lil_mackie_reads

Let's talk about books! I mostly read mystery and fantasy. I'll also share my opinions on book to screen adaptations.

[lilmackiereads]

THE KISSING BOOTH (2012) BY BETH REEKLES - BOOK VS MOVIE - SPOILER FREE REVIEW

My Score Chart:

0 Stars = Hate it/ Regret reading it

1 Star = Meh, not for me

2 Stars = Ok/ neutral

3 Stars = I liked it

4 Stars = I loved it

5 Stars = One of my favorite books ever!

Overall Score: 3

This was one of my audiobook reads for February since I thought it was appropriate for approaching Valentine's Day. After watching the movie trilogy last Christmas, I wanted to see how true they were to the source material. Overall, I would give the films a 4/5 as a whole (rating them as a unit, however, I've only completed the first book so far) and I like the first movie (2018) better than the first book.

My reasoning:

Characters

I found the protagonist Rochelle "Elle" Evans likeable. She's not a total teenage Mary Sue, but she isn't perfect either. She's clumsy, naive, feisty, and can't hold her liquor which makes her an interesting person to tell the story rather than a more reserved "woe is me" or know-it-all gal. She has some trauma, but it's not the main focus of her life. She's a better friend in the book since she seems to care a lot more about her BFF's opinion of her. However, in the movie she is more self-centered which makes for more dramaaaaa and more fun to watch!

BFF Lee is so-so in the book, but my favorite character in the movie. He isn't as opinionated about Elle and Noah's relationship in the book (which is healthy). He's actually pretty nonchalant for the most part since he's more focused (as he should be) on his own love life with Rachel than he is with Elle's. The book has a bit of this creepy will-they-won't they joking side of Lee where it's unclear if he's interested in Elle since he constantly jokes about them being romantically together. The movie montages of them playing Dance Dance Revolution and other video games are cute and really gives them something to bond over since all they do in the book is swim, go to parties, and to the mall.

The book has way too many side characters! I think Elle has nearly a dozen female "friends" where the movie condenses these girls into the OMGs (Olivia, Mia, and Gwenyth). There's also a lot of the subplots with the six or so male side characters that are interested in Elle which were mostly condensed into the movie version of Dixon. I think that combining these characters together gave more in-depth characters that you can remember instead of dozens of forgettable, one-note characters.

Noah Flynn, our main love interest and older brother of Lee, is a pain in my ass and I was constantly rolling my eyes when listening to Elle gush about him in the book. Unfortunately for me, I am not immune to the movie version of him because, um hellooooo it's Jacob Elordi. Name one (straight or bi) woman immune to his charm. I'll wait.

I really am just a sucker for a pretty face even when Noah's personality is a total controlling, hotheaded jackass.

Plot

I really like that Elle and Lee are basically "twins" with the same birthday! Their relationship is a lot of fun and better than what I thought it would be on first watch since I definitely thought it was going to turn out to be a love triangle between the three of them which would have been gross. They truly seem like brother and sister, and their bond is so sweet! Joey King and Joel Courtney (cute, their names are only one letter off) have a lot of platonic chemistry and I liked watching them bounce off of each other!

I have no idea why a school would even allow a kissing booth so that's huge plot hole. So much could go wrong with underage people running the booth and consent laws but whatever.

I don't like the makeout spots in the book, but in the movie they are truly magical!

His shoulders and jawline make me WEAK. Kissing in the rain? Oh, so a la The Notebook. Swooninggggg.

Also, I think the book versions of the characters get over their arguments too quickly while in the movie their disagreements last longer and make more sense for breaking trust again and again. I could have done without some of the parties because there were a lot, but hey, maybe I just missed out in high school since I never went to any.

I think the end is good and the movie matched it pretty well. It's bittersweet, but hey, at least no one dies in this one!

Overall, I don't think you need to watch the movie and read the book. The first audiobook was over nine hours long or you can watch all three movies with time to spare so I'd recommend that instead!

I think Noah's hair was a little bushy (but so fitting for the 2010s) and they had too much lipstick and blush on him in the first one (best hair in movie 2!), but my Melissa McCarthy verdict still stands!

