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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I love this author. Very good job of describing how the character felt. I will be looking for more of her.
I was so happy to see Marisa de los Santos had written another book using some of the characters from her first, Love Walked In. Although not as good as her first book, it was worth the wait and worth reading.
.5 STARS
"A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised no one more than herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable desire to leave urban life behind and head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she and her beloved husband, Teo, have made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships in her new home. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt. Perfectly manicured, impeccably dressed, and possessing impossible standards, Piper is the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake. Over a shared love of literature and old movies, Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman who has also recently arrived in town, ostensibly to send her perceptive and brilliant son, Dev, to a school for the gifted." (From Amazon)
Why did I even bother with the sequel (sheesh)
"A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised no one more than herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable desire to leave urban life behind and head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she and her beloved husband, Teo, have made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships in her new home. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt. Perfectly manicured, impeccably dressed, and possessing impossible standards, Piper is the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake. Over a shared love of literature and old movies, Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman who has also recently arrived in town, ostensibly to send her perceptive and brilliant son, Dev, to a school for the gifted." (From Amazon)
Why did I even bother with the sequel (sheesh)
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was sweet and ended totally differently than I expected. I was not expecting to enjoy it as it had the feeling of a small town petty women's battle and I never really liked Piper. But I (as usual) enjoyed the portion of the plot that dealt with grief, and I loved Dev. It isn't easy for an adult fiction writer to get the voice just right when writing from a teen's perspective, and I think she nailed it for this novel. I also liked that in this chick-lit fiction novel, all the main male characters were genuinely good guys. Making all the guys in a chick-lit book total assholes is such a cheap trope, and by ditching it for this book, we were able to really focus on the relationship between the women, which was refreshing.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Suicide attempt
Now that was unexpected.
Surprisingly a page turner for me despite the lack of action ala James Patterson.
If you find this book boring in the beginning, just give it a chance. Think of it as a Hallmark made for TV movie and try to get interested in the characters and the story of each of their lives.
It'll get better in the last few chapters. 4 stars (instead of 5) because there were some unnecessary story lines (Lyssa??).
Surprisingly a page turner for me despite the lack of action ala James Patterson.
If you find this book boring in the beginning, just give it a chance. Think of it as a Hallmark made for TV movie and try to get interested in the characters and the story of each of their lives.
It'll get better in the last few chapters. 4 stars (instead of 5) because there were some unnecessary story lines (Lyssa??).