babyleo's reviews
1689 reviews

A longer version of this reviews was published on Lost in a Good Book - https://wp.me/p3x8rS-2Ze

I know we’re meant to hate Jeff.

I know we are meant to hate Jeff.

I have to keep reminding myself we are meant to hate Jeff.

I don’t know why I chose to read this book. Reverse Pygmalion grabbed my attention. Being a short read grabbed my attention. I was curious. But my god, the willpower it takes to push through the hatred is incredible. Kudos to Sachs for writing someone I wanted to punch more than Holden Caulfield.

It is a short read but it is a fascinating study into people like Jeff. People who feel they are superior to those around them and anyone beneath them needs punishing. That when they have their egos bruised even a tiny bit they retaliate, or worse, when they feel they aren’t being appreciated enough, or praised enough for doing the bare minimum, retaliate.

Ellen is the stereotypical overweight person. She eats too much, she’s clumsy, she bumps into things and Sachs really digs it in deep by mentioning Jeff thinks she smells. Everyone other than Ellen is referred to as ‘normal’, Jeff thinks he is a ‘nice guy’ and blames Ellen for him being mean and not making him a good person. It’s incredible.

It is a fantastic book about making you aware of people like Jeff. If you come across someone like Jeff, run for your life.

Weirdly I didn’t hate the book, but with Jeff behind the wheel I didn’t like reading it. But Sachs points out people’s flaws well, despite the fast pace and the minimal detail and depth. You get a sense of who these characters are and even though the story rushes through days and events, you can see the characters in their elements succinctly.

The blurb mentions the confusion of control vs love, and Jeff 100% loves being in control, and controlling Ellen. He patronises her, controls how she looks and acts. He dismisses her opinions and thoughts, he is belittling and tells her what she thinks. He ignores her protests, she begs him not to make her do things but he convinces her to do them.

I was initially going to give this book 1.5 stars, the .5 because Ellen and Norma were the only sensible people in there. But then I remembered you can’t mark a book down because you dislike a character who is designed to be unlikable. So I had another think through and while I disliked Jeff, Sachs tells him in a way we’re supposed to dislike him, supposed to see he is wrong. I had to look at the other characters, not through Jeff’s eyes but through their actions.

Writing wise it’s quick, it’s basic detail, jumping quickly through days, but that isn’t a deal breaker. I’m happy with the three. I liked the story it told, but it a different liking the story than anything I have ever read. I hated the story but I liked what happens. I’m going to be confused about this one for a while. 

I have tried three times to read this book over the past couple years. I never get past the first few chapters. It starts off promising, but when Rafe gets to his new school the conversations and dynamics between people annoy me. I know it's a set up to see them expand. but from a few reviews I've seen they don't improve much. I thought if I've tried this many times and keep bailing, there must be a reason. I might try the companion book and see if I can experience it from another perspective.

A longer version of his review was published on Lost in a Good Book - https://wp.me/p3x8rS-2Vu
 

I have been eyeing off this book for years and I finally started reading it and I’m so glad. It is captivating and draws you in fairly quickly and never quite lets go. Who can resist the allure of a possible mistake in a closed case and a town so ready to condemn an apparent murder? The further you go the more doubt is cast. There are hints and clues that don’t connect, the misdirection and hidden secrets from people in town and a cast of characters to keep you guessing.

As with a lot of things in a small town, secrets are unearthed and things that have been kept hidden come to the surface, affecting more than just one person’s life. It never felt sensationalised, but the knock on effect is clear. Pip’s innocent investigation for a school project never leads her astray from her capabilities, but at the same time her own personality latches on and her consumption of the case and the need for answers brings danger.

Pip is a great character. Her passion and dedication grows from an interest for a school project to something of an obsession as she uncovers more and more secrets and unanswered questions. Her focus and her determination to get to the bottom of this crime is something I think you can achieve with her approach to her investigation, especially as so many people think there has already been a culprit named.

Each character felt real too, which is important when creating a community. No one felt one dimensional even the red herrings all had full lives and stories, making them as likely as the next to be suspects. The realness of characters is important too if readers are meant to believe they could hide things, deceive, or have more depth than it first appears. Jackson does this well as everyone Pip interviews, helps, or is hindered by bring their own lives to the page and it is definitely a strength of the book.

I know the book is filled with great formatting around transcripts, emails and Pip’s notes, but I loved the audio version of this so much. It was a mix between an audiobook and a radio drama. The phone conversations sound like phone conversations, the recordings Pip references sound like conversations on tape recordings being played back, and the different voices bring in another great element.

It isn’t entirely like a radio drama, there is regular narration as well which help break up Pip’s research and the outside story. It was a clever way to lay out how she was conducting her research and piecing it all together, plus those listening to the book don’t miss out on the creative storytelling Jackson has designed.

This is one you should read in order, not only because the second book spoils practically everything from book one fairly soon, but there is something wonderful about seeing Pip’s growth and her determination as she investigates. 

Published on Lost in a Good Book - https://wp.me/p3x8rS-31t
 

I have tried twice before to read a Tozer book, I didn’t like the other two, but I was willing to give this one a shot. Unfortunately it befell the same fate. I felt it was a little too long, or at least too drawn out, after a while it started to fade out and I became disinterested.

The characters were fine, I never became attached to them and there were a lot to keep track of. There were three different groups with numerous storylines between them so you had to pay attention. I did enjoy when the different groups would cross paths and when they eventually joined up. There is decent character development for a few of the characters but it took a long time. I didn’t expect a quick change, but with the story feeling drawn out the moments in between anything happening felt eternal. 

There’s characters to like and characters to dislike, and it was good to see our main players come to their senses and not deal with the idiots they come across. Being a schoolies week of course there had to be the toolies, but Tozer manages them really well and I liked her approach to their inclusion. Clear judgement of a guy who is too old to still be hanging around.

There is still one more Tozer book, I have it on my shelf but deciding when to finally read it will be hard. Do I dive in and get it over with? Wait a few more years to give it a gap between the last one, or do I never even try? These are the questions. It might be that Tozer isn’t the author for me and I should give up.