[lilmackiereads]

Spoiler-Filled Review of Hooked (2021) by Emily McIntire

My Score Chart:

0 Stars = Hate it/ Regret reading it

1 Star = Meh, not for me

2 Stars = Ok/ neutral

3 Stars = I liked it

4 Stars = I loved it

5 Stars = One of my favorite books ever!

Overall Score: 3.5

If you would like to see my Spoiler-Free and shorter review, click here.

In case you didn't read the title carefully THIS REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS. (Peter Pan voice) Here we go!!!!!

I finished Hooked, my first selection of Emily McIntire’s Never After series, since Peter Pan (1953) is my one of my favorite Disney movies (along with Aladdin (1992) and The Little Mermaid (1989) which I will hopefully read soon as Twisted (2023) and Hexed (2024), thanks to my lovely coworker, Brittany!)

To begin with what you should not do, I am going to judge a book by its cover. Both the original cover and the special edition cover are well done. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow the special edition with shiny foil Big Ben detail. My favorite part of this wrap is the Darling painted on the side. The original cover with the shattered pocket watch and the lipstick is good, too, but I think the hardcover special edition is more timeless and is a better reflection of the original story by J.M. Barrie.

My favorite books are always written in first person, and this one jumps between James’s (Hook) and Wendy’s perspectives. I think it is really sad that James was abused by his mob boss uncle, Croc, and I think the opening scene of him murdering Croc is very strong. McIntire incorporated the pocket watch as his trauma in correlation to his uncle/ crocodile and it was well done and made sense as to his violent tendencies. Hook's parents also dying in a tragic plane "accident" that was organized by Peter was a unique twist as to why he hates Peter.

The decision to change the ages and relationships of the original characters was interesting, but hard to wrap my head around at first.

James as a mid to late twenties (I think he was 26???) while Peter is in his late forties was a choice that I have never encountered before. I would have liked them closer to the same age, but I understand that she made Peter older so he could be Wendy's father. It gave me the ick at first, but I got used to it, especially since that made James the new love interest instead of Peter. Enemies to lovers, anyone?

While James remained British, Wendy and John became American in this adaptation which I don't have an opinion about. It was unclear if Peter was also American, but it doesn't really make a difference to the story anyways. I missed baby brother, Michael, being part of the story, since Wendy and John's last name changed from "Darling" to "Michaels," but I thought that was a nice way to still honor the character. I did see John and James being half-brothers from a mile away since they are described similar physically (which, side note, ew, Wendy why are you attracted to someone who looks like your brother???). James and John share a dad, but I swear for a while I was like do they have the same mom? YA NASTY. It's ok, it worked out... kinda.

I was most appreciative of the inclusion of Rufio since he is one of my favorite characters in the Pan verse making his debut in Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991). I was sad but not surprised since his death in both the book and movie versions led to huge emotional changes for Peter and James. I like that the Lost Boys work for James and Rufio instead of Peter in this version and that McIntire kept Ru's wild red hair.

I think it makes sense for James's character to have a motley crew of people closer to his age working for him at The Jolly Roger (love the Easter egg of his ship's name and The Lagoon, too!), but I would have liked to see more of Peter's crew other than Tink -> "Tina" Bell (not to be confused with the deceased musician with the same name). It TOTALLY made sense as a modern adaptation that Tina was really quiet, hated Wendy, and was a major drug addict addicted to "pixie dust" with aggressive tendencies. Their fight (and Tina's death) was a bad-ass scene and my favorite moment of Wendy's growth!

My favorite change was making Smee the bad guy and the secret son of Croc. I started to suspect it when Wendy and Smee were alone on the Tiger Lily yacht (another lovely Easter egg) since it just seemed so... off. I don't think Wendy or James are reliable narrators, but I trust them more than Smee since Smee has a history of ass-kissing Hook and stealing from him when he's not paying attention (ex: the 1991 version with Dustin Hoffman as Hook and this gif from 1953.)

Of the central characters, James was my favorite, but that wasn’t a surprise because he is always my favorite in every version (have you seen him in Once Upon a Time (2011-2018)? He is so gorgeous. I think Captain Killian “Hook” Jones (played by Colin O'Donoghue) might have inspired some of the changes McIntire made considering he hot, young(er) and has short hair instead of the traditional poodle wig. Plus, he's definitely more of a hero in ONCE's depiction and in-between in McIntire's.

