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krystimuggle's review
5.0
SEEKING MANSFIELD was one of my very favorite 2017 debut novels, and author Kate Watson has certainly cemented herself as one of my favorite contemporary authors with her sophomore novel SHOOT THE MOON.
This story is equal parts entertaining and moving and brought me to tears more than once! Following Tate Bertram on his journey through gambling addiction, love, and self discovery was such a lovely and heartrending experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough to fans of YA and NA contemporary literature.
Tate is such a dynamic, fun, and lovable character. It was an absolute delight to get to experience the world through his eyes. SEEKING MANSFIELD is a retelling of Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK, and Tate is Watson's re-imagined version of Tom Bertram. I fell in love with Tate in SEEKING MANSFIELD. I found him to be so much more likable than his predecessor, and I'm so glad we really got to dive into his story in SHOOT THE MOON.
I loved the pacing of this story. It moves quickly while still giving plenty of detail and fully developing Tate's character. There are also some great subplots going on throughout the story, and Watson did a brilliant job of tying it all together in the end.
There is a really sweet romance in SHOOT THE MOON, and Watson did such a brilliant job of weaving it throughout the story while not letting it overpower the plot. It was also so great to get to see Finley and Oliver (one of my OTPs) again!
What struck me most about this story is Tate's gambling addiction. The way in which the author described Tate's emotions and the very physical withdrawal symptoms he experienced felt so genuine and was clearly very well researched. It added a sense of realness and gravity to the story that lingered with me long after I closed the book.
I was so entirely enchanted by these characters, and I've now been equally enchanted by both of Watson's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and I truly cannot wait to see more from this author in the future!
This story is equal parts entertaining and moving and brought me to tears more than once! Following Tate Bertram on his journey through gambling addiction, love, and self discovery was such a lovely and heartrending experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough to fans of YA and NA contemporary literature.
Tate is such a dynamic, fun, and lovable character. It was an absolute delight to get to experience the world through his eyes. SEEKING MANSFIELD is a retelling of Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK, and Tate is Watson's re-imagined version of Tom Bertram. I fell in love with Tate in SEEKING MANSFIELD. I found him to be so much more likable than his predecessor, and I'm so glad we really got to dive into his story in SHOOT THE MOON.
I loved the pacing of this story. It moves quickly while still giving plenty of detail and fully developing Tate's character. There are also some great subplots going on throughout the story, and Watson did a brilliant job of tying it all together in the end.
There is a really sweet romance in SHOOT THE MOON, and Watson did such a brilliant job of weaving it throughout the story while not letting it overpower the plot. It was also so great to get to see Finley and Oliver (one of my OTPs) again!
What struck me most about this story is Tate's gambling addiction. The way in which the author described Tate's emotions and the very physical withdrawal symptoms he experienced felt so genuine and was clearly very well researched. It added a sense of realness and gravity to the story that lingered with me long after I closed the book.
I was so entirely enchanted by these characters, and I've now been equally enchanted by both of Watson's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and I truly cannot wait to see more from this author in the future!
fafabookcorner's review against another edition
1.0
Mini review:
DNF
I received this E-ARC via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read the previous book. I liked Seeking Mansfield and of course requested this one. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
I didn't mind it in the beginning. I felt that the author dealt with Tate's addiction very well. After some time Tate began to get on my nerves. I especially didn't like how he manipulated Finley.
This was a personal thing so I still recommend.
DNF
I received this E-ARC via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read the previous book. I liked Seeking Mansfield and of course requested this one. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
I didn't mind it in the beginning. I felt that the author dealt with Tate's addiction very well. After some time Tate began to get on my nerves. I especially didn't like how he manipulated Finley.
This was a personal thing so I still recommend.
mermaidmoonqueen's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher on Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4/5 stars. Shoot the Moon is the second book in a series, although I didn't know that when I requested it. I started looking at other reviews and saw that you don't have to read the first to read this one. And honestly, you didn't. This book gives you all the details you need to get into the story and know the characters. The first doesn't seem very interesting to me, so I probably would have given it a miss anyway, but this book really intrigued me.
Let's get into the things I really liked about this book:
1. Tate. TATE. He was such an idiot and there were so many times when I wanted to shake my kindle and shout "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Yet at the same time, I'm in love with him. He's one of my latest book boyfriends and I haven't stopped thinking of him, even after finishing this book. Tate is the epitome of a real, flawed character. He has so many good points, in that he clearly cares about people deeply, he's very smart and dedicated, and he tries so had. But he also has a serious gambling addiction, as well as many other flaws that make him so real and so lovable. I would honestly read another book that's just about Tate doing things, because I loved him so much.
2. The gambling addiction at the center of this novel. Tate is addicted to gambling, especially poker, but he doesn't think that he does. At the beginning, he runs an illegal card room, even though he supposidly has his 30 day chip from Gambler's Anonymous. This is the central plot of the novel, even though there are many other threads that really make this novel a masterpiece. I have also never read, and never even HEARD of another novel with gambling addiction at it's core. It's not something that gets explored often, and I really enjoyed learning about it. It's an addiction that's hard to recognize, which is shown in how Tate struggles to admit he has an addiction.
3. The family. Tate's family in this novel is so present and so loving: I adored it. Tate's mom has fibromyalgia, which I thought was an interesting addition because you rarely see it in novels. Even though his mom isn't in this novel too much, she feels like a real mom. Tate's brother, father, aunt and foster sister are also really vibrant and make a very interesting cast of characters that obviously care about Tate. It's a pleasant surprise since a lot of YA novels don't feature a supportive family. And since this is about addiction, the support is absolutely necessary.
4. The world. Although you're kind of dropped into this world (probably my fault for reading the second novel first...) I didn't feel like I was ever confused over who was who and what was going on. It's a contemporary novel, so there's not magic or anything, but the society in this is vibrant and I really enjoyed all the intricate pieces.
Now, with all that praise, here's what made me rate this book only a 4 stars:
1. The romance. It's very obvious that Alex and Tate are set up to be in a relationship from the very start. So I don't feel bad about spoiling it, really. That being said, I thought this was a romance that was so very forced. The two of them had an obviously very unhealthy relationship, which can be an interesting dynamic but... the way the end made it seem as if all were okay let a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, Alex needed to apologize and they needed to make peace with each other, but that didn't mean they needed to be together immediately. Both had a lot of issues they needed to work through, very big ones, and although there's about 6 months between the last chapter and the epilogue, it's still not enough time for both of them to confront their issues and become different people. They're also definitely not ready to be in a relationship. And honestly, how hard is it to communicate that sort of thing??? That and the way Alex could barely apologize shows that this relationship would not last, because they CAN'T communicate. It just left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt that the novel would have been fantastic without the epilogue to ruin it. Focus instead on the people themselves getting better, instead of the romance.
2. Alex. I HATED her character. All her problems, she caused because she couldn't communicate. I think this plot device is infuriating, but Alex seemed to be the only character that actually had this problem, which is what made me really dislike her. Yes, there were secrets being kept from her, yes she wasn't being treated poorly, but she didn't help the situation by not communicating to ANYONE, especially the people who clearly cared about her. I hated her character so much that it's literally enough for me to knock off a star JUST FOR HER.
Overall, I thought this book was a very interesting premise, one that I hadn't ever seen before, and which really intrigued me. In the end, both the premise and the main character met their end of the bargain, it was just a couple major things that kept me from loving this book as much as I wanted to.
4/5 stars. Shoot the Moon is the second book in a series, although I didn't know that when I requested it. I started looking at other reviews and saw that you don't have to read the first to read this one. And honestly, you didn't. This book gives you all the details you need to get into the story and know the characters. The first doesn't seem very interesting to me, so I probably would have given it a miss anyway, but this book really intrigued me.
Let's get into the things I really liked about this book:
1. Tate. TATE. He was such an idiot and there were so many times when I wanted to shake my kindle and shout "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Yet at the same time, I'm in love with him. He's one of my latest book boyfriends and I haven't stopped thinking of him, even after finishing this book. Tate is the epitome of a real, flawed character. He has so many good points, in that he clearly cares about people deeply, he's very smart and dedicated, and he tries so had. But he also has a serious gambling addiction, as well as many other flaws that make him so real and so lovable. I would honestly read another book that's just about Tate doing things, because I loved him so much.
2. The gambling addiction at the center of this novel. Tate is addicted to gambling, especially poker, but he doesn't think that he does. At the beginning, he runs an illegal card room, even though he supposidly has his 30 day chip from Gambler's Anonymous. This is the central plot of the novel, even though there are many other threads that really make this novel a masterpiece. I have also never read, and never even HEARD of another novel with gambling addiction at it's core. It's not something that gets explored often, and I really enjoyed learning about it. It's an addiction that's hard to recognize, which is shown in how Tate struggles to admit he has an addiction.
