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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Smothered is intended to be a light, humorous read that follows Lou Hansen in the days after her graduation from Columbia. While I enjoyed the diary style entries and the humor, this book wasn't really a winner for me. The characters are mostly unlikeable and the storyline is relatively far-fetched. Lou herself is a pretty unrealistic character - she is a double major at the top of her class at Columbia, but somehow has no idea what she wants in a career and manages to go months without applying to any jobs. I would recommend this for a beach read, but then again, there are tons of other great beach reads out there.
Smothered is intended to be a light, humorous read that follows Lou Hansen in the days after her graduation from Columbia. While I enjoyed the diary style entries and the humor, this book wasn't really a winner for me. The characters are mostly unlikeable and the storyline is relatively far-fetched. Lou herself is a pretty unrealistic character - she is a double major at the top of her class at Columbia, but somehow has no idea what she wants in a career and manages to go months without applying to any jobs. I would recommend this for a beach read, but then again, there are tons of other great beach reads out there.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lou just graduated from Columbia and has to go home to her parents’ in California to find a job. But turns out, after tasting freedom, being back home with her overbearing mother is hard.
I’m not sure what to say about this. I can’t even start by criticizing the plot because there was none.
I was mostly bored through the whole thing. I didn’t like the characters so I wasn’t even a little bit invested. I just read it as fast as possible so that I could start something else.
I mean I really disliked the main character and found her very very stupid while every character in the book, including herself, kept telling me how smart she was.
I really couldn’t get into the story and felt no empathy for the main liar of this thing…
At least, I liked that we had some snippets of facebook, texts, emails, etc… That made the book more interesting.
Lou just graduated from Columbia and has to go home to her parents’ in California to find a job. But turns out, after tasting freedom, being back home with her overbearing mother is hard.
I’m not sure what to say about this. I can’t even start by criticizing the plot because there was none.
I was mostly bored through the whole thing. I didn’t like the characters so I wasn’t even a little bit invested. I just read it as fast as possible so that I could start something else.
I mean I really disliked the main character and found her very very stupid while every character in the book, including herself, kept telling me how smart she was.
I really couldn’t get into the story and felt no empathy for the main liar of this thing…
At least, I liked that we had some snippets of facebook, texts, emails, etc… That made the book more interesting.
1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars. If you love hating every character within a book for not only their actions but their ectremely vapid and materialistic personalities, then this book is right up your alley. If you are like most readers and would like to at least see some good qualities in a female protagonist, I would recommend you stay far away from this novel.
While the writing style of this novel is in a sort of diary format and unique in that manner, it also didn't make any sense the way it was written as why would anyone record minute by minute play by plays of their life in their diaries...especially at age 22...when they should be looking for a job...and being an adult? Then again, the main character of Lou is the perfect example of how "millenials" should NOT act if they every want to be productive members of society. She spends all her time criticizing her mother and blaming every single person around her for everything negative that occurs in her life. She uses up any good will from others by lying to them or using them in her giant game to gain more attention and remain one of the most immature characters I have ever read in my life.
Maybe the author was trying to make this a satire. If so, she still failed as it should be more clear to the reader that it is one. Instead, I found myself angry 98% of the time at everyone for enabling Lou to continue as an overgrown, spoiled child with no independent thinking skills. I pat myself on the back for even finishing it but luckily it made for a quick (albeit angering) read. Millenials should perhaps read this book just to have an example of exactly how NOT to be. Otherwise, don't waste your time on fame whore characters. We already do that enough on social media.
While the writing style of this novel is in a sort of diary format and unique in that manner, it also didn't make any sense the way it was written as why would anyone record minute by minute play by plays of their life in their diaries...especially at age 22...when they should be looking for a job...and being an adult? Then again, the main character of Lou is the perfect example of how "millenials" should NOT act if they every want to be productive members of society. She spends all her time criticizing her mother and blaming every single person around her for everything negative that occurs in her life. She uses up any good will from others by lying to them or using them in her giant game to gain more attention and remain one of the most immature characters I have ever read in my life.
Maybe the author was trying to make this a satire. If so, she still failed as it should be more clear to the reader that it is one. Instead, I found myself angry 98% of the time at everyone for enabling Lou to continue as an overgrown, spoiled child with no independent thinking skills. I pat myself on the back for even finishing it but luckily it made for a quick (albeit angering) read. Millenials should perhaps read this book just to have an example of exactly how NOT to be. Otherwise, don't waste your time on fame whore characters. We already do that enough on social media.
Round up to 3.5 -- for me this was a combination of a Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, and Jen Lancaster book, and I love all of them. It was very light, and didn't really require deep thinking, but it was enjoyable. I got this book through NetGalley -- thank you for the opportunity to read the book and review it!
The one thing in the ARC is that there were a bunch of footnotes and I couldn't click through to them, which took something away from the book for me. I hope this is fixed in the actual Kindle version. Footnotes are hard in e-books at times, but the author clearly wrote this knowing that they need to be read.
The one thing in the ARC is that there were a bunch of footnotes and I couldn't click through to them, which took something away from the book for me. I hope this is fixed in the actual Kindle version. Footnotes are hard in e-books at times, but the author clearly wrote this knowing that they need to be read.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
This book was so much fun! And it was exactly what I needed. Lou's story was amusing, but also relatable, and it left me in high spirits.
Lou was at this crossroads in her life. Her time as an overachieving student was coming to an end, and now she had to figure out what comes next. She was sort of adrift, and also struggling to readjust to life back in her childhood home. I found myself really invested in Lou's success. I wanted her to get her act together, to come clean with her family, and to accomplish some of those items on her goals list. It was quite satisfying to see her making strides and growing into her new adult life.
