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saram618's review against another edition
3.0
There was nothing earth shattering about this book. It was predictable (saw that twist coming from chapter 1 - LOTS of hints along the way). However, it was a quick and enjoyable read which was just what I needed.
colleenpence's review against another edition
3.0
I won this book on Goodreads and was so excited to read it. I've read almost all of Jane Green's books and I'm a big fan of hers. This book was not my favorite. Part One was too slow for me and I kept waiting for something to happen. Once Part 2 (and onward) started it did pick up the pace and it held my attention. But it didn't have the page-turning quality of the other books of hers that I've read. I'm still a huge Jane Green fan and I'll always read anything she writes. Looking forward to the next one.
lm_henderson's review against another edition
4.0
I was completely riveted by this book and couldn't put it down.The way that the two families were linked and the illness of Eve was so moving but the female characters were incredibly strong and the book was so uplifting and positive.I loved it.
purrfectpages's review against another edition
3.0
Once again, I wish I could give a book half star ratings because for me, Family Pictures was more like a 2 1/2 star sorta book. This might seem harsh, but let me try to explain. I list Jane Green as one of my favorite authors. I have read her books off and on for years now. In fact, my only problem is I read a bunch years ago, prior to Goodreads, and now I don't know confidently which ones I have read and which ones I haven't. But I can say this; Another Piece of My Heart is one of my recent favorite books- period. It just grabbed me for some reason. I even recommended it to a few people who loved it as much as I did.
Which brings me back to Family Pictures. I think that because I loved Another Piece of My Heart so much, I started holding my expectations of all other Jane Green books to impossible standards. I mean it's not like this book wasn't well written, didn't hold my attention or was hard to get through. All of those things aside, however, I felt it was just a bit too far fetched for my liking.
For starters and without giving too much away, you had to be an idiot not to predict the big "twist" that was going to be the problem in this book. The first few chapters keep bringing up the non-issue to the point of redundancy. So for me it really wasn't a matter of what the conflict would be but rather, the when. Even so, I found this point forgivable, but the way in which everyone finds out literally made me want to laugh out loud. The anorexic daughter happening to go to just the right house in Connecticut??? Please!
Another thing I didn't like was how the men were put on pedestals for the first half of this novel. There were just a few moments that didn't jive with me. The whole rich housewife thing is real I know, but the way it was written was just a little too groan worthy for me at parts. I really have to be better about taking notes while I read to prove my point. This has to be noted.
Finally, I couldn't help but make comparisons between Family Pictures and The Husband's Secret- a similar book I read recently. I felt the same way about that book actually. So maybe it says something about me as a reader and what I should remember as a disclaimer for the future.
Which brings me back to Family Pictures. I think that because I loved Another Piece of My Heart so much, I started holding my expectations of all other Jane Green books to impossible standards. I mean it's not like this book wasn't well written, didn't hold my attention or was hard to get through. All of those things aside, however, I felt it was just a bit too far fetched for my liking.
For starters and without giving too much away, you had to be an idiot not to predict the big "twist" that was going to be the problem in this book. The first few chapters keep bringing up the non-issue to the point of redundancy. So for me it really wasn't a matter of what the conflict would be but rather, the when. Even so, I found this point forgivable, but the way in which everyone finds out literally made me want to laugh out loud. The anorexic daughter happening to go to just the right house in Connecticut??? Please!
Another thing I didn't like was how the men were put on pedestals for the first half of this novel. There were just a few moments that didn't jive with me. The whole rich housewife thing is real I know, but the way it was written was just a little too groan worthy for me at parts. I really have to be better about taking notes while I read to prove my point. This has to be noted.
Finally, I couldn't help but make comparisons between Family Pictures and The Husband's Secret- a similar book I read recently. I felt the same way about that book actually. So maybe it says something about me as a reader and what I should remember as a disclaimer for the future.
daydreamer1983's review against another edition
3.0
It was an alright book. I just found myself wanting more from the characters and the story in general
readerrobin's review against another edition
3.0
This review contains mild spoilers.
I was almost going to give this book two stars, but then I felt it wasn't fair to do that because I read the book so quickly. It was engaging and I never thought of tossing it aside into the "this book is so bad I am not going to finish it" pile. Jane Green's books are formulaic, for sure, but that doesn't bother me so much because her character development is usually pretty good. But in "Family Pictures," any writing that was meant to be a foreshadowing practically beat you over the head, danced a jig, and held up a neon sign.
By the very first mention that Mark "would never cheat," so, say, by page 20 or so, I knew that adultery would be the central crux of the story. At the ping pong scene, I groaned. Really? Jane, you're better than this.
Sadly, there was a lot I could relate to with what happened to Maggie after her life fell apart in terms of her friendships. It always feels revelatory to know that you're not alone, that others have been through it and much worse, and come out of it stronger and with more self knowledge about what matters in life.
Mark got off so, so easy, and knowing about the letters he wrote to both Sylvie and Maggie at the end tells you he is really just a con artist to the core.
I liked how this book resolved although I wish it had actually been 100 pages longer so as to get more into the life of the kids and how they moved on. So a book that I think is sort of terrible I actually wanted to be 100 pages longer? Gah. I'm full of contradictions myself.
I was almost going to give this book two stars, but then I felt it wasn't fair to do that because I read the book so quickly. It was engaging and I never thought of tossing it aside into the "this book is so bad I am not going to finish it" pile. Jane Green's books are formulaic, for sure, but that doesn't bother me so much because her character development is usually pretty good. But in "Family Pictures," any writing that was meant to be a foreshadowing practically beat you over the head, danced a jig, and held up a neon sign.
By the very first mention that Mark "would never cheat," so, say, by page 20 or so, I knew that adultery would be the central crux of the story. At the ping pong scene, I groaned. Really? Jane, you're better than this.
Sadly, there was a lot I could relate to with what happened to Maggie after her life fell apart in terms of her friendships. It always feels revelatory to know that you're not alone, that others have been through it and much worse, and come out of it stronger and with more self knowledge about what matters in life.
Mark got off so, so easy, and knowing about the letters he wrote to both Sylvie and Maggie at the end tells you he is really just a con artist to the core.
I liked how this book resolved although I wish it had actually been 100 pages longer so as to get more into the life of the kids and how they moved on. So a book that I think is sort of terrible I actually wanted to be 100 pages longer? Gah. I'm full of contradictions myself.
steffipiot's review against another edition
3.0
It’s slow paced. It took me to half way in the book to get into the story but the further along in the book, the better it gets.
kiwikazz's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe a 3 1/2 stars. Good book but a bit light. Definitely readable.
madhatter360's review against another edition
2.0
So I guessed the twist just from reading the description, so I was really frustrated that it took so long for the other family to be introduced. The plot was all over the place. The timeline was really inconsistant.