Tag: contemporary

Review: 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas

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2 a.m. at The Cat's PajamasMarie-Helene Bertino, 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas

Madeleine Altimari is a smart-mouthed, rebellious nine-year-old who also happens to be an aspiring jazz singer. Still mourning the recent death of her mother, and caring for her grief-stricken father, she doesn’t realize that on the eve of Christmas Eve she is about to have the most extraordinary day—and night—of her life. After bravely facing down mean-spirited classmates and rejection at school, Madeleine doggedly searches for Philadelphia’s legendary jazz club The Cat’s Pajamas, where she’s determined to make her on-stage debut. On the same day, her fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who’s just moved back to Philly after a divorce, is nervously looking forward to a dinner party that will reunite her with an old high school crush, afraid to hope that sparks might fly again. And across town at The Cat’s Pajamas, club owner Lorca discovers that his beloved haunt may have to close forever, unless someone can find a way to quickly raise the $30,000 that would save it.

As these three lost souls search for love, music and hope on the snow-covered streets of Philadelphia, together they will discover life’s endless possibilities over the course of one magical night. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

I think I was hoping to love this book more than I did, but I still found it pretty enjoyable. I don’t really like when a book jumps around between too many characters, because it splits my focus, and I end up not being very invested in any of the storylines. But in this case, I was immediately drawn to Lorca and the other denizens of The Cat’s Pajamas. I’m an amateur musician myself, and I always love reading about music and musicians. So I sympathized with Lorca, whose beloved jazz club is slowly dying, and the literal band of misfits he’s collected. But I wasn’t as invested in the other stories until the end, where all the characters converge on the club. I did get a kick out of Madeleine, whose goal of becoming a jazz singer is so precocious and bizarre, and I warmed up to Sarina as her story unfolded. The book also has a great sense of atmosphere and paints a vivid picture of contemporary Philadelphia. Some people may find the novel too whimsical, but I liked it overall, even though it didn’t completely grab me.

Review: Neanderthal Seeks Human

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Neanderthal Seeks HumanPenny Reid, Neanderthal Seeks Human

There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris: 1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and 3) She doesn’t know how to knit.

After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can’t help wondering what new torment fate has in store. To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan- aka Sir McHotpants- witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can’t afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn- the focus of her slightly, albeit harmless, stalkerish tendencies- to make her an offer she can’t refuse. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

I downloaded this e-book for free, and honestly, that’s the only good thing I can say about it. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a heroine whom I’ve despised more than Janie Morris. The novel would have you believe that Janie is very book-smart, although her nerves get the best of her in social situations. In fact, however, there is absolutely no evidence of her alleged intelligence, and her “nervousness” is so over-the-top as to be completely ridiculous. She literally cannot form complete sentences when speaking to a man she finds attractive. She also somehow fails to notice that her crush Quinn, whom she believes is a lowly security guard, is actually the owner of the company where she works. The reader, of course, has noticed it by approximately chapter two. The book’s writing style is fairly awful as well, complete with one of the most cringe-inducing sex scenes I’ve ever encountered. I can’t even remember the main conflict of the book, to be honest…all my attention was given to my utter hatred of Janie. Like I said, the book was free, but I still wish I could get those hours of my life back.

Review: First Impressions

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First ImpressionsCharlie Lovett, First Impressions

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of A Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

I should have known better than to pick this one up. My love of Jane Austen means that I’ve read a lot of the retellings, re-imaginings, and spinoffs of her novels, and most of them have ranged from “meh” to truly awful. So I should have known that I’d dislike this book, and indeed, the writing style had turned me off by the end of the first chapter. The author unwisely makes Jane Austen a character and tries to imitate her voice, with disastrous results.

Further, the entire “past” storyline had essentially no stakes, being nothing more than an account of the friendship between Austen and an elderly clergyman. In the “present” storyline, book lover Sophie Collingwood comes across said clergyman’s name in connection with Austen and investigates a possible plagiarism scandal. Because of course Austen lovers want to read books suggesting that she didn’t actually create her own work!

Anyway, Sophie is an utter ninny caught between a Darcy and a Wickham, although they’re pretty equally insufferable! The Wickham (whose name I can’t actually remember) is supposed to be skeevy, of course, but the Darcy also exhibits some major stalker vibes. Therefore, I didn’t buy the love triangle or enjoy the romance. So for me, the book failed on basically every front. Maybe I’m being too harsh; I’d read some positive reviews of the novel, and possibly my expectations were too high. But unfortunately, this book is in my “bottom 10” for the year.