I adored the format of this book. This story was mostly told via journal entries, therefore, we were pretty much in Lou's head for the entire book, and it was quite a hilarious place to be. The combination of Lou's wit, humor, and all the over the top characters left me with either a smile on my face or audibly laughing. The journal entries were interspersed with Instagram photos, text messages, Facebook posts, letters, and articles, which just added to my enjoyment.
However, this story was not simply all fun, it was also quite heartfelt. It was about struggling and adjusting to change, and I found it quite easy to relate to many things in this book. First, I remember having that same kind of lost feeling when my formal schooling came to an end, and I found myself nodding, often, while Lou reflected on her lack of direction. I also related to the story from Shelly's point of view. She was a mom facing an empty nest, and it was terrifying for her. Though she has a fun group of friends, her pugs, and a multitude of interests, she still felt as though her most important role was being a mother. So, I would say that Mama Shell was feeling a little lost as well.
Chiklis did a wonderful job capturing all those emotions and the confusion that accompany dealing with big life changes. I was a fan of how she was able to keep the story fun and light, while still giving it some heart and depth.
Overall: A delightful tale, which I think could appeal to both mothers and daughters, as well as new graduates, who are beginning their post graduate lives.
This book was so much fun! And it was exactly what I needed. Lou's story was amusing, but also relatable, and it left me in high spirits.
Lou was at this crossroads in her life. Her time as an overachieving student was coming to an end, and now she had to figure out what comes next. She was sort of adrift, and also struggling to readjust to life back in her childhood home. I found myself really invested in Lou's success. I wanted her to get her act together, to come clean with her family, and to accomplish some of those items on her goals list. It was quite satisfying to see her making strides and growing into her new adult life.
I adored the format of this book. This story was mostly told via journal entries, therefore, we were pretty much in Lou's head for the entire book, and it was quite a hilarious place to be. The combination of Lou's wit, humor, and all the over the top characters left me with either a smile on my face or audibly laughing. The journal entries were interspersed with Instagram photos, text messages, Facebook posts, letters, and articles, which just added to my enjoyment.
However, this story was not simply all fun, it was also quite heartfelt. It was about struggling and adjusting to change, and I found it quite easy to relate to many things in this book. First, I remember having that same kind of lost feeling when my formal schooling came to an end, and I found myself nodding, often, while Lou reflected on her lack of direction. I also related to the story from Shelly's point of view. She was a mom facing an empty nest, and it was terrifying for her. Though she has a fun group of friends, her pugs, and a multitude of interests, she still felt as though her most important role was being a mother. So, I would say that Mama Shell was feeling a little lost as well.
Chiklis did a wonderful job capturing all those emotions and the confusion that accompany dealing with big life changes. I was a fan of how she was able to keep the story fun and light, while still giving it some heart and depth.
Overall: A delightful tale, which I think could appeal to both mothers and daughters, as well as new graduates, who are beginning their post graduate lives.
i love mother/daughter dynamics and i really related w/ this, like my relationship w/ my mom is very similar to the one portrayed in this. lou was kind of annoying, but i also related to her in many ways so idk what that says about me. i wish her boyfriend would have been more developed, but at the same time the story isn’t about /him/ so i get why there isn’t a lot of emphasis on his characterization. i actually rate it around 3.5 stars. i really liked it, but i think there were some little things that could be improved, such as pacing
This is a light and, at times, funny read. Although this book deals with a college graduate, I feel like the tone is very ya-like. Which didn't really work for me. It was hard to see the main character as an adult when she wouldn't even wash her own underwear or prevent her mom's dogs from peeing all over her room. And she just lies and lies and lies. I mean, I get she's in this transition period, but I just couldn't feel much sympathy for the mess she had gotten herself into. Although the way her mom deals with it isn't very adult-like either. Lou is just a little too spoiled, and this book is a little too out there for any average post-grad to be able to relate to.
Feels a little bit too much like it wants to be the Princess Diaries, and jumps through too much time, but fun nonetheless.
I don't know what else to say about "Smothered" other than it was a quick fun read and definitely the perfect thing to read while on vacation. Lou Hansen has just graduated from Columbia University. While looking for a job, she moves back home to California, to live with her family. Lou knows that "adulting" is going to be hard, and while she knows her mother will be interfering and crossing boundaries at every turn, she has no idea how badly. In addition, Lou has been hiding a secret from her parents in the form of her boyfriend, Theo, whom her mother saw once and nicknamed him "the serial killer."
"Smothered" was told in diary form and includes texts, emails and instagram posts. I love books in this form from time and time and most usually find them fast and fun reads. Chiklis does a wonderful job at weaving social media into a new graduates life, just as I imagine would happen. In addition, there is humor and snarkiness abound.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and I have to admit, it was the author's name which immediately caught my attention. I used to love "The Shield" when it was on TV and wanted to see what his daughter could do. I have to say Autumn stands on her own and I look forward to future books by her. However, while reading the book, I couldn't help but wonder if the father in the book was patterned after her own.
If you want a summer read that is relaxing and at times can make you laugh out loud, then consider picking up "Smothered."
"Smothered" was told in diary form and includes texts, emails and instagram posts. I love books in this form from time and time and most usually find them fast and fun reads. Chiklis does a wonderful job at weaving social media into a new graduates life, just as I imagine would happen. In addition, there is humor and snarkiness abound.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and I have to admit, it was the author's name which immediately caught my attention. I used to love "The Shield" when it was on TV and wanted to see what his daughter could do. I have to say Autumn stands on her own and I look forward to future books by her. However, while reading the book, I couldn't help but wonder if the father in the book was patterned after her own.
If you want a summer read that is relaxing and at times can make you laugh out loud, then consider picking up "Smothered."