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ericarobyn
DNF. I got 6 volumes in and had to call it.
In my opinion, the story wasn't flowing well and I was totally confused. So of course it wasn't hooking me in at all and I was bored right from the start.
I didn't care for the artwork, and often it was just too much for me. Each time I sat down to read a decent chunk of this book, I got a wicked headache.
I thought the annotations were an interesting touch! But again, I just found them to be so boring. There were a few notes that I was excited to read, but generally it all seemed so pointless to me.
Perhaps I will try to normal version someday. But not for a long while.
In my opinion, the story wasn't flowing well and I was totally confused. So of course it wasn't hooking me in at all and I was bored right from the start.
I didn't care for the artwork, and often it was just too much for me. Each time I sat down to read a decent chunk of this book, I got a wicked headache.
I thought the annotations were an interesting touch! But again, I just found them to be so boring. There were a few notes that I was excited to read, but generally it all seemed so pointless to me.
Perhaps I will try to normal version someday. But not for a long while.
DNF.
This was just not for me. I made it 100 pages in and then had to call it. The writing style bored me. I didn't like the use of the dual-narration. The storyline wasn't very interesting to me. And my god...So much repetition!! How many explanations of the cube and how organic memories work were really necessary?!
This was just not for me. I made it 100 pages in and then had to call it. The writing style bored me. I didn't like the use of the dual-narration. The storyline wasn't very interesting to me. And my god...So much repetition!! How many explanations of the cube and how organic memories work were really necessary?!
I picked up this book after seeing that The Rainbow Library picked it as their first book of the month. So shout out to their channel for steering me in this books direction! It was such an incredible read! Definitely another must read for all.
Summary:
None of the Above is about a girl named Kristen Lattimer. Kristen is a senior in high school who is living a typical teenage life. She has two very close best friends and a boyfriend that seems lovely. She is a champion hurdler who is on track to receive a scholarship to college. She was even voted homecoming queen at prom, much to her surprise. But her life is about to throw her for a loop.
When Kristen tries to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time, it hurts her so much that they have to stop. Kristen is still in major pain a day later and decides to make a doctors appointment. There, she learns that she is intersex; she does not have a uterus and she has gonads up in her abdomen. Her diagnosis sends her into a downward spiral of confusion and denial. Before she has even had time to fully comprehend what this all means, her entire school finds out. She is immediately faced with an incredible amount of hate that makes everything much more difficult for her to deal with.
As the story continues, we see more hatred, but we also see lots of love and positivity.
My thoughts:
I don't think I had even heard the word "intersex" before reading this book, let alone read a book with a character that identified as intersex. So this book was very informative.
First of all, I have to say that I love that this book was written by a surgeon. Her knowledge about the subject and experience with intersex patients really strengthened the storyline.
The storyline flowed in a straightforward manner and the pacing was pretty quick, but not at all rushed. I loved that the story was character driven as well because it really gave more depth to the various plot points.
I thought the main character, Kristen, was so incredible. She just seemed so real to me! The way that she reacted to everything that was thrown her way was totally understandable and very believable to me. There weren't too many teenage angsty situations, but she was indeed a teen, so there were some. Most of the time though, she seemed a bit older because of her maturity level.
My heart truly ached for Kristen when she was faced with hate, but it also soared when she was happy.
In a lot of YA Contemporary, I have trouble relating or empathizing with the characters. But in this book, I really related to so many things! Like the fear of a first ob-gyn visit for example. Or telling your friends something that you would really rather keep secret.
The supporting characters were also lovely. Of course I really loved all of the characters that were a positive influence in her life, and absolutely despised all of the negative and mean characters.
Beware, the negatives.
There were a few bits that seemed a bit repetitive to me. Like when Kristen thought about her Mom rolling over in her grave... But the repetition that really stood out the most was the same idea with these two passages:
The next day, the world was the same. Nothing about me had changed, either. Yet everything was different.
Nothing in my room had changed. Yet everything was different. I don't really ever felt that way one time before: the day after mom died.
Other than that, I struggled slightly with all of the strict gender stereotypes that were included. I understand that the author included this to show Kristen's struggle with her identity as intersex. But there were a few times that I think could have been left out because they really didn't add anything.
My favorite passages:
As long as we had ground under our feet and the wind at our backs, things were going to be okay.
The ob-gyn's office smelled like an unholy marriage of baby powder and Listerine.
