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magzad's review
2.0
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I really don't like to leave bad reviews, especially for books I’ve won. But it‘s hard to find anything good to say about this one. I was so bored by it. The storyline is shallow, disjointed, ho hum….with minimal depth or plot development and maximum predictability. The characters are also shallow and poorly developed (the term “stick figures” comes to mind). In fact, Mitch Rebecki is the only persona in the story who is given much (but not THAT much) of a personality and he is quite unlikeable, even when he makes the sudden, drastic (and largely unbelievable) change from angry, bitter, sarcastic, and pompous jackass to sweet, loving, cheerful, and conscientious “good guy” . The other characters are so vague and generic as to be almost interchangeable.
In terms of the quality of writing, it is average, with some parts being better than others. The dialogue tends to fall flat and is often either unnecessary or cut too short. The author fails to give much depth or detail to her descriptions so the reader doesn’t get a good feel for the settings (various places in New York and Sydney) or for the architecture designed by Rory’s character. Though most of the story takes place in Sydney, she uses Australian lingo minimally. There is no sense of anticipation, no excitement surrounding the action scene, no fearing for the characters’ fates, no feeling of sadness at their loss. And I didn’t sense any chemistry between the characters, even in the romantic aspect of the storyline. Essentially, this book reads less like a novel and more like a detailed script for a made-for-television movie or an episode of “Law and Order”.
On a more positive note, I wasn’t so bored by the book that I couldn’t finish it. In fact, the novel was short and readable enough that I finished the whole thing in one sitting. The lack of detail or description or depth has the effect of allowing the plot line to move along at a fast clip…so one thing happens after another, and before you know it, you’ve reached the climax and conclusion of the story. But otherwise, to use the writer’s own words (page 40), “All that piece was good for was curing insomnia.”
I have heard good things about Julie Bozza’s other books and am willing to give her work another try. But this particular story was not great. Perhaps if I had sipped espressos and chain-smoked through the whole thing, I might have enjoyed the experience more. Hmmm….
I really don't like to leave bad reviews, especially for books I’ve won. But it‘s hard to find anything good to say about this one. I was so bored by it. The storyline is shallow, disjointed, ho hum….with minimal depth or plot development and maximum predictability. The characters are also shallow and poorly developed (the term “stick figures” comes to mind). In fact, Mitch Rebecki is the only persona in the story who is given much (but not THAT much) of a personality and he is quite unlikeable, even when he makes the sudden, drastic (and largely unbelievable) change from angry, bitter, sarcastic, and pompous jackass to sweet, loving, cheerful, and conscientious “good guy” . The other characters are so vague and generic as to be almost interchangeable.
In terms of the quality of writing, it is average, with some parts being better than others. The dialogue tends to fall flat and is often either unnecessary or cut too short. The author fails to give much depth or detail to her descriptions so the reader doesn’t get a good feel for the settings (various places in New York and Sydney) or for the architecture designed by Rory’s character. Though most of the story takes place in Sydney, she uses Australian lingo minimally. There is no sense of anticipation, no excitement surrounding the action scene, no fearing for the characters’ fates, no feeling of sadness at their loss. And I didn’t sense any chemistry between the characters, even in the romantic aspect of the storyline. Essentially, this book reads less like a novel and more like a detailed script for a made-for-television movie or an episode of “Law and Order”.
On a more positive note, I wasn’t so bored by the book that I couldn’t finish it. In fact, the novel was short and readable enough that I finished the whole thing in one sitting. The lack of detail or description or depth has the effect of allowing the plot line to move along at a fast clip…so one thing happens after another, and before you know it, you’ve reached the climax and conclusion of the story. But otherwise, to use the writer’s own words (page 40), “All that piece was good for was curing insomnia.”
I have heard good things about Julie Bozza’s other books and am willing to give her work another try. But this particular story was not great. Perhaps if I had sipped espressos and chain-smoked through the whole thing, I might have enjoyed the experience more. Hmmm….
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