Tag: reviews

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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I’m back again with some new posts! I really try to keep up with this blog and I’m constantly reading. It’s just always a struggle for me to motivate myself enough to log in and post reviews (so lazy, I know!). I’m not really sure anyone checks out this site, other than my Grandma and a few people who have mentioned seeing it to me here and there. I really appreciate any one who’s looked at any of my posts since I started this a few years ago.

Hopefully one day I’ll get myself into shape and have a schedule for posting regularly. I do have lots of plans for where I’d like to go with the posts and moving past just the reviews, so bear with me, we’ll get there eventually!

Anyway, back to the review! I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes really, really fast. The dynamic between Will and Lou was really interesting and Jojo Moyes definitely did a good job creating chemistry between the two characters.

I had seen the movie before reading the book (sort of my thing, isn’t it?), so I knew how their story was going to end. Sometimes I really hate knowing how a book is going to end, but I also think that you know it’s a good book when you know the ending and you’re still really hoping that something will change. I definitely felt that way about this book. I really wanted a happy ending for Will and Lou.

It’s definitely interesting to read a story about assisted suicide. I can see how it could be a touchy subject, and I understand family and friends wanting to keep their loved ones alive. I just think that if someone really wants to die, assisted suicide is probably better than them doing it themselves and their family members having to find them that way. Especially if they’re in pain or their quality of life won’t ever be the same. I’m curious what other people think about this topic. Anyone want to share their opinion in the comments?

I really, really enjoyed reading this book and seeing how Lou and Will’s personalities mixed. I think there were two books after this that focus on what Lou did after Will’s death, but I read some reviews online and it seemed like the general consensus was that people didn’t like the other books as much as the first one. I’m not sure if I’ll read those or not. At this point I probably won’t, since there are so many other books that I want to read and it sounds like they’re not great anyway. If anyone disagrees and thinks they’re worth the read, let me know! Change my mind 🙂

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

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This is maybe the first time that I actually like the movie better than the book. The movie was so much better than the book, that I almost think they had to have read it and thought “I could do this and make it better” and that’s why a movie even exists at all.

I really hate when I don’t like a book that I’m reading and I hate to be negative, but there just wasn’t anything that I really liked. I didn’t like Pat, which is maybe why it was so bad. It’s possible that if I hadn’t seen the movie and known about what had happened between him and Nikki, I’d like it more, but I really can’t decide if that matters at all.

Is Pat supposed to come off as boring? He’s so uninteresting as a person and really doesn’t seem like he has anything going on in his brain other than being with Nikki. I understand being obsessed with something and your whole life revolving around it, but I feel like I know nothing about him other than that he’s a Eagles fan and he wanted to get back together with his wife.

His dad was always super distant and I feel like that’s something that could’ve been written about and resolved rather than this weird story about a dance competition and a woman who likes him. The whole dancing part was weird in the story. In the movie it was a major plot point, but in the book it was just something he did for awhile to be able to talk to Nikki and then it was over and done with.

The ending also happened really fast. It was like they had the dance competition, he ran into his friend Danny randomly, watched the wedding video and remembered Nikki cheating, saw her with kids, and then got over it and was ready to be with Tiffany. I have a hard time believing that if he was so convinced he was supposed to be with Nikki and had to improve himself for her, that he would so easily accept that she was happy with someone else and leave her alone. I don’t buy it at all.

It was pretty disappointing to read this and not like it. I had actually read so many things about this book being great and good for someone going through a break up. I don’t think this would resolve anything for me if I was in a relationship that had just ended. I was actually really happy that I wouldn’t have to read any more of it, as harsh as that sounds. Would not recommend.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

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I’ve been on a bit of a Zac Efron kick lately and this is probably one of my favorite movies that he’s starred in, so of course I decided to read the book.

This was actually a really nice break from some of the longer, more serious books that I’ve been reading lately. I actually read the first half of this book so fast that I really delayed finishing it because I didn’t want it to be over.

It was nice how there were little differences from the movie like Logan meeting Keith at the beginning. This was actually really interesting because it set up the hatred Keith had for Logan even before he was with Beth.

The different perspectives for each chapter really worked to tell the story from all sides. When authors do this in books a small part of me always thinks about how I had professors in my writing classes say that this is lazy storytelling. I don’t really care about it though or think that it’s lazy, Game of Thrones does it and that’s one of my favorite series. It’s almost necessary sometimes and helps to bring a story together from different points of view.

The end had me freaking out. I almost cried when Zeus was in the creek. I was seriously more worried about him that anyone else, and they made it seem like Logan died too! I was actually really angry that they would do this in the book and almost put it down. Super relieved when I kept reading and found out that he had survived.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

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I’ve been reading some pretty great stories written by women lately.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch hands down has some of the best writing and storytelling that I’ve ever read. It’s so lyrical and each line felt so purposeful and important to the story.

