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soulkissed2003's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
abby_can_read's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
📱
This was a cute read. Overall the series was a fast and cute read.
This was a cute read. Overall the series was a fast and cute read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Addiction
lkthomas07's review against another edition
3.0
We liked this one, but it seemed a bit shallow compared to the others.
angelafishkin's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hannahrose_99's review against another edition
5.0
uncle gard and aunt cornelia are so cool and ahead of their time
nikireads100's review
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a very cute story although very convenient. It is a little kids book and I wish it was still published because it is such a great read for early readers, but their is no surprise in the ending.
madz94's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
There were truly a lot of changes for Samantha and even for Nellie and her sisters. I’m glad Nellie was brought back into the story even though it was very sad. I can’t imagine what went on in orphanages at this time in history. Garner and Cornelia are great people and I love that Samantha gets to live with them.
gillianalice's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
thewordwitch's review
4.0
This series is so incredibly tumble-jumble and disjointed. As a kid, I didn't pick up on this, but I remember I would pick and choose Samantha stories to reread as opposed to the other girls, where I would re-read their whole series from start to finish.
I felt as if the first two books were written to give Samantha an arc that would carry over the six books. This was derailed slightly in book 3, and it went entirely off the rails with book 4 and the appearance of the twins. In book 6, it seemed that there was a mad scramble to pick up with the arc from books 1 and 2. But, the difference between what was going on in books 4 and 5 was jarring.
Grandmary has since gotten married to Admiral Archibald Bemis, and we are robbed of the fun of that wedding and of most of Samantha's feelings about it. (Maybe this is covered in a side book or a short story, but we don't see it in the main series.) Samantha now lives with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. The twins, despite being in the character vignettes at the beginning, are nowhere to be seen in this book despite having been always underfoot in the last two. (Kind of glad about this, because they were just chaotic energy I didn't need.)
Fortunately, we return to her true BFF in this book, Nellie. Of course, we're touching on some very dark themes, because Val Tripp loves killing off parents. Nellie, who has had a pretty hard go at it right along, is now forced into an almost parental role for his younger sisters with the death of her parents. We're blind-sided with this in the beginning of the book, and the dark realities of what would happen to orphans during that time period is touched on. It reminded me a lot of Anne's past in "Anne with an E" (based on "Anne of Green Gables"). I am glad we get closure on what happens with Nellie and that the twins are sent to the sidelines. I was afraid that she'd be ignored for the flashy consumerism that the twins seem to be focused on.
Overall, of the three books written by Val Tripp in the series, this one seems to connect the most to what Samantha's original storyline was, and I appreciate that.
I felt as if the first two books were written to give Samantha an arc that would carry over the six books. This was derailed slightly in book 3, and it went entirely off the rails with book 4 and the appearance of the twins. In book 6, it seemed that there was a mad scramble to pick up with the arc from books 1 and 2. But, the difference between what was going on in books 4 and 5 was jarring.
Grandmary has since gotten married to Admiral Archibald Bemis, and we are robbed of the fun of that wedding and of most of Samantha's feelings about it. (Maybe this is covered in a side book or a short story, but we don't see it in the main series.) Samantha now lives with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. The twins, despite being in the character vignettes at the beginning, are nowhere to be seen in this book despite having been always underfoot in the last two. (Kind of glad about this, because they were just chaotic energy I didn't need.)
Fortunately, we return to her true BFF in this book, Nellie. Of course, we're touching on some very dark themes, because Val Tripp loves killing off parents. Nellie, who has had a pretty hard go at it right along, is now forced into an almost parental role for his younger sisters with the death of her parents. We're blind-sided with this in the beginning of the book, and the dark realities of what would happen to orphans during that time period is touched on. It reminded me a lot of Anne's past in "Anne with an E" (based on "Anne of Green Gables"). I am glad we get closure on what happens with Nellie and that the twins are sent to the sidelines. I was afraid that she'd be ignored for the flashy consumerism that the twins seem to be focused on.
Overall, of the three books written by Val Tripp in the series, this one seems to connect the most to what Samantha's original storyline was, and I appreciate that.