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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A cool concept and catching intro that immediately fell off the rails
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I actually think this book was very well written, but I’m just not the target audience. The summary made me think it was going to be more along the magical realism lines, but it ended up being focused on elemental “energy” and healing from trauma rather than an actual magical awakening. So yeah, this might be better suited for people looking to transition out of literary fiction or self help nonfiction, but for my speculative fiction/fantasy loving self, it just wasn’t a good fit.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had no idea what to expect from Everything We Never Knew when I first came across it. Although I know Julianne Hough, the story's title and cover drew me in. was intrigued by the cover and title before reading the book blurb. It tells its own story. After finishing Everything We Never Knew about Lexi's transition, the cover and title made much more sense and went wonderfully with the story. My only regret is that I hadn't read this book sooner. This book received mixed reviews, but I decided to read it regardless, and I'm pleased I did. I can't stop thinking about this story; I never expected it to have such an impact on me. Everything We Never Knew. is not a story you can forget after reading. Part of me wants to re-read the book.
This story's imagery was fantastic; I could feel every emotion Lexi was experiencing as if we went through it together. I couldn't help but adore Lexi, and I'm pleased she had some people who believed in her. I wanted to like Lexi's husband, and I did at times, but I despised how he treated her once she told him what was happening to her. A part of me understood why he acted the way he did and if there was a purpose. So much was happening in this book, and each page made it harder to put it down. I’m still thinking about Lexi’s journey.
Everything We Never Knew is the best book I've read about self-discovery and transformation. Even with the supernatural themes in the plot, Julianne Hough & Ellen Goodlett made it feel real and made us go on the journey with Lexi. It was such a beautifully written novel that I am still thinking about it after finishing it last night. I had never heard of Saturn's return before reading this book, and after finishing it, I undertook my own research since I was so intrigued by it. I highly recommend checking this book out. A story that will take you somewhere you've never imagined.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the concept, I just think this wasn't the best way to showcase it.
The Plot:
This novel starts at an awards banquet with Lexi accepting...well...an award. While trying to give her speech, she sees a man at the back of the room and hears voices screaming for help. It isn't until after the banquet that she realizes all the things she witnessed actually happened in a different location.
After meeting a local healer, Lexi realizes she can see other people's auras and even heal their energy fields.
My Thoughts:
The banquet scene and the rest of this book seem like two different stories. I don't think that vision/drowning arc was even needed and it threw me off for a few chapters trying to figure out how that tied into spiritual healing. I also feel that Lexi was advancing in her training too fast to make it work for the plot. In the world that Hough and Goodlett created, Lexi was taking on some really difficult healings with barely any repercussion.
I did like the spiritual aspect of the book. I don't know much about it, but it was interesting to read about although that'd be a very intrusive skill. Very dangerous in the wrong hands.
Overall, I liked the 2nd half of the book and I do appreciate that the ghostwriter got their name on the cover.
The Plot:
This novel starts at an awards banquet with Lexi accepting...well...an award. While trying to give her speech, she sees a man at the back of the room and hears voices screaming for help. It isn't until after the banquet that she realizes all the things she witnessed actually happened in a different location.
After meeting a local healer, Lexi realizes she can see other people's auras and even heal their energy fields.
My Thoughts:
The banquet scene and the rest of this book seem like two different stories. I don't think that vision/drowning arc was even needed and it threw me off for a few chapters trying to figure out how that tied into spiritual healing. I also feel that Lexi was advancing in her training too fast to make it work for the plot. In the world that Hough and Goodlett created, Lexi was taking on some really difficult healings with barely any repercussion.
I did like the spiritual aspect of the book. I don't know much about it, but it was interesting to read about although that'd be a very intrusive skill. Very dangerous in the wrong hands.
Overall, I liked the 2nd half of the book and I do appreciate that the ghostwriter got their name on the cover.
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. I did something I almost never do — I picked it up off the library shelf because it looked interesting, read the review, and took it home. Once I got home, I read the online reviews and saw it was rated 3.1, which is pretty low. And my Facebook book group friends really were down on the author. (I'd never heard of her, but apparently she is a Dancing With The Stars celeb). So I was set up to not like the book and expected it to be a struggle to get through. But that was not the case at all. I really enjoyed the story. I especially liked Bea, who was really into new age spiritualism and a mentor to Lexi, who was just discovering her pull to spiritualism. I don't think you have to believe in this to enjoy the story. I know I don't. But one comment that Bea made gave me something to think about — that maybe science just hasn't yet advanced to the point that it can explain astrology. Hmm. In any event, I enjoyed this book and flew right through it. I DID feel that it ended just a little too neatly. Lexi's dubious husband not only learns to accept that she believes this 'woo woo', as he put it. But he goes on to take a class himself. And they presumably live happily ever after. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent
Such a sweet read about a relatable healing journey.
hopeful
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced