful, wealthy people were found dead—shot in a lavish Star Island estate. In 2018, the murderer remains at large.

As a detective and lead investigator on the case of the century, Lila Day was consumed by her hunt for the Star Island Killer. But that was before she was pushed out from the force, and her life unraveled.

Years later, down on her luck and no longer a police officer, Lila is approached by mysterious billionaire Teddy Hawkins. He has a job for her, he says—solving the Star Island murders. Lila laughs. After all, how do you solve a crime when all the leads have long grown cold? The answer, Teddy tells her, is to be there before it happened. He is going to send her back in time.

With nothing left to lose, Lila travels back in time to 2014, determined to stop the Star Island killer once and for all. There's one catch: she must gather the evidence to bring the murderer to justice in her own time, without trying to save anyone. Easy enough, until she starts to care for the people who are destined to die. Now Lila must be willing to say good-bye—or risk setting into motion events that could change the future forever.

My Review

Filled with the rich, the deadly, the powerful, the smart, and the tough, this distinctive novel, The Rich and The Dead, enchanted me from beginning to end. The best way for me to organize and tackle everything I want to say about this novel is for me to just make a list. So here we go.

What I Loved

• The Secret Society: I love secret societies in my novels and this one’s secrets turned out to be perfectly surprising.

• The Characters: The main character, Lila, is a tough woman that I automatically wanted to keep reading about. All of the minor characters from the society and the ones that aren’t from the society all bring the right amount of mystery to the story. I thought it would get annoying to read about rich people, (since I am anything but and mostly they are portrayed as snotty/annoying) but it turned out to be interesting.

• The Writing: The author, Spector, did a great job at telling the story in a simple way at a quick pace, making it easy to follow along and an enjoyable way to relax. (I don't know if this made a difference but for full disclosure, the last book I read was way more complex which may be why I enjoyed that this book was more simple and straight forward in its story telling.)

• The Fast Paced Ending: Although I have a love/hate relationship with the ending of this book, it managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, wasn’t completely predictable, and  managed to bring out a lot of feelings in me. I could feel the clock ticking down to the murders and Lila's race against time.

What Wasn’t My Favorite

• The Time Travel: I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. It was simple and basic, which was nice because it was easy to follow, but lost some points because it wasn’t really unique and I would have liked for it to pop up a little more throughout the story. I didn’t mind that the story was basically a mystery about a detective trying to find evidence of who killed the members of this very secret society, but I would have liked the idea of time travel to pop up just a little bit more. It was basically just at the beginning and the end of the novel.

• The Cover: Even though I like the cover, I feel like the colors are off.

Bottom Line: Read It

Take a chance on The Rich and The Dead. Go in expecting more of a mystery than a time travel novel and enjoy the romance, the complex characters, and the quick fun read that The Rich and The Dead delivers. When it comes down to it, this novel is perfect for those who like murder among the rich and how everyone is full of secrets. It’s a darn good book.

ARC Review: The Divorce Papers by: Susan Rieger

The Divorce Papers: A Novel by: Susan Rieger (Tomorrow: March 18, 2014)

480 pages

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Crown

Source: I received a free ARC from Netgalley and The Publisher for an honest review. Thanks!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client. After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. She is locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane—and she also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. As she so disarmingly puts it: It’s her first divorce, too.

My Review

The Divorce Papers is on the longer side at 480 pages and takes a sort of determination to read it all the way through. It wasn’t a bad read; it was just a long one.

This book is full of dynamic characters, but keeping track of who is who is a challenge during the first handful of pages. I love that this book is told completely through letters, memos, emails, legal papers, and articles, but this aspect also makes it harder for readers to connect and get to know the characters at first and tell them apart. The main character, Sophie, is a complicated young woman whose rambling emails always gave me a chuckle. The divorce she is handling becomes intense, Sophie is handling the wife’s affairs. Sophie’s family, friends, and co-workers all make fun appearances. My favorite is when we finally get an insight on how the child involved in the divorce is feeling near the end of the novel through a psychiatrist report, bringing out all kinds of emotions in me.

Like I mentioned earlier The Divorce Papers’ main source of storytelling is through legal documents. I did enjoy getting an inside peek at the legal side of a divorce, (it is intense), but I also found that after a while the documents became a little repetitive and sometimes just a little over my head with all the legal jargon. The beginning of the book starts out very strong and had my interest, but my attention started to wean about half way through and I wasn't fully engaged again until I was nearing the end. The middle was just a little slow and a little rough to read with all of those legal documents. I enjoyed the emails and handwritten letters more.

