the_cover_contessa's Reviews (1.75k)

Bored

I want to thank Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
When you need money, you'll go to just about any extreme to get it. That's why Natalie Hart signs up for the reality TV show, Wild Adventures. But when her sunshine is paired with grumpy Finn Marcum, she's sure she's chosen wrong. Through their adventures, they grow close, and from the forced proximity a friendship, and more, evolves. But can they ultimately win the money, and each other's hearts?
I love a good YA romance. They are clean and fun and the tension between the characters is fun to watch. I was prepared for a slow burn from this one but the love interest actually took off sooner than I thought it would. Either way it was fun to watch the two main characters have their adventures.
Natalie started off as a high maintenance girl. She fills her backpack with all types of skin care products she refuses to leave behind. And, being a drama major with the hopes of becoming an actress, she talks up the cameras a lot. At first it turned me off a bit. But then she slowly transforms into more than just what you see on the outside. She has so many nuances to her character. Hill did a great job in helping her evolve and develop. It was fun to watch her learn. Finn, on the other hand, is Mr. Grumpy, and I was not a fan of his at first. He was very standoffish and definitely erected a wall between himself and Natalie. But she slowly wears that wall away, and helps him find more of his own sunshine.
I wasn't all in for the chemistry with these two. I think this was mostly because it was told in first person from only Natalies point of view. For me, romances work so much better in dual point of view. It seemed to me the author was more interested in telling Natalie's story than Finn's but at the same time, I don't feel like I truly go to know Finn. Natalie's personality and character overshadowed him.
The plot was fun. I love a good survivor type show and this one gave me those feels. It was also nice to see the history of the Appalachian Trail worked into the story line. I enjoyed learning the tidbits the author chose to share. I don't know much about Kentucky or Tennessee so it was fun to learn that a bit. I especially liked that the author chose to incorporate Natalie's anxiety into the plot line. This is such a wide spread mental illness that so many do not even know they have. The author took good care to show the spirals that happen with anxiety and also giving the audience information on how such things can be handled: therapy, medications, meditation, etc.
I felt like the side characters were fun but would have liked to see a bit more of them. I feel like the only character I understood anything about was the female enemy. We got what she was all about right away. Overall the characters were relatable and real. I can see how people would easily see themselves in these characters.
The pacing was good with this book. I wasn't truly hooked until the romance took off, to be honest, which seemed to be about half way through the story. I enjoyed watching the banter between this unlikely couple.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was cute. This was my first Hill book and it seems her books are connected through her characters. But you can definitely read this one as a stand alone. I think readers who enjoy Lynn Painter, Kasie West, and Stephanie Perkins will enjoy books by this author.

I was totally bored. Where is the plot? There's not chemistry with the two main characters. The narrator was better with the male voices than the female voices! 
I’m not sure what book I was reading the first time I tried this one, but it was not the one I just read and loved. I’m chucking it up to the audio and disliking the narrator. 

I truly wanted to like this book. I was excited for an own voices book about a POC. And for it to be fantasy, which is one of my favorite genres. I love dark academia, as well. Unfortunately, it just did not settle well with me. I felt the language was forced more than authentic. Like it was being used because it had to be used to make a point, rather than used because that is truly how the characters spoke. I felt the book was hitting on all the stereotypes people want to get away from. The world building wasn't there at all; super important when you're writing fantasy. I feel like the author didn't do his research at all when it came to magical systems and how they might be perceived or used in a modern world. And, the elements that were used were almost directly from Harry Potter. It was unoriginal. The characters were poorly developed, as well. I had zero connection to them. I could not find empathy for them. And, most of all, it felt like it was being written by a white person who was trying their hardest to write as a Black person. What a shame as this book, having been done right, could have really been special for young Black boys and for those wanting to learn more about POC. Finally, this book could have gone through a lot more editing. I feel if it had, the above surely would have been realized and changes could have been made to make it feel more genuine. I see it slated to be a trilogy and I hope the publisher and author can see the constructive criticism in the reviews that are posted and use them to their advantage.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin RandomHouse for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review.

What I did read of this book was super cheesy and I just could not get into it. Disappointing since so many people loved this one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery books for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I like a good thriller. Ruth Ware has definitely written a few that have kept me on the edge of my seat. I was excited to jump into this one and see where it went. Clearly she knows how to keep the suspense up as evidenced in this fast paced thriller! There's a reason she is one of the psychological queens of suspense!
Five couples set out to take part in a reality show where they are challenged to show they are the perfect couple, But things go exceedingly wrong when a storm hits the island where they are located and they are left to fend for themselves without any of the staff to help them out. Now they have to fend for themselves with limited supplies and no way to potentially be saved.
This book gave me total Lord of the Flies feels. I remember reading it in school and not believing something so horrific could happen. But the truth is, it is our instincts as humans to keep ourselves alive. And in stressful situations we will do anything to survive.
Ware introduces us to characters who are each distinct and bring something interesting to the plot. She writes them so true to life, you feel easily connected and know they could for sure be real life people you might meet every day. For me, it was easy to get attached to certain characters. At the same time, I was worried to truly like any of them because I knew there would be deaths among the group. And Ware did well to keep you in the dark as to the true reality of why the couples were chosen until the last moment when all is revealed!
The narrator is Lyla, a virologist whose boyfriend is trying to break out as an actor. When presented with the opportunity to come on the show, he wants to jump at the chance. But she is skeptical, even after she meets with the producer. She doesn't have a good feeling about any of it. But she gives in and decides to let him have his time in the spotlight. During the book we get some glimpses of other characters who use the one radio left to try and contact someone for rescue. And we get a glimpse of Zana, who writes diary entries of what is happening on the island. These perspectives allow a good amount of mystery to build as each character slowly gets picked off.
I think what I liked most about this book is Ware didn't make circumstances that seemed too far out of the box to have happened. I could truly see myself reacting as the characters did in their situation. It was very true to life. 
This book delivers great tension  which kept me captivated and often on the edge of my seat. I found the first 50% to be more of a slow build as characters were established and things started to happen. Since the cast of characters was larger, it took a bit for me to sus out each one and remember who they were. Then in the second half I could not put the book down. I was thrown into the intensity of the plot and gripped by the suspense. I needed to know where it would go and how it would end. There was definitely some pulse pounding happening during many scenes. And the ending was not at all what I thought it would be!
This is my favorite book by Ware by far. If you're interested in Love Island meets Survivor, you'll love Ware's twists and turns in this action packed thriller!