I originally rated this book 3 stars, but as I contemplated what it was that I just finished, I don't think I can give it higher than a 2.5 stars, hence the 2 star GR rating.

I've read several Sarah Dessen books in the course of the last year or so. The first I read was Saint Anything, which I really loved. I feel like that is definitely my favorite of hers, and none of them have lived up to that book, even though I have enjoyed some of them quite a bit.

The Synopsis: Ruby Cooper has had to take care of herself for a long time, long before her neglectful mother finally abandoned her for good. Now she's staying with her estranged sister and going to a new school, all while getting to know the hot and sweet (because of course he is) guy next door.

What I liked:

1. The premise. The concept of this book had a lot of promise. Neglect and abuse are topics that are tackled in this book and I was really intrigued by that. Unfortunately...

What I didn't like:
1. Lack of focus. There are just too many things going on in this book. It's kind of all over the place. I wish it had been streamlined a bit. There are so many subplots and threads that she tries to cover that it felt a little jumbled. Broken families, neglect, abuse, drugs and alcohol addiction, teen drug use, infertility issues, duplicitous friends...so many different things going on here, and so many of them have little to no closure.

2. The romance was lackluster. I wish Ruby and Nate had been strictly friends, because I felt zero chemistry between the two of them. There wasn't anything wrong or problematic. It was just bland. Ruby was kind of obnoxious to him and I didn't get why he would like her.

3. Ruby herself is pretty boring, which is too bad, because a character with all of her issues could be very intriguing. Her whiny attitude lasts far too long, and then she pretty much changes on a dime after having a breakdown one day and getting wasted. After that, she pretty much does a 180, personality-wise. Cora went through a similar transformation out of nowhere. At first she's cold and distant, then just turns into a wonderful, caring sister. I get that a lot of that is that we're seeing her through Ruby's biased eyes, but it all seemed a bit too easy.


4. Despite all of the heavy topics being discussed, none of these characters had depth or complexity. The side characters were pointless. They were literally props for the main character's supposed 'growth'. They didn't exist outside of their service to the protagonist. The only side character I thought was interesting (Nate's ex-girlfriend Heather) had two small scenes and again, was literally used as a plot device.

5. The ending. So this book goes on for over 400 pages. Its actually a relatively quick read. However, the end happens so abruptly and somehow is both all tied up and still open-ended. There were so many things I was wanting that I didn't get. Did Ruby and Cora reach out to their mother? I would've liked that story. Did they ever try to find their father? That's another story I would've liked to see. Instead we get a lukewarm, anticlimactic end, filled with cliches and loose ends that are very hastily and sloppily tied up. We are pretty much told about what happens to the characters as a flashback.

Other things:

1. Slut shaming

2. Trigger warnings for abuse


I wanted to like this book, and I read through it pretty easily, but there are definitely too many issues that I didn't like to recommend it.

I was so surprised by this book. I did not go into it expecting it to be one of my new favorites of the year. I love when that happens.

This book packs a lot into 272 pages. There are three perspectives in three different times that the author is able to weave into a coherent narrative. The descriptions of the Dust Bowl in particular are very evocative. I think I could've read an entire book taking place during that time, with those characters. I do think that the 1930s timeline is probably my favorite of the three to read about, both because of the setting and also the character of Katherine. I love her loyalty to her sister and her fierce determination to make her well again, even at the expense of her own happiness.

This is not an action-filled book. It is quiet. It is unassuming. It is haunting and sad, yet ultimately hopeful. It's a beautiful, moving story about how we make connections in this world, both to places and people. It's about soulmates, and how that doesn't always refer to romantic love. It's about finding our place and feeling comfortable with who we are.

I'm trying to be critical in my analysis, so here's a negative. It's only 272 pages, and I feel like I could've read about these people for another hundred pages. Yet even as I type those words, I know they're wrong. This book is the perfect length. It tells the story without a bunch of unnecessary filler, and I love that.

Some people may not appreciate the ending. Things are left a little open with some of the characters. I get wanting to know more and having closure, but in the context of this story it makes sense that there wouldn't be a definitive ending. I loved it. I love that Adri and Lily even talk about the fact that they don't know exactly what happens, and that's okay.

If you are going into this book expecting a large sci-fi influence on account of the synopsis talking about one of the characters being a Colonist set to go off to Mars, you may want to temper your expectations. The sci-fi content in this book is minimal at best. It's simply a backdrop for introducing Adri and the world in which she is living in the year 2065.

But if you are looking for a somewhat slow, character-driven narrative focusing on three very different but also very strong ladies, maybe check this book out.

This is the first book from Joshilyn Jackson that I've picked up. I am definitely in the minority where this book is concerned. It gets a two-star rating from me because although I liked a lot about the structure of this story, but I had some serious issues with it that are keeping me from rating it higher.

What I liked:

1. The audiobook. I listened to this on audio. The author narrated this book herself, and I thought she did an outstanding job. I will say that there were moments in the middle of chapters where background music would come in to end a scene, which was really strange and a little distracting to me, but I liked it, for the most part.

2. The structure. This books follows the POV of Ginny, Liza, and Mosey, three generations of women embroiled in a family mystery. Liza, who has recently suffered a stroke, also gets her voice heard, even though she is having trouble communicating with her family. So we as readers learn about her past and the mystery unfolds as the other ladies are searching for the truth as well. We see them follow paths that we know are going to be dead ends, which is pretty interesting.

What I didn't like:

1. Serious slut/sex shaming. This is what really ruined the book for me. It wasn't just a one-time, two-time, five-time, twenty-time thing. It was woven throughout the narrative of every POV. Not a chapter went by without some sort of reference to sex as a shameful thing. Slut, skank, and whore were used liberally in this book, and there really wasn't any kind of sex-positive message at all. Neither of the elder Slocumb women made particular good decisions in regard to their romantic lives, but yeesh. This was seriously brutal.

2. Offensive language. There is a character that uses the 'n word' in this book. This character is mildly derided by one of our characters, but it's forgotten about as soon as it happens. I wish it had been called out as unacceptable, instead there is just a sarcastic comment about an old racist. Also, the character of Mosey, along with several of her teenage friends, use the word 'retard', 'retarded', and other iterations of this foul words over and over again. Mosey is mildly chided one time by Ginny, but again, it's not forceful and it keeps on happening. I have a big problem with that. I feel like having these characters use this language in this day and age is really unacceptable and irresponsible. Some may say that it's authentic, but I feel like it's really selling the younger generation short to have them using such offensive language. Between this and all of the slut-shaming language, I really found myself disliking Mosey quite a bit. She was incredibly judgmental of everyone around her. Even the girl she ended up being friends with was a target for her condescension, and I had a problem with that.

I can definitely understand that there is a huge audience for this kind of story, and I get that she has a lot of fans. I will probably try another book by this author, but it'll probably be a more recently published book, hopefully without all the sex shaming.

I find myself having a difficult time reviewing this book. On the one hand, I understand that it’s considered a classic. I tend to rate classics a little differently, taking into account the time it was written and the fact that writing evolves over time.

However, while I can see the merits of this book in regards to the themes/messages it is attempting to convey, I also had some issues with this book. Maybe if I was reading it at 15 instead of 35 I would’ve gotten more out of it.

I understand that the author wrote this book when she was 16. That in and of itself is a really impressive accomplishment. But I think my main problem with this book stems from that very fact. I didn’t realize when I began reading this book that:
A. It was written by a teenager
And
B. It was written by a female.
Yet, as I was reading, my initial impression was, “This doesn’t feel realistic. It seems like it was written by a teenage girl.” Weeellllll...
I’ve seen several other reviews that bring up the supposed fact that the author was a tomboy in her earlier years as justification for the way she writes these male characters. I don’t find that to be a particularly compelling argument. Just because she was friends with them doesn’t mean she has any particular insight into the minds of teenage boys. This seemed very much like it was a teenage girl’s perspective of what her male friends might be thinking, without actually asking them.

There was very little description in this book. The majority of descriptive language was reserved for the looks of the characters, and it again read like a girl writing about the boys she was crushing on.

There were definitely moments that evoked strong emotion in me, especially near the end. However, most of this came from the fact that I am a mother to a young boy and it would break my heart if he were ever put into any of these situations.

I did enjoy the camaraderie in the group of friends, and Ponyboy’s relationship with his brothers. I actually felt like that was the most interesting part of the story, and would’ve preferred if it’d focused more on that.

This book tries to convey some really important messages about acceptance and being true to yourself, but the delivery is a little on-the-nose. There’s very little subtlety to the messaging, so it comes off as a little preachy.

Listen, I understand that this book is a classic, specifically a teen classic. I know that this book is probably a favorite to many. And I didn’t HATE this book. I just didn’t LOVE it either.

4.5 Stars.

DNF’d at 60%

I don’t typically rate books I haven’t finished, but if I’m going to DNF a book it will usually be much earlier in the book, so I don’t feel like I have a good feel for where it’s going. Since I read more than half the book, I feel okay saying that this is a 2-Star read for me.

