Laurie

Clever, Funny, Poignant & Pregnant

Revisado: 05-02-24

I loved the plot & the characters. The book made me laugh out loud & groan in frustration a couple of times.

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So Much for being an Editor

Revisado: 08-11-23

So overall, the story was fine. I went from laughing out loud to groaning in frustration during the whole book. *Spoiler Alert* In my opinion however, I thought the author spent too much time (& too many words) on repeating but slightly rephrasing the same “content.” For example, did we need to hear about Nora’s sacrifices for Libby *15 different times? Same goes for their relationship with their mother & their mother’s death. If I’d been holding a book I would’ve flipped pages forward.
I also wasn’t super crazy about one sex scene in particular. I prefer less descriptive language during intimate scenes. I did hit 30 seconds forward multiple times so I didn’t have to hear all the minute details of their lovemaking. It’s FINE to have sex scenes of course, & there weren’t that many…It was the intellectual intimacy, their repartee that I found sexy between Charlie & Nora,

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Impossible to Put Down

Revisado: 03-25-23

From page one until Epilogue 3….
The women characters are complex, relatable, hilarious, hapless & determined (well that becomes the theme anyway…resilience, perseverance, adaptability, growth & chutzpah most of all.) The story was superb & the narration as well. It will be hard to find a follow up novel this good. However, I would recommend “This Time Next Year” as a book with lovable characters, an interesting plot & laugh out loud scenarios.

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Refreshing, Clever & Funny

Revisado: 02-26-23

I loved everything about this novel. Sometimes I get irritated & frustrated about characters’ foibles, but it was impossible to not love Minnie Cooper! I don’t usually want to see screen adaptions of my favorite books but this one would be the perfect Rom-Com (oh the irony…) Emma Thompson-Bev, Rachael Brosnahan-Minnie, Hugh
Grant-Alan, Leila-Keke Palmer, Rupert Friend-Quinn Well, I can dream!! The characters were just so imperfectly perfect. I laughed out loud & wished I could’ve been one of Minnie’s friends!

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Compelling, Disturbing & too Preachy for me

Revisado: 01-26-23

This is an extraordinary & fascinating story, don't get me wrong...I was sucked into the story & stuck with it even though I found some parts of the story to be too exaggerated, not quite believable & a little too preachy for me.
One, I thought Olivia was weak & full of useless excuses. It was difficult to like her. She allowed herself to be a victim & it's hard to feel a connection to a woman who had the means to escape an abusive relationship & didn't. She had a loving brother for goodness sake & options!
Two, a second minor female character, Selena, was unlikable & give-me-a-break...bitter & angry & added nothing to the character development or storyline.

Spoiler Alert:
Olivia: I was sickened by her choices over and over again. She was pathetic, selfish & lacked faith in herself & her son....
Lily: I actually liked her immensely. She had more wisdom than both her mother & Olivia combined. Her struggle was heartbreaking & poignant. I thought her perspective was well written & genuine & that her dilemma was believable. She made few mistakes & corrected the ones she did with maturity & kindness.
Asher: By far, he was my favorite character. He was at times full of teenage rage, angst, love, passion & confusion. WHO wouldn't have been confounded by the situation he found himself in? I never thought he was guilty & was frustrated that the police never even considered another culprit-duh...

(I actually liked the Labrador Retriever the best.)

Are we supposed to expect perfection in the characters, no, but it was a struggle to finish it because likability & relatability is crucial to loving a book's characters. Woooooof.

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So Unlikable

Revisado: 12-19-22

The characters made me cringe. I listened to maybe 45m & it was a waste of even that much time. Yuck

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Infuriating Ineptitude

Revisado: 10-12-22

Spoiler Alert-dumb women make terrible heroines. Sorry but I had to say that. Did the author really have to make BOTH women stupid? The book was fine, I finished it, but I frankly wanted to shake both main characters (well add Helen too) out of their irritating, simpering, ineptitude.

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Insufferable Narration

Revisado: 06-29-21

I cooooould barrrrrrely staaaaaand the teeeeeediousssss “voices” of the characters-besides Lynn & her assistant Graham & maybe (ha ha) Sovereign & Chance truth be told. Listening to the voice of Bridget was like fingernails on a chalkboard-if you’re old enough to know what I’m talking about. The character *Dillis for example sounded like she was Jamaican. The book itself was interesting enough but the droning ooooon & ooooon daaaarrrrrrrrlllllliiiiinnnnggggg with all the accents was too much. Granted, I’ve never been to Wales so maybe the accent was correct but I rarely force myself to finish a book because the narration grates on my ears-& nerves this much.

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Two Truths & a Bore

Revisado: 10-06-20

Ugh
I literally almost didn’t even bother finishing this book a dozen times....
One (ONE) chapter 80 something was riveting for maybe five seconds....

It’s an insult to Liane Moriarty to compare this to Big Little Lies.
NOT
EVEN
CLOSE

I also didn’t find the narrator to be particularly appealing but given the disastrous characters & writing, I can’t really blame her for not having much to work with.
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Spoiler Alert
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Alexa was vapid & shallow & cringeworthy.
Sherri was irritating but also authentic in a weird way & Rebecca was downright pathetic.
I did manage to like Morgan & Katie the best & of course Cam, the only rational, kind, smart,savvy & likable adult in the book.
The “Mom Squad” does indeed exist & the author, like a lot of us Moms, did capture that sub culture in a glass house kind of way.

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Is "I Couldn't Put it Down" appropriate 4 Audible?

Revisado: 05-28-20

Benny in 1982, Hannie about a hundred years before, intertwined in a beautifully written (& narrated) novel....I was captivated by the story & how the author included snippets from newspaper ads from the time period. It was at times an adventure novel, a gut-wrenching emotional snapshot of a horrible legacy, with a dash of romance & delivered like a roller-coaster ride! Each of the narrators performed so perfectly that I felt like the characters were living & breathing people in my life.

I loved this book so much, that I re-listened to parts of it so I could savor it just a little bit more. In my opinion, The Book of Lost Friends would make a wonderfully rich, poignant, sad but also triumphant series on Netflix, Amazon, Showtime etc. I'd love to see it on a screen & have the screen adaptation do it justice with the writing, scenery, dialogue & characters. Hannie is by far one of my TOP TEN ever heroines! Her wisdom, determination, loyalty, perseverance, ingenuity & wit make her the perfect female role model. She's so wise & wonderful that I yearn to sit down & have a cup of tea with someone like her, to feed my soul....
I highly recommend this book!

Spoiler alert:
I felt like the ending was a tad rushed. The whole story builds to this amazing climax but Wingate spends too little time *completing the storyline. Yes, she does "end" it, but I was left wanting more details, a little more main course before the dessert. Elam & Hannie most especially left too many words unwritten in my opinion. Three sentences didn't do their relationship justice. The Benny & Nathan angle was a little predictable but if you're going to go there, at least add some spice (ie romance)....I wanted more of Robin's ghost & more transformation & stability for LaJunea. I yearned for her to embrace the trials & tribulations of her ancestor, Hannie, & channel that into something powerful & productive. Hannie was so wise. I yearn for someone like her in my life

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