L.R. Book Reviews

Book Reviews & possibly other book related posts.

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The Best Kind of People By Zoe Whittall

3.5 Stars

George Woodbury a well-respected man in his community Woodbridge for stopping a shooter that was inside the school he was teaching at and his daughter Sadie attended, but years later some of that community don't know what to think of him anymore. On the night of his daughter's 17th birthday, George was arrested for sexual misconduct by some girls at school. George chaperoned on a school ski trip and some of the girls are saying more has happened, but did it really or are they just trying to ruin his name because he has money?

His wife Joan who is an ER nurse is in total shock and unsure what to think or feel, mainly siding with the fact that George could never do such a thing as they have been together a long time and nothing ever seemed off about him to her. Could she be wrong? She sure hopes not but starts attending some meetings with other women who have a loved one in prison for support and in hopes that it would help her come to terms with if George did anything or not. Joan attempts to lean on her sister Clara, but she really is no help as she has told Joan several times he isn't innocent and she needs to move on without him. As for being her sister, I didn't find Clara to be very supportive, but yet at the same time, I can understand why she was being so blunt so to speak. However, I would have liked to see more support in some way since she was the sister.

The story also revolves around Andrew their gay son (which wasn't really something that was talked about by the parents, I guess in a way they choose to ignore it) who is now a lawyer in New York City. The things that George is being accused of, brought up dirt on Andrew and the coach he dated from the high school he was attending at that time. Amongst all the chaos going on, someone from the past shows up at Andrews door with a number to call. Out of curiosity, he calls the number and it changes everything from that point on. Will it break the family more or will it mend everything for them?

Sadie their daughter doesn't know if she should believe what is being said about her dad or if she should just claim it as a prank by some teenage girls that had nothing better to do. In the process of dealing with this mess, she loses her best friend for the most part because her best friends sister is claiming George did something to her so now her family doesn't want her around the Woodbury's. Sadie refuses to see her father in prison for reasons of her own, she ends up moving in with her boyfriend and his family cause she doesn't want to have to deal with any press or things going on at home. In the process of staying with her boyfriend, she develops feelings for the mother's boyfriend Kevin and ends up breaking up with her boyfriend. During all this, she experimented with drugs and started hanging out with the wrong people and her boyfriend tried to warn her, but she didn't seem to want to listen.

Most of the story seems to revolve around Sadie for the most part, which I am not sure why it revolved more around her. I think I would have addressed the fact that the parents didn't seem to have anything to say about their son being gay or the fact of when it came up about his relationship with the Coach came out, I think as a mother I would at least like to know why I wasn't informed about it till it was news to everyone. Overall the story itself is on the verge of truth for things happening all over the world, which is great that this was brought up in a book. My opinion would have been to focus more of the attention overall to everyone and not just mostly Sadie. There were moments where there may have been too much detail, wondering why something even mattered to put in the story or just dull moments but for the most part, the book read smoothly, made sense in most parts and could possibly lead to a book two.

Would like to say thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Zoe Whittall for giving me the chance to read this book and do an honest review! Ms.Wittall I look forward to reading more of your books in the future. As always thanks to everyone that reads my reviews!

©LR 

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The Marriage Pact By Michelle Richmond

I would like to thank NetGalley, Michelle Richmond, and the publisher for the chance to review this book. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I first started this book as to me it was a bit slow going but eventually picked up the pace and left me questioning the characters of the story on who might have done what. The only thing I really didn't like was that it seemed to start out a little too slow and at times I felt like maybe there was a bit too much detail going on. Another thing that kind of got to me is Jake and Alice are both supposed to be intelligent people but really I guess you can say they lack common sense, which you will understand what I mean as you read the rest of this review.