3. The family. Tate's family in this novel is so present and so loving: I adored it. Tate's mom has fibromyalgia, which I thought was an interesting addition because you rarely see it in novels. Even though his mom isn't in this novel too much, she feels like a real mom. Tate's brother, father, aunt and foster sister are also really vibrant and make a very interesting cast of characters that obviously care about Tate. It's a pleasant surprise since a lot of YA novels don't feature a supportive family. And since this is about addiction, the support is absolutely necessary.
4. The world. Although you're kind of dropped into this world (probably my fault for reading the second novel first...) I didn't feel like I was ever confused over who was who and what was going on. It's a contemporary novel, so there's not magic or anything, but the society in this is vibrant and I really enjoyed all the intricate pieces.
Now, with all that praise, here's what made me rate this book only a 4 stars:
1. The romance. It's very obvious that Alex and Tate are set up to be in a relationship from the very start. So I don't feel bad about spoiling it, really. That being said, I thought this was a romance that was so very forced. The two of them had an obviously very unhealthy relationship, which can be an interesting dynamic but...
2. Alex. I HATED her character. All her problems, she caused because she couldn't communicate. I think this plot device is infuriating, but Alex seemed to be the only character that actually had this problem, which is what made me really dislike her. Yes, there were secrets being kept from her, yes she wasn't being treated poorly, but she didn't help the situation by not communicating to ANYONE, especially the people who clearly cared about her. I hated her character so much that it's literally enough for me to knock off a star JUST FOR HER.
Overall, I thought this book was a very interesting premise, one that I hadn't ever seen before, and which really intrigued me. In the end, both the premise and the main character met their end of the bargain, it was just a couple major things that kept me from loving this book as much as I wanted to.
samwlabb's review
4.0
As each member of the Bertram is unique, so are their stories. This companion to Seeking Mansfield was very different from its predecessor. This is a grittier story, which examines family dynamics and addiction. Not as fluffy as the previous book, but quite entertaining.
I was a fan of Watson's debut, Seeking Mansfield, and was excited when I heard we were getting another story from this world. This companion was quite different from its predecessor. As each Bertram child was unique, so are their stories. This one, like Tate, was grittier and a little darker than Oliver's story, but still kept me just as entertained.
•Pro: Tate was so beautifully complicated. On the surface, he appeared to have it all - good looking, great grades, wealthy family, but inside, he was battling multiple demons. Watson did a fantastic job in presenting a character with a lot of depth and tons of layers.
•Pro: Tate was a gambling addict, and his addiction, denial, and daily battles with himself were illustrated quite well. There were many times in the book, where I felt like I was physically part of his struggle. Watson also explored how his addiction affected those who loved him, and how Tate had to deal with the harm he inflicted on his loved ones.
•Pro: This was about redemption. Tate fell from grace in the first book and he fell even further in this one. However, he realized he wanted something different, and he worked hard to achieve that goal. I am a sucker for that sort of thing.
•Pro: There is a little bit of something for everyone in this book. There's a little family drama, politics, crime, and romance.
•Con: A little bit of romance is nice, but I would have liked a little more. What can I say! I am a hopeless romantic.
•Pro: So many different family issues were spotlighted. Between that, the political double-crossing, and the mafia, there was tons of delicious drama to enjoy.
•Pro: I found being immersed in the world of poker rather fascinating. I found myself quite enthralled with the lingo, probabilities, and the psychological aspects. The mind of a poker player was a very interesting place to be.
•Pro: It was fun catching up with Finley and Oliver. I loved those two so much, and seeing old friends is one of my favorite things about companion novels.
•Pro: I thought the ending was fabulous. I was quite pleased with the way Watson tied up some of those loose ends.
Overall: Another strong offering from Watson, featuring great characters, snappy dialogue, and whole lot of delicious drama. I am hoping we get a third book, featuring the last Bertram sibling, because Watson had her up to some interesting things in this book, and I want to know more of what she had been doing.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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I was a fan of Watson's debut, Seeking Mansfield, and was excited when I heard we were getting another story from this world. This companion was quite different from its predecessor. As each Bertram child was unique, so are their stories. This one, like Tate, was grittier and a little darker than Oliver's story, but still kept me just as entertained.
•Pro: Tate was so beautifully complicated. On the surface, he appeared to have it all - good looking, great grades, wealthy family, but inside, he was battling multiple demons. Watson did a fantastic job in presenting a character with a lot of depth and tons of layers.
