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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Great YA novel and exactly what I wanted to read right now.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Don’t let the Cinderella-thing going on at first turn you off. This is not a mere rags-to-riches story where the super rich hero has swept the poor heroine off her feet to shower her with jewels.
The heroine is quite naive but thankfully not stupid.
She is just pleased about everything.
She also likes Agatha Christie’s cozy murders so I instantly felt a kinship to her.
I love how the heroine has truly grown in the story. A book I highly recommend to a teen who is feeling a little lost. I also appreciate that there is no female cattiness. The ladies in this book are all supportive of each other. The romance didn’t take over the story and there is no insta-love. The only thing I didn’t like is that the main conflict can be easily resolved if they just talk about it, but I guess there is no story without the misunderstanding.
Oh and I can’t help but laugh when the characters are dancing. I know it’s supposed to be glamorous and romantic but I can’t get this gif out of my head.
my reaction at the the ending
And yes they live HEA
The heroine is quite naive but thankfully not stupid.
She is just pleased about everything.
She also likes Agatha Christie’s cozy murders so I instantly felt a kinship to her.
I love how the heroine has truly grown in the story. A book I highly recommend to a teen who is feeling a little lost. I also appreciate that there is no female cattiness. The ladies in this book are all supportive of each other. The romance didn’t take over the story and there is no insta-love. The only thing I didn’t like is that the main conflict can be easily resolved if they just talk about it, but I guess there is no story without the misunderstanding.
Oh and I can’t help but laugh when the characters are dancing. I know it’s supposed to be glamorous and romantic but I can’t get this gif out of my head.
my reaction at the the ending
And yes they live HEA
Originally posted Cheezyfeet Books.
A Sky Painted Gold was just what I needed when I read it. It’s set in a gorgeous countryside setting in Cornwall, and it’s the perfect dreamy summer read. I haven’t read such a lovely book in a long time!
Lou lives in the seaside town on Penlyn with her many siblings and her parents. Her sister Alice is living the seemingly ‘perfect’ life; she’s settled down and married her childhood sweetheart. As the second oldest, Lou knows this is what is expected of her next but she can’t help but want more. She’s obsessed with the house across the water and its long-lost inhabitants: the Cardews.
The story begins when the Cardews return to the dilapidated house. Instantly I was swept up in their glamour and style – the 1920s is one of my favourite eras to read so I was looking forward to getting lost in the glitz and the glam. A Sky Painted Gold did not disappoint: right from their arrival in town the Cardews brought the mystery and the intrigue and all of the glitter. I loved reading about the dresses and the scenery at their parties, and the way they talk about London as if it is some far off fantasy place. I immersed myself completely in Penlyn and loved every minute of it.
I loved the characters. I loved Lou because I found myself relating to her a lot. She seemed to me very realistic – she at first was apprehensive about what she wanted and wouldn’t admit it, but then when she realised exactly what she wanted, she went for it. I liked that she didn’t just have a thought and then act straight on it, if that makes sense? Often I find heroines are ‘strong and independent women’ who know exactly what they want and how to get it straight away first time - which is obviously great, but it was nice that Lou acted as most people would: she thought it through first. I know for me that things take a while to take root and formulate in my mind and so it was just nice to see that in a book character.
The plot is simple and completely uncomplicated and I loved that. There’s a sense that there’s a bit more to the story than Lou knows, but it’s not anything particularly massive or life-changing, and I know this has been a sticking point for some people but actually I really enjoyed the almost tameness. There’s a point where I was reading and just waiting for something horrendous to happen, and it never really did?! And that surprised me, and I realised that that was actually super nice – it’s just a lovely story that ends really nicely, and it warmed my broken little heart just right.
With its dreamy setting and colourful characters, as well as all the glitz and glam of the roaring 20s, I cannot recommend this lovely book for your summer reading piles enough. While reading the last few pages I had the biggest grin on my face and I know it will melt your heart too so make sure to get yourself a copy of A Sky Painted Gold.
*I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. In no way has this affected my opinion of the novel. Thanks!
A Sky Painted Gold was just what I needed when I read it. It’s set in a gorgeous countryside setting in Cornwall, and it’s the perfect dreamy summer read. I haven’t read such a lovely book in a long time!
Lou lives in the seaside town on Penlyn with her many siblings and her parents. Her sister Alice is living the seemingly ‘perfect’ life; she’s settled down and married her childhood sweetheart. As the second oldest, Lou knows this is what is expected of her next but she can’t help but want more. She’s obsessed with the house across the water and its long-lost inhabitants: the Cardews.
