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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Cute book. A pretty easy read with some just enough paranormal activity to keep me interested. I really did like the main character as she was very spunky.
Liked this a lot for the most part -- it felt like a return to older form for Crusie -- and I really liked how she interwove the supernatural aspect. It was smartly plotted, and I was definitely very engaged with it.
WARNING: in the latter half of the book there is an incident of attempted nonconsensual sex which happens to the POV character, there is nonconsensual sex mentioned by a non-POV character (which felt 100% unnecessary; do not want), and there is also a strong implication within the text that the non-POV character "secretly wanted it" which I found almost more distasteful. If you would like more information about either of those scenes, please let me know.
WARNING: in the latter half of the book there is an incident of attempted nonconsensual sex which happens to the POV character, there is nonconsensual sex mentioned by a non-POV character (which felt 100% unnecessary; do not want), and there is also a strong implication within the text that the non-POV character "secretly wanted it" which I found almost more distasteful. If you would like more information about either of those scenes, please let me know.
Jennifer Crusie is as consistent as always in this one, but now - with ghosts!
Maybe. :)
Maybe. :)
I definitely prefer Crusie alone to Crusie with co-authors. I think the book felt familiar to me--North and Andie have more than a little Linc and Daisy from [b:The Cinderella Deal|33756|The Cinderella Deal (Loveswept)|Jennifer Crusie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1229577240s/33756.jpg|33800] in them--but the addition of the ghost story gave them a new setting to interact with and in. A comfortable, interesting, entertaining read.
Edited: After reading Punk's review, I had to confront the non-con/rape bits, which I'd managed to block out when I read it. There's some incredible skeeziness there (it's rape when it happens to the heroine, but not the "soulless" antagonist? what?) and as good as the rest of the book was for me, it's probably *not* a comfortable read at all. I'm kind of irritated with myself for not focusing on it the first time through--but I have my own issues, and I really *wanted* to like this book. So. Review edited.
Edited: After reading Punk's review, I had to confront the non-con/rape bits, which I'd managed to block out when I read it. There's some incredible skeeziness there (it's rape when it happens to the heroine, but not the "soulless" antagonist? what?) and as good as the rest of the book was for me, it's probably *not* a comfortable read at all. I'm kind of irritated with myself for not focusing on it the first time through--but I have my own issues, and I really *wanted* to like this book. So. Review edited.
Andie is engaged and her life's going really well. Until she sees her ex-husband, who hires her to head to the middle of nowhere and take care of two children in a house that may or may not be haunted. The kids are orphans and they've scared off three nannies already. (Carter has a tendency to set fires and Alice is a screamer.)
This is a book that shouldn't work but does. It's part The Philadelphia Story (in terms of Andie's relationship with past husband and future husband) and part Rebecca (creepy house, creepier housekeeper) and part Mary Poppins (hello, children! I will solve your problems!), and that sounds incredibly schizophrenic, right? And a little ambitious for one book that's less than 350 pages? But it works, and it all flows together quite well.
I gave it three and a half stars, because parts seemed kind of rushed. And also because ghosts should be really scary. (So on the plus side, if you want to read this but are concerned about being freaked out, you should be okay.)
This is a book that shouldn't work but does. It's part The Philadelphia Story (in terms of Andie's relationship with past husband and future husband) and part Rebecca (creepy house, creepier housekeeper) and part Mary Poppins (hello, children! I will solve your problems!), and that sounds incredibly schizophrenic, right? And a little ambitious for one book that's less than 350 pages? But it works, and it all flows together quite well.
I gave it three and a half stars, because parts seemed kind of rushed. And also because ghosts should be really scary. (So on the plus side, if you want to read this but are concerned about being freaked out, you should be okay.)
The ghosts and the mothers in this were the best! Actually, all the peripheral characters were so entertaining it almost seemed more their story than that of the main lovebirds, but that wasn't a bad thing. Loved the ending!!