genieinanovel's Reviews (752)

By the Book is supposed to be a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and I’ll be honest… I haven’t read Persuasion. So I went into this book just wanting to read a good story, and I wasn’t too disappointed. I loved the premise of the story and I did enjoy the character of Anne, as well as her friendship with Larry.

However, I didn’t find the romance aspect of the book to be very interesting. While Anne does explore a relationship with the new writer-in-residence, Rich Chasen, he is away most of the time and it isn’t anything quite serious for Anne. Not to mention that the book focuses more on Anne’s best friend’s affair than her own love life. I expected a little more tension when Anne’s ex-fiance, Adam, entered as the college’s new President, but there was very little of him throughout the story, and even when he does interact with Anne, it’s not as tense as it should be. So the lack of tension/interaction between the two made the ending seem very out of place for me.

I understand that it’s a modern retelling of a classic, but it would have been much better if there had been more pining between Anne and Adam or little tense moments, despite her dating someone else at the time.

Overall, this was a good, well written novel, but if you’re looking for more romance, you’ll be left unsatisfied.

Shattering Glass was a quick, easy read that pretty much gave you the ending right on the first page. The story shows the long build-up to the tragic end, meanwhile you get little glances at what seems to happen to Young, Rob, and Bobster after the ending of the book.

The story moved fast and you learned more about the characters through dialogue and action rather than descriptions. I can’t say I was ever attached to any of them, though I felt the most for Coop because he really struggled with his home life and wanting to get a scholarship so that he would not end up like his father. I didn’t even feel bad for Simon despite knowing that these other boys were just making a spectacle of him. Simon’s attitude really irked me throughout the book.

I was honestly a little dissatisfied with the way the book ended because there was all this build-up and the climax lasted about half a page, then the book ended. I just felt like there would be a little more to it, but I do respect the author’s way of ending things. Again, I was just hoping for more.

So, overall, this book was pretty good and I think that over time as it comes back to me I’ll appreciate it more.

The premise of this book really intrigued me because it takes place many years after a tragedy happens, following two of the survivors who lost a friend in a school shooting. There’s even a twist to it – one of them was actually home sick the day it happened and he wonders that if he’d been at school that day if he would’ve survived.

I didn’t have trouble getting into the book at first, but after a while it just kind of went flat. I kept feeling like I should’ve DNF’d the book, but I had gotten through 63% of it and figured, ‘what the hell?’ and pressed on. I wish I hadn’t. I was just happy to finish the book and that it’s over.

The only thing I liked about the book was one of the main characters – Matt. He was more complex as a character and seemed more realistic, along with his ongoing guilt of not having been at school on that fateful day all those years ago. You can see how it still affects him and I felt for him.

However, other than that aspect of the book, I just didn’t care for it. It lacked something, I just can’t put my finger on what.

It’s just disappointing because I really did want to like this one.

To put it simply, Waiting for Tom Hanks is adorable! It was like reading one of my favorite romantic-comedies; it was full of romance and fun, quirky characters with their own problematic pasts that they work through. The book is full of references to old movies and TV shows that had me feeling nostalgic the entire time, but I loved every second of it.

Annie was a very relatable character in different ways, especially her introverted nature and having that perfect image of what a romance should be in her mind. Her love of film and wanting to be a screenwriter hit close to me as well, as I have had an interest in working behind-the-scenes in film before and, well, I’m also a writer (though unpublished). Really, all of the characters were relatable on some level and I could see myself interacting with any of them in real life.

While the story had me laughing out loud at times – especially with Annie’s best friend Chloe – there was also some sadness in Annie’s life whenever she remembered her mother, who passed away while Annie was in high school. The romance between Annie and Drew had a nice build-up and I loved how they immediately got off on the wrong foot so they spent quite some time arguing – I loved their banter! Then of course we had Nick and Chloe on the side and they were fun to read as well, so I cannot wait for the next book to read Chloe’s story.

Again, the book was full of great characters, banter, and romance that just oozed sweetness! Waiting for Tom Hanks is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year!

This one got off to a slow start, but there was something about it that kept my interest going. Honestly, it was probably wondering if Edie would keep her feelings for her childhood love, Sebastian, or fall for the bad-boy Henry who seemed interested in her right from the start, despite his history with girls.

The love triangle was a bit frustrating because it was obvious that Sebastian had something for Edie, but he already had a girlfriend and she kept showing up at the most inconvenient times. To be honest though, I’m not so sure about the love triangle because I wasn’t too keen about Henry and I feel like the plot would have worked without him because of Sebastian’s girlfriend being such an obstacle.

I think what I liked most about the book was how Edie had grown in realizing how her actions affect others and whether she’s being selfish in situations or not. This went back to the situation she was in with her best friend before she moved and throughout the book she tries to make amends online and through texts, but she later realizes that she needs to see her friend face-to-face and give a heartfelt, no bullshit apology.

So, overall, I did like this book. It’s a quick and light read. However, it’s not quite up in my top favorites.

That. Was. Intense.

I think that might have been the most riveting and heartbreaking non-fiction books I have ever read, which is why it took me a while to really be able to compose a review. Since I was too young to remember this tragedy and how the media covered it, I was shocked at how much they had gotten wrong just so the story would be out there. Then of course the reading of how the victims died as well as their family responses was just… I still can’t even imagine it. I just feel so bad for anyone who’s lost someone to a tragedy like this.