Overall, The Divorces Papers was a fun read that pulled on my heart strings and made me realize that I never want a divorce. (Not that I thought I wanted one before, but you know what I mean.) This book probably isn’t for everyone, especially considering its length, but I know there are people out there that would enjoy reading Sophie’s story and the emotional and legal ramifications of not only the couple divorcing, but the person handling their account, the firm, and the couple’s child, among others. The Divorce Papers is a unique novel, to say the least.

Review: Someone Else's Love Story by: Joshilyn Jackson

Someone Else’s Love Story by: Joshilyn Jackson (Nov. 19, 2013)

352 pages

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: At twenty-one, Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Natty, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced Catholic mother and Jewish father. She’s got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up in a gas station mini-mart and falling in love with a great wall of a man named William Ashe, who willingly steps between the armed robber and her son.

Shandi doesn’t know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It’s been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his universe. But William doesn’t define destiny the way other people do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in science and numbers, destiny to him is about choice.

Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, in a funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness,; about a virgin birth, a sacrifice, and a resurrection; about falling in love, and learning that things aren’t always what they seem—or what we hope they will be. It’s a novel about discovering what we want and ultimately finding what we need.

My Review

       

This book is nothing like what I was expecting, it was so much more and then some. Someone Else’s Love Story put me through a wide range of emotions and Joshilyn Jackson sure knows how to weave two strangers’ lives together in a thought provoking and seamless way.

We get both Shandi and William’s point of views throughout the novel. Shandi is 21, raising a three-year-old boy, and is trying to finish college. She is strong and has such character growth that I just wanted to give her a big old hug by the end of the novel. Oh and her son, adorable, that is all I need to say about him. William is the somewhat older man that saves Shandi and her son from a crazy man with a gun during a holdup at a gas station. William is a very unique character that I don’t see a lot of in the books that I read. I don’t want to say much about him because it would ruin some of the aspects of the book, so let’s just say that he is loveable and sometimes I just wanted to smack him. The minor characters are all special in their own way and aren’t very easy to forget. Actually, all of these characters seem to have left a lasting impression on me.

Someone Else’s Love Story could be considered a little slower paced at times but I had no problem finishing it shortly after I started. I never got bored. I loved the southern small town setting and even the big city setting, in my opinion they were both described really well. The beginning starts off with a bang and slows down just a little bit, but if you hang in there it will be worth it. The ending is lovely and not what I was expecting, in a good way.

If you are looking for a change of pace from young adult books, or just want to read something passionate, interesting, unique, and well written… pick up a copy of Someone Else’s Love Story.

** I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Bellman & Black by: Diane Setterfield

Bellman & Black by: Diane Setterfield (Nov. 5, 2013)

328 pages

Genre: Fiction/Gothic

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Source: I received a free ARC of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Bellman & Black is a heart-thumpingly perfect ghost story, beautifully and
irresistibly written, its ratcheting tension exquisitely calibrated line by line. Its hero is William Bellman, who, as a boy of 11, killed a shiny black rook with a catapult, and who grew up to be someone, his neighbours think, who "could go to the good or the bad." And indeed, although William Bellman's life at first seems blessed—he has a happy marriage to a beautiful woman, becomes father to a brood of bright, strong children, and thrives in business—one by one, people around him die. And at each funeral, he is startled to see a strange man in black, smiling at him. At first, the dead are distant relatives, but eventually his own children die, and then his wife, leaving behind only one child, his favourite, Dora. Unhinged by grief, William gets drunk and stumbles to his wife's fresh grave—and who should be there waiting, but the smiling stranger in black. The stranger has a proposition for William—a mysterious business called "Bellman & Black" . . .

My Review

Bellman & Black is essentially a story about life and death. William Bellman lives an amazing life, has a job he loves and is good at it, has a beautiful family, and a lot of money. That is until a sickness takes over many in his town and his wife and two of his children succumb to death. Then everything changes when he finally meets the man in black, the one that he has seen at countless funerals over the years.

There is one thing I can say with certainty about Bellman & Black, Setterfield knows how to tell a story. She writes beautifully and has the ability to write descriptions of images that will take a while to leave your mind. It's a beautiful yet very dark story and at times very creepy, but one worth reading.

William Bellman is a man I love and a man I hate. To put it simply, he is a great character. He is obsessed with work and numbers. If you don't like a lot of business talk then this book could perhaps get a little boring or frustrating for you. It didn't bother me at all because I found it all so interesting. His daughter Dora is also a great character, from a fun loving child to a darker personality and yet always kind. There are a lot of characters that you will get to meet if you read Bellman & Black and all are significant no matter how small of a role they play, and each will make you feel some sort of emotion.