Newlywed's Jake (psychiatrist) and Alice (lawyer) sign a contract for The Pact without reading the fine print so to speak, but they both feel like they can use the support for their marriage as they both want it to last forever. The Pact believes in supporting one another, keeping the marriage intact and happy. Of course, everything sounds like a good idea till they realize that like a marriage you can't ever leave The Pact and some of the rules are just a bit too much, while other ones make sense. Once every quarter you need to take a vacation, every month you need to get each other a thoughtful gift, must answer all calls from one another, attend these lavish parties getting to know the other members and oh surprise weigh-ins. If it seems like you are putting work before your spouse you get stuck wearing some device that they monitor to make sure you are putting more effort into your marriage. Also NEVER mention The Pact to anyone.

What Jake and Alice thought was going to be the "perfect" marriage turns into a nightmare they want to escape, but have no way to. When rules aren't followed things take a darker turn and of course there is some twists along the way that are thought-provoking. Jake and Alice just want out but is there really a way out or will they end up just disappearing as well.

©Liz R

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Mean Little People By Paige Dearth

Received a copy of Mean Little People by Paige Dearth for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you for giving me the chance to review! You will need to have an open mind while reading this book. However, if you are not one to read books with rape, bad language, detailed violence or emotional and physical abuse, this book clearly is not for you. For me this book had its moments of not wanting to put it down, to have to put it down because it was a bit too much at times and wanting to violently shake some of the characters because they were nothing but full of pure hate and selfishness. Overall, I would recommend this book as it gives you glimpses of real life, also for people who have been through similar things, it can help make them feel like they are not alone as they often do after they have been violated by people they were taught to trust. I will be considering other books by Paige as well as her writing style to me is unique.

The book follows Tony Bruno from the age of 7 through his early adulthood with many obstacles and often not thought out decisions he has made along the way. Tony had to put up with his father’s excessive drinking and watch his mother get abused by him and often he went after Tony as well. His mom would always tell him to try and keep his dad happy as they didn’t really have a choice to go anywhere. At school, he had to deal with being bullied by Vincent and his friends, first, it was just verbal, but now physical attacks were happening.

Vincent and Tony learned that they had similar home lives and bonded after Tony kicked his ass one day. From then on Vincent and Tony were inseparable. At the start of 8th grade, the boys met a new friend named Salvatore, only come to find out that Salvatore is the son of Johnny Morano the godfather of the Italian mob. Tony ended up in Juvenile Detention Center for a crime he didn’t commit and only ended up dealing with more abuse including rape from the officers who worked there. At 13 after not being charged with the crime and let free, he was now homeless and broke with nowhere to go.

Eventually Tony found a job at the bakery close to where he was staying in an empty building working for Donata. Things were finally looking up for him and he learned how it felt to feel accepted for who he was by Donata and her granddaughter Ruth. After being kicked out of the building he was staying in by the police, Tony had nowhere to go again and had to make a choice he eventually grew to hate, by being part of a gang called the Slayers. Tony did things he often hated for the Slayers as he needed a place to stay, he felt he had no other choice other than to end up dead. Tony meets a girl named Kate who he fell in love with. The more time they spend together, he wonders how he ever got so lucky to have a woman love him for him, help with the nightmares that he has from Juvie and help him make love to her. Tony had never felt this good in life and he realized that to move forward with his life with her, he needed to find a way out of the Slayers because if they found out about Kate that would be the end of them both.

Tony talked to Salvatore and told him there had to be a way out. There was of course even though Mr. Morano didn’t like dealing with gangs, they raided the Slayers one night and brought Tony back with them. The stipulation to getting Tony out of that mess was he now worked for the mob, but Tony was ok with that because now Kate and he could be together “till the end”. Will Tony finally have his happy ever after or will there be more problems along the way to make sure Tony pays the price for his choices? Will Tony’s mom ever leave his father to make a better life for her or will Tony have to put him in his place?

©Liz R

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The Break Down By B.A. Paris

The Break Down by B.A. Paris

I was gifted The Break Down by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity as I read "The Break Down" and loved the style of writing that B.A. Paris does, so I was super excited to receive this in the mail. I am behind in reviews and reading but I get to them as quick as I can, so again I am sorry it's late!