I do NOT like that James didn't have a hook. YES, read that again, NO HOOK. Instead, he had a knife that had a hook shape. Kind of lame... until he used it to kill that guy in the coffee shop that was rude to Wendy. Harsh but way hot. I said what I said. When I told my fiancé that James didn't have a hook, he was shocked and said McIntire should have made him a veteran with one hand who has "toy" extensions for the other hand.

I know this book is well liked because of the smut, but the smut to plot ratio was a little high for my taste. Also, a lot of the sexual acts were redundant with the choking, missionary and oral getting boring to read. I think James has more moves than that (at least in my fantasies!) Not to kink shame, but when he squirted on her face... and she liked it.... that's just not for me. It was kind of cute that they had kids at the end though.

Do you have a favorite Captain Hook? Jason Isaacs is mine. Damn, he’s so sexy. WHAT THAT (DOUBLE) HOOK DO, BOO? Definitely making daddy issues for me since his Peter Pan came out in 2003… when I was six. I definitely used a combo of him and Colin O'Donoghue as a physical reference for James in this book since I struggle with imagining characters in my mind.

I liked Wendy more as the story went on, but she wasn’t my favorite character. She played a damsel in distress for most of the book where I would have liked to see her stronger and more interesting than a rich Mary Sue. While this is resolved in the climax with the death of Peter and Smee, it is so short lived that I think the book maybe should have been a little longer or had her growth start a little sooner. Wendy’s “friends” remind me of the mermaids, haha. I like the continued references to Moira and Angela. Moira deserved more time in the book; she was a baddie and was a fun new character. I liked her story arc, but I want MORE. GET HIM, HONEY!

Overall, if you’re a Peter Pan/ Disney fan I would recommend reading the book. If not, it might be hard to get through. While I was reading, it definitely inspired me to start writing my own Peter Pan/ Hook retelling… we’ll see if that ever gets published or if it remains a fanfiction. However, in my story, it's a love triangle between Peter, Wendy, and Hook. Hook DOES have only one hand (extensions tbd...) and he's Peter's stepdad. Interested?

Here’s my boy, Crocodile '53. Thanks for reading my review!

[lilmackiereads]

Spoiler-Free Review of Hooked (2021) by Emily McIntire

My Score Chart:

0 Stars = Hate it/ Regret reading it

1 Star = Meh, not for me

2 Stars = Ok/ neutral

3 Stars = I liked it

4 Stars = I loved it

5 Stars = One of my favorite books ever!

Overall Score: 3.5

If you would like to see my Spoiler-Filled and more detailed review, click here.

I finished Hooked, my first selection of Emily McIntire's Never After series, since Peter Pan (1953) is my one of my favorite Disney movies (along with Aladdin (1992) and The Little Mermaid (1989) which I will hopefully read soon as Twisted (2023) and Hexed (2024), thanks to my lovely coworker, Brittany!)

To begin with what you should not do, I am going to judge a book by its cover. Both the original cover and the special edition cover are well done. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow the special edition with shiny foil Big Ben detail. My favorite part of this wrap is the Darling painted on the side. The original cover with the shattered pocket watch and the lipstick is good, too, but I think the hardcover special edition is more timeless and is a better reflection of the original story by J.M. Barrie.

My favorite books are always written in first person, and this one jumps between James's (Hook) and Wendy's perspectives. I think the prologue was very captivating as a backstory for James and giving insight into what kind of a man he is and why.

The decision to change the ages and relationships of the original characters (James, Smee, Wendy, John, Peter, Tinker "Tina" Bell, Rufio "Ru", Croc, and the Lost Boys) was interesting. I didn't like all of the changes, but some new characters were also introduced that I think added to the story for the most part (see spoiler review). I was most appreciative of the inclusion of Rufio since he is one of my favorite characters in the Pan verse making his debut in Steve Spielberg's Hook (1991). This adaptation starring Robin Williams as an adult "Peter Panning" and Dustin Hoffman as a much older Captain Hook definitely had an influence on McIntire's book as she also made Peter an adult and his relationship to Wendy is different than the original story as they are no longer romantically involved. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and honestly, I enjoy watching it more than the original Disney cartoon because it adds so much depth to Neverland and the characters as a whole. He's so iconic look at his little golden decorations of his own face. And we can't forget his red carpet that appears whenever he walks around the ship haha.