•Pro: Tate was a gambling addict, and his addiction, denial, and daily battles with himself were illustrated quite well. There were many times in the book, where I felt like I was physically part of his struggle. Watson also explored how his addiction affected those who loved him, and how Tate had to deal with the harm he inflicted on his loved ones.
•Pro: This was about redemption. Tate fell from grace in the first book and he fell even further in this one. However, he realized he wanted something different, and he worked hard to achieve that goal. I am a sucker for that sort of thing.
•Pro: There is a little bit of something for everyone in this book. There's a little family drama, politics, crime, and romance.
•Con: A little bit of romance is nice, but I would have liked a little more. What can I say! I am a hopeless romantic.
•Pro: So many different family issues were spotlighted. Between that, the political double-crossing, and the mafia, there was tons of delicious drama to enjoy.
•Pro: I found being immersed in the world of poker rather fascinating. I found myself quite enthralled with the lingo, probabilities, and the psychological aspects. The mind of a poker player was a very interesting place to be.
•Pro: It was fun catching up with Finley and Oliver. I loved those two so much, and seeing old friends is one of my favorite things about companion novels.
•Pro: I thought the ending was fabulous. I was quite pleased with the way Watson tied up some of those loose ends.
Overall: Another strong offering from Watson, featuring great characters, snappy dialogue, and whole lot of delicious drama. I am hoping we get a third book, featuring the last Bertram sibling, because Watson had her up to some interesting things in this book, and I want to know more of what she had been doing.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
krystimeyer's review
5.0
SEEKING MANSFIELD was one of my very favorite 2017 debut novels, and author Kate Watson has certainly cemented herself as one of my favorite contemporary authors with her sophomore novel SHOOT THE MOON.
This story is equal parts entertaining and moving and brought me to tears more than once! Following Tate Bertram on his journey through gambling addiction, love, and self discovery was such a lovely and heartrending experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough to fans of YA and NA contemporary literature.
Tate is such a dynamic, fun, and lovable character. It was an absolute delight to get to experience the world through his eyes. SEEKING MANSFIELD is a retelling of Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK, and Tate is Watson's re-imagined version of Tom Bertram. I fell in love with Tate in SEEKING MANSFIELD. I found him to be so much more likable than his predecessor, and I'm so glad we really got to dive into his story in SHOOT THE MOON.
I loved the pacing of this story. It moves quickly while still giving plenty of detail and fully developing Tate's character. There are also some great subplots going on throughout the story, and Watson did a brilliant job of tying it all together in the end.
There is a really sweet romance in SHOOT THE MOON, and Watson did such a brilliant job of weaving it throughout the story while not letting it overpower the plot. It was also so great to get to see Finley and Oliver (one of my OTPs) again!
What struck me most about this story is Tate's gambling addiction. The way in which the author described Tate's emotions and the very physical withdrawal symptoms he experienced felt so genuine and was clearly very well researched. It added a sense of realness and gravity to the story that lingered with me long after I closed the book.
I was so entirely enchanted by these characters, and I've now been equally enchanted by both of Watson's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and I truly cannot wait to see more from this author in the future!
This story is equal parts entertaining and moving and brought me to tears more than once! Following Tate Bertram on his journey through gambling addiction, love, and self discovery was such a lovely and heartrending experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough to fans of YA and NA contemporary literature.
Tate is such a dynamic, fun, and lovable character. It was an absolute delight to get to experience the world through his eyes. SEEKING MANSFIELD is a retelling of Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK, and Tate is Watson's re-imagined version of Tom Bertram. I fell in love with Tate in SEEKING MANSFIELD. I found him to be so much more likable than his predecessor, and I'm so glad we really got to dive into his story in SHOOT THE MOON.
I loved the pacing of this story. It moves quickly while still giving plenty of detail and fully developing Tate's character. There are also some great subplots going on throughout the story, and Watson did a brilliant job of tying it all together in the end.
There is a really sweet romance in SHOOT THE MOON, and Watson did such a brilliant job of weaving it throughout the story while not letting it overpower the plot. It was also so great to get to see Finley and Oliver (one of my OTPs) again!
What struck me most about this story is Tate's gambling addiction. The way in which the author described Tate's emotions and the very physical withdrawal symptoms he experienced felt so genuine and was clearly very well researched. It added a sense of realness and gravity to the story that lingered with me long after I closed the book.
I was so entirely enchanted by these characters, and I've now been equally enchanted by both of Watson's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and I truly cannot wait to see more from this author in the future!
stephaniesbookreviews's review
3.0
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
Last year I read and loved the first book in this series, Seeking Mansfield, and I was so excited to find out there was a sequel. While Shoot the Moon was not quite the light and fluffy read I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it.
