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lunaseassecondaccount's review
2.0
Ahh, The Baby-Sitters Club. Books from my youth!
I never got into the Friends Forever series. I vaguely remember reading this one, at least up to the part where Kristy, Patrick and the rest were eating lunch together.
This has a different feeling to the original Baby-Sitters Club books. It's slightly more mature, and for once the cover model looks thirteen as opposed to twenty-five. And, of course, they're being ghostwritten.
I'm curious as to why Patrick didn't invite David Michael to the wedding. Was it because he left when David Michael was a baby, and thus didn't feel attached or obligated to inviting him? Or was David Michael not actually his son- did Elizabeth have an affair? Perhaps with Richard Spier or John Pike? John is a baby machine, after all...
But yes. It's a Baby-Sitters Club novel. What else can be said?
I never got into the Friends Forever series. I vaguely remember reading this one, at least up to the part where Kristy, Patrick and the rest were eating lunch together.
This has a different feeling to the original Baby-Sitters Club books. It's slightly more mature, and for once the cover model looks thirteen as opposed to twenty-five. And, of course, they're being ghostwritten.
I'm curious as to why Patrick didn't invite David Michael to the wedding. Was it because he left when David Michael was a baby, and thus didn't feel attached or obligated to inviting him? Or was David Michael not actually his son- did Elizabeth have an affair? Perhaps with Richard Spier or John Pike? John is a baby machine, after all...
But yes. It's a Baby-Sitters Club novel. What else can be said?
magic_at_mungos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lberestecki's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
3.25
td1's review
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
inthelunaseas's review
2.0
Ahh, The Baby-Sitters Club. Books from my youth!
I never got into the Friends Forever series. I vaguely remember reading this one, at least up to the part where Kristy, Patrick and the rest were eating lunch together.
This has a different feeling to the original Baby-Sitters Club books. It's slightly more mature, and for once the cover model looks thirteen as opposed to twenty-five. And, of course, they're being ghostwritten.
I'm curious as to why Patrick didn't invite David Michael to the wedding. Was it because he left when David Michael was a baby, and thus didn't feel attached or obligated to inviting him? Or was David Michael not actually his son- did Elizabeth have an affair? Perhaps with Richard Spier or John Pike? John is a baby machine, after all...
But yes. It's a Baby-Sitters Club novel. What else can be said?
I never got into the Friends Forever series. I vaguely remember reading this one, at least up to the part where Kristy, Patrick and the rest were eating lunch together.
This has a different feeling to the original Baby-Sitters Club books. It's slightly more mature, and for once the cover model looks thirteen as opposed to twenty-five. And, of course, they're being ghostwritten.
I'm curious as to why Patrick didn't invite David Michael to the wedding. Was it because he left when David Michael was a baby, and thus didn't feel attached or obligated to inviting him? Or was David Michael not actually his son- did Elizabeth have an affair? Perhaps with Richard Spier or John Pike? John is a baby machine, after all...
But yes. It's a Baby-Sitters Club novel. What else can be said?
finesilkflower's review
3.0
Kristy’s deadbeat dad, Patrick, calls suddenly from California to announce he is getting married in a week to a woman named Zoey. He invites Kristy, Sam, and Charlie to participate in the wedding.
The kids feel weird visiting their father’s home, and realize they know very little about him. He’s given up sports writing for cooking; he and Zoey are opening up an organic restaurant. Kristy’s observations of her father aren’t particularly flattering; she’s annoyed by his attention-whoring, and compares him to a bratty kid. Charlie is angry, yelling at Patrick for years of neglect and for completely forgetting about David Michael’s existence. (It seems like the author is on board with the fanon “David Michael is not Patrick’s son” explanation for the age difference and timing of Patrick’s departure.) Sam tries desparately to make peace.
If there’s one thing BSC books love, it’s WEDDING PREPARATIONS! Patrick and Zoey are throwing together a fairly spontaneous, small wedding. Zoey takes Kristy shopping for a dress, and Kristy likes her; she’s friendly, mature, and understanding, and appreciates Kristy’s sporty, practical style. Kristy is unsettled, worrying that Zoey is too nice for Patrick and doesn’t know what she is getting into.
