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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I don't even know where to start with this one. First off: I love love love Joshilyn Jackson, and she can do no wrong in my eyes. She has this amazing ability to create characters that are so real, so alive, that you find yourself thinking about them when you're not reading her book, and wanting to ignore all other things to delve back into the pages of the story. Paula Vauss does not disappoint. She is one badass, broken lady. But Jackson gives her the ability to handle whatever comes her way in life, maybe with some stumbles along the way, but I was truly rooting for her in the end. Typically Jackson does not give her characters happy endings - perhaps the endings that they deserve, but not always tied up with a neat little bow. So I was surprised and quite happy with how Opposite of Everyone ended. I'm sad that I got this from the library, because I want to reread it to pick up some things that I'm sure I missed.
Rounding up kind of generously here. I can't put my finger on what it was about this book. It doesn't seem so bad but there was nothing I liked about it. It jumped back and forth in time and I didn't find either storyline compelling at all. The modern one was slightly more interesting but also very scattered. The ending felt like she got tired of writing and just said, everything turned out fine the end. I've always heard good things about this author so either I picked a dud or she's just not for me.
At first I thought this book was going nowhere. But something kept me reading and soon I was completely caught up. A totally worthwhile and entertaining saga questioning nature vs nurture vs something else that drives each person to succeed or fail and accept responsibility for oneself.
Joshilyn Jackson is a master at developing fully formed characters. She spins a story that is engaging because of the characters' emotional depth rather than relying on cheap plot twists as many less proficient writers do. This novel lives up to her previous powerhouses. I always feel loss when I finish her books because I connect so strongly to the characters, truly like losing a friend.
Paula is full of bitter hard edges with F-You shoes and attitude making her an excellent divorce lawyer. This could be the description of the beginnings of a click lit novel but if you have ever read Joshliyn Jackson books you will know better. Her books are always full of layers and where the good and bad of each character is displayed in all its gore and glory.
I read one or two other reviews and some of them mentioned that they struggled to connect with Paula in the beginning as she is initially portrayed as too harsh to warm up to. I never had that issue and for me the inaccessibility of Paula was exactly how she wanted to portray herself to the world.
Paula’s mother is a free spirit, the epitome of free love and gypsy roots and unfortunately irresponsible parenthood.
The story unfolds with flashbacks to Paula’s life on the road with her mother, all the boyfriends her mother strung along and the ultimate betrayal when one 911 phone call changes their lives forever.
“If you live your life shaped like a loaded gun, your kid is going to come along and shoot it”
From the get go you just know that the monthly cheques grownup Paula sends to her mother is guilt money rather than daughterly concern over the welfare of her mother. All the cheques are cashed like clockwork until one comes back in the mail, uncashed and with a seemingly cryptic message from her mother saying her last goodbyes…
There is not one character I didn’t like, even the mean girls in the foster home had a place in my heart and each character had their own distinct voice.
This is only my second book by this author and I could not read it fast enough. Highly recommended.
I read one or two other reviews and some of them mentioned that they struggled to connect with Paula in the beginning as she is initially portrayed as too harsh to warm up to. I never had that issue and for me the inaccessibility of Paula was exactly how she wanted to portray herself to the world.
Paula’s mother is a free spirit, the epitome of free love and gypsy roots and unfortunately irresponsible parenthood.
The story unfolds with flashbacks to Paula’s life on the road with her mother, all the boyfriends her mother strung along and the ultimate betrayal when one 911 phone call changes their lives forever.
“If you live your life shaped like a loaded gun, your kid is going to come along and shoot it”
From the get go you just know that the monthly cheques grownup Paula sends to her mother is guilt money rather than daughterly concern over the welfare of her mother. All the cheques are cashed like clockwork until one comes back in the mail, uncashed and with a seemingly cryptic message from her mother saying her last goodbyes…
There is not one character I didn’t like, even the mean girls in the foster home had a place in my heart and each character had their own distinct voice.
This is only my second book by this author and I could not read it fast enough. Highly recommended.
I went into this book thinking it would be typical Southern chick lit.
Instead I found a really complex main character in Paula Vauss, a successful lawyer whose rambling past as the child of a migrant gypsy/hippie mother come backs to change everything about her life. It was a great book. Well written, great pacing, interesting and flawed characters.
Instead I found a really complex main character in Paula Vauss, a successful lawyer whose rambling past as the child of a migrant gypsy/hippie mother come backs to change everything about her life. It was a great book. Well written, great pacing, interesting and flawed characters.
Witty, fun easy read. Look forward to reading more from this author.
This isn't great literature or anything, but it was exactly what I've wanted all her books to be since Between Georgia and they haven't been but this one was. And I cried.