Emily Kinkead

Holy life changing information

Revisado: 10-17-22

My therapist suggested that I read this book so I bought it right away. And I tried to read it and I enjoyed it, somewhat, but I got bored with all the anatomy at the beginning. But push through, ladies (and gents) because it is WORTH it. I finally just downloaded the audiobook and read it on a long road trip. It changed everything from how I understand my sexual self to really knowing why I behave in certain ways with my partners. I wanted to immediately re-read this book just to make sure that I could capture everything because there was so much good that I'm already forgetting some really important lessons. This book is so worth it. But get a hardcopy too because you'll want to highlight things, jot down notes, and flag pages for yourself to return to later. Amazing.

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Great story, abrupt ending

Revisado: 05-23-22

A good book with an incredibly detailed storyline, though ultimately a bit anti-climactic in that the ending is very sudden and many questions go unanswered. It would be a perfect beginning to a series and I do hope to see Aster, Theo, and the other characters again as they strive to hopefully rebuild a new world.

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Stunning and Mournful

Revisado: 03-07-17

An exploration of race, family expectations, and coming of age, this book will wrench your heart. Like her parents, you will have so much hope for Lydia but then you will also resent them for trying to live through her to achieve their failed dreams. Instead of getting to know their daughter, they both decide that she is the one of the three children who will be able to succeed where they have failed. She is pushed and pulled by them, with ever higher (and often competing) expectations. Her brother and sister are ignored even when they demonstrate some of the attributes each parent wants from Lydia.

Too often, we discuss race in a way that ignores Asians - as if by being the "model" minority, they face no racial prejudice. It was remarkable to see that issue woven into a story that, otherwise, was very similar to The Lovely Bones. While Lydia doesn't speak from beyond the grave to the readers, the mystery of what happened tears at already festering family tensions. It was good to see a new aspect of that story told.

In the end, it is a warning. To parents to take the time to truly see their children and foster the dreams of the children, regardless of any parental desires. To teens to advocate for what you want and express yourself, lest you lose yourself to the pressures of others. To the reader to remember that racial differences impact everyone's lives - even if it is not obvious from the outside.

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Holy Manipulation, Batman!

Revisado: 03-07-17

I hate book descriptions that say things like "THE NEXT GONE GIRL!" because all books are unique and there really is never a "next" anything. Nonetheless, I mention Gone Girl because the manipulation of people and events is at that level - perhaps even more sophisticated. Lee's story also smacks of The Girl on the Train in that she is a very flawed protagonist who carries guilt and burdens that become relevant to the climax of the story. So while I won't say this book is the "next" anything, if you liked trying to figure out the manipulation in Gone Girl or you enjoyed the twists that came with the flaws in the protagonist in The Girl on the Train and how they played into the story, this is a book that will keep you interested and stimulated.

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Solid Story

Revisado: 03-07-17

Slow going to start, but eventually picked up. It was an interesting read and well written, but nothing overly amazing. At times the narrator's voice grated on my nerves, but I also think she had the perfect voice for Riley. Strange, I know. It's a solid choice for anyone who loves mysteries. There isn't the dramatic conclusion one would expect from a thriller so I classify this more as a mystery. A big reveal and a few twists, resolved cleanly in the end.

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Satisfying, if Formulaic, Thriller

Revisado: 03-07-17

The story ultimately was very predictable and fell into the standard "maybe this person didn't do it and if he didn't who did?!" storyline. Still, it was an interesting story that keeps you engaged throughout. New to that old sort of plotline in this book is the added complications that come with having a narcissistic mother and and autistic younger brother. Autism isn't used as a trope here and is very respectfully explored. Joe's relationship with his brother is beautiful.

My only real criticism is the fact that the author finally starts rounding out Lila's character (the love interest) and you start to understand why she is the way she is, but then once her background is revealed, it is literally never discussed again. She spends the whole book to that point behaving one way and then it's like all the baggage didn't matter after the "big reveal" and nothing that should have triggered her later in the plot affects her at all.

Despite some serious deus ex machina and the dash of manic pixie dream girl, overall an enjoyable, interesting read that is well worth your time.

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Warm and Fuzzy

Revisado: 03-07-17

This is a lovely, warm and fuzzy book. It will make you laugh and cry and you will relive all those Homeward Bound feelings. Nothing too profound. And some serious cat hate (why?!). But just a nice, quick read that I strongly recommend for a time when you are feeling sad and need a pick-me-up.

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Holy cow!

Revisado: 03-07-17

This book starts off sad - the death of a young boy at the hands of a hit-and-run driver. Then you follow Jenna Gray through her depression and anxiety surrounding the accident (as well as the detectives investigating). She starts to come out of her shell and then BAM! - everything you thought you knew is wrong. I haven't been caught by a twist like that in a thriller in ages! And at that point, you're only halfway through the book.

The rest of the book reads like a standard thriller, the twists are more predictable and the resolution satisfying, if expected. The final twist at the end felt a little contrived and, honestly, rather unnecessary. Being unnecessary, it doesn't make much difference to the plot so it's easy to brush off and concentrate on the otherwise solid story. The author's notes after bring a realness to the story that informs where she was writing from and ground the story even further.

Normally with audio books I only listen to them in the car on long drives and so they will sit, unfinished until my next road trip. Not with this one. I listened to it every opportunity I got and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it; knocked it out in 2 days!

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Interesting with the Sound Effects

Revisado: 03-07-17

Originally titled "Down Among the Dead Men," I got the soundtrack version free and I have to admit that I was expecting a little more. For nearly 3/4 of the book, I had to strain to notice any "soundtrack" behind the narration. If there had been a more constant sound, I think it would have been better. The end of the book was greatly enhanced by the soundtrack.

Overall, this book was interesting, compelling, and worth a read. The characters are interesting, even if Beth gets knocked in the head and requires saving a few too many times. I've got to imagine that in the real world, all that head trauma would have killed her - particularly given her condition later in the book. Still, enjoyable and thrilling.

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A Tough Slog

Revisado: 03-07-17

I borrowed this book from the library and while it sparked my interest at first, it became a horribly tough book to finish. Eventually I broke down and used a credit on the audio book because then someone else could do the heavy lifting. The book is interesting in portraying class dynamics throughout the development of the colonies and into the formation of the US. Unfortunately, there is no real discussion about what these people were (and are) like. It falls victim to the things that it criticizes - observing and making judgments of "white trash" from afar. Instead of digging into an understanding of why these people were so maligned, this book offers merely a sterile, mile high commentary on what lower classes were called, by whom, and when.

Only in the Epilogue does the author discuss any solutions to class divides and to the idea of placing more value on these "trash" people or why it is at all important not to think of the impoverished as waste people. But after spending so much time just impassively discussing the poor from the bird's eye perspective - without really diving into their actual lives - any reader who was disinclined to like the poor at the beginning would have no reason to change their tune by the end. Still, I give this book 4 stars because it is a very well-done, well-researched piece that inspires, at the very least, me to learn more about the oft-neglected poor in the US.

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