I felt so-so on the changes she made to James "Hook" Barrie. I liked the reference to the original author, but if I had written this, I would not have made the changes to his character that are so central to his physical description (see spoiler review). Of the central characters, he was my favorite, but that wasn't a surprise because he is always my favorite in every version (have you seen him in Once Upon a Time (2011-2018)? He is so gorgeous. I think Captain Killian "Hook" Jones (played by Colin O'Donoghue) might have inspired some of the changes McIntire made since he is way hot and has short hair instead of the traditional poodle wig.

I liked Wendy more as the story went on, but she wasn't my favorite character. She played a damsel in distress for most of the book where I would have liked to see her stronger. While this is resolved in the climax, it is so short lived that I think the book maybe should have been a little longer or had this growth start a little sooner. Wendy's "friends" remind me of the mermaids, haha.

I know this book is well liked because of the smut, but the smut to plot ratio was a little high for my taste. Also, a lot of the sexual acts were redundant. I think James has more moves than that (at least in my fantasies!) Jason Isaacs is still my favorite. Damn, he's so sexy. WHAT THAT (DOUBLE) HOOK DO, BOO? Definitely making daddy issues for me since his Peter Pan came out in 2003... when I was six.

I like the references made to the Neverland, the Mermaid Lagoon and the Jolly Roger as well as to the native American princess, Tiger Lily. The change of "pixie dust" helped push the plot forward, but I would have liked a few more scenes with Tina/ Tink and Peter. Even a chapter from their perspective would have been nice since they are a bit one note. It leaves a lot of mystery into what is really going on when they are not in a scene with Wendy or James. I liked the twist of who the real "villain" was in the last few chapters. I began to suspect it and was glad that I was right because I don't think it's been done before in any of the retellings.

Overall, if you're a Peter Pan/ Disney fan I would recommend reading the book. If not, it might be hard to get through. While I was reading, it definitely inspired me to start writing my own Peter Pan/ Hook retelling... we'll see if that ever gets published or if it remains a fanfiction. Here's my boy, Croc. Thanks for reading!

[localbookshop]

[happyheidi]

ig: bluechords

[road0flife]

[mohd-s-deactivated20191015]

Lord Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

[wovi]

*

joy sullivan

[academic-vampire]

𝔦𝔱’𝔰 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔞 𝔱𝔢𝔰𝔱

[petaltexturedskies]

Anaïs Nin, Mirages: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin: 1939-1947

[mournfulroses]

Sonya Vatomsky, from a poem titled "Spring Flowers," featured in Salt Is for Curing, publ. in 2015

[mournfulroses]

Mary Shelley, from her novel titled "Frankenstein," originally published in 1818

[decomposedmaw]

In the afternoon

Phone Wallpaper | Art Print

[lilmackiereads]

Winter Solstice (2000) by Rosamunde Pilcher -- Spoiler-Filled Review

My Score Chart:

0 Stars = Hate it/ Regret reading it

1 Star = Meh, not for me

2 Stars = Ok/ neutral

3 Stars = I liked it

4 Stars = I loved it

5 Stars = One of my favorite books ever!

Overall Rating and Basic Summary: 2.5 Stars

If you don't want a spoiler version, click here!

I found this novel in the Little Free Library and took it for a spin. From the cover and title, I thought it was going to be a story about witches celebrating Yuletide, however, it ended up being a bittersweet drama taking place during Christmas in Scotland where a group of five people with tragic backstories bunk together. I finished it in three days while I was sick with a cold, but if I hadn't been home sick it probably would have taken me longer since there were a lot of redundant bits of repeating plot and dialogue every time a new character was introduced (which was often!) This book would have been better at about 300 pages total since the inciting incident of Oscar's family dying in a car crash is nearly 100 pages in. There seems like there is a lot of dead air between plot points as the characters are brought into each other's lives through very loose family relations and persnickety. I kept waiting for something to happen and would have to speed read at parts since it was going so slow.