Review: Carry On

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Carry OnRainbow Rowell, Carry On

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here–it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

As you can see, I had A LOT of feelings about this book! So if you just want the short version, skip to the last paragraph!*

Fellow lovers of Rainbow Rowell will remember her novel Fangirl, in which protagonist Cath is obsessed with the Simon Snow series and is writing fanfiction about two of its principal characters, Simon and Baz. While I really liked Fangirl overall, I noted that the “excerpts” from the Simon Snow books and from Cath’s fanfic were my least favorite parts of that novel. So, I was less than enthused when I learned that Carry On would be Rowell’s own version of the Simon/Baz romance.

I had other issues with the concept of Carry On as well. In Fangirl, it’s obvious that Simon Snow is meant to be a stand-in for Harry Potter (which makes the single HP reference in Fangirl extremely jarring!), so Carry On is, in a sense, HP fanfic. That made me feel apprehensive and a little icky, like Rowell was essentially ripping off J.K. Rowling and taking advantage of the devotion of the HP fandom. I don’t attribute any malicious motives to Rowell — I’m sure she would view Carry On as more of an homage than a copy — but the world of Simon Snow is uncomfortably similar to the world of HP.

Then there’s my own stance on fanfiction, which is that I don’t really get it. Not to take away from anyone else’s pleasure in reading or writing it, but I’ve never personally been that interested in it. I do understand the desire to remain in a beloved world and explore it further, especially if the original author left certain stories hanging and you need some closure for them. But I tend to believe the author wrote the stories s/he intended to write, and it’s not my job as a reader to “fix” storylines that didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. So, to take the most relevant example, I know there’s a lot of Harry/Draco fanfic out there. But in the actual HP series, it’s obvious that Harry is heterosexual, and (spoilers) he eventually marries and procreates with Ginny. So I honestly don’t understand the impulse to pair Harry and Draco in fanfiction. I don’t mean to insult anyone who enjoys fanfic or who ships Harry/Draco, but I would not personally be interested in reading a slash fanfic about those characters — which is essentially the plot of Carry On, just with different character names.

AND YET.

I actually ended up liking Carry On a lot more than I expected to! Yes, the setting and principal characters are all very reminiscent of HP, and that still does bother me. I also wasn’t particularly invested in the monster plot and all the backstory about where the monster came from and all of that. It was predictable and rather generic for a fantasy novel. But one of Jenny’s (of Reading the End) comments really resonated with me: “I think Rainbow Rowell maybe just is not that good at plot.” YES. This is true of all her novels, which generally don’t have much plot to speak of. Where Rowell shines is her characters, who are flawed and struggling but also hopeful and determined to find a happy ending. I sympathized with Simon, who feels crushed by the weight of his “chosen” status and his inability to live up to everyone’s expectations. Penelope was a great friend, practical and loyal, even though she was a bit too Hermione-ish. And I adored Baz, as I always adore disdainful, elitist, painfully elegant antagonists who turn out to be not-so-secret heroes.

*The short version: I was nervous about Carry On, and if anyone other than Rainbow Rowell had written it, I definitely wouldn’t have read it. But I decided to trust Rowell, and I’m glad I did. For me, the positives (great characters and dialogue) outweighed the negatives (most notably, the extensive similarities to HP). If you’re on the fence about this book, I would encourage you to give it a try! And I’ll note that you definitely do NOT have to read Fangirl first, although you should read it anyway because it’s really good. 🙂

Review: Until There Was You

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Until There Was YouKristan Higgins, Until There Was You

Cordelia Osterhagen, known to everyone as Posey, is largely content with her life. She lives in a picturesque New England town near her family, with whom she is close, and owns her own architectural salvage company. She also works at her parents’ cheesy but beloved German restaurant. But Posey’s love life is somewhat less successful; she’s never managed to find a man she loves as much as she once loved Liam Murphy, the high school bad boy whom she worshiped from afar. But now Liam is back in town, a gruff widower with a teenage daughter, and Posey’s old feelings immediately resurface. However, she tries to play it cool and slowly begins to form a friendship with him. Meanwhile, Liam is constantly stressed from his efforts to protect his daughter from every possible harm, but he’s surprised by how peaceful he feels around Cordelia Osterhagen. When their relationship takes a romantic turn, will he be able to face the possibility of real commitment? And will Posey be able to stop herself from falling head-over-heels in love again?

After the mental exercise of Embassytown, I really just needed a palate cleanser, so I naturally turned to one of the Kristan Higgins romances I hadn’t read yet. It perfectly fit the bill by providing a pleasant romance with minimal angst. All the Higgins trademarks are there: a quaint New England town, a heroine with a crazy-yet-lovable family and an improbably well-paying job, and a friendly dog or two. I liked Posey, although I couldn’t help being irritated by her job — what exactly is an architectural salvager, and how does she make enough money in her tiny hometown to stay in business? It sounds like one of those fake careers that TV people have, not something that could actually enable a person in small-town New Hampshire to make a living. Liam is a perfectly fine hero, although he’s a bit too perfect for my taste (sinfully gorgeous, loves his daughter, wounded just enough to be interesting). But despite all my nitpicking, I enjoyed the book, as I always do with Higgins’ contemporary romances.

