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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Lily Davis was only 17 when she married a boy she had known for a short time. He was shipping out to WWII soon as a supply man for Coca-Cola and it seemed like the thing to do before he went away. Three years later, her hometown of Toccoa, Georgia has scheduled a big homecoming party for all the returning soldiers, including parades and fireworks. Lily stumbles into Jake Russo, the fireworks man, as he's setting up his show and he opens up a world of possibilities for her.
This just isn't my kind of book. I love the cover, I love that it's set at the end of World War II in a town that isn't that far from my own. I was a little afraid that it would have more in common with a [a:Nicholas Sparks|2345|Nicholas Sparks|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1273850585p2/2345.jpg] novel than I would like, but I took a chance on it anyway.
As far as I'm concerned, it could have been written by Nicholas Sparks. Not that there's anything wrong with this book or anything that Sparks has written, it's just not my taste. Tell me that a book was "so good you cried for the last 50 pages," and I will avoid that book like the plague. Not for me. And that's the kind of book this is.
I did like Lily. She's a headstrong woman living in a time and place where her opinions and actions are frowned upon. Her mother is trying to mold her into the perfect Southern matron, but Lily is chafing against that lifestyle. It's probably telling of my taste in books and Lily's character when I say that my favorite scene involved Lily assisting a black soldier passing through town.
I liked Jake too. What a hottie with surprising depths! There's so much to him that I kind of feel bad calling him a hottie, but he is. He's only returned from Europe recently himself, and his experiences there have of course changed him. He's become quieter, more reflective, and more appreciative of this moment in time, because who knows what the next moment will bring.
Their story aggravated me to no end. I won't go into why and spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that. The pacing irritated me too. Lily tells the story when she's 82-years-old and just when I thought I might find out what happened, the action would break and we'd move back to present-day Lily for a few pages. That feels like a cheap way to sustain suspense. One scene taking place in the pouring rain had me rolling my eyes and flashing back on the movie version of [b:The Notebook|15931|The Notebook|Nicholas Sparks|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415NH98AT1L._SL75_.jpg|1498135], something I only watched under duress, but that I actually liked in the end.
Like I said though, there's nothing really wrong with this except that it's not my taste at all. If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, you will definitely love this one.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review.
This just isn't my kind of book. I love the cover, I love that it's set at the end of World War II in a town that isn't that far from my own. I was a little afraid that it would have more in common with a [a:Nicholas Sparks|2345|Nicholas Sparks|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1273850585p2/2345.jpg] novel than I would like, but I took a chance on it anyway.
As far as I'm concerned, it could have been written by Nicholas Sparks. Not that there's anything wrong with this book or anything that Sparks has written, it's just not my taste. Tell me that a book was "so good you cried for the last 50 pages," and I will avoid that book like the plague. Not for me. And that's the kind of book this is.
I did like Lily. She's a headstrong woman living in a time and place where her opinions and actions are frowned upon. Her mother is trying to mold her into the perfect Southern matron, but Lily is chafing against that lifestyle. It's probably telling of my taste in books and Lily's character when I say that my favorite scene involved Lily assisting a black soldier passing through town.
I liked Jake too. What a hottie with surprising depths! There's so much to him that I kind of feel bad calling him a hottie, but he is. He's only returned from Europe recently himself, and his experiences there have of course changed him. He's become quieter, more reflective, and more appreciative of this moment in time, because who knows what the next moment will bring.
Their story aggravated me to no end. I won't go into why and spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that. The pacing irritated me too. Lily tells the story when she's 82-years-old and just when I thought I might find out what happened, the action would break and we'd move back to present-day Lily for a few pages. That feels like a cheap way to sustain suspense. One scene taking place in the pouring rain had me rolling my eyes and flashing back on the movie version of [b:The Notebook|15931|The Notebook|Nicholas Sparks|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415NH98AT1L._SL75_.jpg|1498135], something I only watched under duress, but that I actually liked in the end.
Like I said though, there's nothing really wrong with this except that it's not my taste at all. If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, you will definitely love this one.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review.
hmgelo02's review
2.0
I was really hoping to like this book more than I did. I'm a fan of love stories and tales of romance that surpasses time and distance a la Nicholas Sparks, but this book just didn't do it for me.
To me this story was just another retelling of the same unrequited young love that gets repeated over and over through the generations of authors who tackle this genre:; The Notebook; and even the storyline from the movie Titanic. In essence, a free spirited young woman from a well-to-do family has her life properly laid out in front of her, with a marriage to the perfect man waiting upon his return home from war. While she waits she happens to fall in love with a dark, broody man who is just passing through the stuffy, gossipy Southern town. A whirlwind romance ensues and heartbreak is inevitable. In the end, the love story is a cautionary tale to the generations that follow in its footsteps: to follow the deepest desires of one's heart, rather than doing "the right thing" simply for the sake of doing so.