This is such a crazy story on the surface. A woman murdering her ex-lover and her child having to deal with the consequences and ending up in so many horrible situations completely out of her control.

I thought that the mother in The Glass Castle was terrible, but this mother really takes the cake. It’s really hard to accept that redemption Astrid gives her at the end, and makes you kind of sad for her.

This book really accurately shows the different dynamics between mothers and daughters with each of the women who come into her life. Her own mother seemed to think that she owned Astrid. That she was just another one of her creations that she could shape into whatever she wanted her to be, and was shocked when Astrid ended up as someone she didn’t recognize.

Starr showed how there can be jealousy with having another woman around a man who isn’t her father. Even though Astrid was a child, she was beautiful in a way that Starr felt challenged by and she couldn’t handle it. Astrid definitely didn’t do herself any favors sleeping with Ray, so she kind of asked for the trouble in this situation.

Claire was the real loving, overbearing, needy mother that Astrid ended up having to take care of. She was so fragile, but so nice in comparison to the women that Astrid had been with before.

Rena was probably the best at helping her realize that she didn’t need to hold on to all of these experiences and people. She could let go and live her own life and do what was best for her.

I really loved the interest in art and poetry throughout the entire story. Creative people always seem like they’re the most interesting, and I’ve always been attracted to that lifestyle, even though I know I could never actually live like that.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was a fictional story. I would never wish this life on anyone and I realize that there are probably so many children who go through situations way worst than this with their actual parents and in foster homes, but I kept thinking of Astrid as this real person who was able to grow and overcome so much, which is inspiring. I’m glad that she isn’t real and didn’t have to deal with this, but these situations are real and make me sad for the children that have to go through them. I hope that they are able to find peace with their lives like she did in this story.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

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What a book. What a story.

I wish that I could meet Rex Walls. He sounded like such an interesting person. He was so smart and had such an incredible mind. His alcoholism was really sad actually and it seemed like he had some deep-rooted issues with his upbringing. In a way it kind of makes the horrible things he did forgivable, and you don’t totally hate him by the end of the story.

I did, however, hate her mother. I do have to say that it was almost like a “love to hate” her feeling though. She made terrible decisions and was completely selfish, but you could kind of understand someone having that idgaf attitude. Just maybe she shouldn’t have been a mother.

Jeannette is such a good storyteller. I seriously loved reading her words and most nights felt like I didn’t want to put it down and go to sleep.

The lifestyle that her parents had would be such an interesting way to grow up. It’s maybe not the best way to raise your family, but she’s probably a more realistic and independent person because of it. I definitely wouldn’t want to drag my kids around like that, but learning to live off of nothing and being sort of “scrappy” is something that’s always been intriguing to me.

It sounds sort of great to just be able to pick up and leave everything behind sometimes, but it’s definitely a lot harder than it seems and you’d have to be okay with the struggle. If I was on my own the whole “minimalist” lifestyle would maybe work, but I wouldn’t want to force children to struggle with me.

This is really such a great story, and I’m really glad that by the end of it all of the Walls children seemed to have found their place in the world. It’s kind of funny that most of them ended up in New York out of everywhere they’d been. I feel like New York definitely has this sort of magic to it and it’s really a good place for new beginnings. Especially if you can afford it or figure out how to, and of course the Walls children figured it out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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Took a little break from Harry Potter before coming back to read the final book, but it felt so good to come back and all I have to say is WOW. This book was seriously sooooo good.

It’s definitely the best out of all of them. Seriously there was so much action from beginning to end, I’m not surprised at all that they decided to break it up into two movies.

I am so sad that so many characters had to die in the end. It was hard to read about the deaths of so many of them.

I really can’t believe I never read these books before now. I grew up with these books around constantly and I’m so sad that I missed out on the hype of the new books being released and the movies coming out, but I’m so glad that I’ve read them now. Better late than never, right?

Seriously this series is just so amazing and the writing is so good. Everyone should read these books. I can’t believe I’m done!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

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After reading The Order of the Phoenix, I needed a break from the Harry Potter world. Like I said, that movie was never my favorite, and the book was just as hard for me to get through. It was a good book and I did have a better appreciation for it by the end, but it is not the best one of the series.

I took a break and read a few other books, as you may know if anyone actually does follow this blog, but I’m not one to give up on something I’ve set my mind to!

I’m so glad I decided to pick the Harry Potter books up again and read the Half-Blood Prince. This book was sooooo much better than the last one. It was way more action-packed and I was excited to read it every day. I actually finished this one pretty quickly once I really got into it.

I thought it was interesting how the romantic relationships really started to develop in this book. It makes sense that as these characters get older they’ll start developing romantic feelings for each other. I actually really like Harry and Ginny together in the books. It’s funny, because I always see how people say they shouldn’t have ended up together in the movie, but with the book it totally makes sense.

