I know I’m late in reading this since it's no longer the Christmas season, but I borrowed it from a friend (last Christmas actually...wEh...3.25 Stars
I know I’m late in reading this since it's no longer the Christmas season, but I borrowed it from a friend (last Christmas actually...whoops!) and wanted to get it back to her. And I figured the further away 2023 Christmas got in the rearview mirror, the lower my chances became. So I decided to tackle it now and I’m glad I did.
This was like the Parent Trap, a bake-off show, and Hallmark Holiday got together and made a baby. (Which editing Val now realizes literally everyone else said about this book in their reviews as well because TRUE). And it was super cute. I read it in one sitting. But there’s really not much more to it than that. Nothing deep, VERY cheesy (something I have to be in the mood for and luckily was, which is rare and thus my taking forever to read this)…just a sweet holiday read…which is exactly what I wanted....more
I made sure to only read the blurb for this before reading it. I also avoided more than a glance at some friends’ ratings and I’m glad I did3.75 Stars
I made sure to only read the blurb for this before reading it. I also avoided more than a glance at some friends’ ratings and I’m glad I did as I think it greatly enhanced my reading experience here. I don’t want to inadvertently spoil anything for anyone else, so here are some things about this book I enjoyed the most:
1) The deliciously muddy exposition. 2) The fact that I was actually delightfully surprised by the “twist” and ending. 3 That Bob the dog made it out unscathed.
All in all a decent read and my first from this author. I will definitely check out more now....more
This felt like the book version of the movie Knives Out in many ways, quite honestly; but it was fast-paced and kept me very ente4 Fun Whodunnit Stars
This felt like the book version of the movie Knives Out in many ways, quite honestly; but it was fast-paced and kept me very entertained throughout. I flew through it and had fun the whole time.
I really loved how jacked up all the characters were...how dysfunctional their family system proved to be. How poisoned every character became by the potential of large sums of money. It was like watching a curated train wreck and I loved it.
I did think the reveal at the end could have been better. But I enjoyed it overall and will most definitely check out more from this author. ...more
This was my first book by Jane Harper and I really enjoyed it.
The star of the show was definitely the setting...the island, the town, and just4 Stars
This was my first book by Jane Harper and I really enjoyed it.
The star of the show was definitely the setting...the island, the town, and just the atmosphere as a whole. The book's namesake "Survivors" were such a haunting image that the author used as a veritable touchstone throughout the story. And to great effect.
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I found that the caves almost felt like a character unto themselves as well. I could practically hear the wind and the waves coursing through them as I read.
I had my suspicions about the guilty party. I actually mentally pointed my finger at the correct party early on; however, I thought Harper did a great job at displacing those suspicions throughout the story and so, for the majority, I really wasn't sure who was at fault.
I'll admit that I found the ending reveal to be...somewhat lackluster and anti-climactic (in addition to being too abrupt). And I also didn't find the characters to be as fleshed out or compelling as they could have been...
But overall, I truly enjoyed this story and was entertained throughout. I will definitely be checking more Harper books.
All I know is, if my name was Carola Lovering, I would put a hit out on the asshat that wrote the blurb for this thing.
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I mean, r3.75 - 4 Stars
All I know is, if my name was Carola Lovering, I would put a hit out on the asshat that wrote the blurb for this thing.
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I mean, really though...talk about throwing open the barn doors and letting all the horses out. The blurb literally spoils the entire book. If not for the blurb, this would have been amazing.
As it was though, the blurb basically does all the earning for you and you enter the story knowing already what the twist is...or at least having all the tools necessary to easily put together what the twists are without having to work for them.
I mean, I knew immediately what was going on the whole time. And I'm not even all that smart.
I just kept thinking, this can't be it, right? The author couldn't have really have thought we all wouldn't figure out these connections so readily...right?
But, then again, she probably didn't bank on an idiot penning the blurb.
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So there's that.