After a big fight with Patrick, Charlie refuses to attend the rehearsal dinner, and Sam and Kristy decide to stay home with him in awkward solidarity. Alone, the kids discuss Patrick, noting that although Zoey has a bunch of family coming in for the wedding, they’re the only ones there for Patrick. He’s not enough of a stand-up guy to have anyone else standing up for him. The kids agree that he is a big disappointment, so they should lower their expectations.
The kids arrive at the rehearsal dinner just in time; Zoey assures Kristy she’s entering the marriage with eyes wide open; Charlie makes a toast at the wedding. Everyone is happy to get back home to Stoneybrook, their mother, and Watson.
Setting a startlingly adult tone for the Friends Forever series, this book deals with nontraditional emotional territory: the strange, ambivalent feelings that come with trying to connect with an estranged family member. There’s no clear right or wrong; Patrick is neither angelic nor demonized; Zoey is neither his savior nor his victim. Goodness and purity doesn’t triumph, and despite everyone being insanely frank and self-aware about complex emotional states, there’s no big breakthrough or reformation. It’s all just a lot of confusion. Given that, it’s also a strangely low-key and non-melodramatic. No plates are thrown. No hair is torn. The characters’ emotional distance and formality contribute to the sense that Patrick is a stranger. It’s also kind of boring.
I do like the character insights that this episode provides, particularly into the usually-underdeveloped Charlie and Sam. Their strategies for dealing with Patrick are opposites--Charlie gets mad, Sam gets conciliatory--but both can be clearly seen in Patrick’s behavior as well: he’s a quick-tempered jokester. Sam’s attempts to defuse situations with humor is a nice use of/explanation for his previously established character trait. (The one.)
Timing: August
Revised Timeline: Summer after the second academic year postgrad. This book does feel a lot like an estranged father getting to know his children as adults after missing their childhoods. Super-mature and thoughtful Kristy is much more like 24 than 13, and it’s totally believable to me that, at 27, Charlie could just be realizing that his father is a flawed and sad sort of person and starting to let go of his lifelong anger.
The kids feel weird visiting their father’s home, and realize they know very little about him. He’s given up sports writing for cooking; he and Zoey are opening up an organic restaurant. Kristy’s observations of her father aren’t particularly flattering; she’s annoyed by his attention-whoring, and compares him to a bratty kid. Charlie is angry, yelling at Patrick for years of neglect and for completely forgetting about David Michael’s existence. (It seems like the author is on board with the fanon “David Michael is not Patrick’s son” explanation for the age difference and timing of Patrick’s departure.) Sam tries desparately to make peace.
If there’s one thing BSC books love, it’s WEDDING PREPARATIONS! Patrick and Zoey are throwing together a fairly spontaneous, small wedding. Zoey takes Kristy shopping for a dress, and Kristy likes her; she’s friendly, mature, and understanding, and appreciates Kristy’s sporty, practical style. Kristy is unsettled, worrying that Zoey is too nice for Patrick and doesn’t know what she is getting into.
After a big fight with Patrick, Charlie refuses to attend the rehearsal dinner, and Sam and Kristy decide to stay home with him in awkward solidarity. Alone, the kids discuss Patrick, noting that although Zoey has a bunch of family coming in for the wedding, they’re the only ones there for Patrick. He’s not enough of a stand-up guy to have anyone else standing up for him. The kids agree that he is a big disappointment, so they should lower their expectations.
The kids arrive at the rehearsal dinner just in time; Zoey assures Kristy she’s entering the marriage with eyes wide open; Charlie makes a toast at the wedding. Everyone is happy to get back home to Stoneybrook, their mother, and Watson.
