Sydney
I really wanted to like this book and I did right up until Chapter 18 (I believe, unsure as I've already returned the book) where I felt like I possibly missed a couple chapters. Just a page before they had sent each other very formal messages and then suddenly they've been texting for days? With emojis?! What did I miss? The ending felt slightly rushed and as a reader I do wonder if they would be a couple who would actually last in the long run.
In this books favor - the opening was strong and is what got me to read the book. It is very fast paced - I read it in a day - but I don't count pacing against books even though I am a big slow burn fan. Overall 2.5 rounded down to 2 because goodreads.
I have been thinking about how this book ended as I continued the series and its been nagging at me so much that I had to put my thoughts out there...I think that this book (and series) would be more compelling if Katya had actually died. The facts are that you can't save everyone. While I understand that some series (and it appears this one as well) stick to the moral guidelines that only bad people die - I personally think that the series is slowly escalating towards a breaking point and Katya's death would not only continue that escalation but also provide a compelling reason towards working against the Silence protocol, the Council, and Ming especially.
Listened to this as an audiobook and I think that put me at a disadvantage. My limited knowledge of film also probably did not help. If I had to summarize this book - which I suppose the essence of a review is a summary, so I do have to summarize - then I would describe this as “a cinema philosopher's fever dream...wherein a man plays two characters who are both one in the same”. Perhaps that was Ayoade's ambition all along.
I am not an actor. I do not want to be an actor. But if I did - this book would be an invaluable lifesaver. In fact, if anyone tells me they want to be an actor, I am now going to give them this book! I listened to the audiobook and while this did mean that I was unable to reference the photos and materials in tandem, I did not feel at a loss because Jenna is a very personable audiobook narrator. I additionally enjoyed hearing the peer advice directly narrated by the actors themselves.
I went into reading this book having no clue it drew heavily on the real life of Laura Bush. Without knowing that and not knowing enough about Laura to figure it out myself, I really enjoyed this book. What a surprise when I went to mark this as read in Goodreads and saw numerous angry reviews from people. Honestly reading those made me chuckle. Overall, I found this book poignant and captivating. Curtis Sittenfeld deftly captured the journey of this woman grow from a naïve, lost child to an adult women trying to find her own way while supporting her partner. This book made me laugh, cry, and ponder my own adulthood existence. I have already recommended this to two other people.
I've had a mixed-bag experience in reading Lucy Score so I was delighted when this book caught me by surprise. Elements I enjoyed in this book included: small country towns, a lovable basset hound, strong sense of community, and lots of laughs.
Naomi becomes a parent unexpectedly and has to pull everything together to make the most out of a shitty situation while befriending the local sexy grumpster Knox. If you liked reading Riley Thorn and want to read something with a bit more romance and slightly less running around from danger, this is the spring read for you!
I really enjoyed 99 Percent Mine, probably more than the prior book The Hating Game. I cried so much while reading this book at parts that probably weren't intended to be tear jerkers. Emotion and depth of feeling was translated really well in this book. Love that's been around for more than a while is harder to convey to readers because it isn't shiny and new. Apart from that, 99 Percent Mine had a wonderful mix of humor, romance, family drama, and just the right dash of believable reality.
These would impress me more if they were released as one published novel rather than chapters. The fact that I ended up paying $1 to read a chapter of a book gave me violent flashbacks to when Wattpad started introducing ads. The author could have pursued this publishing format on a different platform with better success.
Outside of that, this wasn't the worst thing I've ever read but not good enough to tempt me to continue or purchase the bindup on Kindle. Wouldn't even classify this as a novella. No hate to the author, just strongly dislike the format.
Peggy Noonan's book, What I Saw at the Revolution, details her experiences under the Reagan administration as a speechwriter. Peggy Noonan before her career at the White House was at CBS writing scripts for the radio shows. Her rise during the White House under the Reagen administration was remarkable. Noonan shows herself and admits to being a Conservative- evidence threads itself throughout the book aside from her admission.
Though her personal career was interesting, the book showed little understanding of the administration and the workings of the White House. In one paragraph, she shows depth and understanding of Reagan and his methods and in the very next shows how little she understood. Though Peggy seemed to not have a comprehensive understanding of President Reagan, she was able to communicate the American presidency is more than one person leading a nation and more of a group of individuals with different agendas operating within one organization that happens to have a figurehead with a driving ideal. Her accounts showed how much the President was a person within the cogs rather than a driving force within the American government. Peggy recognized while working at the White House not everything was what it seemed to the American public and much more of it was a facade. Leadership seemed to not emanate from the president if Noonan's account is taken as the only view of the Reagan presidency. One can only assume that Reagan was a leader after reading Peggy Noonan's book for it detailed very little of his personal leadership style and methods.
Peggy Noonan during the second Reagan campaign blamed the television for the presidential move to acting or pretense- stating that television has changed the nature of presidential actions and campaigns. During her tenure under Reagan wrote his speech following the Challenger explosion. Her personal working methods within the White House were those expected of a presidential speechwriter- a person who should strive to help a president find the words to help translate to the public the work that he was doing behind closed doors. Despite this there were at times where her working actions would have a note of arrogance.
The end of the book details Peggy Noonan's departure from the Reagan administration and transition to working with George H.W. Bush. Noonan left the Reagan office when she felt speechwriters were no longer able to carry out the purpose of their job in its original purpose. It is only towards the very last pages of the book that the reader learns anything of note of Noonan's personal life; she is married and divorced within the same sentence.