Now, all that said, I still really enjoyed this book.
I am sucker for any form of domestic drama, marriage in trouble, and/or basically any form of sociopathy. It's like catnip to me. And this book had some dynamics I really enjoyed. I also really related to Skye. We had a lot of childhood...similarities. Except for the mega rich part. I unfortunately missed out on that one.
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But anyway. This book wasn't mind-blowing or all that thrilling (for a thriller), but I still really enjoyed my afternoon spent reading it....more
...because even though I said below that I hated the ending...the ending also made this book really stick with me. I s4.5 Stars Upgraded to 5 Stars...
...because even though I said below that I hated the ending...the ending also made this book really stick with me. I still think about it months and months later. So five big ones.
Original Review
I haven't been in a reviewing mood lately at ALL, but I wanted to get something down here before I completely forgot...
I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed Dave's writing and I liked how things were slowly revealed to us. I don't want to say too much as I obviously don't want to include spoilers, but I did enjoy how the relationship between Bailey and Hannah transformed over time, especially as revealed at the ending.
Which brings me to just that: the ending...
I didn't love it. At ALL. But I also wonder if I would have enjoyed the book as much without it. In fact, much of the book's power for me resided in the final "epilogue" scene, which wouldn't have been possible without the ending it had. So...definitely a conundrum. Very bittersweet, I guess.
I thought there were some really strong parts...Ware's writing is wonderful. I really l2.5 - 3 Stars
This was my first Ruth Ware book and it was okay.
I thought there were some really strong parts...Ware's writing is wonderful. I really liked her flow and subtle use of metaphorical prose. She was also very skilled at making me suspect all the characters whilst still questioning our severely unreliable narrator's grasp on reality.
The ending, however, became a little too...fantastical for my tastes. It made it lose all sense of suspense and tension.
Regardless, based on my appreciation for Ware's writing in general, I will surely read more from her in the future....more
I liked this well enough, I guess. I enjoyed the twists and turns, far-fetched as a lot of them definitely seemed to be. I thought the way th3.5 Stars
I liked this well enough, I guess. I enjoyed the twists and turns, far-fetched as a lot of them definitely seemed to be. I thought the way things unfolded and came together in different ways with different characters was interesting.
Mostly though, I like that Giffin seems to write very grey characters, who are never morally infallible; however, I'm not sure I would have been able to forgive Grant's character for his actions in this case. Still, the book was entertaining enough, although not a favorite by any means. ...more
I've been reading Linda Howard for over 25 years and have read over 50 of her books. She's one of my all time favorite authors and I stil2 - 2.5 Stars
I've been reading Linda Howard for over 25 years and have read over 50 of her books. She's one of my all time favorite authors and I still re-read all of my battered mass market LH paperbacks on the regular.
***I was going to insert a picture of some of them here on my shelves, but as it turns out, I'm really effing lazy. So there's that***
Anyway, like I was saying...I love classic Howard, but have had less luck with her newer stuff (especially the stuff she co-authors with Linda Jones). Such was kind of the case here.
I found the beginning a bit slow. Okay, incredibly slow. It read like a beginner doomsday prepper documentary and, well...
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The middle picked up a bit and it definitely started to feel like more of a Howard book (for a hot minute, anyway)...but it didn't make up for the molasses-grade beginning and it didn't compare to the LH romance relationships of old. It felt rushed.
That said, I really liked Ben. He was 100% an LH hero (although one who was stifled by the story) and I definitely wanted more of him. And more of him and Sela together. They had great chemistry and I feel like that should - and in an older LH, would - have been expanded on a bit.
Overall, I didn't outright dislike this as I have with the few more recent LH books I have read. (Raintree Inferno, anyone? Ugh). And I definitely have to account for the nostalgia I have for most of her other books. It undoubtedly makes me subconsciously have overly high expectations for anything new I read by her, even though I tell myself to not hope for much.
