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2.77 AVERAGE
2.77 AVERAGE
elliebit's review
3.0
Quirky. . . I think. Or maybe it/the characters had quirks. Idek.
I liked it and want to give it three stars but some portions merit a 2.7 or a 2.9. Also: editing! That's all that needs to be said about that.
The fact that it took me out of my comfort zone and was a little kooky means that it accomplished something though,so I had to settle on an even 3.
I liked it and want to give it three stars but some portions merit a 2.7 or a 2.9. Also: editing! That's all that needs to be said about that.
The fact that it took me out of my comfort zone and was a little kooky means that it accomplished something though,so I had to settle on an even 3.
chartsh's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
love_bookswillbetheendofme's review
DNF ~ I'm forty pages in, and I am bored to death. The male "romantic" lead is a jerk. The main female character is crazy. This chick is all over the place! I tried skipping ahead, and it doesn't seem to get any better.
mi123books's review
4.0
I got this book while I was browsing the free section on my Kindle. I liked the cover, I liked the title, I liked the plot, but, most of all, I liked the fact that it was free. This was a solid 4 starts for me, I really liked it, but I didn't love it. I would totally continue on with the series, I just need to find time to read all the books I want to read - this is not a priority, though. It was super a super fun, light, fast-paced read and I would totally recommend it if that's something you're usually interested in. I liked the California setting and the fact that, even though it's California, the books is not focused on people trying to be famous and whatnot.. Just normal folks, living a normal life.
Like I said, I got this book for free, but I would totally pay money for it. I'm even considering buying the second book with my own money, so the fact that it was free did not influence my review! I would consider reading other books from this author, I really liked her writing style and her characters.
For more books reviews and other bookish things: www.letmecrossover.blogspot.com
Like I said, I got this book for free, but I would totally pay money for it. I'm even considering buying the second book with my own money, so the fact that it was free did not influence my review! I would consider reading other books from this author, I really liked her writing style and her characters.
For more books reviews and other bookish things: www.letmecrossover.blogspot.com
bookbriefs's review
4.0
The Merchant of Venice Beach turned out to be totally different than I expect it to be. But in a really good way. I expected this book to be a fun romance story heavy on the romance and it way more of an adult coming of age story with a hilarious main character/narrator and while romance was a main theme throughout this book, I found it to be so much more about the characters and how they got to where they are in Venice. Celia Bonaduce did such an excellent job letting Suzanna tell her story. I loved her voice. We saw everything through her head and her thoughts and her thought process is so funny. I just found her so relate-able.
When I first started reading Suzanna was instantly taken with the hot dance instructor, Rio. So much so that she decided to take salsa lessons just to try and get to know him. When I first met Rio, I wasn’t impressed. He kind of seemed like a jerk. But as I read on, I realized that wasn’t even the point of the book. The Merchant of Venice Beach was Suzanna’s story. Celia Bonaduce created such an awesome group of characters. Suzanna, Eric and Fernando have known each other since high school, and they live and work together now. They are like a little family. They annoy each other sometimes, but at the end of the day you know they will be there for each other.
The Merchant of Venice Beach is divided into different sections. The story starts out in the present tense when Suzanna is 33. And then it “flashes” back to their high school and college days. But they were much longer than typical flashbacks. I felt like we were told two stories. The then and the now. It helps to make sure that you really get to know all of the characters so well. And I thought that Suzanna was the perfect voice for this story. She was so very relate-able. I could just picture so many of the things she was going through and doing, actually happening.
When I was about half way through the story, I realized that I still didn’t know who Suzanna’s love interest was going to be. There were so many possibilities. Was it going to be the life long friend? The hot dance instructor? The “office-cute” guy from dance lessons? I’m used to having some idea of how a story is going to unfold by the half way point, but I found myself even more excited to read the second half of the book because I didn’t know. So much of Suzanna’s life was up in the air and I had a blast going on this journey to figure some things out with her. This book wasn’t anything like I thought it would be, but it turned out to be even better! Character driven readers will enjoy this book.
When I first started reading Suzanna was instantly taken with the hot dance instructor, Rio. So much so that she decided to take salsa lessons just to try and get to know him. When I first met Rio, I wasn’t impressed. He kind of seemed like a jerk. But as I read on, I realized that wasn’t even the point of the book. The Merchant of Venice Beach was Suzanna’s story. Celia Bonaduce created such an awesome group of characters. Suzanna, Eric and Fernando have known each other since high school, and they live and work together now. They are like a little family. They annoy each other sometimes, but at the end of the day you know they will be there for each other.
The Merchant of Venice Beach is divided into different sections. The story starts out in the present tense when Suzanna is 33. And then it “flashes” back to their high school and college days. But they were much longer than typical flashbacks. I felt like we were told two stories. The then and the now. It helps to make sure that you really get to know all of the characters so well. And I thought that Suzanna was the perfect voice for this story. She was so very relate-able. I could just picture so many of the things she was going through and doing, actually happening.
When I was about half way through the story, I realized that I still didn’t know who Suzanna’s love interest was going to be. There were so many possibilities. Was it going to be the life long friend? The hot dance instructor? The “office-cute” guy from dance lessons? I’m used to having some idea of how a story is going to unfold by the half way point, but I found myself even more excited to read the second half of the book because I didn’t know. So much of Suzanna’s life was up in the air and I had a blast going on this journey to figure some things out with her. This book wasn’t anything like I thought it would be, but it turned out to be even better! Character driven readers will enjoy this book.
gerireads's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 25%
I thought the blurb was interesting but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. So no rating.
A book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I thought the blurb was interesting but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. So no rating.
A book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.