Reviewing the Unreviewed: October 2020

I read a lot of books that I don’t end up reviewing for whatever reason. Some because I wasn’t impressed. Some because I didn’t have the time. Some I just wasn’t feeling it on whatever particular day I finished. Reviewing the Unreviewed is my monthly post where I share my few thoughts on all the books I didn’t formally review.

The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler. Read September 28 – October 4. 4 Stars. 

This book is the absolute cutest! The romance was adorable, Graham was adorable, his dog was adorable. While I thought the book could’ve maybe been a little bit shorter, I really enjoyed it.

The Wedding Date Disaster by Avery Flynn. Read October 11-12. 3 Stars. 

This was just ok for me. It had a few funny moments, but a lot of things just made me roll my eyes. I do appreciate that it handled the whole Hate-to-Love trope much better than a lot of other books I’ve read recently.

I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp. Read October 25-27. 4 Stars. 

I recently watched the I Still Believe movie and it has reignited my interest in Jeremy Camp and his music. Before picking this up, I was really struggling with reading anything, but this one broke through. I have to say that I’ve always had Jeremy Camp on a bit of pedestal – if you know his story you can probably understand why – and it was almost a little shocking to see just how not perfect he is. But that’s another great part of this story. It was very realistic and relatable to see that he has had his fair share of doubts and spiritual struggles and needs to continually recommit himself to living out his faith. I’m definitely glad I decided to pick this one up.

*****Back on the TBR*****

The Ingredients of You and Me by Nina Bocci. I read a couple chapters and discovered I wasn’t in the mood for this. The main character was annoying me. I do plan to try it again someday, though.

*****DNF*****

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey. DNF @ 44%. I just can’t with this. The whole “Annie loves rom-coms” schtick was just too much. I think it could’ve worked and been cute if she wasn’t quite so obsessed/unrealistic. She just came off as insufferable. And can I say how completely over I am of the “hate-to-love” trope being twisted into the female lead being completely petty and a little crazy in her reactions to a guy that has literally done nothing wrong to her? I know I’m in the minority with this, but this book just didn’t work for me at all.

Spoiler Alert and  40-Love by Olivia Dade. DNF @ 11% and 19%. Both books become available from the library at once and I ended up only reading a few chapters of each. This author just isn’t for me.

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. I stopped properly reading at the 39% mark, but did kind of skim through the end because even though I lost interest in the details, I still wanted to find out what happened. For what this book was, I think it did it well. This is more a case of me not being the right reader for the book (which is happening to me a lot lately). With the way the world is right now, I just can’t make myself read a book that is all about people misjudging each other and being generally awful to one another. Reading is my escape and we get enough of this hatefulness in real life.

Review: Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

Synopsis from Goodreads:

This story begins with a funeral. One of three brothers is dead, mourned by his siblings. But which one? And how? And, most importantly: why?

William, Brian, and Luke are each born a year apart in a lower middle class Catholic family in 1960s Dublin. William, the eldest, rises to the top of the heap in the film industry as a successful movie producer. Luke, the baby of the family, surprises everyone by morphing into a worldwide pop star. Brian, the compliant middle son, is the eternal adult in the room: the helpful, steady one, the manager of finances and careers.

But none of them is actually quite what he seems. Wounded by childhood, they have betrayed one another in myriad ways, hiding behind little lies that have developed into full blown treachery. With an unnerving eye for the complexities of families, Nugent delves into the secret life of a deeply troubled household and provides stunning insights into the many forces that shape us from childhood.

Hailed by #1 New York Times bestselling author A.J. Finn as “a dark jewel of a novel,” Liz Nugent’s new work of fiction follows three working class Irish brothers, and delves into the many ways families can wreak emotional havoc across generations.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

Little Cruelties publishes November 10, 2020. 

I went into Little Cruelties expecting a psychological thriller and some suspense. Instead, I think this book is another case where Men’s Fiction should be a genre because if this same story was told with three sisters instead of three brothers, it would definitely fall under the Women’s Fiction category.

