When one doesn't review a book right away, you tend to forget about or lose sight of it. Or maybe that speaks to how it wasn't quite remarkable or memWhen one doesn't review a book right away, you tend to forget about or lose sight of it. Or maybe that speaks to how it wasn't quite remarkable or memorable in the first place. One thing I will say about this book, is that it is getting super high raves right now and it is in newly out. I always like to read things that are highly hyped very quickly before my expectations run too high. In this case that was a good thing. Too much hype can ruin a book. And this one stands a better shot at a fair review without being compared with hype. I also read it alternatingly with Just Kids, and I vastly preferred this one.
The book is about a lonely overworked last son of a beach coastal town (Rohobeth Beach, Delaware) where he is the last or one of the last on the boardwalk to sell into a gentrification. But he also sees that he has no life with the restaurant, and really not one without. This is his journey. There is a lot of loss and sadness in there. And in fact, since its "Sad Month" in my main group, it rather fits in perfectly, but has no tags for it because its so new. But it will. Its not that the book doesn't end in an uplifting way. Its that the journey is tough and actually quite moving. It paints a more realistic portrait than many books do. I was moved by it, and I enjoyed it. The sadness did not overtake the tale. There was growth and I always look for that. I enjoyed it, but am nonetheless, not part of the rave. ...more
I really adore this author - you know what it means to fall in love with an author that is new to you? I read Don't Forget to write by this author, anI really adore this author - you know what it means to fall in love with an author that is new to you? I read Don't Forget to write by this author, and i enjoyed and savored it so much, that I have literally bought at least ten copies as gifts this year, and have recommended it to maybe 25. i can't stop talking about how much I loved that book. Did I like this one as much? Possibly not - but it was also great. it really had everything. Fabulous quirky characters, the character of the past, and always, always love, and laughter sprinkled through. I really so enjoyed it....more
This was a cute and sweet audio, but not a not to be missed by any stretch. Why is this one listed as a 5-Stars read? It was sweet and formulaic and hThis was a cute and sweet audio, but not a not to be missed by any stretch. Why is this one listed as a 5-Stars read? It was sweet and formulaic and had the feel good ending you know is coming in chapter two. ...more
Wow, what a party! I just loved this book and thought it was great! What a read.
I have been following closely the groundswell of negativity and loss oWow, what a party! I just loved this book and thought it was great! What a read.
I have been following closely the groundswell of negativity and loss of expectations unmet, and I have personally always felt it was unfair to both an author and a book to compare it to its counterpart runaway hits. People wanted Daisy and Evelyn, and those were wonderful books, but they were different. Authors need to try new ideas and new things, and not be held up to their last single or great painting. I think people would have liked this book a whole lot more if the track of Aurora wasn't their background music.
Last year I spent the year with Taylor Jenkins Reid as my author for the year, so I can say a few things about her and her compendium of works. There is no one who does relationships and character development, the way TJR does. She has an unbelievable talent for getting into the mindset and thinking of various characters. I've heard people talk about this book suggesting it was about surfing and rich who do you know parties. That is such an understatement. This book, like all of hers, was about four (+) siblings, and their experiences of their parents, and how that has shaped who they are. Multiple storylines converge over a day, culminating in the night of the party, where the buildup sets the scene. And then when the party takes off, the incredible thing (which I bet the dissenters hated), is that not only are the main character's storylines developing, unfolding, and intertwining, but all these side never mentioned characters at the party, we get a voice to who they are, what's in their heads, and how they do and don't connect to one another. It's actually depthful and brilliant. My favorite one of these, is a man in the backyard, and his soulmate on the front steps and they never meet, And you know they are there for one another, but not yet, and not this time. Brilliantly done with the major characters as well as with the irrelevant ones. This is the art of TJR, and how she writes. This wasn't about surfing or Malibu parties, not in the least. This was about family, selfishness, self-sacrifice, bonds, trust, finding yourself, and oh yeah, there are some people who find solace and excitement in the waves. I sure did!...more
I really just loved this. It's more than coming of age. It's about the touching part of realizing the world is greater, and more fun, and more alive tI really just loved this. It's more than coming of age. It's about the touching part of realizing the world is greater, and more fun, and more alive than you ever dreamed it could be. It's like a drop of sunshine, when you never knew it was sun. I just love a book like this. Its got relationships, complicated ones. It has dynamics. It has an honest confused teenager and an adorable kid. And it has music, and singing, and harmony. I thought it was simply fabulous! And again - I loved it!...more
This is the ultimate beach read. Three heroines, a mother, daughter, and granddaughter, each contending with what is family. There is a love story or This is the ultimate beach read. Three heroines, a mother, daughter, and granddaughter, each contending with what is family. There is a love story or two thrown in there, and it totally hits the spot. It was really fun, 3.5....more
I really adore anything Beatriz Williams writes. She is a beautiful author that captures me in her first pages. I can already smell the sea air, and iI really adore anything Beatriz Williams writes. She is a beautiful author that captures me in her first pages. I can already smell the sea air, and its always a heroine and hero I can adore and root for. And so it is with Lily and Nick. The side characters are also colorful and full of life.
It is 1938, and much of the book takes place at Seaview, near Newport, in RI, where our grand noblesse of the era "Summer." Right now I am watching the Gilded Age, Season Two, and there is a bit of that kind of snobbery, elite match, gossipy thing going on. But other parts of it could have been contemporary. It was so easy to see this book feel in a way "undated." It was fun, it was easy, it was great. ...more
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