Alice is having a terrible day. Her direct flight to Scotland turned into a 30 hour ordeal, her luggage has fallen apart, some rude man cut in front oAlice is having a terrible day. Her direct flight to Scotland turned into a 30 hour ordeal, her luggage has fallen apart, some rude man cut in front of her at the luggage counter, and if she can't find a ride, she's going to miss the literal bus. This all-woman bus tour around the UK is supposed to rejuvenate her and help her climb out of the depression hole she has been in on the ladder of sisterhood. But when she finally finds the bus, she discovers that her new sisters are all over 65, and that rude guy from the airport? He's the driver.
This was a charming jaunt around the UK with a bus full of quirky old ladies and a couple of young'ns who can't decide if they like or hate each other. I enjoyed the tour around the UK and thought we got enough detail without it feeling like a travel journal. I thought the Bridget Jones stuff felt a little dated, especially for the age of the character, but it was ultimately a tiny detail. The banter between Alice and Robbie is pretty good, but the spice in this book is low, it's basically closed door.
Overall I enjoyed this read and would pick up another book by Kat Mackenzie....more
In The Rival, Sadie and Seb have a lifelong friendship that grew a bit sour in high school, despite them always being thrown in competition together aIn The Rival, Sadie and Seb have a lifelong friendship that grew a bit sour in high school, despite them always being thrown in competition together and forced to socialize with their families. Sadie thinks she is finally rid of him when she begins her freshman year of college, but she soon finds out that she's very, very wrong.
The thing I like best about Emma Lord's books is her dialogue, which I first noticed in Tweet Cute. The banter between Sadie and Seb is great, and even the supporting cast gets a lot of good lines. The only part that falls flat for me is the "enemies/rivals to lovers" description. While Sadie certainly sees Seb as her enemy, it's obvious from their first encounter that Seb does not feel the same, even if she is determined to misread his intentions. But overall, this was a sweet and fun story that comes together in the end....more
The castle was kind of the best part of this book?
Okay, so I did like Neil, for the most part, though I thought he fell for Pen very quickly. So quickThe castle was kind of the best part of this book?
Okay, so I did like Neil, for the most part, though I thought he fell for Pen very quickly. So quickly that I wondered if the ghosts in the castle were actually influencing their feelings. But Pen herself is not particularly pleasant. She seems to blame everyone else, particularly Neil, for her own problems. And who throws a book at a colleague, particularly in a public venue? Also, how does a book give someone a scar? Was it a giant paper cut?
There were some other things that I thought weakened the story. I kept forgetting how Delila was connected to everyone, and could have probably used some more introduction to all the characters and their relationships to each other before they got dumped in the castle. And the ghost story part was aggressively fine, but the way it ended just doesn't make any sense to me. I never understood what they wanted.
I will say that the depiction of the struggles indigenous authors face felt authentic, so there's that. ...more
This was better than I expected it to be, but between the kidnapping, the wandering, and then Tarquin's efforts to basically have a ton of people arouThis was better than I expected it to be, but between the kidnapping, the wandering, and then Tarquin's efforts to basically have a ton of people around so no one things inappropriate things are happening, there's a lot going on in the book. Also, I knew where the jewel was the whole time....more
If you like beautiful descriptions of probably delicious food, you will get more enough here. That part was This book is two things: hungry and horny.
If you like beautiful descriptions of probably delicious food, you will get more enough here. That part was just fine for me. I don't care that much about reading about meals.
Now, the horniness. Theo and Kit, who haven't seen or even communicated with each other since their break-up, are quite surprised to see each other on this tour. Kit is a bit more happy about it than Theo, who generally seems like they want to crawl into a hole and hide at all times. And that was the main problem I had with this book -- Theo's point of view is so hard to read. Theo is incredibly frustrating. I can buy a lot of things about this story, like everyone is somewhere on the bi spectrum and hooking up with beautiful strangers is just *the* thing to do on vacation in Europe, but I could not buy that Theo was at all pleasant to be around. When the POV switches to Kit, it was a breath of fresh air, though then we also get him dealing with the frustration of Theo.
I was hoping this would have the magic of McQuiston's other books, but it just wasn't there for me....more
This started out a bit rough for me. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the world-building, especially how the gods and the war worked. But oncThis started out a bit rough for me. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the world-building, especially how the gods and the war worked. But once the magic letters started, I was all-in. Turns out I love a boy secretly pining after a girl who thinks they are enemies. I thought the war scenarios were well-written, and the end of the book was unexpected in several ways. I'm hoping to have a chance to pick up the second book soon!...more
I generally am a big fan of Chloe Liese's work, but I did not like this book as much as Bea's. I just felt like I didn't get to know anything about KaI generally am a big fan of Chloe Liese's work, but I did not like this book as much as Bea's. I just felt like I didn't get to know anything about Kate other than "angry a lot" before she and Chris start interacting. And then she warmed up to him a bit too quickly, I think, but part of that is that their reasons for hating each other weren't great. I think it might have been different if Kate had played a larger part in the first book. But overall I was entertained and I appreciated that there isn't a 3rd act breakup. Now I'm looking forward to Juliet's book!...more
This second book picks up right after the end of the first book, and then it's a lot of the Heirs continuing to drive the twins away and the twins tryThis second book picks up right after the end of the first book, and then it's a lot of the Heirs continuing to drive the twins away and the twins trying to get revenge on the Heirs. This series is such brain candy. It is so unserious, I think I barked out loud when one of the characters had a car called a FAERRARI. But they also dig into some complicated emotions and family situations, and they know how to end a book on a cliffhanger. I'll keep reading....more
Loading...