Setting a startlingly adult tone for the Friends Forever series, this book deals with nontraditional emotional territory: the strange, ambivalent feelings that come with trying to connect with an estranged family member. There’s no clear right or wrong; Patrick is neither angelic nor demonized; Zoey is neither his savior nor his victim. Goodness and purity doesn’t triumph, and despite everyone being insanely frank and self-aware about complex emotional states, there’s no big breakthrough or reformation. It’s all just a lot of confusion. Given that, it’s also a strangely low-key and non-melodramatic. No plates are thrown. No hair is torn. The characters’ emotional distance and formality contribute to the sense that Patrick is a stranger. It’s also kind of boring.
I do like the character insights that this episode provides, particularly into the usually-underdeveloped Charlie and Sam. Their strategies for dealing with Patrick are opposites--Charlie gets mad, Sam gets conciliatory--but both can be clearly seen in Patrick’s behavior as well: he’s a quick-tempered jokester. Sam’s attempts to defuse situations with humor is a nice use of/explanation for his previously established character trait. (The one.)
Timing: August
Revised Timeline: Summer after the second academic year postgrad. This book does feel a lot like an estranged father getting to know his children as adults after missing their childhoods. Super-mature and thoughtful Kristy is much more like 24 than 13, and it’s totally believable to me that, at 27, Charlie could just be realizing that his father is a flawed and sad sort of person and starting to let go of his lifelong anger.
sammah's review
3.0
I never read all of these, as I was getting a little too old for the series by the time they started. I did read one or two, but then life happened and here I am, reading most of them for the first time as a 33 year old woman! Yeah! ADULTING!
Anyway, I do like what I have read of these. They're a bit more mature than the regular series, but not quite as mature as the California Diaries. This one dealt with Kristy's father, Patrick, remarrying and wanting to actually see his children. I really especially enjoyed Charlie in this one, and the story overall wasn't bad.
Anyway, I do like what I have read of these. They're a bit more mature than the regular series, but not quite as mature as the California Diaries. This one dealt with Kristy's father, Patrick, remarrying and wanting to actually see his children. I really especially enjoyed Charlie in this one, and the story overall wasn't bad.
ssshira's review
4.0
in this actually interesting book that portrays complex emotions in response to nuanced situations by ghostwriter [a:Nola Thacker|133114|Nola Thacker|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], kristy’s deadbeat dad, patrick, is getting married and asks charlie, sam, and kristy to fly to california to be in the wedding. obviously he has a fourth kid, david michael, but it’s not really explained why he doesn’t invite him, and d.m. is really bummed about it (see highlights). charlie doesn’t want to go, but their mom says kristy and sam can only go if charlie does, so he reluctantly agrees. they get to patrick’s house, which is in sausalito, a place so fancy that it has its own pepperidge farm cookie AND it has macadamias in it, which are probably the most expensive nut:
even aside from being in famously expensive marin county, the house is huge and gorgeous and patrick’s car is an audi. which doesn’t really fit the picture of the guy who abandoned his family because he didn’t want to be tied down. they find out that patrick is the head chef at a restaurant owned by his bride-to-be, zoey. kristy ends up really liking zoey in spite of herself, because zoey is actually pretty cool. she puts patrick in his place when need be, and she really listens to kristy and is sympathetic to her role in this whole thing. she even listens to kristy explain the whole dad abandonment thing from her perspective, and she’s like, “it’s a shame your dad was a jerk back then, but he’s grown up and is a decent man now.” kristy is confused when she realizes she actually likes zoey more than she likes patrick. still, kristy and her brothers are literally the only members of patrick’s family who are going to be in the wedding. patrick then asks charlie and sam to be his best men, and sam agrees but charlie doesn’t. after charlie mopes around a lot for the whole book, finally he says something that pisses patrick off enough that he snaps at him. kristy has been trying to get charlie to be nicer to patrick, but still, in this moment she takes charlie’s side and yells back at patrick. sam is really mad at charlie, because though he is mad at patrick for abandoning their family, he still wants to have a relationship with his dad (which is reasonable) and charlie is ruining it. finally charlie gets it together enough to go to the rehearsal dinner and pretend to be okay, because he thinks patrick should have SOMEONE in his family on his team. and then charlie makes a toast at the wedding. and all is okay, I guess. though we never really find out if the thomas kids end up having a relationship with their dad after this, so who knows? maybe this was closure, not the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
highlights:
-david michael actually wants to go to the wedding and is really upset that he wasn’t invited. did patrick forget he existed? did he think it was okay to not even mention d.m. in his invite because he was a baby when he left? this is a nice touch, because it is so damn harsh and cruel and really makes you think patrick is a jerk.