The pink thing the nurse gave me ended up being some kind of doctor's gown. I undressed, wincing as my bare feet touched the ice-cold linoleum. When I put the gown on and tried to tie it up, the little paper strap tore a bit. I felt like a really badly wrapped birthday present.
The next day, the world was the same. Nothing about me had changed, either. Yet everything was different.
Sooner stop a steamroller than halt Aunt Carla once she got the wheels of hospitality going.
My final thoughts:
I would highly very recommend this book! It is definitely a must read for all. It's another book that I would love to see on required reading lists, but unfortunately with the content (sex, underage drinking, etc) I know that's unrealistic... I gave this book four stars.
Summary:
None of the Above is about a girl named Kristen Lattimer. Kristen is a senior in high school who is living a typical teenage life. She has two very close best friends and a boyfriend that seems lovely. She is a champion hurdler who is on track to receive a scholarship to college. She was even voted homecoming queen at prom, much to her surprise. But her life is about to throw her for a loop.
When Kristen tries to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time, it hurts her so much that they have to stop. Kristen is still in major pain a day later and decides to make a doctors appointment. There, she learns that she is intersex; she does not have a uterus and she has gonads up in her abdomen. Her diagnosis sends her into a downward spiral of confusion and denial. Before she has even had time to fully comprehend what this all means, her entire school finds out. She is immediately faced with an incredible amount of hate that makes everything much more difficult for her to deal with.
As the story continues, we see more hatred, but we also see lots of love and positivity.
My thoughts:
I don't think I had even heard the word "intersex" before reading this book, let alone read a book with a character that identified as intersex. So this book was very informative.
First of all, I have to say that I love that this book was written by a surgeon. Her knowledge about the subject and experience with intersex patients really strengthened the storyline.
The storyline flowed in a straightforward manner and the pacing was pretty quick, but not at all rushed. I loved that the story was character driven as well because it really gave more depth to the various plot points.
I thought the main character, Kristen, was so incredible. She just seemed so real to me! The way that she reacted to everything that was thrown her way was totally understandable and very believable to me. There weren't too many teenage angsty situations, but she was indeed a teen, so there were some. Most of the time though, she seemed a bit older because of her maturity level.
My heart truly ached for Kristen when she was faced with hate, but it also soared when she was happy.
In a lot of YA Contemporary, I have trouble relating or empathizing with the characters. But in this book, I really related to so many things! Like the fear of a first ob-gyn visit for example. Or telling your friends something that you would really rather keep secret.
The supporting characters were also lovely. Of course I really loved all of the characters that were a positive influence in her life, and absolutely despised all of the negative and mean characters.
Beware, the negatives.
There were a few bits that seemed a bit repetitive to me. Like when Kristen thought about her Mom rolling over in her grave... But the repetition that really stood out the most was the same idea with these two passages:
The next day, the world was the same. Nothing about me had changed, either. Yet everything was different.
Nothing in my room had changed. Yet everything was different. I don't really ever felt that way one time before: the day after mom died.
Other than that, I struggled slightly with all of the strict gender stereotypes that were included. I understand that the author included this to show Kristen's struggle with her identity as intersex. But there were a few times that I think could have been left out because they really didn't add anything.
My favorite passages:
As long as we had ground under our feet and the wind at our backs, things were going to be okay.
The ob-gyn's office smelled like an unholy marriage of baby powder and Listerine.
The pink thing the nurse gave me ended up being some kind of doctor's gown. I undressed, wincing as my bare feet touched the ice-cold linoleum. When I put the gown on and tried to tie it up, the little paper strap tore a bit. I felt like a really badly wrapped birthday present.
The next day, the world was the same. Nothing about me had changed, either. Yet everything was different.
Sooner stop a steamroller than halt Aunt Carla once she got the wheels of hospitality going.
My final thoughts:
I would highly very recommend this book! It is definitely a must read for all. It's another book that I would love to see on required reading lists, but unfortunately with the content (sex, underage drinking, etc) I know that's unrealistic... I gave this book four stars.
This third volume centers around the movement fighting for the right to vote. At this time, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had already given all citizens the right to vote, but that was only on paper. In the "real world," police officer and city officials still prevented black people from registering by creating poll taxes or making them complete "literacy tests." Many were harassed and beaten; some lost their jobs if they even attempted to register. This volume also covers the march from Selma to Montgomery.
Such an incredible third book of this trilogy. Definitely a must-read.