But it's all good. I enjoyed this well enough and I was able to get it from the library. I would probably have rated this harsher if I had paid for it, not gonna lie.
And now I feel like grabbing one of those battered paperbacks......more
One of my best (real life, gasp!) friends loves this book and loaned it to me while we were on vacation not too long ago...I personally enjo3.75 Stars
One of my best (real life, gasp!) friends loves this book and loaned it to me while we were on vacation not too long ago...I personally enjoyed this one, although I know a lot of people won't and haven't; however, there was just a lot about it that spoke to my own personal nostalgia.
Football...the college sports atmosphere...weird family dynamics and grief...
Plus, I always love a May December romance, even the icky ones. Because I'm just standard-less that way...But I digress.
This was my first Emily Giffin read and I'll probably read more since my friend has them all and wants to loan them to me. And since I'm always willing to accept free shit, why not....more
I tried, you guys...but I'm SO bored. Plus, seeing it languishing on my nightstand every day is just giving me anxiety at this point. I really wantDNF
I tried, you guys...but I'm SO bored. Plus, seeing it languishing on my nightstand every day is just giving me anxiety at this point. I really wanted to get into this and love it, but I also have to stay true to my belief that pleasure-reading shouldn't involve feelings of dread.
I've heard this book is wonderful. It's just not for me. No big deal. Onward....more
The story and characters were very underdeveloped and the romance was too insta-love for my t2 Stars
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would.
The story and characters were very underdeveloped and the romance was too insta-love for my taste...and basically non-existent. The heroine was kind of bland and the "hero" was the typical aloof prick who is known to snag all the ladies and treats the heroine like shite - so, of course she digs him.
Something that made me also doubt the depth of the characters: the book begins with one of the supporting characters (the heroine's best friend/cousin) losing the supposed love of her life in an attack by the beast. And yet, mere chapters later she is blushing over the attentions of a new suitor. Pfffffft.
Basically this read like what it is: the cookie-cutter 2016 YA romance.
Even though I’ve already checked out book two from the library and have it ready to go, I’m not sure I will continue. Just very underwhelmed.
I really enjoyed this story; but, most of all, I enjoyed the writing.
Many people probably believe that longer sentences and flowery pro4 Strong Stars
I really enjoyed this story; but, most of all, I enjoyed the writing.
Many people probably believe that longer sentences and flowery prose is the sign of good writing. And sometimes it is; however, I am always more impressed by writers who can write concisely and without any fat. In many ways, it's actually harder to write with such brevity. To have each word and sentence be meaningful and without filler or bullshit. To have what is not there have even more impact than what is.
Braithwaite is definitely a true talent. This book was a lean, mean, machine and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I enjoyed the Nigerian setting and culture, the characters, the humor, and most of all, the thought-provoking undercurrents of all the things in life we should question:
Loyalty. Social media. Perception. Family. Love. Morality. And perhaps above all, beauty....more
I have been reading Christine Feehan since I was way too young to do so (about 12 years old). The early books in her Dark series are prDNF @ 100 pages
I have been reading Christine Feehan since I was way too young to do so (about 12 years old). The early books in her Dark series are probably what led me to discover paranormal romance (arguably my favorite romance genre) in general.
Lately, however, I feel like her books - despite getting longer in length - are getting shorter and shorter on actual story, are poorly written, and have zero and/or unreliable character development.
One minute the female MC in this one is bemoaning that she can't have any girlfriends because they ask too many questions and she is oh so private (and has a secret past of some sort she doesn't want anyone asking questions about)...and yet the very next chapter beings with her talking about the nitty-gritty details of her sex life to a veritable stranger in a way I wouldn't even discuss an innocent kiss with my best friend of 20 years.
Speaking of sex life...I predominately read romance and obviously enjoy the racier scenes. But not at the expense of everything else. And I do mean EVERYTHING else.