-watson makes gnocchi from scratch. it’s a very charming moment
-charlie says he doesn't owe patrick anything, and he doesn't have anything to say to him. but he doesn't want kristy and sam to miss the opportunity. this book is full of nuanced human experiences, handled pretty well.
-patrick sends car keys in the mail along with the plane tickets and gives directions to find the car parked in the airport parking lot because he and zoey aren't able to pick them up. like, really? patrick is not gaining any sympathizers. I love how damn harsh this book is!
-charlie is not afraid to tell it like it is. patrick says "it's been so long," and charlie says, "whose fault is that?"
-the tuxedo shop is called the tuxedo cat and there's an actual tuxedo cat who lives in the store.
-the tuxes patrick and sam pick out are ugly yellow-orange ones with ruffled shirts, so I’m definitely picturing this:
-at the tuxedo cat kristy holds up a tuxedo to her body to admire herself in a three-way mirror and thinks that she'll try the look herself one day. I <3 my gay kristy.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-how can kristy define zoey's outfit as including a chemise and espadrilles? there is no chance kristy knows what either of those words mean.
-zoey says patrick is happy to have his kids around and charlie says "then why can't he tell us that himself?" and zoey says she doesn't know but that he should. but it seems like patrick can't win with charlie. like, I appreciate how real they get, but there’s a point where I am reminded that charlie is 17 and shouldn’t be acting like such a whiny baby.
-zoey offhand mentions that they are going to have kids one day, but she also says earlier that she's over 40. that seems weird to me, but okay...
outfits
claudia outfit:
-"...who was...wearing cutoff jeans over bicycle shorts, and suspenders she'd decorated with buttons. Beneath that, she was wearing a paint-splattered T-shirt, which she called her tribute to Jackson Pollock."
zoey outfit:
-"Zoey was wearing baggy khaki pants and a bright green crocheted vest over a yellow-and-blue striped cotton chemise. Heavy espadrilles with colorful ribbons were on her feet. Her only jewelry was a ring with a small, square-cut emerald that hung on a gold chain around her neck."
kristy outfit:
-"I was in cutoffs and a Cynthia Cooper WNBA shirt."
mary anne outfit:
-"Mary Anne was in khaki shorts and a faded polo shirt."
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey had opted for linen overall shorts and a ribbed sleeveless undershirt the exact color of her eyes.
no snacks in claudia’s room.
even aside from being in famously expensive marin county, the house is huge and gorgeous and patrick’s car is an audi. which doesn’t really fit the picture of the guy who abandoned his family because he didn’t want to be tied down. they find out that patrick is the head chef at a restaurant owned by his bride-to-be, zoey. kristy ends up really liking zoey in spite of herself, because zoey is actually pretty cool. she puts patrick in his place when need be, and she really listens to kristy and is sympathetic to her role in this whole thing. she even listens to kristy explain the whole dad abandonment thing from her perspective, and she’s like, “it’s a shame your dad was a jerk back then, but he’s grown up and is a decent man now.” kristy is confused when she realizes she actually likes zoey more than she likes patrick. still, kristy and her brothers are literally the only members of patrick’s family who are going to be in the wedding. patrick then asks charlie and sam to be his best men, and sam agrees but charlie doesn’t. after charlie mopes around a lot for the whole book, finally he says something that pisses patrick off enough that he snaps at him. kristy has been trying to get charlie to be nicer to patrick, but still, in this moment she takes charlie’s side and yells back at patrick. sam is really mad at charlie, because though he is mad at patrick for abandoning their family, he still wants to have a relationship with his dad (which is reasonable) and charlie is ruining it. finally charlie gets it together enough to go to the rehearsal dinner and pretend to be okay, because he thinks patrick should have SOMEONE in his family on his team. and then charlie makes a toast at the wedding. and all is okay, I guess. though we never really find out if the thomas kids end up having a relationship with their dad after this, so who knows? maybe this was closure, not the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
highlights:
-david michael actually wants to go to the wedding and is really upset that he wasn’t invited. did patrick forget he existed? did he think it was okay to not even mention d.m. in his invite because he was a baby when he left? this is a nice touch, because it is so damn harsh and cruel and really makes you think patrick is a jerk.
-watson makes gnocchi from scratch. it’s a very charming moment
-charlie says he doesn't owe patrick anything, and he doesn't have anything to say to him. but he doesn't want kristy and sam to miss the opportunity. this book is full of nuanced human experiences, handled pretty well.
-patrick sends car keys in the mail along with the plane tickets and gives directions to find the car parked in the airport parking lot because he and zoey aren't able to pick them up. like, really? patrick is not gaining any sympathizers. I love how damn harsh this book is!
-charlie is not afraid to tell it like it is. patrick says "it's been so long," and charlie says, "whose fault is that?"
-the tuxedo shop is called the tuxedo cat and there's an actual tuxedo cat who lives in the store.
-the tuxes patrick and sam pick out are ugly yellow-orange ones with ruffled shirts, so I’m definitely picturing this:
-at the tuxedo cat kristy holds up a tuxedo to her body to admire herself in a three-way mirror and thinks that she'll try the look herself one day. I <3 my gay kristy.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-how can kristy define zoey's outfit as including a chemise and espadrilles? there is no chance kristy knows what either of those words mean.
-zoey says patrick is happy to have his kids around and charlie says "then why can't he tell us that himself?" and zoey says she doesn't know but that he should. but it seems like patrick can't win with charlie. like, I appreciate how real they get, but there’s a point where I am reminded that charlie is 17 and shouldn’t be acting like such a whiny baby.
-zoey offhand mentions that they are going to have kids one day, but she also says earlier that she's over 40. that seems weird to me, but okay...
outfits
claudia outfit:
-"...who was...wearing cutoff jeans over bicycle shorts, and suspenders she'd decorated with buttons. Beneath that, she was wearing a paint-splattered T-shirt, which she called her tribute to Jackson Pollock."
zoey outfit:
-"Zoey was wearing baggy khaki pants and a bright green crocheted vest over a yellow-and-blue striped cotton chemise. Heavy espadrilles with colorful ribbons were on her feet. Her only jewelry was a ring with a small, square-cut emerald that hung on a gold chain around her neck."
kristy outfit:
-"I was in cutoffs and a Cynthia Cooper WNBA shirt."
mary anne outfit:
-"Mary Anne was in khaki shorts and a faded polo shirt."
stacey outfit:
-"Stacey had opted for linen overall shorts and a ribbed sleeveless undershirt the exact color of her eyes.
no snacks in claudia’s room.
liannakiwi's review
1.0
(LL)
You don’t get to pick and choose when you want your kids in your life. Patrick abandoned his kids: he didn’t write, visit, call, or anything for seven years. Divorce happens, so he should have still made an effort to be in his FOUR KID’S lives. He did none of that and then wanted his kids to forget and forgive and be IN his wedding.
This book reinforced and rewarded toxic behavior and I can’t stand by that.
You don’t get to pick and choose when you want your kids in your life. Patrick abandoned his kids: he didn’t write, visit, call, or anything for seven years. Divorce happens, so he should have still made an effort to be in his FOUR KID’S lives. He did none of that and then wanted his kids to forget and forgive and be IN his wedding.
This book reinforced and rewarded toxic behavior and I can’t stand by that.
aerickaclaire's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75