constructivefeedback

Tedious, unsurprising but a necessary read

Revisado: 07-01-20

Choosing to digest this book in Audible form is the only way to go. Robert Petkoff is my favorite all time narrator, and were it not for his voice talents, I seriously doubt I would've had the fortitude to complete this dreary tome of Bolton's tedious ego-based pseudo-patriotic revenge against Trump.

Don't kid yourself, this is not some kind of wonderful tell all that has high drama and a satisfying conclusion. It's more of a tedious diary, and you get to follow along as Bolton thinks he and he alone has all the answers. Still, it's one more insider's perspective of how Trump approaches his job. The information is not surprising at this point, but I did find some of the behind the scene machinations fascinating.

Why would anyone want to read such a thing?, you might ask. Because it's necessary knowledge. Even though I am not a fan of Bolton, even less so now that I've read this book, I believe Bolton is a pugnacious straight shooter and offers a fairly good picture of how Trump conducts himself as President. An intelligent reader will adjust for what I term Bolton Bias.

Some reviewers have commented Bolton is just too full of himself to stomach, but I think that's all the more reason it's important to understand his affect on this administration, and how he and people like him have contributed to the continuing dysfunction of this administration.

So, ditch the print copy, put on your AirPods and enjoy the talents of Robert Petkoff as he narrates a tale that reads more like a diary that's really a horror story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Fascinating, painful, real

Revisado: 06-19-20

I didn’t quite realize what I was biting off here—that I was getting a turbo charged, intensified religious version of my childhood. Fortunately, my version of that kind reality was much more watered down, but the pressure to conform, the resistance to education, the mental mind games, ugh, I’m still processing. Heads up to anyone coming from a severely dysfunctional family. Some of these tales might be a bit of a trigger.

Nevertheless, I found the story riveting, and definitely worth the time. Ever the critic, I would have preferred more brutal self-examination. She keeps herself fairly emotionally distanced throughout the re-telling, almost as if explaining an out of body experience. Trauma will do that to you, I get it. Also, it’s an unripened memoir. She’s still a young woman, and her family drama is still ultimately in progress. How will this book affect family dynamics going forward? I guess we’ll have to wait another 10 years or so for Part 2.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Some things are hard to forgive

Revisado: 09-10-19

I get what the author was trying to build here, and certainly many, many of the anecdotes and struggles underscoring their marital strife will be highly relatable to virtually anyone who has been married more than 5 minutes. But, and this is a huge elephant-sized but, there were several whoppers in the storyline that just ticked me off to the point where I couldn't just settle into and enjoy the story for what it was. If some guy did this to me on the regular, he would be rendered unloveable--no joke. You don't respect me, you don't communicate with me, you don't get to play with me. The deal is done. Of course, she wasn't perfect either. It's just that his first big act of gross disrespect and immeasurable stupidity was so hard to get past, I couldn't understand why she even loved him to begin with. I'm trying very hard to not divulge any spoilers. I'll leave it as this: It's less of a romance and more of a marriage therapy and reconciliation themed book. Since that's not a fictional classification category to my knowledge, it ended up stashed under romance. Eh, not so much.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Light & Charming

Revisado: 06-21-19

Light and charming, easy listening with no super heavy drama. You're not going to cry, you're not going to laugh. You're probably going to have that 'isn't that sweet' feeling brewing the whole time you're listening. Not a bad way entertain your brain as you go about other chores. I'll keep Emma Chase on my 'go to' list of authors. As always, I think Andi Arndt & Zachary Webber do a bang up job as narrators.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Emotional Maturity Deficit

Revisado: 06-21-19

As a part of the Romance Package, I'm a little less picky, but this is the second installment from this author that I've listened to and I'm seeing a trend. Her characters, especially the women, have the emotional maturity of 6th graders. Everyone can have a temporary blind spot now and again, but a wide array of issues that go one for years and years with new issues continuing to arise. I just feel no hope. Come on, people. Grow up. All the way to the bitter end, she's all weepy and ready to walk out the door without discussing things with him. For crying out loud. I just can't deal such painfully manufactured drama. Adults just don't behave that way. It's just not remotely realistic. Okay, I know this is a fantasy, but by the end my eyes were getting tired from all the eye rolling I was doing. Love these narrators though. They can make just about anything sound good.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Out of touch designer