Also, I don't remember the MCs of previous books in this series having full on conversations with their inner cats like the MC does in this one. I mean, they were having full, out loud conversations. I don't know. It felt cheesy to me and I just don't care to finish.
I also think I will be taking a break from Feehan's new stuff and stick to re-reading my favorites, of which I have many. Just happy I borrowed this from the library....more
This was a very readable biography and, more than anything, it reminded me why I am glad I will never be famous and have never had the drive to becomeThis was a very readable biography and, more than anything, it reminded me why I am glad I will never be famous and have never had the drive to become so.
As exciting and globetrotting as Mercury's life definitely was, as many people by whom he seemed to be constantly surrounded, I can't help but think his life was very lonely.
Even his relationship with the supposed "love of of his life," Mary Austin, seemed to be built on guilt and his own idea of what should have been. And, as seemingly devoted as a lot of his...other entourage members appeared to be...there is, in my opinion, something inherently suspect about anyone who gives up their entire life to basically follow someone else around.
Now, as with any biography, it's impossible to know what is truly accurate.
Any biography is written by a human (who may or may not have their own agenda) and recollected by more humans (whose recollections are skewed by time and perhaps their own ideas of what they want to remember happening and not necessarily what actually happened). All these things are subjective and inherently fallible.
Anyone who has had a nasty breakup can attest to how suddenly only that person's positive attributes and overall awesomeness is sometimes all you remember. Their tendency to leave the toilet seat up and their habit of acting like a dick to your friends is suddenly glossed over by, well, everything nostalgic.
Now, I'm not saying that Mercury left the toilet seat up or treated his friends like a dick - although it does seem like he treated a lot of people as commodities to be put on the shelf and taken out only when he was ready to play with them. An aspect of the book I really appreciated.
So many times you read a biography and the author is either an obvious sycophant or, in contrast, someone whose apparent goal in life is to tear that person's legacy down. In this book, I thought the author did a great job of straddling the the line between both.
I felt like she did a great job highlighting what made Freddie Mercury one of the most iconic, magnetic, and mysterious artists of all time...and yet never glossed over his faults and humanity.
I LOVE reading biographies, although oftentimes, they can change the way I felt previously about the subject in question. Sometimes it's a huge bummer, because it completely changes my image of someone. Example: I still to this day will change the channel immediately when a Red Hot Chili Peppers song comes on, so much did I loathe AK's Scar Tissue.
Fair? No. Still the way it is? Yes.
All in all, I think the author here did a great job of bringing the reader a true taste of who Freddie Mercury was, while still respecting his legacy and struggles.
That said, be warned that a lot of the information from this book seemed to be gathered from the hangers-on who were pretty much paid to serve (and leach off of) Freddie. In a way, with the exception of perhaps Mary Austin, he seemed to only surround himself on a daily basis by people who wanted to use him - whether for the fame, the wealth, the excitement of the grand parties celebrating the sex, drugs, and roll n' roll lifestyle, or the mere validation of being around someone who had all of these these things.
Did those people - who later argued about who was actually with him when he died as if needing the "credit" - love him and care for him at the end for that sole reason alone? Perhaps.
I did find it somewhat telling, however, that the first thing Mary Austin (the person Mercury stated repeatedly throughout his life was the only person he truly trusted) did when she inherited his home and the majority of his fortune was to kick all of those people out.
The author made it sounds like Mary was cold and heartless to do this, but I can't help but think there was a definitive reason she took this action. Not that the author ever asked Mary about it.
In fact, it appeared as though Freddie's family and Mary Austin had very little to do with this book and appeared only through quotes taken from other sources. In fact, his family and Mary seem to be the ONLY people in his life who didn't seek to "cash in" from his death and legacy in some way...not that Mary needed to, being that she inherited everything...but still.
Regardless, as suspicious as the motives of many of the sources here might have been, they DID share many years of Freddie's life, especially at the end. And I did enjoy reading their recollections - accurate or inaccurate as they might have been.