Such an incredible third book of this trilogy. Definitely a must-read.
Absolutely incredible. This is a must-read.
In this book, we follow John Lewis, who is more committed than ever to change the world through nonviolence. The main focus of the story is on the Freedom Riders. These Freedom Riders boarded buses headed south and were faced with very violent beatings, police brutality, imprisonment, arson, and murder. But even through all of that, the movement stays strong in their nonviolence and continues to move forward.
In this book, we follow John Lewis, who is more committed than ever to change the world through nonviolence. The main focus of the story is on the Freedom Riders. These Freedom Riders boarded buses headed south and were faced with very violent beatings, police brutality, imprisonment, arson, and murder. But even through all of that, the movement stays strong in their nonviolence and continues to move forward.
This graphic novel was written by Congressman John Lewis, a key figure of the of the civil rights movement.
In this first book of the trilogy, we meet John Lewis in his office in 2009 as President Obama was about to take office. A woman and her two young children walk in and she is immediately taken aback when she sees John Lewis is actually there. All she wanted was to show her children his office, but they ended up beginning a lovely conversation about the past. In this conversation, we learn about John Lewis’ childhood growing up in rural Alabama. From there, the story continues on.
I loved absolutely everything about this gut-wrenching graphic novel.
Right from the very first illustration, I was hooked. Once I picked each of these books up and started reading, I could not put them down. Needless to day, the storylines in each book was incredibly well organized and perfectly paced. I loved all of the switches between present day and the past that occurred throughout!
The characters were all very well developed, especially for a history-based graphic novel. I am so embarrassed to say that some of these names were new to me. But I am very happy that I now know about them.
The artwork was absolutely stunning and the details were incredible. I loved that the illustrations were black and white because that really created an incredible tone for the story.
Of course, because of the topic, a lot of this was very hard to read and even more difficult to see in illustrated form. A lot of it was incredibly heartbreaking. But of course, it is such an important story to read.
I would very highly recommend this for all! This is another book that I would love to see on required reading lists in school.
In this first book of the trilogy, we meet John Lewis in his office in 2009 as President Obama was about to take office. A woman and her two young children walk in and she is immediately taken aback when she sees John Lewis is actually there. All she wanted was to show her children his office, but they ended up beginning a lovely conversation about the past. In this conversation, we learn about John Lewis’ childhood growing up in rural Alabama. From there, the story continues on.
I loved absolutely everything about this gut-wrenching graphic novel.
Right from the very first illustration, I was hooked. Once I picked each of these books up and started reading, I could not put them down. Needless to day, the storylines in each book was incredibly well organized and perfectly paced. I loved all of the switches between present day and the past that occurred throughout!
The characters were all very well developed, especially for a history-based graphic novel. I am so embarrassed to say that some of these names were new to me. But I am very happy that I now know about them.
The artwork was absolutely stunning and the details were incredible. I loved that the illustrations were black and white because that really created an incredible tone for the story.
Of course, because of the topic, a lot of this was very hard to read and even more difficult to see in illustrated form. A lot of it was incredibly heartbreaking. But of course, it is such an important story to read.
I would very highly recommend this for all! This is another book that I would love to see on required reading lists in school.
I picked this book up to take on a trip to the Midwest. It was definitely the perfect book to distract me from the fact that we were in an airplane! I was drawn into the story very early on. The drama and suspense was so addicting!
Stephen King perfectly summed up this book when he said that it's, "A hell of a book. Funny and scary."
Summary:
Big Little Lies is a drama filled story with a great twist of mystery. This story bounces back and forth between interviews held by a reporter after a situation and the main storyline of three women; Madeline, Celeste, and Jane.
Madeline is struggling to cope with the fact that her ex-husband (who left her with a newborn baby fifteen years ago) now has a daughter attending the same school as Madeline and her husband Ed's youngest daughter. She is also struggling with her oldest daughter as she goes through her angsty teenager stage.
Celeste is a beautiful woman who is married with two twin boys. Her husband makes loads of money, so she doesn't need to work. Though many think she has the perfect life, she has a big secret that she is hiding.
Jane is a young mother who has recently moved to town with her son, Ziggy. Jane has a dark past and is trying to come to terms with it. But when there is a situation at orientation day, she is sent down another rough path.
My thoughts:
I thought this book was going to be a bit iffy for me, since I had heard how filled with drama it was. But I was very pleasantly surprised that when I started reading, I was drawn right into the story! This book truly hooked me in and didn't let me go until the very last page.