The story is told through the first person POVs of three brothers, Williams, Brian, and Luke. The book covers decades and swings around from one year to another in no organized fashion that I could discern. Before each brother’s section of chapters are short excerpts from an unknown brother’s view, discussing the funeral and aftermath of one of the other brother’s death. This is really the only bit of suspense in the whole book, though. The rest of the chapters don’t really even allude to someone being murdered, though they all certainly have the motives for it. We don’t find out which brother is dead until the final chapter and by then I was so fed up with these characters that I hardly even cared.

I always struggle with really character-driven books that feature such awful characters. There’s a small amount of sympathy for them because they had such a dysfunctional childhood, which carried into adulthood, but that excuse really only goes so far. Luke also gets a bit of a pass because of his mental health issues, but William and Brian were just straight up despicable. I didn’t enjoy reading about them and often wondered why I kept going. I think I kept hoping that there would either be redemption arcs or some real suspense would start to build. Neither happened.

Overall, Little Cruelties was not for me. I didn’t really ever care about the characters and I while I’m normally a fan of alternate timelines, the haphazard manner it jumped around here didn’t work for me. I also expected a lot more of a psychological thriller/suspense than family drama. However, I did think the first person POVS were well done and that’s why it’s getting two stars instead of one from me.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

Streaming Saturday: I Still Believe

We all love books here, but I thought I might start dedicating some posts on Saturdays to highlight one of my other loves – TV!

What I’m watching

I Still Believe – rented on Amazon. 

The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.

Why I’m Watching

I first heard Jeremy Camp’s music when I was in college and it has really meant a lot to me over the years. I’ve had the opportunity to see him in concert a few times (the below picture is from a concert from 2004 lol) and I heard him tell the story of this movie. I cried at that concert and I really cried at this movie. It’s a sad story, but it’s also really beautiful. I cannot recommend it enough. 

I did struggle with the casting just a bit. I just kept picturing all the stupid things Archie Andrews has done on Riverdale and had kind of a hard time seeing the actor as sweet Jeremy Camp. And while he’s a talented singer, he’s definitely no Jeremy Camp. However, overall I think he did a good job.

Watch If You Like…

Movies that are based on a true story

Inspirational stories

The music of Jeremy Camp

What are you streaming right now?

Funny Friday

We’re taking a break from book humor this Friday. How about some COVID-19 humor instead?

WWW Wednesday: October 21, 2020

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

What did you recently finish reading?

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent. This one wasn’t really for me. My review will post next week.

What are you currently reading?

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. This started off really interesting, but I’m feeling kind of bored with it now. I’m hoping it will shift the focus back off the awful little kids soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m not sure, but maybe Mistletoe & Mr Right by Sarah Morgenthaler. I’m not really in the mood for this type of story, but I don’t really feel in the mood for anything. I have this from the library and I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I’m hoping this is another winner.

What are you reading?

Review: Little Threats by Emily Schultz

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Both a taut whodunit and a haunting snapshot of the effects of a violent crime, Little Threats tells the story of a woman who served fifteen years in prison for murder…and now it’s time to find out if she’s guilty.

In the summer of 1993, twin sisters Kennedy and Carter Wynn are embracing the grunge era and testing every limit in their privileged Richmond suburb. But Kennedy’s teenage rebellion goes too far when, after a night of partying in the woods, her best friend, Haley, is murdered, and suspicion quickly falls upon Kennedy. She can’t remember anything about the night in question, and this, along with the damning testimony from a college boy who both Kennedy and Haley loved, is enough to force Kennedy to enter a guilty plea.

In 2008, Kennedy is released into a world that has moved on without her. Carter has grown distant as she questions Kennedy’s innocence, and begins a relationship with someone who could drive the sisters apart forever. The twins’ father, Gerry, is eager to protect the family’s secrets and fragile bonds. But Kennedy’s return brings the tragedy back to the surface, along with a whole new wave of media. When a crime show host comes to town asking questions, believing the murder wasn’t wasn’t as simple as it seemed, murky memories of Haley’s death come to light. As new suspects emerge and the suburban woods finally give up their secrets, two families may be destroyed again.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review. 

Little Threats publishes November 10, 2020. 

Based on that intriguing synopsis, I expected Little Threats to have a little more mystery and a little more thrills than it actually produced. Unfortunately, I just found it a little – maybe a lot – disappointing.

