We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: The Break Up Pact & House of Glass
Me - I’ve read a few of Emma Lord’s young adult books and really enjoyed them so when I heard that she was publishing her adult romance debut, I was really excited! Unfortunately, The Break-Up Pact felt very different from the writing I’ve come to expect from her.
My main issue was that the characters and relationships felt severely underdeveloped. I knew nothing about the main character, June, except that she was grieving the loss of her older sister Annie, she’d had a crush on the love interest, Levi, in high school and was scared of losing him again, and she wanted to save her failing tea shop. As for Levi, I knew he used to be very open with his emotions, but was more closed off as an adult and he wanted to get back together with the fiancée who cheated on him despite it clearly being an unhealthy relationship and despite him obviously returning June’s feelings. I couldn’t name a single other trait, interest, or motivation for either one of them. The side characters were even more flat to the point where they are not even worth describing. As a result, I never connected to anybody, and it’s difficult to enjoy a romance when you don’t care what happens to the characters.
To expand on the romance between June and Levi, they shared some cute and romantic moments, and it was clear they were attracted to each other and had mutual feelings. However, as mentioned there was no development between them so I never believed in their connection. At the very beginning of the story, they see each other for the first time in years after having had a falling out, After June yells at him once in anger they instantly just fall back into a comfortable friendship. I often find that childhood friend-to-lovers stories omit genuine relationship development in favor of simply telling the reader that there’s a history between the characters. That was definitely the case here. Their reconciliation and subsequent romance arc took off so abruptly that it felt like I’d accidentally begun reading at the 25% mark. Additionally, they seemed to be in lust far more than they were in love.
As for the storyline, the fake dating plot was enjoyable and some of the “dates” June and Levi went on were pretty cute. The plots regarding their respective exes and public breakups were interesting at times as well although they were a bit underutilized. It felt like they were used more as tools to advance the plot rather than being plot points themselves.
This book’s strongest asset was its portrayal of grief. Lord did a great job of depicting how much the loss of a loved one changes and continues to affect every aspect of a person’s life even years after that loss occurs. Both June and Levi’s grief over Annie, who was not only June’s sister but Levi’s best friend, were written with nuance and care and I strongly appreciated that.
Overall, I don’t think this was a bad book. The writing was fine, the pacing was quick, and the romance had its moments. If you’re looking for a surface-level summer romance, you might have a great time with this one. However, if you want to become invested in a story with fleshed-out characters and a well-developed romance, I wouldn’t recommend The Break-Up Pact.
Mom - Today I am recommending House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen. Child Advocate Lawyer, Stella is assigned to determine the best interests of a young girl named, Rose, whose parents are divorcing. The task is made more difficult by the recent death of Rose's nanny, which the child may have witnessed or had a hand in, and further complicated by Rose's penchant for collecting sharp objects and her refusal to speak.
This is a gripping and suspenseful novel. At first, it may seem clear where the story is heading, However, surprising twists near the end keep it interesting and unpredictable.
Stella is a quite likable character. Anyone who has ever had to make a life-changing decision for a child can relate to the seriousness and the difficulty of her task, Rose is an extremely compelling character. She seems like the personification of evil one minute and the next like an innocent young girl caught up in the machinations of the adults in her life. Her grandmother is definitely the most clearly drawn of Rose's family members. She is a force to be reckoned with. Rose's parents, on the other hand, are mostly bland and boring although their fierce loyalty to their daughter is admirable.
The story moves along quickly. The plot remains intriguing throughout. All in all, It's an exciting thriller.
Movie: Trust in Love
Today we are talking about Trust in Love. Trust in Love is about a record producer whose personal and professional lives are both falling apart. Billed as a heartwarming family dramedy, the film is mostly generic and routine. It is not unlike plenty of other movies we've seen before. Even what should be a touching subplot about the main character's son's coming out is mostly predictable. Despite this, the film allegedly won numerous awards in film festivals so you may want to check it out.
Trust in Love is in limited release now in select cities and will be available on demand starting August 13.
Music: Grumpy Old Men Musical World Premiere Recording
Grumpy Old Men, the 1993 film about a pair of irascible old men which starred the legendary performers, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, is one of the latest movies to become a stage musical. The original production of this musical was produced at Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. A cast recording from that production was recently released.
The music has a folksy hometown feeling but with a little less charm. The songs are mostly joyous. Some like Way Way To Go are fun and fit the story well. Others don't fit as well and seem shoehorned into the plot like a different song may have made more sense in that spot like Heatwave.
The soundtrack like the film and the musical is not meant for children. There is a lot of sexual innuendo within the songs. Even if that may go over young heads, there is also some cursing within some of the songs
At times, the older voices sound a tad scratchy. They may have lost something with age or some of the performers might have never had great voices in the first place. However, the overall, quality of the performances are still great, and it's always great to see legendary performers like Hal Linden, Sally Struthers, and more have the opportunity to shine again.
And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
Book images used in this post are our own. All other photos have been sent to us by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used with permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment