Scan barcode
hillybean82's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
titanic's review against another edition
5.0
Part of me wants to cry because of how good this book was.
I want to start out by saying I'm not a big fan of books that flip between two different time periods as I feel the storyline can sometimes get lost during the timeline, but Hogan handled this layout fabulously. It was so well written, that I felt like I was in 1972 with the whole cast of characters in Brighton.
A character that I fell in love with was Clive or MI5-Clive. He was such a wonderful soul, and I loved how Hogan wrote about someone on the autism spectrum. He was just such a fantastic character and I loved when he popped up tying rubber bands to lampposts, which I might add is a fantastic way of talking in code.
I did guess one of the two parents, but that didn't spoil the fun for me, I just assumed that the mother would naturally be that character, but I would have much preferred it if it was my preferred father choice as I think it would have been more drama involved. But it was such a brilliantly written book that just kept me reading that I didn't care in the end that I was wrong.
I want to start out by saying I'm not a big fan of books that flip between two different time periods as I feel the storyline can sometimes get lost during the timeline, but Hogan handled this layout fabulously. It was so well written, that I felt like I was in 1972 with the whole cast of characters in Brighton.
A character that I fell in love with was Clive or MI5-Clive. He was such a wonderful soul, and I loved how Hogan wrote about someone on the autism spectrum. He was just such a fantastic character and I loved when he popped up tying rubber bands to lampposts, which I might add is a fantastic way of talking in code.
I did guess one of the two parents, but that didn't spoil the fun for me, I just assumed that the mother would naturally be that character, but I would have much preferred it if it was my preferred father choice as I think it would have been more drama involved. But it was such a brilliantly written book that just kept me reading that I didn't care in the end that I was wrong.
maxinercd's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
oh boy this book was GOOD
I’ll be processing my emotions for the next 10 business days
I’ll be processing my emotions for the next 10 business days
vaudevillianveteran's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
carolbsmith's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book, and it had potential, but I didn't really like any of the characters. I didn't dislike them, but I just didn't care about them. There wasn't much drama, or even enough excitement to make me want to pick it up and read for an hour. It was just...meh.
teddy1404's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
calcitestar's review against another edition
4.0
It was a very pleasant read covering several of my interests but didn’t go into any of them to any depth. A little intrigue and mystery played out throughout. May well read again at some point.
markcollison's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Ruth Hogan’s writing will make you feel as though you are transported to this seaside town where Madame Burova works her magic in all kinds of ways
dewitnadine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
4.5
Loved it!!! I loved the sort of community feel it gave me! The entertainment lounge on the holiday park where most of the characters worked kind of reminded me a little bit of the book daisy jones and the six, because of how the characters reflected on that time in their lives. It was touching and wholesome and well thought out!