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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Loved it! The characters were great, plus the insight into Olympic training was pretty cool.
Some pretty unrealistic plot points but still an enjoyable read.
I enjoyed this Chris Cleave book more than Incendiary, which I read just before this. The characters were strong as was the writing. My two favorite books of his are still "Little Bee" and "Everyone Brave is Forgiven", but this was definitely a solid read. I loved the storyline, and Cleave did an excellent job of getting into the mindset of athletes at the Olympic level. I love the Olympics, but this story is so much more than about the training and competition of top-notch athletes. There is also love, loss, parenting, complex relationships, and tragedies. It captured me from the very beginning, read fast throughout, and was unstoppable for the final 50 pages. A solid 4 stars and would make for a good book discussion.
Flashbacks tell the story. Two female British cyclist compete and become friends. Intertwined plot. I like it.
I very much enjoyed this set up and the characters, but I didn't find so many of the key events plausible. Cleave sets up wonderful tension, but I wasn't satisfied with what he did with it. I would have like it if he explored the Jack and Tom some more. I think the competition between Zoe and Kate was the least interesting conflict, yet it is the focus of the story.
This book is incredibly easy to read which in itself for me, is quite impressive as I have no interest in cycling whatsoever. Some great characters, but I felt more attached to Sophie, the sick girl than the two main characters!
3.5*
Liked the overall idea, story a touch predictable, writing a bit pretentious. Had sweet moments.
Liked the overall idea, story a touch predictable, writing a bit pretentious. Had sweet moments.
I enjoyed this book for the most part; the plot line moved along and I liked how the author fit the pieces of the book together. Throughout most of it, I couldn't predict how it was going to end, and I love when that happens. However, the ending came around and it was like "yada, yada, yada" and it was done. I think there could have been another 50-100 pages filling us in on how things came about and how the characters felt about it. Disappointing after such a great build up.
Cover
This is a really fun and simple cover. I really enjoy it. Plus it looks pretty on my shelf.
Initial Thoughts
I don't usually read a lot of adult contemporary. I don't know why because I read young adult contemporary. Sometimes they're just too adult like for me. I like fun and light books. This was not a fun and light book. It was a little rough, especially just starting it. It's about a little girl who has cancer and her mom is an olympic cyclist. It was really easy getting into it though. I was able to jump right into the story.
My New BFF
I really liked Sophie. Of all the characters I liked the little girl the most. A little weird. But she was really inspiring! I really liked how we got to see her point of view every once and a while. I love how she tried to hard to act tough so she wouldn't upset her parents. She was a great character.
My Crush
This isn't really a crush book but my favourite male character was Tom, the coach. He was amazing! He tried to be the grumpy old man but he loved Kate and Zoe so much. He was really great at inspiring others. Everything he did or said he did it for a reason. I thin I mostly liked him because he wasn't a typical character. He had his ups and downs too but he was always there when his girls needed him.
Writing Style
The writing style was pretty light. Even though there were some heavy topics it was dark and upsetting. It was actually really inspiring. He was great at building up his characters too. I like how we got to see a little bit into all their pasts. I also liked to different points of view. I found it really helped me get into the story.
Closing Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I know a lot of people are comparing it to his other book and giving it low ratings. I haven't read his other book so I didn't have any expectations. I also didn't know anything going into this book. I really enjoyed how each character had a little story but they all combined into each other. It was really different but in a good way. There was the little girl with cancer, the first time parents, the Olympic cyclist, the coach/father figure, etc. All of them had they're own battles to face but they were all connected. If you haven't read this book, do it. Take a chance.
This is a really fun and simple cover. I really enjoy it. Plus it looks pretty on my shelf.
Initial Thoughts
I don't usually read a lot of adult contemporary. I don't know why because I read young adult contemporary. Sometimes they're just too adult like for me. I like fun and light books. This was not a fun and light book. It was a little rough, especially just starting it. It's about a little girl who has cancer and her mom is an olympic cyclist. It was really easy getting into it though. I was able to jump right into the story.
My New BFF
I really liked Sophie. Of all the characters I liked the little girl the most. A little weird. But she was really inspiring! I really liked how we got to see her point of view every once and a while. I love how she tried to hard to act tough so she wouldn't upset her parents. She was a great character.
My Crush
This isn't really a crush book but my favourite male character was Tom, the coach. He was amazing! He tried to be the grumpy old man but he loved Kate and Zoe so much. He was really great at inspiring others. Everything he did or said he did it for a reason. I thin I mostly liked him because he wasn't a typical character. He had his ups and downs too but he was always there when his girls needed him.
Writing Style
The writing style was pretty light. Even though there were some heavy topics it was dark and upsetting. It was actually really inspiring. He was great at building up his characters too. I like how we got to see a little bit into all their pasts. I also liked to different points of view. I found it really helped me get into the story.
Closing Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I know a lot of people are comparing it to his other book and giving it low ratings. I haven't read his other book so I didn't have any expectations. I also didn't know anything going into this book. I really enjoyed how each character had a little story but they all combined into each other. It was really different but in a good way. There was the little girl with cancer, the first time parents, the Olympic cyclist, the coach/father figure, etc. All of them had they're own battles to face but they were all connected. If you haven't read this book, do it. Take a chance.