Even though this had nothing to do with witches, I did appreciate that they explained the difference between Yule, Christmas, and Winter Solstice especially since this is a very Christian-coded book! I also agree that Jesus (if you believe in him) was born in the spring and that the original Christians and Catholics stole a lot of Yuletide practices (decorating a tree indoors, gift exchange, mistletoe, caroling, bonfire/ Yule log, worshiping the moon and change of seasons, etc.) since they were trying to eradicate pagan beliefs. ANYWAYS, I digress...

Something I did like was that there are a lot of character foils with different emotional and socioeconomic backgrounds. While all of the characters are ethnically Caucasian and from the U.K. and/ or the United States, there was a diverse range of different character ages and marital statuses. Singles, divorcees, widows, widowers, mistresses, and the like were all mixed together in this abode. It was very PG as not much happened between characters other than kissing or "making love" instead of using more graphic terms or smutty scenes.

My favorite characters were Carrie, her niece Lucy, and friend Rory. I couldn't stand Nicola and Gran! Carrie was my favorite character until I found out she was a mistress. If she had been unaware that she was a mistress and was tricked into dating a married man, that would have been one thing, BUT SHE ADMITS TO KNOWING THAT HE WAS MARRIED WITH KIDS. UGH. I understand that Pilcher was trying to make her more well-rounded and make her imperfect, but I feel that there were other ways to show her flaws. When she kept dreaming about her ex-lover, Andreas, I thought maybe he had died in a skiing accident because she works at the lodge in Austria. I was so disappointed when this cheating part was added in, ESPECIALLY when Pilcher tries to set her up with Sam, A MAN WHO IS GETTING DIVORCED BECAUSE HIS WIFE CHEATED ON HIM. So annoying. The whole thing just felt cheap and stupid. She was the most amazing aunt to Lucy and sticking up to Gran and Nicola (Lucy's mom), and I would have rather that she been a spinster or figuring out her sexuality -- a LGBTQIA storyline would have been way more interesting and progressive, especially in 2000 -- than this crappy storyline.

Lucy and Rory were sweetie-pies, and I have no complaints about either of them. At first I thought that Pilcher was trying to set them up romantically, but I think Rory sees her more as a little sister. It was hard to tell though because in Lucy's diary she talks about Rory as a "best friend," and "older brother," but then she will contradict herself and gush about him. Someone has a little crush. Ooooohhoooo.

The rest of the characters, including, but not limited to, Elfrida, Oscar, Sam, Major Billicliffe, Arthur, Mrs. Snead, Peter, Tabitha (and more) were ok. I didn't dislike them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hang out with them, either.

My main issue with the relationship between Elfrida and Oscar wasn't that they met when he was married and that they had a spark. I feel like that is very reflective of real life, especially for people who have loved and lost, as they are both in their 60s. My issue was that they got together like A WEEK OR TWO after his 12-year-old daughter and wife and dogs died in a drunk driving accident! That's insane and gross. Yeah yeah, I know some people would say "you can't choose who (or when) you fall in love." I DON'T GIVE A FUCK. That's NOT ok. Pilcher should have had the accident occur in the spring and then had them get together in the winter to give them like a six month lead up so he's not hopping into bed with another woman so fast while he's still actively grieving. I do like both Oscar and Elfrida, since they are spunky, snarky and fun, but I just hated their romantic timeline. Even their engagement at the end bothered me. It was too quick. Not even two months after their deaths. That's some bullshit.

Sam was ok. I thought he was kind of stuck up with Carrie at times and it bothered me that he fell for a woman that literally did what his wife just did to him. Like huh??? I'm so confused. Go be single you moron. Both of you! I did like that he bought her a painting at the end, since I think it's more romantic and thoughtful than the average gift, but it was a bit expensive and felt flashy like he was showing some sort of dominance or something. Idk maybe it's just me.

I would put my liking of Horace the dog in-between the two groups as he was a bit of a dummy, but I liked him more than most of the human characters. At least he wasn't problematic!