As I read this book, two words continually came to mind. Pretentious and Familiar. I can’t even count how many thrillers out there revolve around a character not being able to remember some violent and tragic event. It’s a cliché for a reason, though, right? Some books use it really effectively and some not so much. Also, the whole “poor little rich girl” thing. The girls who have every opportunity and advantage rebel against their privilege by doing inane things like shoplifting and drugs and dating bad boys. I’ve read it a hundred times before and I found myself just really bored for so much of the book. And the characters, with the exception of Everett, were truly awful. So much of the story is just them being in their own heads and the writing was so pretentious I couldn’t really take it seriously.

I found the mystery pretty underwhelming, as well. I read some reviews that talked about multiple twists throughout the story and a shocking ending and I didn’t get any of that. I thought it was predictable and completely lacked suspense.

Overall, Little Threats was not for me. I found the plot cliched, the writing pretentious and the pace extremely slow. The book was heavily character focused, which might have saved it if I had cared anything about them. Everett was the one character that came across as sympathetic, but again, this wasn’t enough to turn the book around for me. This isn’t one that I would recommend, but I have seen some good reviews on it, so it might just be me.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

Funny Friday

We’re taking a break from book humor this Friday. How about some COVID-19 humor instead?

WWW Wednesday: October 14, 2020

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

What did you recently finish reading?

Little Threats by Emily Schultz. I found this pretty disappointing. My review will post next week.

The Wedding Date Disaster by Avery Flynn. This one was just ok for me. The cover is probably still my favorite thing about it.

What are you currently reading?

 

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent. I’ve been anticipating this one for awhile. It started off really strongly for me, but the next couple of chapters went downhill. Fingers crossed it gets better as it goes.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Who even knows? If you  haven’t guessed yet, I’m in a bit of a mood and nothing is really working for me lately.

What are you reading?

Review: Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Owe You One, an utterly delightful novel about a woman who ditches her dating app for a writer’s retreat in Italy–only to find that real love comes with its own filters

“As close to perfect as romantic comedies get.”–Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner

Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers’ retreat in coastal Italy. She’s determined to finish writing the novel she’s been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.

At the retreat, she’s not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by “Aria,” meets “Dutch,” a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch.

But then their real identities–Ava and Matt–must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there’s the prickly situation with Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who isn’t too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review. 

Love Your Life publishes on October 27, 2020. 

Love Your Life was pretty classic Kinsella. The story was cute with charming, if sometimes very frustrating, characters.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. The cast of characters and quirky situations they found themselves in made me laugh out loud often. While they all were a little unbelievable, Ava and Matt’s group of friends were definitely my favorite part of the book. I loved the scenes when they were all together and the banter was great. I even though Matt’s awful parents provided opportunity for a lot of humor.

While the friendships were great, the romantic relationship is what I struggled with. Ava and Matt have a whirlwind romance during a one week writing retreat where they’re not allowed to use their real names or talk about their personal lives. They both form a picture of who the other person really is and declare their love by the end of the retreat. They’re thrilled to find out they both live in the same city, but they quickly find out that their real life selves are not anything like what they expected. They forge ahead into a relationship anyways, even though it’s obvious from the start that they are totally incompatible. What really drove me crazy, though, was how Ava tried to pretend like everything was fine.

Have you ever noticed that the people who yell about tolerance the loudest are often the most intolerant people? That was Ava. She came off like she was free spirited and accepting of everything and everyone, but in reality she was very judgmental about anything that differed from what she thought. She also blamed all of the relationship problems on Matt instead of admitting anything wrong on her part. Matt also didn’t help things by refusing to communicate most of the time. I honestly thought this story would end up with them not being together. I even found myself rooting for Ava to wind up with one of Matt’s roommates. However, as this is a Romance, the moral of the story is obviously going to be more about how love can help people change for the better instead of how it sometimes doesn’t work out.

Overall, I had a pretty good time reading Love Your Life, but my frustration with Ava kept me from enjoying the story as much as I wanted to. I loved the group of friends and could have gone on reading much more about them. While the romance did work out for me in the end, the journey there left me more annoyed than anything else. This wasn’t my favorite Kinsella book, but I’ll definitely still be reading more from her in the future.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

Funny Friday

We’re taking a break from book humor this Friday. How about some COVID-19 humor instead?