So after all of this praise why did I only give Bellman & Black 3.5 stars? It's complicated. I think part of the reason is because it wasn't as good as her other book, The Thirteenth Tale, (I know this shouldn't be a factor but whatever) the other part just has to do with a feeling I had when reading, that something was missing. Overall, the big meeting between Black and Bellman just didn't live up to my expectations and that is the main reason for its star rating.

If you are willing to read something a little dark, at times creepy, but full of vivid descriptions and wonderful writing, then Bellman & Black shouldn't be passed up. 

MY RATING: 3.5/5 stars

Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe by: Lauren Graham

Someday, Someday, Maybe by: Lauren Graham (2013)

344 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Fiction

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates-Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material-and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

My Review

I knew I had to read Someday, Someday, Maybe as soon as I heard that none other than Lauren Graham wrote it. I am a big Gilmore Girls fan. With that said, I was a little nervous about the book because not all actors can write well, but I was worrying for absolutely no reason.

Someday, Someday, Maybe blew me away. It was charming, funny, cute, and just all around a great read and lots of fun. The plot, although it may seem slow at times, flows rather well. I also like the occasional break-up between chapters with pages from Franny’s planner. They are hilarious (although sometimes it was hard to try and decipher her handwriting) and really emphasized who Franny was.

I love the main character Franny, a young woman hoping to make it big as an actress. She is an adorable awkward loveable character. I loved reading the inner dialogue she has with herself, which usually resulted in me laughing or giggling or just feeling embarrassed for her. Franny is somewhat of a mess, although not completely, she is just trying to find her way in the world. I love her courage and her ability to bounce back when things are tough. Did I mention I love when she has the occasional word vomit when she is nervous or trying to make a point? It is hilarious and reminded me of Lorelai from Gilmore Girls. Her roommates are great fun as well. Dan is an aspiring screenwriter and her other roommate Jane is an aspiring movie producer. The trio work well together as roommates. I actually think all of the minor characters are unique and interesting as well.

Graham also did a wonderful job at catching the New York setting just right in my opinion  I liked the descriptions of the red carpet, auditions, plays, and everything in between. Not to mention that this book takes place in 1995 and I love that Franny gets excited about call waiting and having an answering machine. I remember those days.

My advice to you is to read it. It won’t take you long to read and I think you will be captivated with Franny’s story of chasing her dream. It is especially perfect for those that find the story of a young aspiring actor interesting, and this one is.

Review: Charlotte Street by: Danny Wallace

Charlotte Street by: Danny Wallace (2012)

Publisher: William Morrow

416 pages

Genre: Fiction/Romantic Comedy

Source: ARCycling (from @_extraordiMARY)

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: Jason Priestley (no, not that Jason Priestley) is in a rut. He gave up his teaching job to write snarky reviews of cheap restaurants for the free newspaper you take but don't read. He lives above a video-game store, between a Polish newsstand and that place that everyone thinks is a brothel but isn't. His most recent Facebook status is "Jason Priestley is... eating soup." Jason's beginning to think he needs a change.

So he uncharacteristically moves to help a girl on the street who's struggling with an armload of packages, and she smiles an incredible smile at him before her cab pulls away. What for a fleeting moment felt like a beginning is cruelly cut short—until Jason realizes that he's been left holding a disposable camera. And suddenly, with prodding and an almost certainly disastrous offer of assistance from his socially inept best friend Dev, a coincidence-based, half-joking idea—What if he could track this girl down based on the photos in her camera?—morphs into a full-fledged quest to find the woman of Jason's dreams.

My Review

I enjoyed Charlotte Street more than I thought I would. It was a really nice darkish romantic comedy that reminded me a little bit of Bridget Jones’ Diary but from a male perspective. This is a good book, but it didn't leave a lasting impression.

The main character, Jason, tells us his story about love lost, finding a job that works for him, friendship, new love, and life. The writing voice was fun and engaging. I was pulled into this character’s life from page one. He is a reviewer (of music, movies, restaurants  you name it, he reviews it) for a newspaper and his job is probably one of the most interesting parts of this book. Charlotte Street really got me laughing out loud many different times throughout. Sometimes the jokes were duds, but not every joke works on everyone. Although I found Jason very interesting, I can’t say that he is my favorite fictional character or anything like that. Sometimes I loved him and other times I just rolled my eyes at his patheticness. He could get frustrating, but not overly so.