The end was a bit predictable, but full circle and a mostly "happy" ending with Osar and Elfrida getting to take care of Lucy and living in Major Billicliffe's house after his passing. I would have liked it to end after Christmas since there are still some unanswered questions. I think if it continued it probably would have ended with Sam and Carrie officially together (lame) and Elfrida and Oscar's wedding (cute, but too fast). I'm not sure if Rory and Lucy would end up together due to their age gap, but this would have been fun to explore.

Would I read this book again?

No, but it did help pass the time on a weekend at home! I would give one of Pilcher's other books a chance if one sounded interesting. On the bright side, I learned over 100 new words while reading this 500+ page book, most of them U.K. slang or phrases. Since I don't plan on rereading it, I will put it back into the Little Free Library for someone else to read.

Would I recommend it to others?

You may like this if you like Hallmark-y dramas (especially ones with lots of solemn backstory). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who are depressed around the winter holidays (even though most of the characters are also depressed, this is a story of how they "get over it" since it could send some people into a deeper depression.) Specifically, if you have trauma regarding drunk driving, marital infidelity, or fatal diseases.

[lilmackiereads]

Winter Solstice (2000) by Rosamunde Pilcher -- Spoiler Free Book Review

My Score Chart:

0 Stars = Hate it/ Regret reading it

1 Star = Meh, not for me

2 Stars = Ok/ neutral

3 Stars = I liked it

4 Stars = I loved it

5 Stars = One of my favorite books ever!

Overall Rating and Basic Summary: 2.5 Stars

I found this novel in the Little Free Library and took it for a spin. From the cover and title, I thought it was going to be a story about witches celebrating Yuletide, however, it ended up being a bittersweet drama taking place during Christmas in Scotland where a group of five people with tragic backstories bunk together. I finished it in three days while I was sick with a cold, but if I hadn't been home sick it probably would have taken me longer since there were a lot of redundant bits of repeating plot and dialogue every time a new character was introduced (which was often!) This book would have been better at about 300 pages total since the inciting incident is nearly 100 pages in and it seems like there is a lot of dead air between plot points.

Even though this had nothing to do with witches, I did appreciate that they explained the difference between Yule and Christmas especially since this is a very Christian-coded book!

Something I did like was that there are a lot of character foils with different emotional and socioeconomic backgrounds. While all of the characters are ethnically Caucasian and from the U.K. and/ or the United States, there was a diverse range of different character ages and marital statuses. Singles, divorcees, widows, widowers, mistresses, and the like were all mixed together in this abode. It was very PG as not much happened between characters other than kissing or "making love" instead of using more graphic terms or smutty scenes.

My favorite characters were Carrie, her niece Lucy, and friend Rory. I couldn't stand Nicola and Gran! However, once I learned Carrie's backstory that did bother me a bit (see my spoiler-filled review for why!) I understand that the author was trying to make her more well-rounded and make her imperfect, but I feel that there were other ways to show her flaws. Lucy and Rory were sweetie-pies, and I have no complaints about either of them. The rest of the characters, including, but not limited to, Elfrida, Oscar, Sam, Major Billicliffe, Arthur, Mrs. Snead, Peter, Tabitha (and more) were ok. I didn't dislike them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hang out with them, either. (Explanation why of the leads -- Sam, Oscar, and Elfrida in the spoiler version). I would put Horace the dog in-between the two groups as he was a bit of a dummy, but I liked him more than most of the human characters.

The end was a bit predictable, but full circle and a mostly "happy" ending. I would have liked it to end after Christmas since there are still some unanswered questions that I guess you can use your judgment to decide what happens. (My imagined endings on the spoiler version.)

Would I read this book again?

No, but it did help pass the time on a weekend at home! I would give one of Pilcher's other books a chance if one sounded interesting. On the bright side, I learned over 100 new words while reading this 500+ page book, most of them U.K. slang or phrases. Since I don't plan on rereading it, I will put it back into the Little Free Library for someone else to read.

Would I recommend it to others?

You may like this if you like Hallmark-y dramas (especially ones with lots of solemn backstory). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who are depressed around the winter holidays (even though most of the characters are also depressed, this is a story of how they "get over it" since it could send some people into a deeper depression.) Specifically, if you have trauma regarding drunk driving, marital infidelity, or fatal diseases.

[ur-daily-inspiration]

[nemfrog]

British fungi. 1886. Book cover.

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