Revisado: 05-25-19

The main character is a fashion designer who lives & works in Los Angeles, making high end wedding dresses for the pampered Hollywood elite and other rich & famous people of note. Yet...yet, get this, she doesn’t track who’s who in Hollywood and doesn’t even recognize her hook up even though he comes from Hollywood royalty and was putting out blockbusters no less than 3 years ago before he switched careers. Riiight....That weird flaw in the plot kept biting into the fantasy for me. A big part of her job would be keeping track of who’s doing what to whom in Hollywood. Also, she was worried about how some couture house would judge who she dates? Pfft. Bad boy Hollywood royalty would be an asset not a black mark. I mean really, does anybody really believe a couture design house would threaten a designer with an ethical code of conduct over who they date, especially if it’s someone who’s in their earnings demographic? Ridiculous.

Likeable characters & good flow if you don’t mind dismissing above mentioned flaws.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Crudely juvenile

Revisado: 11-27-18

Not much of a story here. A lot of sex that does not move the storyline forward. I always have issues when the female character (why is it always the female character?) assumes the worst and then doesn't seek clarification. The set up and how it's handled is totally unlike how anybody I've ever met would've handled it. It's just so stupidly unrealistic, I swear my eye muscles are tired from all the eye rolling. The guy falls instantly in love with the girl for no clear reason that I can discern even though he's a major player and women apparently fall at his feet all the time and--get this-- he's historically disdained ever having a girlfriend. But, magically, like a light switch, he's completely changed his personality with a quick lay with her, a virtual stranger, in a bathroom stall. She has a stupid self-imposed rule about not sleeping in his bed because that is just too intimate, but, by all means let's do it everywhere else. Then, when the bed thing occurs, let's have all sorts of unnecessary angst about it. Ugh. I think there's a lot of young ladies out there hoping they might actually find Mr. Right in just this kind of scenario. News flash, these guys are users. They do not change their personalities over night. On the plus side, the narrator did a great job with what she had to work with. Also, even though the whole thing was F-bombtastic, the characters all had likable personalities despite not being believable. I can only imagine the great reviews are from F-bomb loving 17 year olds who think this is how you should actually conduct a relationship. Here I go with another eye roll.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

This was a comedy, right?

Revisado: 10-15-18

The absurdity! I was laughing so hard I kept on listening. I don't think I was supposed to be laughing, but at least I was enjoying myself. The stilted, contrived sexual language delivered by a male narrator in an equally stilted, stuffy English accent was perfect fodder for a SNL comedic skit. As a part of the Romance Package, at least I didn't specifically pay for it. If I'd wasted a credit on this trite bit of ridiculous garbage, I probably wouldn't be laughing at all.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Distilled, short & sweet

Revisado: 09-17-18

These short little romances Whitney G. puts out are the best part of the romance story. She picks the story up in just the right spot without leaving the listener feeling like they've missed something. Sometimes romances have way too much back and forth, two steps forward, three steps back, too much unrealistic nonsense. I generally start rolling my eyes at the stupid shenanigans somewhere around hour six. You can't blame an author, I mean what else are you supposed to do with approx. 12 hours of talk time without venturing too deeply into the mystery or the psychological thriller zone. Whitney G. solved the problem by distilling the nonsense down to just the best parts. Kudos to her. Great narration, too. I appreciate they didn't skimp on hiring both male & female narrators. Perfect little listens for a commute. It's almost like she knew I've been driving somewhere this exact amount of time lately.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Why the repulsion?

Revisado: 09-08-18

I generally like Kendall Ryan books. I like how the "big" obstacle the couple usually perceives ends up being in their own heads and they ultimately realize it. This one though...I just can't. From the get go, the female, despite having basically grown up with this guy and even making a pass at him when they were teenagers, now, for some inexplicable reason, detests the poor sap. She's a hard sell without proper insight or explanation. I don't get it. Also, need I mention, this is 1/3 of a book. I see no need to spend an additional $20 bucks to finish this story. I really hate those sleazy sales shenanigans.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña