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2.88 AVERAGE
2.88 AVERAGE
Dana's marriage fell apart years ago, but she has never fully gone through the phases of moving on. When she grabs a paper one morning she sees something that makes her entire world come to a complete halt. Her husband the woman that he ran off with have been found dead in the desert and the police are thinking its a murder suicide. Dana knows that Ethan is not capable of violence, and so she hops a plane to New Mexico to find out for herself what is going on. She spends some time at the resort and then makes her way to the police station, where she can talk to the sheriff and figure out what might have happened. No one has any answers, but Dana is determined to dig deeper and find out what happened.
Ethan writes down what happened between him and Dana, and it is quite a shock to her to read about it in the library of the resort. She steels herself and digs in, determined to learn his frame of mind. But what she discovers is nothing close to what she expected. The feelings of hate are replaced by sympathy.
In the meantime, she talks to Ethan's dad and finds out more of the story as he reveals a bit about Ethan's mother. When she is offered a chance to return, she jumps and takes the month at the Homestead, to try and learn more as she can. But as time goes on, one has to wonder what will actually happen. Is she in danger from Yoni, the man who runs the entire organization and has a somewhat shady past? Join Dana as she embarks on her search and the truth of what really happened...
Ethan writes down what happened between him and Dana, and it is quite a shock to her to read about it in the library of the resort. She steels herself and digs in, determined to learn his frame of mind. But what she discovers is nothing close to what she expected. The feelings of hate are replaced by sympathy.
In the meantime, she talks to Ethan's dad and finds out more of the story as he reveals a bit about Ethan's mother. When she is offered a chance to return, she jumps and takes the month at the Homestead, to try and learn more as she can. But as time goes on, one has to wonder what will actually happen. Is she in danger from Yoni, the man who runs the entire organization and has a somewhat shady past? Join Dana as she embarks on her search and the truth of what really happened...
Noooooo. I didn't like how this book ended at all. In reality it probably would have been a much faster read if I would have been fully committed with reading it. It's not badly written or anything, but something just did not click for me with this book. Plus I really hate how it ended. I can't say much without giving anything away, so I will just say you need to read it and form your own opinion about what happened.
Dana has moved on in the two years since her husband left her. She works hard and the law firm has noticed. She's also in great shape. But when she spies a headline and her ex's picture on the from page of the New York Post, she realizes she hasn't moved on quite as well as she thought. Ethan and the yoga instructor he left Dana for have been found in a cave. Or rather their bodies have. And now Dana is determined to find out what happened. In order to do so, though, it means traveling to New Mexico and spending time with the very group that Ethan abandoned everything for. A group that, for Dana and most outsiders, seems to be some sort of cult. But Dana knows that if she's ever to understand what led to Ethan's death, she'll have to convince these people that she belongs and believes - something the cynical lawyer admits is going to be difficult.
I have to say that I really appreciated Grose's humor and snark in this latest. I, too, have what I think is a healthy skepticism for any kind of cultish mentality and that's exactly what the group Ethan joins seems to share. At least at the outset. In reality it's kind of worse than she expects.
In spite of all the signs that she shouldn't get involved, not least of which is some time spent with Ethan's father before heading off to the "yoga retreat," Dana throws herself into her investigation. And it's not just the truth behind Ethan's death that Dana is searching for, it's what happened to their marriage as well. How the man she thought she knew so well could become someone so different. Someone who would leave her so easily.
I'll try not to be spoilery, but I have thoughts about the ending. Thoughts I've been dying to mull over with someone!
The end of Soulmates was not at all what I expected. I kind of saw it coming, but it still wasn't what I expected. And I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. It's definitely an ending that I think a lot of readers will probably not be so keen on, but after much thought I've decided that I kind of loved it. Again, it wasn't where I expected the story to go, but it was the kind of ending that sticks with you. And I found I stewed over it. Until I decided it worked. I'll admit a younger me would have hated it thought :)
I have to say that I really appreciated Grose's humor and snark in this latest. I, too, have what I think is a healthy skepticism for any kind of cultish mentality and that's exactly what the group Ethan joins seems to share. At least at the outset. In reality it's kind of worse than she expects.
In spite of all the signs that she shouldn't get involved, not least of which is some time spent with Ethan's father before heading off to the "yoga retreat," Dana throws herself into her investigation. And it's not just the truth behind Ethan's death that Dana is searching for, it's what happened to their marriage as well. How the man she thought she knew so well could become someone so different. Someone who would leave her so easily.