The one thing that did annoy me was how obsessed Harry became with stalking Draco. Like, I know he was right, but it was just so annoying to have to get through.

I know it’s a major story line in the last book, but I wish that Dumbledore would have taught him more when they were hunting for the horcrux. He just did it all by himself and didn’t really explain it all to Harry, which wasn’t helpful at all.

I think because I knew that Dumbledore was going to die, it didn’t really upset me when it happened in the book. I’m sure it would have been shocking and upsetting for anyone who read it before the movies came out, but I was more upset about Fang being in the burning hut.

This book definitely made up for the last one, and I’m so excited to read the next one!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

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Okay, okay…I know I said I really liked the first two…but this one is my favorite out of the three BY FAR. It was so so so so good.

I LOVED that Harry finally gets to learn more about his parents. It seriously made me so happy for him to find out how similar he is to his dad. It really makes you think about the times that you have with your parents and the common interests that you have and how heartbreaking it would be to not experience those things. I seriously loved it.

There was so much more to this book than what they had in the movie. I’ve actually been watching each movie after I finish the book to compare, which has been really fun to see and to compare it to how I’m imagining things in my mind. You also catch little details in the movie that you may have missed before because you just didn’t know about it before reading the book. I really like that.

I’m so sad that it’s taken me this long to read this series. I’ve really missed out, they’re so good.

I’m also sad because I’ve seen the movies and I know how things are going to end for some of the characters. Reading about how happy Harry is when he thinks he can go live with Sirius makes me feel so bad, knowing his fate. I hate that, but I’d actually rather be prepared for it than shocked and upset when it happens in the book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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Just like the first book, I thought that this one was very similar to the movie and I really enjoyed it. I like that these books so far have been so easy to read. I get that they’re “supposed” to be children’s books, but they’re great for adults also. You just want to keep reading, it’s hard to stop. I’ve actually been staying up really late just to keep reading.

Lockhart is seriously so annoying though. If I had to pick something that I didn’t like, it would be him. He’s the worst part of the book.

I like that we’re starting to see the relationships forming between Harry and Ginny, and Ron with Hermione. I’ve always heard people talk about how if you’ve only seen the movies you won’t understand why these couples end up together, but that the books do it way better. I feel like I’m starting to see that and I’m happy about it.

I also would’ve loved to see the death day party in the movie. I think that would’ve been fun, even though it maybe isn’t essential to the story.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

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When I first started seeing trailers on TV for The Girl on the Train, I was super excited to see the movie. It reminded me a lot of Gone Girl, which I loved, so I was hoping for the same type of story. The Girl on the Train isn’t quite on the same level as Gone Girl, in my opinion, but I still really enjoyed it.

Usually when I read a book that a movie is based on, it’s because I saw the film version first and didn’t realize or have interest in reading the book before. In this case, I made the decision to wait to read the book until after I saw the movie. I feel like when I read the book after seeing the movie I fall in love with it more because it gives so many more details and insight into what is going on with the characters. In this case though, I found myself wishing I had read the book before.

I felt like the book didn’t have as big of an impact on me because I knew from the beginning how it was going to end. It was a strange feeling for me, because I often read books after seeing the movie and have not experienced this sort of thing before. I kind of think that I just wanted to experience the shock I would have felt while reading the book, and that because I already knew, it didn’t have such a big climax for me.

That’s not to say that the book wasn’t as good as the movie. I actually think that the book was better than the film version, and liked that there were some little differences between the two. The main difference was that the book took place in London, while the movie took place in New York. I thought that was an interesting change they made, and that Megan definitely seemed more like what I think of as an “American” girl. It’s possible that I just imagined her that way based on the actress that played her in the film.

I also liked that the book went into more detail about how far Rachel’s relationship with Scott went. The movie sort of hinted that this was what happened, but I really liked knowing for sure what was going on between the two of them.

Which brings me to Rachel. I really liked her, even though she is an unreliable narrator. You really want to root for her and trust that she didn’t do this to Megan, even though her pieces of memory suggest otherwise. Even when watching the movie, I never felt like she was the one who killed Megan. I actually really liked Megan too, and mostly just felt sorry for her. However, I really hated Anna throughout the whole book. Her reminiscing about being the other woman and missing that feeling of having someone want her in that way were kind of annoying. Even at the end she thought about letting Tom kill Rachel just so that she would have him to herself again, even though she knew that he had cheated on her too.

I also think that the book did a really good job of disguising Tom as the killer. Even though I knew from the movie, there were multiple times when I questioned it while reading the book and even thought that maybe they had changed the story for the film version. I had actually guessed it about half way through the movie and the book kept me questioning it right up until the end.

Even though The Girl on the Train wasn’t as crazy of a story as Gone Girl, I really enjoyed it. I liked that there were twists and that the characters all had their own interesting stories and points of view. I liked that I got to see what was going on from all sides of the story and really liked how it ended. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in these types of thriller/suspense/mystery stories.