Review: The Boy Most Likely To

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Boy Most Likely To, TheHuntley Fitzpatrick, The Boy Most Likely To

Seventeen-year-old Tim Mason has always been good at three things: flirting with girls, being the life of the party, and finding where his father has hidden the liquor. Recently, however, he’s trying to turn over a new leaf, attending AA meetings and staying out of trouble. But that’s not enough for Tim’s strict father, who has given him an ultimatum: if he hasn’t proved that he can handle adult responsibilities by the time he turns 18, his family will completely cut him off financially and give his college fund to his sister. Tim doesn’t have the foggiest idea of how to live up to his father’s demands, especially when one stupid decision from his past comes back to haunt him. But helping him to figure things out are his best friend Jase and the entire Garrett family, including (especially) Jase’s older sister Alice. Alice is beautiful, smart, and tough as nails, and to Tim she’s completely irresistible. But will he find the courage to go after what he really wants, and will their fledgling romance survive all the baggage from his past?

When I read the prequel to this book, My Life Next Door, I wasn’t completely in love with it, but I remember really liking Tim and wanting to know more of his story. So this sequel was definitely up my alley, and overall I really liked it! Tim is the kind of fictional boy I always end up adoring: he’s done a ton of stupid things and sabotaged himself at every turn, but he’s got a good heart and is trying so hard. When he is confronted with one particular past mistake (I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t be more specific), he doesn’t react in the best or most selfless way, but his thoughts and feelings seem very realistic under the circumstances. As he adapts to this big change in his life, he grows and matures as a person, which is very satisfying to see. And I loved his relationship with Alice from beginning to end, especially the way their flirtatious banter masked deeper, more vulnerable feelings. There is quite a bit of angst and drama in the book, so it might be too young adult-esque for some. But I found it a compelling read and would definitely recommend it to fans of YA contemporary romance.

Review: Trouble Is a Friend of Mine

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Trouble Is a Friend of MineStephanie Tromly, Trouble Is a Friend of Mine

Zoe Webster is an utterly normal teenage girl who’s just trying to survive her parents’ divorce and her subsequent move to a small town in upstate New York. But her life is turned upside down when she meets her neighbor and classmate Digby, who’s basically the opposite of normal. He’s rude and annoying, he wears suits all the time, and he’s obsessed with the recent disappearance of a local teenage girl. Somehow he ropes Zoe, along with his former best friend Henry, into his plan to investigate the disappearance. Their research leads them to a perverted gynecologist, a drug ring, and a possible cult, as they eventually learn that the girl’s disappearance isn’t quite what it seems. Meanwhile, Zoe tries to sort through her feelings for Digby, who has involuntarily become one of her closest friends, and maybe even something more.

A lot of the hype for this book compared it to “Veronica Mars,” a TV show I really enjoyed, but unfortunately I don’t think such comparisons are particularly accurate. Yes, like VM, this book features a teen detective who solves a mystery with his friends, and there’s even a reference to the VM theme song in the book. But in my opinion, the similarities really end there; VM is much funnier and its mysteries more compelling than the events of the book. I just wasn’t engaged by the novel at all, despite the fact that there’s nothing particularly wrong with it. Maybe my issue is that the characters didn’t seem real to me. Zoe, the narrator, is essentially a blank canvas — she’s so forgettable that I had to look up her name. Digby has more personality, but since we see him through Zoe’s eyes, he remains pretty mysterious throughout the book. I didn’t get much insight into what makes him tick or why he wants to hang out with Zoe. Overall, this is not a bad book, and fans of YA mysteries might like it, but I was hoping for more.

Review: First & Then

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First & ThenEmma Mills, First & Then

Devon Tennyson is a high school senior who couldn’t be more ordinary. She’s a decent but not exceptional student; she’s an only child with a stable home life; and she has no idea what she wants to do after graduation. For now, she’s happy to ignore the future and concentrate on having fun with her best friend Cas, who she’s hoping will finally notice her as more than just a friend. But when Devon’s freshman cousin Foster moves in with her family, her life slowly begins to change. Foster is strange and socially awkward, but while Devon finds him annoying at first, she eventually becomes very protective of him. Foster also introduces Devon to star quarterback Ezra Lynley, who’s recently transferred to their high school. Ezra is handsome, popular, and a shoo-in for a football scholarship, so Devon immediately assumes he’s an arrogant jerk. But the more she gets to know Ezra, the more she realizes that her first impression may not have been justified.

