Review: Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this is REALLY well written. Both points of view are distinct, all the characters are very believable if not relatable, and the story pulls you in. The subject matter is a hard one for me to say "I like," because I think I had the wrong expectation going in. I thought I was getting a light romance. This is drama. Struggling marriage drama. Which is hard for me to read without having a constant inner dialogue in my head with the characters that goes something like this: "How dare you look at a man who's married!" "Why on EARTH would you give that kind of attention to someone else? You're married!" "No, don't say those hurtful things to the one you love!" "No you don't. Don't blame your unfaithful behavior on somebody else!" "Why don't you just TALK to each other about what's happening?" And other such frustrated exclamations. Which I know is the point. I'm supposed to be thinking about those things and about how I want to do it differently in my own marriage. It's just not a very...enjoyable?...journey to take.

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Review: Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have had good experiences with steampunk books, even blending them with other genres. So I had no problem with the blatant admission, in even just the title, that we are blending steampunk and poopular fairytale and Victorian romance to try and create a wildly trendy new series. Turns out it also blends paranormal and mystery with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and messages from beyond that need to be deciphered in time. It just turned out to be a bit too much for one story or perhaps not done with the light touch that a "proper" Victorian romance should have.

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Review: United

United by Melissa Landers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars



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Review: Until Friday Night

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ick. I feel like I have to make an excuse for myself for reading this book. Cause it was available on my audiobook app and I was in the mood for a "light rom com." But this was not what it should have been. It was just teenagers dealing with family tragedies in immature ways. Which COULD HAVE been true to life if written better, but I expected the characters to sort of...grow up...through their trials and start to do things differently. Not turn to alcohol and parties and sex and cling in a very unhealthily, emotionally dependent way to his vulnerable girlfriend while passing it off to everyone around them, even the supposed adults who should have been protecting the girl, as "real love." THAT was just a cheap attempt at trying to make troubled teenagers look like characters in a Sparks novel. It made me wish that somebody would put that boy in therapy already.

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Review: The Left Hand of God

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a tricky one. It started out really dark and violent and intriguing. Almost like a more intense, contemporary dystopian remake of a Dickens novel Oliver Twist, maybe, or Nicholas Nickelby. It had the right idea of cruelly mistreated boys finding another path to a happier life. And the character, Cale, never lost his intrigue for me. But I felt like the story and the whole plot sort of just...died. It began with an air of mystery and thrill, and a cat-and-mouse chase, and then devolved into your typical kingdom-encompassing dystopian war against the self-righteous oppressors. It stopped being an interesting inner battle of Cale trying to figure out who he would be as a free man. And the story never addressed the original mystery of what Cale saw in his captivity that triggered him to finally make his escape. Hoffman sort of wrote the story like that incident didn't matter anymore. But it should have. So it all left me just sort of dissatisfied with what could have been a really cool story.

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Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I don't know what the hype is about. The "Groundhog Day" premise is still an interesting draw to the story, but I was expecting the main character, Sammy, to eventually decide to turn around her whole attitude and life, like Bill Murray's character did. She did not. The conclusion fell totally flat and I didn't feel as if the character had learned anything or changed much at all.

The story starts with all the shock value of high school teens entrenched in issues of sexuality, alcohol, and disregard for laws and rules that would keep them safe, but the resolution did NOT involve a real "coming of age" theme in which Sammy or any of her friends realize the recklessness of their ways and decide to try and behave in a more mature manner.

She basically swapped one crush for another - who was admittedly more worthy of it but who still behaved as if he wasn't living the same day over and over again and instead acted as if his emotions were progressing at the same rate as the character who was living the same day again and again. It didn't feel right or genuine.

The worst part is that when Sammy figured out there was ONE MAJOR ISSUE that she could work to correct/fix/atone for, she didn't really fix the source of the issue. The source was her awful friend, Lindsay. If Samantha had TRULY come to care in a more mature and understanding way, she would have helped her friend Lindsay come to a state of repentance and emotional closure with her past issues. And they both would have a newfound courage to continue on a more responsible and less selfish past. But she didn't. THEY didn't.

When the "groundhog day" cycle ended, Sammy and all her friends started and continued the same day in almost the exact same way. Sammy's best change of heart was that she treated her family, especially her little sister, a lot better. And her inner dialogue sounded like she appreciated her friends more, but she didn't really DO anything to try and help them see a more selfless way to make it through high school. The conclusion just didn't cut it.


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