The plot line in Charlotte Street wasn't anything overly new but it held strong. I could guess what was going to happen most of the time, but there were still a few surprises. I felt like the book did ramble on a little too long. Sometimes it felt like a chore to read, which rarely happens to me when I’m reading a romance novel. That it isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I was able to finish it just fine. The ending was cute and perfect.

This would make a good rainy day read. If you are in the mood to read a quirky British romantic comedy that has a touch of darkness but a lot of laughs, then you should read Charlotte Street.

RATING 3.5/5

Blog Tour: The Photo Traveler by: Arthur J. Gonzalez (Review & Giveaway)

The Photo Traveler by: Arthur J. Gonzalez (2013)

Publisher: Fahrenheit Publishing

353 pages

Genre: YA/Time Travel

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon 

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone is resigned to being miserable for the rest of his life. Left alone in the world after his parents died in a fire when he was four, he was placed in foster care, which for him meant ending up in an abusive home with an alcoholic adoptive father.

Gavin’s only escape is in taking and creating images. His camera is his refuge from the unending torture and isolation of daily life in his “family.”

Until he learns by accident that he isn’t alone in the world after all. His father’s parents are still alive and living in Washington DC.

When he takes the plunge and travels 3,000 miles to find his grandparents, he learns that they—and he—are part of something much bigger, and more dangerous, than he could ever have imagined. Something that has always put his family at risk and that will now threaten his own life, while forever changing it.

He learns that he is one of the last descendants of a small group of Photo Travelers—people who can travel through time and space through images. But his initial excitement turns to fear, when he soon discovers that he and his grandparents are being pursued by the fierce remnants of a radical European Photo Traveler cult, the Peace Hunters. What Gavin has, they want!

His adventure will take him to past eras, like The Great Depression and the Salem Witch Trials. Gavin will have to discover who he really is and must make choices that spell the difference between life and death for himself, for the relatives he now knows and loves, and for the girl he will come to love.

For Gavin Hillstone, life will never be the same.

My Review

Time traveling through photos… I wish I could do that! This is a unique idea that the author did a nice job at explaining well and making it believable. While reading I kept trying to decide where I would want to jump back to in time and what photo I would use. I have yet to decide on this because I just can’t make up my mind, but boy would that be cool. 

The Photo Traveler is about Gavin, a teenager who is just trying to find his place in the world. I connected with Gavin, and that my friends is a deal breaker. I need to feel something for the characters in a book for me to enjoy it and luckily I did while reading The Photo Traveler. I felt for Gavin and cheered him on, hoping he finds a happier life. Having a male point of view in a young adult novel is refreshing and done well in this book. There were times when Gavin really frustrated me, but no one can be perfect. He just trusted too easily at times which didn't make any sense given his upbringing, but that was just a very tiny flaw. Although the minor characters in this book were not astounding they held their own and tended to grow on me.

The adventurous plot with a secret society had me smiling. It was a fun read and with each chapter I grew more nervous about the impending match up with the “bad guys.” There was even one moment where I was completely shocked at the plot twist, and I’m not shocked easily. Therefore this book gets added bonus points. This book if nothing else, is full of action, and I love a lot of action in my books. My favorite parts of the whole novel were when Gavin jumped back in time. It was fun to experience it with him, and was full of great descriptions. The only thing that actually bothered me while reading The Photo Travel was the excess use of exclamation points. I know I overuse them sometimes when talking to someone online, but I felt that for a book it was slightly overdone. I also felt like there were very tiny plot holes at times, but nothing that bothered me. They could easily be addressed in the next novel, so no worries there. I am very interested to see what is up next for Gavin.

Although this isn't one of my all time favorite reads, it was very enjoyable and is definitely worth a look. If you are a fan of photography, history, time traveling, and/or want a change of pace with a male point of view, then this book is for you. It is a fun and easy read with a new and interesting concept, traveling through time using photos. 

Oh and I just want you to know that I have some major cover love for this one!

** Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and author Arthur Gonzalez for giving me the chance to read and review this novel! Thanks for the free copy. It in no way impacted my honest review.  

RATING 3.5/5 

Author

My name is Arthur J Gonzalez.  I’m 28 years old, born and raised in Miami, FL.  I graduated from the University of Florida.  I am currently   releasing my debut novel, The Photo Traveler.  The premise surrounds 17 – year old Gavin, who discovers he is part of a small group, called Photo Travelers, who can time travel through photos and images. 

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