Why did I read so much just to DNF? Well, I’m honestly not sure. When it started out, I was intrigued by the main character’s voice. She was very snarky and sarcastic, to which I fully relate.😂😂

However, as the story went on, I found myself more and more apathetic about Lily. I can’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose your husband and be left with two very young children. My husband of 17 years is my best friend and to lose him would be awful. I would be distraught. Definitely to the point of needing some sort of therapy. And I know that everyone deals with trauma in a different way. But I can’t imagine being so far gone that I would need to go under psychiatric lockdown for three months when I have two children (one an infant) needing me at home. It’s just unfathomable to me. Again, I am not trying to belittle anyone who have suffered from a trauma-induced breakdown. But there was something about her character specifically that made it difficult for me to sympathize. I’m not even sure I can adequately explain it.

I also thought the romance came out of nowhere. She’s literally been in this guy’s company three times (in a class setting with a bunch of other people around) and they are at the point where they’re wanting to rip each other’s clothes off and have sex on the kitchen table while her young daughters are out in the backyard? Sorry, that doesn’t track for me. And maybe a lot of that can be explained away by the fact that she hasn’t been intimate in years and hormones and whatnot. But then she gets wishy-washy about it and he tells her, “I will wait for you. I’m a patient man, and you are very special.” Umm...she is? He’s known her for about five minutes but we’re supposed to buy that he’s so enamored of her that he’ll just wait and hope she gets her shit together?! I just don’t believe it. What it is about her that he thinks is ‘special’? Because from where I sit, she’s a selfish, self-pitying, petulant person.

There’s a part where her daughter get upset because she doesn’t remember what her father looks like because there aren’t any pictures of him around. She excuses this by saying that she hadn’t wanted to be reminded, hadn’t wanted to turn her house into a shrine. First of all, how freaking selfish?! Secondly, she IS a shrine to her husband. From the way she interacts with her family, friends, and acquaintances, it is obvious that she is totally closed off and that she intends to live the rest of her life in that manner.

There’s another part where she talks about how her late husband told her he never wanted her to find love again. Then she relates a conversation that was obviously joking in nature and uses it as evidence that her husband wouldn’t want her dating again. For someone who is so proud of her sarcastic abilities, her portrayal of this interaction as anything but light-hearted is just her being willfully obtuse.

There is also a lot of slut/sex shaming in this book, coming from the main character. Her sister is a grown woman. A consenting adult who isn’t in any kind of committed relationship. However, her sister refers to her as a slut because she had dated several men. She makes off-handed remarks and observations about her sister’s sex life throughout the book. I didn’t appreciate that at all. This is supposed to be an adult book. Why can’t we be sex-positive?

The dialogue was corny. The kids didn’t sound like any kids I know (and as the mother of a nine-year old, I’ve had some experience). And even though I didn’t finish the story, I bet I could tell it as well as someone who did. (Checked spoilery reviews...and I was right.)


I really wish I could’ve liked this book. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me.

3.75 stars.
After the first chapter or two, I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book. I wanted to reach through and shake Hope, the protagonist, for letting her bratty pre-teen disrespect her in public with no repercussions. This urge to shake Hope persisted throughout the novel, at different points for different reasons. However, I appreciated the journey that she went on, and I really enjoyed many of the other elements to this story.

I liked the historical fiction aspect of this story. True, it's not a true historical fiction, since most of that information is related to us through story and flashbacks and isn't always a cohesive narrative. But throughout the story we are able to take the bits and pieces we learn and weave them together to understand how all of the pieces fit. I've read many historical fictions taking place during WWII, and this actually taught me a few things I didn't know, such as the fact that Muslims assisted Jews in their attempts to escape from Europe during the war.

I like the idea that Hope is connected to France, and Paris in particular, and can't quite explain why. I felt the same connection the first time I visited Ireland, where my ancestors were from. I always say that Ireland is in my heart, so having her character feel a similar connection was pretty cool.

I liked the inclusion of the recipes and appreciate how important baking and food was for her family. I also appreciated how this book stresses that every culture has traditions when it comes to food that are very important to those respective cultures. The scene where they have dinner with an Albanian family really showcases the importance of culinary tradition.

I also thought that the author did a good job at portraying Alzheimer's. As someone who has had loved ones struggle with this disease, I could empathize with Rose's family as they watched her slowly forget them. Rose's chapters were also really beautiful and sensitive.

As a character, Rose was definitely complex. As her story unfolds in front of us, we learn that she was far from perfect, and that she has a lot of regrets and things she would do differently. There are also things that she is very unapologetic about, even as she admits that they don't paint her in the fondest light.

This is not a perfect book. I felt like there were some clues that were too easily figured out, and leaps of logic that didn't seem organic. There is one scene in particular, where

Gavin and Hope are trying to find Jacob. He lives in New York City. They track down his apartment, and he's out. Hope realizes at once where he's at in the city. It holds special significance for him and Rose, but seriously? No chance he was just at the grocery store or something?