What I Saw At The Revolution shared little comprehensive details of the Reagan administration and more guidance regarding the navigation of being a speechwriter in a highly political environment- one that transcends Republican and Democrat issues and more personal agendas and affairs. Other summaries might denote this book as humorous and insightful to the Reagan administration. Rather this book shows how one person within the White House sees so little of the matters of the president. Peggy Noonan's book described how distanced the White House the speechwriters are from the president despite the fact that they help put words in the president's mouth that help advance their political agendas. What revolution was seen during the experiences she noted in the book is nuanced - perhaps this reader missed it between the pages. Her strongest suit throughout the book and her career is clearly her ability to use language and a well-rounded knowledge of culture and literature to her benefit.
I enjoyed this book and would most likely read again hence the 4-star rating. For my taste, a good romance book should have good character chemistry, humor, good conversation, and a plot. Zach and Lily had sizzling chemistry within the first few pages and I was instantly hooked. The plot kept me wanting more and I was happy to discover that it was #2 in a series- giving me an opportunity to keep exploring the world and characters.
Controversial opinion- I really disliked this book. Not only do I dislike office romance for the strong HR violations and also don't find character flipping opinions of people without a slow transition unbelievable and close to insta-love. This book was also very short, did not have a good build and overall left me disappointed and unimpressed. Thank you...next.
Books like this are why I'll never stop reading “YA” The reasons others have criticized this book are the very same reasons why I loved this book. I enjoyed My Lady Jane but My Plain Jane blew me out of the water. I love Jane Eyre (even though I have not yet finished it for reasons yet to be explained to Goodreads.) I enjoy ghosts, retellings, adventures, secret societies, and reading about a “nosy” character. Charlotte's attitude throughout the book is not one that I found pushy, gossipy, or nosy. She was at times forceful but she is an independent driven character. Jane who could be considered wishy-washy or weak was acting according to her emotions and motivations. Etc. Readers who take the characters simply at face value and forget to recognize the driving arc of the plot, their motivations, etc are certain to find multiple issues with the book. I love classic literature and hope the authors perhaps consider a Jane Austen addition to the series. Instead, I will eagerly await the rest of their works that will be sure to grace my shelves.
If I could give this book five stars I would. I have enjoyed Pippa and Lili's books in the past but this one really stood apart from the rest. It not only made me laugh but made me cry. This book while still containing that characteristic sprinkle of wacky was also deeply relatable. People are not perfect creatures and book characters shouldn't be either. Reading about human struggles and brokeness is something I want to see more of in the current romance genre. While there was a slight note of damsel in distress, it did not rely on tropes that have plagued romance literature for decades. I loved this and will be reading it again in the future. Highly recommend for fans of Pippa Grant of Lili Valente.
I received an Arc copy of Faker. All opinions are my own.
Spoiler Free Section: I loved Faker by Sarah Smith. I should begin this by noting I hate reading workplace romances so for me to love this book is really saying something. While this book does follow a well-loved romance pattern of hate love, it does not fall into overused tropes of forbidden love, unhealthy power dynamics, or anything that would be an HR violation. Yes, I'm shading all the books that involve CEOs and secret, not HR friendly, relationships.
Mild (Not Plot Important) Spoilers-
Faker created a space all its own, bringing something that seemed fresh while familiar in the romance novel industry. While the romance plot of the book was enjoyable, I equally loved the transformation of our main character- Emmie. Emmie hides behind a facade in many aspects of her life to protect herself. She slowly comes out of her shell and realizes her potential to thrive in the workplace without being withdrawn and cold. She recognizes the strengths and innovative ideas she has and leverages in the workplace. I've always been a fan of empowered, strong women in literature of all genres and loved reading about Emmie.
DNF- painful to read. I do not need characters to evolve or save themselves or event here to be a lesson but I do need something to keep me wanting to read this book. There was no hook, draw, or pull. Instead, I wasted my time reading about 75% of a book of a dim, unintelligent, uninspired female who solely depends on her husband for guidance. I hope that the last 25% of the book had resolution of the minor plot points that I found more interesting. I would have rather read a book about Agnes's neighbor (who's name escapes me in the moment.) I will be frank in saying that I do not understand the numerous reviews that give this title glowing reviews. Did we read the same book?
I did DNF this book because of external influences. I enjoyed this book because Katy's provided HER personal experiences with the campaign. It was interesting to hear about it from her point of view. This was intertwined with other details from her life that were occurring concurrently with the campaign. While others have noted they did not appreciate this additional material, I think it was integral to her story. Will most likely finish one day, just not today. No stars as I would like to finish first.
I was late to work this morning because of A.J. Finn. Outside of Goodreads, that sentence would mean something very different. Thankfully, we all know the truth. I stayed up too late reading The Woman in the Window. As a reader, I am new to the psychological (?) thriller genre. This was the perfect introduction. I ate this book up in two sittings. (Technically one was a standing because I was reading the book in the store)
I enjoyed this books plot development and movement. It could be argued that the timeline was slow but I enjoyed the character development and growth of the plot. The twists and turns were captivating. In summary, 10/10. Will be looking for more books in this vein.
I didn't realize this was a novella. Given that, I found the ending extremely abrupt. The novella was good but the whole thing felt like the beginning of a whole length novel rather than a short story. This is why I gave it such a low rating. There was no sense of completion or finality. Rather, Bridal Bootcamp is like watching the first 15 minutes of a rom-com.