Going into this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. The author covers the before, during, and after of the shooting, as well as gives us the details of the shooters themselves – going into their psyche and how they reached this sudden end of their life. Again, the media got it wrong – these two weren’t bullied at all; one was literally a psychopath and the other was depressed and looking for a way out. People wonder how they could have missed it, but the in-depth analysis of these boys shows that they fooled the system around them pretty well. It makes me even more wary of people I’ll let into my own life.

As tragic as the Columbine shooting is and as hard as it was to read about the details of it, I did find this book to be a great read. I was fascinated by the thorough investigation of Cullen’s journalism to write this book, as well as appalled over the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and how they tried to cover up the boys’ previous files so that the blame would be solely on Harris and Klebold.

As hard as it is to cope with reading Columbine due to the fact that all of this actually happened, I highly recommend it.

Against All Silence picks up with Max a year after the events in the Silence of Six. He is just finished his study-abroad semester in senior year and is at the airport ready to go home for Christmas, but his plans come to a halt when he is flagged on France’s no-fly list. He soon meets up with Penny in Berlin and the two are on a new mission to help save the internet as they know it and how information is shared. Things get even more crazy as people from Max’s past resurface… including his mother.

I was expecting a lot out of this book, considering how much I loved its predecessor, however, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a good story and there was plenty of conspiracy going on, but there was also a lot of Internet/hacker talk that got too detailed and I’d find myself kind of spacing while reading. The pacing of the story is definitely much slower than the first book, but it does have moments where it picks up.

Max and Penny’s relationship was a little ‘meh’ because they were hot and cold throughout the book, so it got a little annoying. Though honestly, I was more interested in Max reuniting with his mom and how that played out. I wasn’t disappointed there. Then I found myself missing Risse a lot – I wish she’d had a more prominent role in this book like she did the last one.

Overall, good read and great series. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing it continue if the authors chose to do so.

1985: Stori3s From SOS contains three short stories/novellas that tie in with the SOS universe. The first story is about Evan Baxter the day before the events in The Silence of Six, which gives us a little more insight to his character. I honestly wish he had an entire prequel novel devoted to him because he seems like a really great character that I’d like to read more of.

The second story, DoubleThink, follows Penny in between the events of the first book and the second book. It shows what happened after SOS and how she ended up in Germany in Against All Silence. I liked that we were able to see more of her and Risse as well as get a little more of their own backstory. However, to be honest, this was the story I actually had the least interest in, which is weird because I really like Penny in the two main novels.

The last story, 1985, is about Max Stein’s parents – Brad and Lianna. The two of them meet during a protest and become involved in a scheme to hack into Columbia University’s computer system to gain access to information on the school board members to get some leverage against the school. It was quite fun to read about Max’s parents and how they each got involved in the world of computer hacking, as well as a blast to the past reading about Brad and his roommate playing the video games of the time.

Overall, I liked these short stories, but I did feel as though Penny’s was the weaker link. I also would have liked to see more of Evan’s story prior to what we are given, as he was my favorite in this collection.

Escape From the Isle of the Lost is the fourth book in the Descendants novels series, which serves as a prelude to the final movie, Descendants 3. It shows the characters dealing with what they plan to do with the next chapter in their lives, especially since neither Mal, Evie, Jay, or Carlos had really given thought to their futures when they’d been on the Isle (though we learn in this book that Carlos is a junior, unlike his friends). Meanwhile, the VK’s try to hatch a plan to get more villain kids on the isle to apply for Auradon Prep so that they can get off the isle and have a chance to better their lives.

So I have to say off the bat, I wasn’t impressed with this book like the others. As I mentioned, this book serves more as a way to give background information to the third movie. Just as well, it includes the little Descendants: Under the Sea scene in the middle of it… which again, doesn’t serve a purpose to the overall story-line. There’s really no “meat” to the story… it’s just empty. Honestly, there wasn’t really a need for this book because it’s not like it explained all that much in the movie that we couldn’t figure out for ourselves, whereas the first book in the series, The Isle of the Lost, gives background to these characters before the first movie, and it even gives background to King Ben’s decision to bring over some villain kids to Auradon.

If there had been a different plot to this book, then it might have been worth it. But if you’re a fan of Descendants and haven’t get read this book, I’d say hold off. While there are fun little nuggets in the book, it’s really nothing that you’ll miss terribly. Of course, that decision is yours. You might find that you like the book more than I did. I just personally think it doesn’t compare to the first two in the series.

The Supervillain and Me is a playful YA novel that’s just a very fun read. The mystery behind who this new villain, Iron Phantom, is, well, that was enough for me to keep the pages turning because the clues will keep you second-guessing yourself.

Abby is a normal teenager living in a city that’s filled with crime. Her father is the mayor and her brother, unknown to anyone outside the family, is the hero Red Comet, who is often saving the day from these criminals crawling around the city. Then one day, Abby is saved from a criminal by Iron Phantom, only it seems he’s a villain; not a hero. However, as she begins to have more encounters with Iron Phantom, Abby begins to see that there might be more of a hero side to this villain than the city seems to think.

The interactions between Abby and Iron Phantom had me cracking up. They had great chemistry together and their banters always left a smile on my face. And let’s face it, I even found myself loving that dang supervillain!

The most fun part of the book though was again, trying to figure out who Iron Phantom was. There were two possibilities, and you keep getting pulled into thinking it’s one, and then suddenly you think it’s the other. It was definitely a good little mystery to solve, all while watching Abby and Iron Phantom trying to figure out what exactly is happening in their city, and who’s behind it.

Overall, I think this book is great for any audience because it’s a fun, clean story that just leaves you feeling good and satisfied at the end of it all.