genieinanovel's Reviews (752)

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but boy am I glad I decided to get this one. It was just a very nice surprise, and a well-needed distraction from real life. It was also one of those novels I had to stop reading for a day because I didn’t want it to end.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the twists – specifically Owen and Auburn’s secrets. There were a few they they each carried, but not in a deceptive way. Their secrets were more to protect their family, and each other, but of course, the truth always comes out. Though there is one secret at the very end of the book that Owen has that just made the book for me, which is how he knew who Auburn was in the first place. That whole epilogue was just… *chef’s kiss* perfect.

I loved both Auburn and Owen, and I really felt bad for their situations. Auburn had to deal with people (Lydia and Trey) controlling Auburn’s life for reasons that I will not spoil, but let me say this… I never wished more to be able to jump into a book and punch characters than I did with Lydia and Trey. Then, of course, Owen had his own family issues that he was dealing with, which just broke my heart for him and made him that much more loveable of how far he’d go to protect his own family.

The best part of the book was the incorporation of people’s confessions with art. I loved that concept and it was such a unique idea to include in a story and as a part of a character’s life. It was beautiful how this aspect tied in with the ending of the novel.

Overall, this was a wonderful read, and while it’s only my second Colleen Hoover book, it’s already my favorite by her. This one blew me away and I’d recommend it any day!

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

I had a feeling before reading this that I wasn’t going to enjoy it as much as Code of Silence, and you know what… I was right. I didn’t hate the book by any means, I just don’t think it lived up to its predecessor, mainly because it dragged on.

Back Before Dark starts off pretty fast-paced. Gordy’s kidnapping happens right at the start of the book, there’s no real buildup toward it. He’s just suddenly taken, and then the race to rescue him begins. Cooper, Hiro, and Lunk take things into their own hands again, hoping to help the police find Gordy before it’s too late. But over the span of a few days, Cooper gets restless and reckless in desperation to find his cousin.

Once again, it was fun to take the adventure with the teens to figure out who had taken Gordy and figure out this mystery. While I admired Cooper’s perseverance to find his cousin, he was also a bit out of control with his ideas, which included baiting police to search a person he suspected and breaking into another’s old house. He definitely was going off the deep end, which is plausible as Gordy is family and one of his best friends, but also… why weren’t the parents on more of a high alert when one kid was taken?

On the other hand, I loved Hiro and her not being afraid to speak her mind. She outright told Cooper he was acting crazy with his ideas, and meanwhile tried to find safer, legal ways to help with the search for Gordy. She put her amateur detective skills to use to narrow down the search, which did in fact help in the end. I just admired her character as someone so young who’s strong, smart, and determined. I loved Lunk’s involvement and wanting to be a good friend to Cooper because of how Cooper accepted him into his group, and I loved the banter with Lunk and Hiro and how their friendship developed in the story.

The main issue I had with this book was the pacing. It started off good, but I felt like the whole book just went on too long. It hit spots where I felt like those particular chapters weren’t needed, and there was a bit of repetition that just got old as I was reading.

Overall, it’s a decent middle-grade mystery novel, it just needs to be a bit shorter in my opinion.

This was such a cute middle-grade novel, and one that I’ll highly recommend to anyone looking for a heartwarming read. Elliott is the most adorable character I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a middle-grade book, and his ADHD just makes him that much more loveable.

Elliott’s narration of his tale was cute to follow. There were those moment where he went off on a tangent, but eventually circled back. He was open and honest with his feelings, and I just felt so bad for him as he worried about his incoming baby brother and trying not to disappoint his dad anymore than he had. Which, really, I thought his dad was being too hard on him… Elliott is only eleven and has ADHD for crying out loud, that’s not his fault.

“Never underestimate the power of one person believing in you.”

While I didn’t like Elliott’s dad at first, he does have a redemption arc and realizes he needs to be more understanding with Elliott, while also making sure Elliott grows up doing the right things. So by the end, they definitely have a better understanding, and even Elliott’s relationship with his step-mother is better than when the book starts out.

I also loved the friendship between Elliott and Maribel. They got off to a rocky start at first, especially when Elliott says bad things about Maribel having to live a gluten-free lifestyle. But he realizes his mistake when he learns that her celiac disease is something she can’t help, much like his ADHD is something he can’t help. Their friendship grows into one that is very sweet and what made me really wish there had been more to this book.

“I’ve decided that recipes can be a good thing. Life is confusing enough, so sometimes it’s good to get actual instructions when you can.”

Still, the story is adorable, Elliott is adorable… it’s just an adorable book and again, if you’re looking for something sweet to read, I’d say go with this book!

3.5 stars. Not as good as the first book, but the writing is still gripping. Full review to come soon :)