It pisses me off that all of Sara Shepard's books end in the middle. 4* for loving the book, 2* for hating this stupid game of having to hunt down the next book because the first one ended before it was over.

It is funny how we prefer certain aspects of books. Another review here enjoyed the non-alcoholic drinks better than the alcoholic drinks due to the amount of history and economics it covered, but I found the alcohol drinks to be far more interesting, in depth, and entertaining. Overall, I liked this book and learned a lot about how these drinks affected trade and became popular worldwide.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. There is no final resolution as it clearly leads into a second book and, while I enjoyed the story, I don't think there is enough here for me to want to continue on. Hmm..

I'm confused.. At the end of this book, it shows snapshots from the movie. Emma is in the air being held by a rope to the ground by Jacob - not Olive. Is that so..?

Regardless.. I am emotionally invested in these characters. I have not experienced this in such a long time that I don't know what to do with myself.

Great book, I will definitely be reading more in the near future.

Short, but I would definitely read more.

I had no idea about the impact of books during the WW2, nor did I realize the changes in production during this time.Very interesting microhistory.

I adored this book as a teen. I guess I'm not as much fun as an adult...

I really enjoyed this audio book to the extent that it bumps my rating up a star.

I guess I do enjoy short stories after all! This ended on a depressing note, but is, overall, an entertaining collection of stories. I am impressed with Kings ability to end each story in just the right place so the reader doesn't feel like anything is lacking or unfinished.

This is a cute response/book on a subject from a child's perspective, but it took mama goggles to publish it. (You know, the feeling of complete content when your child makes your proud or otherwise leaves you in awe. This feeling tends to be extremely personal though and people outside the immediate family don't have the same appreciation that you do as a proud mama/papa.)

I won't be too critical of the content, statistics, backtracking, but I will say that I wish it was the smart boys that got the girls, even in elementary school.

I completely hated the choose-your-own-adventure feature of this book (I know, this instantly makes me a horrible person), but I adore the biography. It definitely highlights the positive while navigating through NPHs personal and professional life. I love the insight.

I love this concept. I love that each chapter is from a different point of view. Im bummed that all deaths listed weren't discussed/brought up. Three stars because I liked and enjoyed the book. No additional stars because it felt like something was missing. (Mostly character relationships. The individuals in the chapters were mostly loners who only talked with their parents.)

There are a lot of depressing events in this book for being a “kid” book. I definitely wanted to cry a few times..

Quick glimpse into Zeen's life. I wouldn't pay $ for it as short as it is, but it is curious. (I obviously am not used to 0.5, 1.5, etc books).

I feel like this concept was huge for the time period, but lackluster for the current one. there was no question about the “plot twist”, it was an assumption/given from the beginning. (Perhaps I remembered the plot subconsciously from somewhere? But I have never watched the movie, so who knows..)

I adore authors who know how to properly wrap up a series!

The boy (10 y.a.) picked this book up because it had the word “sword” in the title. he doesn't know it yet,but he's about to be disappointed. So far he has enjoyed the book's humor (the bus farted, what the –), but we will see.

As for me, I picked it up just to see what kind of books he has been reading lately (aka, to understand and be able to suggest books to read together). Being the middle of the series, I didn't understand the appeal and I've always enjoyed books that wrap up their adventures in a single book, which is something this series wouldn't be able to do given that each book is on a single clue.

Less wordy/scifi version of Red Rising, hints of Hunger Game, and something else. I adore this book and am so ready to reading the next one. MC was a little sharper than most people would be, but hey.. Ill take it. I wish we had Internet so I could post full reviews. Typing on the phone blows. /ramble

Ehh.. I love the idea, but I didn't care about any of the characters and didn't have enough suspicion to blame anyone - which is a shame because this book could have the reader crazy with tension if it had.

I needed a good gossip/glimpse into another's life book. The writing wasn't polished, but I enjoyed the story all the same.

I don't even like this genre..? The whole epic fight scenes and swords and stuff don't appeal to me.. So why is this book so amazing?

I enjoyed the first two parts, but the final is anticlimatic and tries way too hard to be philosophical..

I enjoyed this book and its' message, not that I know any better (if it is accurate emotionally or factually)

Interesting characters, but this series does little for me.

ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!?!?! Why do authors end their books in the middle of the story?!? I am NOT happy. I enjoy this book, but am pissed that you have to buy two books to read what should have been in the first book. Not cool.