The story begins when the Cardews return to the dilapidated house. Instantly I was swept up in their glamour and style – the 1920s is one of my favourite eras to read so I was looking forward to getting lost in the glitz and the glam. A Sky Painted Gold did not disappoint: right from their arrival in town the Cardews brought the mystery and the intrigue and all of the glitter. I loved reading about the dresses and the scenery at their parties, and the way they talk about London as if it is some far off fantasy place. I immersed myself completely in Penlyn and loved every minute of it.
I loved the characters. I loved Lou because I found myself relating to her a lot. She seemed to me very realistic – she at first was apprehensive about what she wanted and wouldn’t admit it, but then when she realised exactly what she wanted, she went for it. I liked that she didn’t just have a thought and then act straight on it, if that makes sense? Often I find heroines are ‘strong and independent women’ who know exactly what they want and how to get it straight away first time - which is obviously great, but it was nice that Lou acted as most people would: she thought it through first. I know for me that things take a while to take root and formulate in my mind and so it was just nice to see that in a book character.
The plot is simple and completely uncomplicated and I loved that. There’s a sense that there’s a bit more to the story than Lou knows, but it’s not anything particularly massive or life-changing, and I know this has been a sticking point for some people but actually I really enjoyed the almost tameness. There’s a point where I was reading and just waiting for something horrendous to happen, and it never really did?! And that surprised me, and I realised that that was actually super nice – it’s just a lovely story that ends really nicely, and it warmed my broken little heart just right.
With its dreamy setting and colourful characters, as well as all the glitz and glam of the roaring 20s, I cannot recommend this lovely book for your summer reading piles enough. While reading the last few pages I had the biggest grin on my face and I know it will melt your heart too so make sure to get yourself a copy of A Sky Painted Gold.
*I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. In no way has this affected my opinion of the novel. Thanks!
Let me wax lyrical over this book, which I loved SO MUCH that I shall dub it "The Best Summery Summer Book of 2018". Honestly, it was just . . . perfect. It made incandescently happy and kinda smiley, which was odd because I'm normally a massive moody cloud.
rtc!
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
rtc!
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
In her first novel in the YA age category, Laura Wood tells the story of a girl named Lou, as she becomes embroiled in the lives of the ultra glamorous Cardew siblings when they return to Cornwall for the summer of 1929 and is swept up in their world of lavish parties and societal politics. The beautiful descriptive writing conjured images of the lush setting and stunning outfits in my mind, and it was so immersive. Lou was a wonderful protagonist; headstrong, feisty, determined and funny, and I fell rather in love with her love interest Robert, who was arrogant yet deeply charming at the same time. Their relationship was super slowburn, and I was desperate for them to get together. His sister Caitlin was a total sweetheart and such a good friend to Lou, and Lou`s family were so eccentric and humorous. The company the Cardews keep is as interesting as you`d expect, and it was really fun seeing who showed up to which party and how that effected everyone else there. The secrets of the Cardews are revealed gradually, and the tantalising hints are what I think made the book so exciting. All I can really say about the ending is that it was perfect, and I can`t wait to read more from Laura. 4.5/5
Strong Great Gatsby vibes - big mansion across the water with lavish parties. I really loved the main character and found her really relatable.
A Sky Painted Gold was cute, mostly fluff, but the pacing was a little bit off. It's an uncomplicated book that won’t make you think too hard, nicely written and easy to read, with some occasional humor and a satisfying conclusion.
⋆ 1920s
⋆ coming of age
⋆ rags-to-riches
⋆ Weasleys-meet-the-Marchs family
⋆ romance
⋆ the rich people aren't mean (yasss)
Triggers: Alcohol, mental health issues, mention of death/suicide, arranged marriages
Rep: mixed-race relationships, bisexual side character, gay SC
Narration: first-person POV
I've talked about it in more depth over here.
Blog | Twitter
⋆ 1920s
⋆ coming of age
⋆ rags-to-riches
⋆ Weasleys-meet-the-Marchs family
⋆ romance
⋆ the rich people aren't mean (yasss)
Triggers: Alcohol, mental health issues, mention of death/suicide, arranged marriages
Rep: mixed-race relationships, bisexual side character, gay SC
Narration: first-person POV
I've talked about it in more depth over here.
Blog | Twitter
Full review: https://bookloverkate.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/a-sky-painted-gold-review/
I loved the easy banter between Lou and Robert, and I basically loved Lous attitude. She wanted to be part of these interesting peoples lives, but it wasn’t for their money and she was grounded and herself the whole time.
The ending seemed a little convenient but it was the right ending.
I loved the easy banter between Lou and Robert, and I basically loved Lous attitude. She wanted to be part of these interesting peoples lives, but it wasn’t for their money and she was grounded and herself the whole time.
The ending seemed a little convenient but it was the right ending.