All in all, I left this book loving Freddie Mercury just as much as I did going in.
Although, I also left it feeling a bit sad for both him and everyone caught up in the hurricane that was his life.
This book offered not only a great background on Freddie Mercury and Queen, but on the western HIV/AIDS outbreak and epidemic of the 1980's and 90's aThis book offered not only a great background on Freddie Mercury and Queen, but on the western HIV/AIDS outbreak and epidemic of the 1980's and 90's as well.
Before I get started though, here's my own personal stock "biography review blurb," so to speak:
Any biography is written by a human (who may or may not have their own agenda) and recollected by more humans (whose recollections are skewed by time and perhaps their own ideas of what they want to remember happening and not necessarily what actually happened). All these things are subjective and inherently fallible. As a reader, you can never truly attest to the accuracy of any biography (or any autobiography for that matter), merely the enjoyment you garner from reading it.
As such, my reviews of biographies and autobiographies are never a review or judgement of someone's life, but simply my own reflection of how interesting I found the work and/or my own gut feeling of how reliable the information therein seemed at the time I read it.
Now, with that out of the way...
I have always adored Queen and their music and I ADORE Freddie Mercury. I've read a lot of books about them/him before joining GR, but felt like re-reading this one in preparation for the upcoming movie.
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Something about Freddie Mercury has always intrigued me.
He was a true showman in concert, and yet, by his own admission, that was a personality he wore like a cloak for the stage. And while he (and Queen) were well known for their blatant hedonism, i.e., post show parties and free and gratuitous sex, Freddie was also known to be VERY private, shy, and reserved in many ways.
He rarely gave interviews and refused to talk to the press (and even his close friends, really) about his childhood/life before becoming "Freddie Mercury." In fact, it could be argued that his being sent away to boarding school and separated from his family at such a young made it veritably impossible for him to ever trust and get truly close to anyone in life as a result.
It was also undoubtedly difficult for him to be someone not purely heterosexual in an environment where it wasn't really accepted at that time. In seems foreign in light of the way things are today, but in the 1970's and 80's, a gay rock star just wasn't done. Even David Bowie, who proudly claimed his bisexuality still went home to a wife, thus making him "straight" enough in the eyes of a populace not yet ready to accept blurry personal sexuality lines the way we are today.
And while it's a shame that Freddie was never able to truly be himself, either because of the fear of backlash from the public or backlash from his religiously conservative parents, who knows if he even wanted to. I feel like Freddie was someone who enjoyed teasing people with ambiguity. He didn't like explaining his song lyrics in the same way he never truly answered questions about his sexuality and, in my opinion, that sense of mystery is a star quality missing from celebrities today.
These days, celebrities are TOO accessible. They Tweet their breakfast, they Instagram their workouts, they share personal family photos. And while that IS cool on some level - the fact that fans can connect so readily with their favorite actress or sports her0 - I also think there is something to be said for leaving some things to mystery.
But I digress.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, while this book told Freddie's story, it also paralleled Freddie's story with a basic timeline and history of how the HIV/AIDS virus went from being a virus affecting only chimpanzees in the African forest to becoming the global epidemic of the 80's and 90's, which I found very interesting. In fact, I might go look for a book on just that subject now.
All in all, I enjoyed this biography. Oddly enough, it quoted quite a bit from another biography I literally just read right before this one, which I thought was funny. Either way, reading both was very beneficial. I think I might also look for Jim Hutton's (Freddie's lover at the time of his death) biography, despite it getting poor reviews and being dubbed opportunistic, etc.
This is a good read for Mercury fans, although true diehards might already know or have already read about everything in this one. After all, it was published in 2016 and, outside the obviously independent research about AIDS, it pretty much just pulls information from other biographies that came before it. Maybe that makes it more comprehensive? Not sure. I'll you know after I finish reading all the other biographies, ha!...more
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
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