I'll try not to be spoilery, but I have thoughts about the ending. Thoughts I've been dying to mull over with someone!
The end of Soulmates was not at all what I expected. I kind of saw it coming, but it still wasn't what I expected. And I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. It's definitely an ending that I think a lot of readers will probably not be so keen on, but after much thought I've decided that I kind of loved it. Again, it wasn't where I expected the story to go, but it was the kind of ending that sticks with you. And I found I stewed over it. Until I decided it worked. I'll admit a younger me would have hated it thought :)
Wow. I was really hooked. It was like a guilty pleasure read. I like a good mystery story; add random funny spirituality yoga stuff,and the plot had me intrigued. Then I got to the end, and was incredibly disappointed. The ending felt lazy and even more ridiculous than the entire story in itself. You’re telling me that after everything Dana went through, and being so alert throughout the entire book that in a few pages, she switched her entire life upside down. It was lazy and anti-climatic. It gave her no depth as a character; when she had potential. There was a lot there to be explored (the relationship with her mother) she didn’t need a weird sex cult to help her find herself. Overall, just a lazy ending that leaves you disappointed.
Many occurrences were not believable and too convenient; they struck me as only attempts to force the plot to work.
Insightful and compelling modern story on marriage, the nature of cults, and the people who find themselves drawn toward them, even when they know they know better. The characters in this book could be any one of us given a similar set of circumstances, perhaps even my cynical self.
Soulmates by Jessica Grose is a 2016 William Morrow publication.
This is a quirky novel, not at all like what I was anticipating.
Several years back. Dana’s husband, Ethan, runs off with his yoga instructor, to live in a cult like environment, and make yoga videos for married couples.
But, when Dana discovers the couple has been found dead, she simply must travel to the compound, convinced something about the deaths just doesn’t add up.
I’m not sure what to think of this book. It’s a mystery. It’s a satire. I normally enjoy anything that’s off the beaten path like this, but what makes a satire work, for the most part, is knowing a little bit about the subject at hand and well, I know nothing about New Age, and while I have incorporated yoga into my exercise regimen from time to time, I had no idea yoga enthusiast had their own ‘community’. So, the exaggerations and perhaps ridicule of this lifestyle fell flat for me, as I found it mostly just annoying, and these people were eye rolling ridiculous to me.
Ethan’s narrative got on my nerves after a time, because I can't stand lazy, immature people with no ambition, in the first place, so this segment dragged on far too long, because, of course I knew how things were going to turn out for Ethan in the end.
No one in this book was sane, I did understand the irony of how things turned out in the end, although I had a hard time buying it, and was pretty disappointed in it, but I think this book just flew over my head for the most part.
Thankfully, this is a short book and didn’t require a large investment of my time. But, overall, I applaud the imaginative plot, if nothing else, but this was not my kind of book.
2 stars
This is a quirky novel, not at all like what I was anticipating.
Several years back. Dana’s husband, Ethan, runs off with his yoga instructor, to live in a cult like environment, and make yoga videos for married couples.
But, when Dana discovers the couple has been found dead, she simply must travel to the compound, convinced something about the deaths just doesn’t add up.
I’m not sure what to think of this book. It’s a mystery. It’s a satire. I normally enjoy anything that’s off the beaten path like this, but what makes a satire work, for the most part, is knowing a little bit about the subject at hand and well, I know nothing about New Age, and while I have incorporated yoga into my exercise regimen from time to time, I had no idea yoga enthusiast had their own ‘community’. So, the exaggerations and perhaps ridicule of this lifestyle fell flat for me, as I found it mostly just annoying, and these people were eye rolling ridiculous to me.
Ethan’s narrative got on my nerves after a time, because I can't stand lazy, immature people with no ambition, in the first place, so this segment dragged on far too long, because, of course I knew how things were going to turn out for Ethan in the end.
No one in this book was sane, I did understand the irony of how things turned out in the end, although I had a hard time buying it, and was pretty disappointed in it, but I think this book just flew over my head for the most part.
Thankfully, this is a short book and didn’t require a large investment of my time. But, overall, I applaud the imaginative plot, if nothing else, but this was not my kind of book.
2 stars
interesting book. i'm sure it will insult many at the viewpoint towards the extreme side of yoga and the spiritual movement
Insightful and compelling modern story on marriage, the nature of cults, and the people who find themselves drawn toward them, even when they know they know better. The characters in this book could be any one of us given a similar set of circumstances, perhaps even my cynical self.