The book starts out with Cass driving in a storm on the way home to her house through the wooded area after promising Mathew her husband that she wouldn't take that way as it can be dangerous during storms but at last minute she decided to. On the side of the road through the area was another car and she noticed a woman just sitting in the car, Cass didn't know whether to get out and help the woman or if the woman had help on the way, so she sat in her car for a few minutes waiting to see if the woman would flash her lights or get out and walk to her car but nothing happened so Cass assumed the woman had help on the way. The next day Cass was devastated to learn that the woman in the car had been murdered and even more so when she realized it was Jane, a woman she had lunch with a week before.

Cass started forgetting things that she never thought she would forget like a birthday gift, where she put the money for the gift, appointments with friends, her husband leaving for work and then as time went on things like how to work the microwave and coffee pot. She thought she was becoming like her mother who died at an early age from dementia and she was terrified the same would happen to her. Phone calls start coming in every day and the caller would say nothing, she couldn't even hear the person breathing and she assumed it was the killer and he saw her that night on the road and wanted to make sure Cass knew that she was seen that night. Everything started spiraling out of control and she went to see a doctor who gave her meds telling her it was just depression from everything she had been through in the last year with her mother dying and teaching.

Cass was sort of confiding in John another teacher from the school she worked at and knew that he adored her but she felt comfortable around him till he randomly started showing up the same places she was at. Cass started to get suspicious of John and no longer felt safe around him wondering could he have possibly done it or be making the calls to scare her. She also confides in her best friend someone who has been there for her since before her mother died. Her friend keeps telling her that there is nothing wrong with her and that it's just anxiety because of everything she has been going through and how the murder happened so close to her house. She keeps reassuring Cass that she isn't losing her mind no matter how much Cass tells her she is. Mathew tries to be supportive during all this but he seems to have had it with Cass seeing things that aren't there as well and Cass wonders the fate of their relationship. Will Cass get down to the bottom of things before it's too late? Will she find out who the unknown caller is? Could it be the new guy that just moved in down the road or is she really the one that did the killing?

From the start of this book till the end it was full of twists that kept me interested and had me guessing who might have done it but I was always wrong. The ending made sense after all but I feel that it was cut short, but it was an excellent read full of surprises. Even when I was not able to read the book I still thought about it, thinking to myself about what I have read so far to figure out who did what and what was their motivation for killing Jane, along with who was possibly placing the calls to Cass to scare her. Honestly an intriguing read! Thank you B.A. Paris for another great read and St. Martin's Press for the book!

L.R.

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Raven Song By I.A. Ashcroft

Raven Song by I.A. Ashcroft

I was gifted this book through Netgalley.com for an honest review awhile ago. I am a bit behind but trying to catch up on all those that have offered a free book for a review.

When I first read the description of this book I was intrigued and so grateful this was provided to me free for a review. The cover of the book also caught my attention and I had never heard of the author so it was a bonus for me to get to read an author I had never heard of before. In my opinion, this book is well worth the read if you enjoy sci-fi & Dystopian.

Raven Song is a well-written book with a very engaging plot. The story is about two main characters named Jackson and Anna. He has powers that allow him to see the Ravens during his dreams and hallucinations. Jackson works as a smuggler which he took over after his father had passed away. Instead of laying off people which he really didn't want to do, he decided to take on a government contract that leads him to New York City wasteland. Jackson crosses paths with Anna that has really no idea what is going on because the last she remembered was that she was at work and now Jackson finds her and awakens her in a box 100 years later. Fearing that she is going crazy Jackson tries to help her make sense of it all and they end up building a relationship even though some feel they shouldn't. Her immunity to radiation makes her a target for the government and fleeing is their only choice of survival but it's a hard journey together trying to figure out who they can trust and can't trust.

Even though it may seem like a slow start it is well worth the read as the Author does a wonderful job in keeping you interested in the story. I honestly can't wait for the rest of the series! The twists and turns in this book get you really thinking and feeling what the characters are feeling along the way.

©L.R.

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Eminem Angry Blonde

4 out of 5 stars Angry Blonde by Eminem I bought this book to review before giving it to my nephew as he is a fan of Eminem and yes I am as well, but more so from his album Relapse on up. Not saying I don't like some of his older music but I prefer from then on up. He came from nothing and made his love of rhyming into something that a lot of people love. Yeah, he raps about hating women, killing and so forth but those are mostly his lyrics he has written. Is there truth to them? I am sure there is some truth to them but for the most part, I honestly think that it's just what sounded good to him to make it flow! Would I recommend this to someone under 15, probably not unless your child is mature enough to realize right from wrong and has common sense enough to at least skip the bad words if he/she will be singing them out loud. Honestly, it's up to the parents and I recommend that they read it first to determine if they should let their kid(s) read it. Now I will admit there is a lot of swearing in this book because it's actual lyrics to his songs but if you listen to Eminem you know there is swearing so how could you expect less in this book. Before some of the lyrics in this book he will give you a little bit about how he came up with the song which is actually helpful and I wish more music artists did this sort of thing so you can take a glimpse into the life of them and have a feel of where they are coming from with their songs. Overall the book was decent especially if you are one of those people that love reading the lyrics to songs and getting a little bit of insight on the song itself. ©LR

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The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

This book is amazing! It gets you thinking, it's an interesting read and can keep you entertained I feel. Others may feel differently and that is just fine. It was a little slow in some parts but I expected that. I have always had a fascination with the Holocaust since I read Anne Franks Diary way back when I was still in school.

Sage Singer is a loner that works a night job at a bakery baking for the next day's customers. She loves to bake and has found that to be her passion in life and wouldn't trade it for anything else. She attended a grief group in hopes that would help her with her mother's death. In the process, she recognized an old man that was there that would come in the bakery every day. One day they started talking and formed a friendship like she never really had before because she was able to open up to him. Sage typically hides behind the walls of her apartment because of a scar on her face that she wants no one to notice. She ends up being a mistress to a man she meets at her mothers funeral for him to tell her over and over again that he plans to leave his wife for her.

In the second part of the book, it is Sage's grandmother Minka who speaks of all the horrible things that had happened to her, her family and her friends while growing up. Minka tells in detail the beatings, the work they did and how she kept herself alive with a story she continued to write while at the concentration camps. Sage is devastated that her grandmother had gone through so much.

In the end, Sage more or less grows up and pushes Adam away and starts to fall for another man that is helping her hopefully with the prosecution to a man that was involved with war crimes against her grandmother. She really doesn't want to admit to herself that she is falling for this man as she questions herself.

All in all, I thought this was a really great book and thought provoking. I feel that Jodi Picoult really did a wonderful job doing her research before writing this book. There were times when Minka was talking where I could get a visual in my head what was going on as I read and I love when an Author can do that for me. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about the Holocaust, enjoys great characters and loves a great story even when it's not a totally happy ending. ©LR

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Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories by Margaret Lucke

I finished this book awhile ago. I found it to be boring but I did learn a few things from it. It was part of my course to read this and I am sure it can be more interesting to others than it was to me.

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Great Short Short Stories: Quick Reads by Great Writers by Paul Negri (Editor), Sherwood Anderson, Thomas Hardy, Bret Harte, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jerome K. Jerome, Sarah Orne Jewett, Franz Kafka , Rudyard Kipling, Nella Larsen, D.H. Lawrence, Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, Katherine Mansfield, Guy de Maupassant, Saki, O. Henry, Luigi Pirandello, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Willa Cather, Oscar Wilde, Anton Chekhov, Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

It wasn't bad but it wasn't great. It's one of those books that just wasn’t meant for me is all. Classic short stories in this book I found to be a bit boring but other's may really like it if they are into classical reading. I gave it a 3-star rating because it wasn't horrible it's just not for me and some of the stories were interesting. ©LR