The organization of the story was wonderful. I loved that we picked up right in the middle of the action and then jumped back to learn how we had gotten there. I also loved the feature of the interview clips being thrown in to many of the chapters because I felt that this really helped to add depth to the story.
I really enjoyed they mystery and that the actual details of what happened were very unclear until the very end because of all the gossip that ran wild. It really had me guessing!
I found the three main characters to be very interesting! Even if I didn't like many of the things they were doing, I really felt for each of them. I think Madeline was my favorite because I found her absolutely hysterical! The relationships between each of the main characters and the other general characters were all wonderfully developed! This really helped all of the characters seem real.
There were a lot of really tough topics included here; cheating, domestic abuse, etc. But I really felt that the author handled it all so well. It was the perfect mix of humor and seriousness.
My favorite passages:
Did anyone really know their child? Your child was a little stranger, constantly changing, disappearing and reintroducing himself to you. New personality traits could appear overnight.
...and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it, but at least she could drag that monster out from under Chloe's bed and kill it with her bare hands.
She swallowed it whole and pretended it mean nothing, and therefore it had come to mean everything.
She picked up Fred's toy lightsaber from where he'd conveniently left it on the floor for someone to trip over tomorrow morning. She turned on the switch so it burned red and green and slicked it through the air like Darth Vader, taking down each of her enemies.
She swung the lightsaber so enthusiastically over her head that it clanged against the hanging light and sent it swinging back and forth. Madeline dropped the lightsaber on the couch and reached up to hold the light fixture steady. Right. No more playing with the lightsaber. She could just imagine Ed's face if she'd broken a light fixture pretending to be Darth Vader.
It occurred to her that there were so many levels of evil in the world.
My final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! Of course I thought a lot of the drama was over the top and silly, but it was so addicting. The organization of the storyline and the mystery were so wonderfully done. I gave this book five stars.
Stephen King perfectly summed up this book when he said that it's, "A hell of a book. Funny and scary."
Summary:
Big Little Lies is a drama filled story with a great twist of mystery. This story bounces back and forth between interviews held by a reporter after a situation and the main storyline of three women; Madeline, Celeste, and Jane.
Madeline is struggling to cope with the fact that her ex-husband (who left her with a newborn baby fifteen years ago) now has a daughter attending the same school as Madeline and her husband Ed's youngest daughter. She is also struggling with her oldest daughter as she goes through her angsty teenager stage.
Celeste is a beautiful woman who is married with two twin boys. Her husband makes loads of money, so she doesn't need to work. Though many think she has the perfect life, she has a big secret that she is hiding.
Jane is a young mother who has recently moved to town with her son, Ziggy. Jane has a dark past and is trying to come to terms with it. But when there is a situation at orientation day, she is sent down another rough path.
My thoughts:
I thought this book was going to be a bit iffy for me, since I had heard how filled with drama it was. But I was very pleasantly surprised that when I started reading, I was drawn right into the story! This book truly hooked me in and didn't let me go until the very last page.
The organization of the story was wonderful. I loved that we picked up right in the middle of the action and then jumped back to learn how we had gotten there. I also loved the feature of the interview clips being thrown in to many of the chapters because I felt that this really helped to add depth to the story.
I really enjoyed they mystery and that the actual details of what happened were very unclear until the very end because of all the gossip that ran wild. It really had me guessing!
I found the three main characters to be very interesting! Even if I didn't like many of the things they were doing, I really felt for each of them. I think Madeline was my favorite because I found her absolutely hysterical! The relationships between each of the main characters and the other general characters were all wonderfully developed! This really helped all of the characters seem real.
There were a lot of really tough topics included here; cheating, domestic abuse, etc. But I really felt that the author handled it all so well. It was the perfect mix of humor and seriousness.
My favorite passages:
Did anyone really know their child? Your child was a little stranger, constantly changing, disappearing and reintroducing himself to you. New personality traits could appear overnight.
...and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it, but at least she could drag that monster out from under Chloe's bed and kill it with her bare hands.
She swallowed it whole and pretended it mean nothing, and therefore it had come to mean everything.
She picked up Fred's toy lightsaber from where he'd conveniently left it on the floor for someone to trip over tomorrow morning. She turned on the switch so it burned red and green and slicked it through the air like Darth Vader, taking down each of her enemies.