The moment the clues would start to dry up, one of the characters would have an AHA! moment where they would have a random hunch that would totally pay off and allow them to continue their quest. It just felt a little contrived in that way.

Also, I found Hope to be a little dull as a character. She's often self-pitying and has very low self-esteem. She lets her daughter continually disrespect her in front of other people and rarely checks her attitude. She holds the pessimistic view throughout the book that just because her marriage didn't work, it must mean that love doesn't exist. It's a little extreme, and it's only there in order to set up a big payoff at the end where she realizes that 'true love is real after all!' Honestly, my favorite scene with her is when she tells of her ex-husband and his new girlfriend for treating her daughter like crap. You finally see some backbone from her and it was about darn time.

When the end of the story happens, it's just a little too contrived and ties up too neatly. The fairy-tale lover in me loved it, but it's not the most realistic of scenarios.

There is a theme throughout this book about allowing yourself to love and being vulnerable to another person. From Rose to Josephine and finally to Hope, they've all kept their distances from the men in their lives for their own reasons. Regardless, people throughout the book tell Hope that she should give Gavin a chance. She rebukes it at every turn. Then people start to insist that they are in love. This is before they've even had a real date or shared a kiss. But they are supposed to be in love? Okay...no. I liked Gavin. He was there for Hope and Annie when they needed him. He was kind, helpful, and just an all-around good guy. But I never felt any chemistry between them. None whatsoever. They go from being somewhat awkward acquaintances to Hope explaining to him all the reasons it would be a terrible idea for them to be a couple. I feel like there wasn't any transition in their relationship. So...kind of the same problem I had with people figuring out next steps with such ease.

Also, Annie needed to be flicked upside the head a couple of times. Sorry, not sorry. I know I was an asshole to my mom when I was growing up (everyone is at one point or another), but I never, NEVER would've behaved that way in public, especially at my mom's job.

Anyway, I know it seems like I had a lot of issues with this book, and I guess I did, in a way. But at the end of the day, I read this book in one sitting and had an emotional reaction while reading it that really made me feel for these characters, and feel for the thousands and millions of people who were brutally tortured and murdered just because some bigoted piece of garbage decided their blood wasn't pure enough.

Anyway, I think I'll check out more from this author in the future when I'm yearning for some adult contemporary.

I picked this book up because of the comparison to Downton Abbey, because, well, Downton Abbey. And even though there were a few parts that dragged a bit, I found myself fully engaged through the majority of this novel.

Now, I understand why this book wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea (see what I did there?). If you are someone who likes a fast-paced plot, steamy romance, and super witty dialogue, you may want to skip this book. This book is more about the characters. To be cliche, it's about the journey, not the destination.

This story is bittersweet. At times, it flies right past bittersweet and crashes into heartbreaking. Don't go into this story looking for all the happy endings, because you will be thoroughly disappointed. This is not really a spoiler, because Elise herself tells you that everything goes to hell. Maybe not directly, but the foreshadowing isn't exactly subtle.

That being said, I found the writing to be very beautiful. Evocative and lyrical without being over-the-top and silly. The descriptions of Tyneford were wonderful, and Elise's descriptions of Vienna made me want to plan my own trip to see it for myself.

I also found the author's note at the end of the book very interesting, knowing that she took so much of her book from her ancestor's personal experiences and also learning about the sad history of the town Tyneford was based on.

I really enjoyed this book, which is a strange thing to say because it also managed to bum me out at the same time. I would recommend this to:

1. Fans of Downton Abbey
2. Fans of historical fiction, specifically WWII historical fiction
3. Fans of slow, character-driven narratives

I am definitely interested in checking out more from this author in the future.

4.5 Stars

What a surprising read! I purchased this book at a library book sale solely based on the quirky title. It was a whopping $.50 and it sat on my shelf for at least a year after that. I recently heard someone mention their love for this book and that it was a quirky book and decided to finally give it a try. I’m so glad I did, because I really enjoyed it.

I loved Christopher so much. I’ve read/watched a few stories/shows recently with main characters who have autism, and I felt like his character was absolutely authentic. I wanted to confront all of the shitty adults in his life (except Siobhan. She was great.) and tell them to stop being so incredibly selfish.

Christopher has such a strong and unique voice. Not only is this book told in first person, but the whole idea is that Christopher is actually the person writing what we’re reading. That wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without such a unique and authentic voice. Some people may not like all of the little tangents he goes on, but I loved it. I liked that there were illustrations and diagrams and all of that.

The ending does seem very abrupt, which is my only critique, and even that is pretty nitpicky, I will admit. I also find it difficult to believe that a woman whose dog was murdered wouldn’t press charges when she learned who did it.