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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
It's kinda like pizza - predictable but still delicious.
Janet E. always comes through, except this time. The book was predictable and did not have the ususal comic releaf that one has grown to expect from a Stephanie Plum novel. Will I read 18 when it comes out in November - the jury is still out on that one wondering if she deserves another chance.
The narrator is not the best. I wish Stephanie would hurry up and just choose Ranger. This is getting old. Bonus, there was lots more sex and swearing. I totally called the killer. I wonder if Evanovich is even writing these anymore or just phoning them in.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have no choice but to give this 3 stars. I have been DYING for Stephanie and Ranger to get together since I started reading this series, and now they finally did, and it's not as exciting as I'd hoped :( The "almost" moments they had in the previous books were much better. So I have to say I was a bit let down. Plus, I figured out who the bad guy was so early on that I just got frustrated when Stephanie was running around trying to blame it on someone else. On the upside, I did laugh a ton with this book, as usual.
There are a few things we can always count on in a Stephanie Plum book: at least one of Stephanie's cars will be blown up; Stephanie will be conflicted over her feelings for both Morelli and Ranger; Morelli's grandmother will put the evil eye on Stephanie; Stephanie will spend time with Lula and hijinks will ensue; Grandma Mazur will try to open a coffin to get a look at the dead body inside. Every. Single. Time.
Sometimes I feel like Evanovich has a computer program where she plugs in a new character name here, a new detail there, and the program spits out a book. It's felt that way ever since, I don't know, book 12 maybe? Initially I thought the problem was that I read the earlier novels in quick succession and that led to burnout. But no, the problem is that every single Stephanie Plum novel is exactly the same. This is, of course, no different from the others, just a little bit less well-written.
Someone in another review on Goodreads pointed out that Stephanie never grows or learns from her mistakes. It's absurd, really, how she gets herself into the same scrapes again and again and again, never stopping to think, "Hm. Maybe I shouldn't try to track down this killer myself when I actually have zero skills." She's the ultimate Mary Sue and is a moron on top of it. She either stumbles into apprehensions (moron) or needs to be rescued by either Morelli or Ranger or both (Mary Sue). How she's stayed alive for 17 books is beyond me.
Evanovich throws in ridiculous characters and events just for humor, knowing full well that never, ever would anyone come across so much absurdity in one lifetime, let alone one book (which generally spans a couple weeks). In Smokin' Seventeen Stephanie apprehends a guy who thinks he's a vampire, a guy who repeatedly answers the door naked, and a woman who tries, again and again, to run her down. Meanwhile, Lula thinks she's a vampire (after getting a hickey from the faux-vampire), shoots the naked guy in the toe, steals an SUV, and commits multiple hit-and-run accidents all on one trip, including taking the bumper off a federal vehicle. Suspending disbelief quickly became exhausting.
Evanovich can write an entertaining novel. She's done it repeatedly. But this is a pale shadow of the older Stephanie Plum novels. Read those, if you haven't already. But save yourself the eye-rolling and aggravation and take a pass on the later titles, this one included.
Sometimes I feel like Evanovich has a computer program where she plugs in a new character name here, a new detail there, and the program spits out a book. It's felt that way ever since, I don't know, book 12 maybe? Initially I thought the problem was that I read the earlier novels in quick succession and that led to burnout. But no, the problem is that every single Stephanie Plum novel is exactly the same. This is, of course, no different from the others, just a little bit less well-written.
Someone in another review on Goodreads pointed out that Stephanie never grows or learns from her mistakes. It's absurd, really, how she gets herself into the same scrapes again and again and again, never stopping to think, "Hm. Maybe I shouldn't try to track down this killer myself when I actually have zero skills." She's the ultimate Mary Sue and is a moron on top of it. She either stumbles into apprehensions (moron) or needs to be rescued by either Morelli or Ranger or both (Mary Sue). How she's stayed alive for 17 books is beyond me.
Evanovich throws in ridiculous characters and events just for humor, knowing full well that never, ever would anyone come across so much absurdity in one lifetime, let alone one book (which generally spans a couple weeks). In Smokin' Seventeen Stephanie apprehends a guy who thinks he's a vampire, a guy who repeatedly answers the door naked, and a woman who tries, again and again, to run her down. Meanwhile, Lula thinks she's a vampire (after getting a hickey from the faux-vampire), shoots the naked guy in the toe, steals an SUV, and commits multiple hit-and-run accidents all on one trip, including taking the bumper off a federal vehicle. Suspending disbelief quickly became exhausting.
Evanovich can write an entertaining novel. She's done it repeatedly. But this is a pale shadow of the older Stephanie Plum novels. Read those, if you haven't already. But save yourself the eye-rolling and aggravation and take a pass on the later titles, this one included.
Teh stories are getting a bit old now....every book has the same plot and the same ending. Janet kept this book a little bit more interesting as she has Stephanie bouncing back and forth between Morelli and Ranger more so than any other book.
I enjoyed this book. It was funny and fast paced. I am really starting to tire of the whole Ranger/Morelli thing. Morelli is clearly the right guy for her. She needs to pick him and get on with it already.
Obvious who the killer is but that's not the point. Stephanie's waffling bet Joe / Ranger, the crazy friends and family and the overall insanity is what draws me back. Enjoyable-I'd give it a 3.5 instead of 4.
This is one of those series that I keep reading despite acknowledging that they aren't that good anymore and haven't been for a while. The last one I truly liked was number 11 (my favorite of them all). But I still love the characters so much that I can't help it, and I keep hoping that the series will return to its former glory. You know, with actually decent mysteries and character development. If this is anything like the last five, though, it will take me only a few hours to read, make me laugh a few times, and be totally forgettable.
ETA: Also, this book comes with stickers that say I [Heart] Morelli and I [Heart] Ranger, which greatly annoys me. Who are these stickers for?
UPDATE: Pretty much as I thought, though better than the last one. Stephanie actually caught some skips quickly, for once, though all the standard stuff was there (cars exploding, getting food thrown on her, capturing someone naked, etc.). My two major complaints are how obvious the villain was (even Stephanie should have figured it out the first time she watched the surveillance video, like I did); and how Evanovich reused the "cliffhanger" ending from a much earlier book, where we end with Stephanie about to make a "decision" between Ranger and Morelli for a special event. I just don't care anymore.
ETA: Also, this book comes with stickers that say I [Heart] Morelli and I [Heart] Ranger, which greatly annoys me. Who are these stickers for?
UPDATE: Pretty much as I thought, though better than the last one. Stephanie actually caught some skips quickly, for once, though all the standard stuff was there (cars exploding, getting food thrown on her, capturing someone naked, etc.). My two major complaints are how obvious the villain was (even Stephanie should have figured it out the first time she watched the surveillance video, like I did); and how Evanovich reused the "cliffhanger" ending from a much earlier book, where we end with Stephanie about to make a "decision" between Ranger and Morelli for a special event. I just don't care anymore.