She swung the lightsaber so enthusiastically over her head that it clanged against the hanging light and sent it swinging back and forth. Madeline dropped the lightsaber on the couch and reached up to hold the light fixture steady. Right. No more playing with the lightsaber. She could just imagine Ed's face if she'd broken a light fixture pretending to be Darth Vader.
It occurred to her that there were so many levels of evil in the world.
My final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! Of course I thought a lot of the drama was over the top and silly, but it was so addicting. The organization of the storyline and the mystery were so wonderfully done. I gave this book five stars.
This book was a fun read! I loved the horror vibe and the splashes of violence always totally caught me off guard. Though I do have to say I was a bit bored at times. But overall, definitely a worth-while read!
Summary:
This is a case where the book synopsis doesn't really match up with the actual story. So just a warning there.
The book begins with a tour guide leading a group up Mount Ararat. Suddenly, the mountain starts to shake; it was an avalanche. The tour guide immediately rushes to get back down the mountain to check on his family that lives near the base.
The story then jumps to a man named Aaron, who is waiting for his fiancee, Meryam, to tour a potential wedding hall. When Maryam shows up late, she announces that she had gotten a call from their friend, the tour guide of Mount Ararat that we met earlier. Turns out, that avalanche revealed a cave. This isn't just any cave though. This could be Noah's Arc.
Various teams rush to the area to be the first up the mountain. The first team that reaches the cave will have full rights over the exploration. Aaron and Meryam reach it first. When their team of scholars, archaeologists, and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover coffin. Like any good horror story, they make a very poor decision and open the coffin. It appears to hold only a misshapen cadaver... but what else did they let out when opening the coffin?
My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I liked the low-key horror vibe, and how the splashes of violence totally came out of nowhere! I thought that this really helped boost the horror factor. I thought the overall storyline was very interesting. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie! If it was done well, this could definitely be one of the scariest movies I have ever watched. Unfortunately, the book just fell a little flat for me.
The writing was well done. Though I will admit that there were many times where I just felt bored. I think part of this was due to the organization of the overlapping storylines. I enjoyed that we got to know each of the characters a little more during this overlapping... but some of their stories were just a bit dry.
I also picked up on a lot of repetition, which per usual, really irritated me. I think the point of the repetition was to show that the various characters had the same creepy feeling. But I definitely would have preferred a little differentiation.
I liked the characters, but I didn't love any of them. Of course, this could potentially be because each of the characters negative personality traits were brought into focus.
I loved that the suspense was there right up until the very end. Though I was a bit bummed to have figured out the twist before it happened. Still, it was a great twist!
My favorite passages:
…he glanced up at the mountain and felt a whisper of dread slide up his spine. Each time it dissipated before reaching his brain, the way dreams turned to mist and vanished in the first moments of wakefulness.
He could feel that everything had changed for them. The future would begin with this moment.
Hakan stepped nearer to them - nearer to the edge. Feyiz felt the urge to move away, but he also felt the orbit, magnetic lure of the fall that awaited if he stepped too close. That was always the case with danger, he’d found. His heart felt drawn to it, even as his mind made him back away
…with a smile so wide it had ripped his cheeks almost as far back as his ears. Blood painted his jaw and throat, streaks of vivid red that stood out against the white of the falling snow.
My final thoughts:
Overall, this book was just okay to me. Definitely worth reading, but I was just personally bored too often to say that I loved the book. I would re-read in the future! And like I said above, I would LOVE to see this as a movie!! I gave this book three stars (which is NOT a bad rating in my book!).
Summary:
This is a case where the book synopsis doesn't really match up with the actual story. So just a warning there.
The book begins with a tour guide leading a group up Mount Ararat. Suddenly, the mountain starts to shake; it was an avalanche. The tour guide immediately rushes to get back down the mountain to check on his family that lives near the base.
The story then jumps to a man named Aaron, who is waiting for his fiancee, Meryam, to tour a potential wedding hall. When Maryam shows up late, she announces that she had gotten a call from their friend, the tour guide of Mount Ararat that we met earlier. Turns out, that avalanche revealed a cave. This isn't just any cave though. This could be Noah's Arc.
Various teams rush to the area to be the first up the mountain. The first team that reaches the cave will have full rights over the exploration. Aaron and Meryam reach it first. When their team of scholars, archaeologists, and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover coffin. Like any good horror story, they make a very poor decision and open the coffin. It appears to hold only a misshapen cadaver... but what else did they let out when opening the coffin?
My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I liked the low-key horror vibe, and how the splashes of violence totally came out of nowhere! I thought that this really helped boost the horror factor. I thought the overall storyline was very interesting. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie! If it was done well, this could definitely be one of the scariest movies I have ever watched. Unfortunately, the book just fell a little flat for me.
The writing was well done. Though I will admit that there were many times where I just felt bored. I think part of this was due to the organization of the overlapping storylines. I enjoyed that we got to know each of the characters a little more during this overlapping... but some of their stories were just a bit dry.
I also picked up on a lot of repetition, which per usual, really irritated me. I think the point of the repetition was to show that the various characters had the same creepy feeling. But I definitely would have preferred a little differentiation.
I liked the characters, but I didn't love any of them. Of course, this could potentially be because each of the characters negative personality traits were brought into focus.
I loved that the suspense was there right up until the very end. Though I was a bit bummed to have figured out the twist before it happened. Still, it was a great twist!
My favorite passages:
…he glanced up at the mountain and felt a whisper of dread slide up his spine. Each time it dissipated before reaching his brain, the way dreams turned to mist and vanished in the first moments of wakefulness.
He could feel that everything had changed for them. The future would begin with this moment.
Hakan stepped nearer to them - nearer to the edge. Feyiz felt the urge to move away, but he also felt the orbit, magnetic lure of the fall that awaited if he stepped too close. That was always the case with danger, he’d found. His heart felt drawn to it, even as his mind made him back away
…with a smile so wide it had ripped his cheeks almost as far back as his ears. Blood painted his jaw and throat, streaks of vivid red that stood out against the white of the falling snow.
My final thoughts:
Overall, this book was just okay to me. Definitely worth reading, but I was just personally bored too often to say that I loved the book. I would re-read in the future! And like I said above, I would LOVE to see this as a movie!! I gave this book three stars (which is NOT a bad rating in my book!).
***I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways***
Oh my goodness...This book! I finished this book in just two sittings because I absolutely could not put it down! I was hooked from the very first chapter through the very last sentence. Sure, it is a bit gory and twisted and I can see where that just isn't for some people, but I thought it was fantastic. It truly scared me, which not many thriller books can do. I highly recommend this book! I don't want to give too much away, so I will just finish up by saying....Boy, am I glad that I'm finished with online dating!! :)
Oh my goodness...This book! I finished this book in just two sittings because I absolutely could not put it down! I was hooked from the very first chapter through the very last sentence. Sure, it is a bit gory and twisted and I can see where that just isn't for some people, but I thought it was fantastic. It truly scared me, which not many thriller books can do. I highly recommend this book! I don't want to give too much away, so I will just finish up by saying....Boy, am I glad that I'm finished with online dating!! :)
**I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways**
I received this book in the mail months ago. For some reason, it wound up on my shelf where it just sat getting bumped by the other books on my TBR. Today, I finally picked it up and oh my goodness. I am absolutely kicking myself for taking this long to read it!
Forgotten is about a lawyer named Emma Tupper who has recently lost her mother. When she learns that her mother had paid for her to take a trip to Africa, she decides to take a month and travel to both mourn and honor her mother. On this trip, Emma falls ill which separates her from her tour group. Then when she is recuperating in a remote village, they are hit with a devastating earthquake that leaves them cut off from all communication.
Six months later, Emma is finally able to travel back home. But unfortunately she was thought to have been killed in the earthquake, and life has moved on without her. As she struggles to get her old life back, she begins to realize that maybe her old life isn't the life that she wants to lead after all. But will she still find her happily ever after?
I can't say that I have been really hooked into a story by very many prologues, but that is certainly the case here! I could not put this book down once I began reading! I absolutely loved that the prologue fully set the scene before we dove into the action of Emma returning home. From there, the storyline flowed wonderfully. I really enjoyed that we stayed in the present but got a few flashbacks to her time in Africa every now and again. The pacing was perfect; nothing dragged on and nothing felt rushed to me.
I really enjoyed seeing how Emma handled getting her life back on track. The whole plot about her trying to figure out a crime was so interesting! I also really appreciated that while a few people were telling her that she could totally start over, that she didn't want to do that. She wanted to take what worked in her "old life" and change what wasn't working or what she didn't like to create the life she really wanted.