This books focuses on Tate, Oliver’s older brother. I loved how witty and sarcastic he was. He could also be kind of awful, but in a fun way. I loved watching his journey throughout the book. He had many ups and downs and by the end I felt like he was really heading in the right direction. I initially was excited in seeing Oliver and Finley again, but I felt disappointed in what we got from them. I don’t consider this a spoiler because we find out in the very first chapter (but skip ahead if you don’t want to be spoiled at all!) that Oliver and Finley have broken up! And then there’s a brief thing with Tate and Finley that had been hinted at in the previous book, but actually goes further. There’s a little more back and forth with Oliver and Finley, but they didn’t really play a big part in the overall story of this one.
One character I really didn’t care for at all was Tate’s new love interest, Alex. Though we know how insecure she really is, it still really frustrated me when she lashed out at Tate. She came across as very unkind and manipulative and I just couldn’t like her at all, though she did get a little better by the end of the book. Still, I do not think that she and Tate were a good match. I felt like if they wanted to be together they still had so much growing up to do and they weren’t there by the end of the book. For awhile I thought it was looking like Tate would end the book single and I was actually pretty excited about that, but I don’t think it’s a surprise to say that that didn’t happen.
There were a lot of poker terms included in this. There is a glossary of terms in the back of the book which I perused before I started reading, but I find it too difficult to go back and forth with e-books so I was often lost when there were passages with lots of poker terms. While I appreciate the authenticity Watson was going for in including them, I felt like it could have been edited down a lot. It’s one of those instances where it felt more like the author wanted to show how much research she had done, then it being really relevant to the progression of the story. There is also a lot of politics in the story. I thought it was a little heavy handed at times. Depending on your particular political bent you will either really enjoy it or be kind of annoyed by it.
Overall, while Shoot the Moon was not the follow-up to Seeking Mansfield I expected, I still enjoyed it. I really loved Tate. Even when the story lost my interest occasionally, Tate still made me want to keep reading. Though this isn’t the light read that the first book was, I would still definitely recommend it to fans of Seeking Mansfield. I am looking forward to reading more from Kate Watson.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
Last year I read and loved the first book in this series, Seeking Mansfield, and I was so excited to find out there was a sequel. While Shoot the Moon was not quite the light and fluffy read I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it.
This books focuses on Tate, Oliver’s older brother. I loved how witty and sarcastic he was. He could also be kind of awful, but in a fun way. I loved watching his journey throughout the book. He had many ups and downs and by the end I felt like he was really heading in the right direction. I initially was excited in seeing Oliver and Finley again, but I felt disappointed in what we got from them. I don’t consider this a spoiler because we find out in the very first chapter (but skip ahead if you don’t want to be spoiled at all!) that Oliver and Finley have broken up! And then there’s a brief thing with Tate and Finley that had been hinted at in the previous book, but actually goes further. There’s a little more back and forth with Oliver and Finley, but they didn’t really play a big part in the overall story of this one.
One character I really didn’t care for at all was Tate’s new love interest, Alex. Though we know how insecure she really is, it still really frustrated me when she lashed out at Tate. She came across as very unkind and manipulative and I just couldn’t like her at all, though she did get a little better by the end of the book. Still, I do not think that she and Tate were a good match. I felt like if they wanted to be together they still had so much growing up to do and they weren’t there by the end of the book. For awhile I thought it was looking like Tate would end the book single and I was actually pretty excited about that, but I don’t think it’s a surprise to say that that didn’t happen.
There were a lot of poker terms included in this. There is a glossary of terms in the back of the book which I perused before I started reading, but I find it too difficult to go back and forth with e-books so I was often lost when there were passages with lots of poker terms. While I appreciate the authenticity Watson was going for in including them, I felt like it could have been edited down a lot. It’s one of those instances where it felt more like the author wanted to show how much research she had done, then it being really relevant to the progression of the story. There is also a lot of politics in the story. I thought it was a little heavy handed at times. Depending on your particular political bent you will either really enjoy it or be kind of annoyed by it.
Overall, while Shoot the Moon was not the follow-up to Seeking Mansfield I expected, I still enjoyed it. I really loved Tate. Even when the story lost my interest occasionally, Tate still made me want to keep reading. Though this isn’t the light read that the first book was, I would still definitely recommend it to fans of Seeking Mansfield. I am looking forward to reading more from Kate Watson.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
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