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Haunted by Willow Cross

This is the first book I have read by Willow and I loved it. I honestly believe that she is a talented writer and I do look forward to reading more books by her. It kept me entertained and also made me think back to when I was younger and encountered strange things that went on where I had grown up. It didn't take long to read but I did enjoy the book all the way to the end especially the part about the adopted ghost girl (Blue Girl) was my favorite. If you believe in ghosts or are not sure if you do I suggest reading this book and after you're done, you will probably begin to wonder if you yourself have encountered ghosts in your past. Willow's writing style honestly makes you feel like you are right there and as I have always said to me those are the best Authors. Thank you Willow for giving us all an opportunity to experience your wonderfully written ghost stories. ©LR

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Wicked Paints (Crimson Shadow 0.5) by Nathan Squiers

I absolutely loved this prequel! This is the first thing I have ever read from Mr.Nathan Squires and I will honestly say it will not be the last. I didn't want to put it down at all but unfortunately, I had to which was upsetting to me because I really could of read it all in one sitting and that is very rare for me to do. I no longer feel like I am the only one with a sick imagination which has kept me from not writing things because I honestly didn't know how people would take it. Nathan did a brilliant job in keeping me entertained and wondering what was going to happen next. As I was reading this I felt as if I was Elizabeth and any author that can make me feel like I am right there in a story is honestly the best kind of Author. Everything was amazingly detailed in this prequel and I honestly can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Crimson Shadows. This is not a story for the faint of heart so keep that in mind but I guarantee you will love it from beginning to end. Xander Stryker is going to be one of the most talked about people this year! Thanks Nathan for a terrific twisted read! ©LR

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Arizona Free By: Doug Martin

I received Arizona Free from Kanspira and was asked to write a review when I finished the book. Arizona Free is about best buds Jason and Tony looking for a way to make more money to get out of their job where they currently worked. Tony comes upon a product called DiNAmite and wants Jason to get involved. Jason is however skeptical because of the past experiences in trying to sell things with Tony but takes Tony up on his offer to go to a meeting about DiNAmite. Jason, Tony, and Cloe start making sales for the DiNAmite and later find out that it is transforming people in weird unknown ways that according to everyone else are "good" changes in the people. Jason was chosen by an Arizonan to help bring down the creators of the DiNAmite before they took over the world. All in all, I thought it was a decent read mainly for young adults. Doug Martin has a funny style of writing in this book and even as an adult it kept me reading so I feel that this book may not only be for young readers. It was entertaining and a fast pace read. ©LR

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The Story of my Life By: Helen Keller

I read this book either back in middle school or high school. I wasn't forced to read it, it was just one of those books that grabbed my attention and was willing to give it a try. Helen Keller is a remarkable woman who lost her hearing and sight at 18 months old. Even though Helen had these obstacles in her life it didn't stop her from wanting to learn about anything and everything. Miss Sullivan became her teacher and taught her many things with the first word being water. Miss Sullivan was an excellent teacher as she had lots of patience with Helen during the struggles of Helen's learning. This book is inspirational but leaves many questions you have probably unanswered. There are boring spots to this book and most of it is about the people that inspired her. I can't say this is a book for everyone but if you are interested in learning more about Helen Keller without much details of her personal life than this book might interest you just enough to be able to say you read it. ©LR

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Where the sidewalk ends Shel Silverstein

I remember reading this book when I was younger I want to say somewhere between 11-14 years old. I loved to read then just as much as I do now but wish I had the time I had back then to read now. This book was very interesting and something about the way Shel Silverstein wrote really kept my interest. It wouldn't be a disappointment to read at any age level really even though it's for younger children. I have yet to purchase this book for my daughter but will hopefully sometime soon in hopes that she enjoys it as much as I did. ©LR

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Judy Blume

I read this back in middle school and thought what a great read for girls just becoming or will becoming young women. As far as I remember there is no sex involved in this book. I think every pre teen girl would enjoy this read to some point because it's about your body changing, struggling with religion, feelings of hoping your not the last one to develop and the emotions that will come along with becoming a young woman. The author Judy Blume has a way with words that makes her characters believable. I think the main purpose of this book is that it's ok to struggle with your feelings about pretty much everything but that you are also not alone. ©LR