The three main characters we so lovable, as were a few of the side characters. I really enjoyed all of their relationships with one another! Emma and Stephanie's friendship was especially wonderful. Of course there were a couple characters that I disliked and therefor did not like the way they treated Emma, but these rotten characters certainly added to the drama of the story. But whether I liked the characters or not, each and every one of them seemed so real.
The romance between Emma and Dominique was the type of cutesy romance that I really enjoy. Though I will say that at times I wanted to scream at the two characters to just TALK to each other! But I liked that it was drawn out and a bit dramatic because it made perfect sense when considering the situations they were both still working through.
I also have to say that I adored that when Emma and Dominique first meet, Emma takes a very hard tumble down a few steps, and then at the very end of the book, Dominique witnesses Emma take another spill. Perhaps I'm a bit biased since I am very clumsy myself, but I thought this was adorable and I love when romances both begin and conclude with things like this.
My favorite passages:
It's amazing, isn't it, how some things can be so different while others remain the same?
I was sitting at my desk, staring at the map of the gallery like it could provide the answer to the mystery of how the painting had been stolen. I had this sudden urge to whisper the incantation Harry Potter uses to make people appear on the Marauder's map. It left my lips almost unconsciously as I tapped the map with the tip of my pen. But of course, because I am a lawyer and now a wizard, nothing appeared.
He's here. My great, big romantic ending is standing in front of me in a tux, for God's sake. And what the hell am I wearing?
Is there a panic button I can hit? Or better yet, a button that will pause this whole scene while I figure out how I want to play it?
But no. That's no how it works in real life. How it works is I say, "Oh no."
I received this book in the mail months ago. For some reason, it wound up on my shelf where it just sat getting bumped by the other books on my TBR. Today, I finally picked it up and oh my goodness. I am absolutely kicking myself for taking this long to read it!
Forgotten is about a lawyer named Emma Tupper who has recently lost her mother. When she learns that her mother had paid for her to take a trip to Africa, she decides to take a month and travel to both mourn and honor her mother. On this trip, Emma falls ill which separates her from her tour group. Then when she is recuperating in a remote village, they are hit with a devastating earthquake that leaves them cut off from all communication.
Six months later, Emma is finally able to travel back home. But unfortunately she was thought to have been killed in the earthquake, and life has moved on without her. As she struggles to get her old life back, she begins to realize that maybe her old life isn't the life that she wants to lead after all. But will she still find her happily ever after?
I can't say that I have been really hooked into a story by very many prologues, but that is certainly the case here! I could not put this book down once I began reading! I absolutely loved that the prologue fully set the scene before we dove into the action of Emma returning home. From there, the storyline flowed wonderfully. I really enjoyed that we stayed in the present but got a few flashbacks to her time in Africa every now and again. The pacing was perfect; nothing dragged on and nothing felt rushed to me.
I really enjoyed seeing how Emma handled getting her life back on track. The whole plot about her trying to figure out a crime was so interesting! I also really appreciated that while a few people were telling her that she could totally start over, that she didn't want to do that. She wanted to take what worked in her "old life" and change what wasn't working or what she didn't like to create the life she really wanted.
The three main characters we so lovable, as were a few of the side characters. I really enjoyed all of their relationships with one another! Emma and Stephanie's friendship was especially wonderful. Of course there were a couple characters that I disliked and therefor did not like the way they treated Emma, but these rotten characters certainly added to the drama of the story. But whether I liked the characters or not, each and every one of them seemed so real.
The romance between Emma and Dominique was the type of cutesy romance that I really enjoy. Though I will say that at times I wanted to scream at the two characters to just TALK to each other! But I liked that it was drawn out and a bit dramatic because it made perfect sense when considering the situations they were both still working through.
My favorite passages:
It's amazing, isn't it, how some things can be so different while others remain the same?
I was sitting at my desk, staring at the map of the gallery like it could provide the answer to the mystery of how the painting had been stolen. I had this sudden urge to whisper the incantation Harry Potter uses to make people appear on the Marauder's map. It left my lips almost unconsciously as I tapped the map with the tip of my pen. But of course, because I am a lawyer and now a wizard, nothing appeared.
He's here. My great, big romantic ending is standing in front of me in a tux, for God's sake. And what the hell am I wearing?
Is there a panic button I can hit? Or better yet, a button that will pause this whole scene while I figure out how I want to play it?
But no. That's no how it works in real life. How it works is I say, "Oh no."