This was a very fast read for me; I think I spent no more than four hours total in its pages. That's no surprise, really, given that the book feels more like an outline for a book rather than the finished product. This book felt like an author's first published book; the writing is eloquent and well-organized but the prose is filled with details upon details. What I think must have been intended to help place readers in time and location felt, to me, a bit like overkill. I wanted more substance and less minutiae, and to me this book fell short of its mark, especially when compared to other contemporary authors who have tackled this topic before.
In all, this book was an excellent attempt that just didn't live up to its full potential.
To me this story was just another retelling of the same unrequited young love that gets repeated over and over through the generations of authors who tackle this genre:
This was a very fast read for me; I think I spent no more than four hours total in its pages. That's no surprise, really, given that the book feels more like an outline for a book rather than the finished product. This book felt like an author's first published book; the writing is eloquent and well-organized but the prose is filled with details upon details. What I think must have been intended to help place readers in time and location felt, to me, a bit like overkill. I wanted more substance and less minutiae, and to me this book fell short of its mark, especially when compared to other contemporary authors who have tackled this topic before.
In all, this book was an excellent attempt that just didn't live up to its full potential.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
2.0
Wow - you met your super duper soulmate who understands deep things about you that no one else ever has? But circumstances make it difficult for you to be together? Boohoo. I'm a pretty soft touch when it comes to romances, but this was just lazy, although not entirely predictable. I listened on audiobook and the narrator was annoyingly breathless, emphasizing Lily's super deep feelings.
samtastic27's review against another edition
4.0
easy read.....interesting information on how the firework came to be.....he does a great job of giving us a history lesson while weaving a love story.
wisbeth's review against another edition
5.0
Fireworks Over Toccoa is the quick, light, romantic story of Lily, a girl who has been raised to know her place in society who falls in love with Jake, an Italian pyrotechnician who has recently come home from World War II. The story is told through a flashback Lily has when a war artifact is displayed in the historical museum and she seems to be the only one who can tell the story of what the artifact is and how it came to be. Lily was married at 17 and shortly after her husband left for war. He is due to come home after 3 years away when Lily meets Jake. Lily must choose between the two. I felt as torn as Lily must have felt! I loved the setting of Toccoa and I could feel the close knit small town as though I were there. I enjoyed the escape to a much simpler time. It is a passionate story and really tugged at my heartstrings! It is a wonderful story. Once I started it, I read it straight through. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story. It's a great story for a Sunday afternoon! This is Jeffrey Stepakoff's debut novel and I think he does a fine job capturing the essence of love and it's conflicts. I hope he writes more novels as enjoyable as this one.
brooke_review's review against another edition
3.0
This story is beautifully written, however, one can't help but wonder if the author has seen "Titanic" and "The Notebook" one too many times.
crlk's review against another edition
4.0
A friend lent the advanced readers copy to me (though I think the final version is available now), and it was a good poolside read today. I applaud this author's debut - the story is unique, and with a level of detail that you know he did the research on it well. It was written very well. However, there were some parts that were awkward. The transition from 1945 back to the present day was not as smooth as I would have liked, as a reader without any background on life in Georgia in the 40's with the backdrop of WWII. I thought that some of the language and references made during parts of the story that were supposed to be set in the 40's were too modern. So it confused me a little. It was very different from the feeling I got when I read The Help, for example, where I felt transported back in time. While reading the parts of the story that were set in the 40's, I didn't feel transported until the last 40 or so pages. I felt like I was watching it on tv. So I didn't get immersed necessarily until the end. Still, I thought it was a beautiful story.
rosetyper9's review against another edition
5.0
I waited to write the review on this book because there were just no words to form to even begin to articulate how awesome this book is. This book is one of those books that changes or ruins you for the rest of your life. The love that Lily gets the priviledge to feel is intense, I cried so hard when reading this book, and that doesn't happen often. The author knows exactly how to capture the readers heart in the palm of his hand and cause the reader to start questioning everything they know about love, life, and loss.
The setting is amazing, the town, the characters, the writing, everything about this book is absolutely wonderful. It had a bit of a Nicolas Sparks feel to it, but something that was also completely Mr. Stepakoff's. I hope to see many more novels by this author.
The setting is amazing, the town, the characters, the writing, everything about this book is absolutely wonderful. It had a bit of a Nicolas Sparks feel to it, but something that was also completely Mr. Stepakoff's. I hope to see many more novels by this author.
sjj169's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in just a few hours. Doesn't mean that it is a fluff book. I live just a few miles from where this book is set and loved that part. However, the story itself sweeps you up and keeps you invested until the very end. This book will stay with me a long time and every time I see a firework I'll think of it.