I’d been dying to read this book ever since I saw it promoted as “Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights.” I think that’s a fair comparison, in the sense that if you like those two things, you’ll probably like this book as well. Devon is a refreshingly ordinary heroine, and I enjoyed her wry, self-deprecating voice. I also really loved the progression of her relationship with Foster from distant cousins to (essentially) brother and sister. The romance with Ezra was nicely developed (the slowest of slow burns), but for some reason I didn’t find it especially compelling. Maybe that’s the reason I didn’t quite fall in love with this book the way I wanted to. But I do love the fact that Devon’s relationships with Foster and Ezra also open her up to other friendships. Initially, Devon’s only friend is Cas, and she’s so invested in him that she doesn’t really pay attention to anyone else. But throughout the course of the novel, she realizes that she’s been a bit self-absorbed and makes more of an effort to reach out to other people. So overall, I’m glad this book wasn’t just about the romance, but I still wish I’d felt a little more of the connection between Devon and Ezra.

N.B. An ARC of this book was graciously provided by the publisher. Publication date is October 13, 2015.

Review: How My Summer Went Up in Flames

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How My Summer Went Up in FlamesJennifer Salvato Doktorski, How My Summer Went Up in Flames

It’s the first day of summer, but Rosie Catalano is feeling anything but excited. Her boyfriend Joey, whom she had thought was the one, recently dumped her. In retaliation, Rosie had the not-so-bright idea of burning his stuff in his driveway, which resulted in an accidental car fire — and a restraining order against her! Now Rosie is dealing with humiliation as well as heartbreak, and her parents are more than a little bit concerned. But Rosie’s next door neighbor and best friend Matty has a solution: he and his two friends, Spencer and Logan, are driving from New Jersey to Arizona, where Logan will be attending college. He invites Rosie to come along, and her parents, worried about the consequences of her remaining in town, encourage her to go. Rosie is very reluctant about the trip at first, and her quick temper results in some very uncomfortable moments, especially with the standoffish Logan. But as she and the guys travel west, stopping at various landmarks around the way, Rosie reflects on the choices she’s made in the past and learns a little bit about herself. She may even find herself getting over Joey and falling for someone new.

This book was a gift, and while I probably wouldn’t have picked it up myself, I love a good road trip story! Overall, though, this book didn’t quite meet my expectations. First of all, it’s much more a coming-of-age story than a romance. While Rosie does eventually end up with one of the guys from the road trip, it’s very unclear whom she’ll choose for most of the book. On the plus side, this means the love story wasn’t predictable; on the minus side, I had absolutely no investment in the outcome of the relationship because I didn’t know whom I was supposed to be rooting for! I also wasn’t a huge fan of Rosie as a character. She makes a lot of bad decisions in this book, especially towards the beginning, and she never really stops to think about the consequences of her actions. Maybe I’m judging her unfairly because I can’t relate to her at all, but I found her antics more annoying than adorable. And finally, I was somewhat disappointed in the road trip aspect of the story. I can’t even remember the places they visited, except they might have gone to Graceland and/or Dollywood. Overall, the book’s not a bad read, but it just didn’t do anything for me.

Review: Spinster

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SpinsterKate Bolick, Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own

In this book that’s part literary biography, part memoir, journalist Kate Bolick engages with the notion of “spinsterhood” and claims that, rather than being used pejoratively, it should be seen as a term of female autonomy and empowerment. She notes that contemporary society is full of single women (whether never-married, widowed, or divorced), but “spinsterhood” is still largely viewed as an aberration. In other words, as she states in the first sentence of Chapter 1, “Whom to marry, and when it will happen — these two questions define every woman’s existence…” Bolick talks about her own life as a 40-something, never-married woman and how she was inspired to find her own path by the lives of five literary women: Maeve Brennan, Neith Boyce, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Edith Wharton. She weaves the biographies of these women into her own autobiography as she explores what it means to be a spinster and concludes that it can actually be a good thing.

This book was an odd read for me; some parts of it were very interesting and thought-provoking, while others made me roll my eyes in annoyance. I think its main problem is that it’s trying to be too many different genres; I was hoping for more of a cultural study and often found Bolick’s personal reminiscences tiresome. I also struggled with her definition of spinsterhood. To me, a spinster would be a woman who remains unmarried and uncoupled throughout her life. But Bolick’s literary inspirations, all of whom she styles as “spinsters,” mostly did get married eventually. Some of the marriages were tempestuous, and some of them ended in divorce, but these women did not live their entire lives uncoupled. Bolick herself, though technically never married, talks at length about her previous and current relationships, and she has even cohabited with some of her romantic partners. So I feel like she’s not really writing from the perspective of a spinster, but rather as a woman who is in a long-term, committed relationship — married in all but name. That said, the little biographies of the five “spinsters” who inspired Bolick were interesting, and I’d like to learn more about these writers and/or read some of their works. But overall, this book disappointed me; it just wasn’t what I expected.