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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Quirky book that’s about Evie a woman who has premonitions and her eccentric family. The best parts of the book for me were the parts about Johnny and Betsy who we learn later in the book have a connection to Evie. I found other parts pretty repetitive and somewhat annoying. I think the talk about pie, and animals was a bit overdone. Every time Evie ate she talked about pie and how it was really healthy since it was a part of a “fruit group” in her mind. Everyday the animals were getting out of their pens, which was a bit much. Evie’s sister Jules was useless and only talked about how great her fiancé was in bed. The character of Jules could’ve had so much more depth, and it annoyed me that Evie never called her on the ridiculous conversations. I like Evie’s spunk and her ability to put people in their place when necessary. I think without the repetitive nature of some parts the book I would’ve enjoyed it a little bit more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three Words:
Books
Premonitions
Identity
Al About Evie was everything I've come to love in this author's novels: quirky, lovable, powerful female characters, some tragedy, a little mystery, a dash of romance and solid friendships.
Evie Lindsay owns a store called Evie's Books, Cake and Tea. She gets super book bossy with her customers, but smooths it over with tea and cake.
Evie's mom, Poppy, Aunt Camellia and Aunt Iris sell flowers, lotions and erotic flower photos...and maybe a little medicinal marijuana out of their greenhouse.
Evie has a delightful menagerie of animals, which gives her plenty of opportunities to see handsome vet Marco, her not so secret crush.
Annnnnnd did I mention Evie has premonitions? She does and has since she was a child. None of her family shares this particular 'gift.'
Evie's sister Jules buys DNA tests for all the women in the family----and they are stunned at their mother and aunts vehement refusal to participate.
Then the results arrive...….
I want to be Evie's friend. I want to buy books, eat cake, drink tea while gazing at the ocean and looking for whales. I wasn't ready to leave Evie and San Orcanita Island, Washington.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and author Cathy Lamb for the free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
Books
Premonitions
Identity
Al About Evie was everything I've come to love in this author's novels: quirky, lovable, powerful female characters, some tragedy, a little mystery, a dash of romance and solid friendships.
Evie Lindsay owns a store called Evie's Books, Cake and Tea. She gets super book bossy with her customers, but smooths it over with tea and cake.
Evie's mom, Poppy, Aunt Camellia and Aunt Iris sell flowers, lotions and erotic flower photos...and maybe a little medicinal marijuana out of their greenhouse.
Evie has a delightful menagerie of animals, which gives her plenty of opportunities to see handsome vet Marco, her not so secret crush.
Annnnnnd did I mention Evie has premonitions? She does and has since she was a child. None of her family shares this particular 'gift.'
Evie's sister Jules buys DNA tests for all the women in the family----and they are stunned at their mother and aunts vehement refusal to participate.
Then the results arrive...….
I want to be Evie's friend. I want to buy books, eat cake, drink tea while gazing at the ocean and looking for whales. I wasn't ready to leave Evie and San Orcanita Island, Washington.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and author Cathy Lamb for the free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
I had a hard time reading this book. I found the writing to be choppy and disjointed, it just didn't flow well for me. The chapters and the book itself were way too long and it was very repetitive. Not much happened in the first 100 pages or so and the only parts I even remotely enjoyed were in the 1970's timeline and there weren't nearly enough of them.
I love books that have you caring for the people and involved to the end of the story. This is not one of those. It almost seems like the story is just thrown together to confuse and amuse the reader. When the characters are introduced they were quirky and cute and I figured I could get through the boring chapters. I found the main character, Evie, to be immature and childlike and she just grating on me.
While I don't want to get into specific details that could be spoilers for others, I will say that I had a harder time connecting with these characters, and I felt that too much of the story was geared towards trying to make all readers turn into physic believers, I felt completely lost and unhappy with the final explanations. I will definitely give this author another go, but I'll be more cautious and read more reviews before picking the next book.
Thank you NetGalley, Cathy Lamb and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#AllAboutEvie #NetGalley
A very low 2 stars. After 25% I skimmed through the book and it still took me days to finish because the repetition and nonsense was infuriating. As many other reviews state, at least half of this book could have been cut out because nothing happens—it’s the same scenes over and over with Evie in her shop, Evie with her aunts, Evie eating dessert and saying it’s healthy, Evie talking to her sister who only talks about how her fiancé is in bed, Evie thinking about Marco and how much she loves him but can’t be with him, and Evie’s goats escaping. The only reason I finished this book was for Betsy’s storyline, in which there actually WAS a storyline and not the same repetition every scene. Every character was just a charicature and it’s as though the author was just checking off tropes from a checklist—quirky main character, crazy old ladies, misogynistic male villain, etc etc. The dialogue all felt forced and childish and Evie herself read like she was 17 years old instead of 37. The author spends so much time telling instead of showing that by the end I was glad it was over rather than anything else. I would have loved a story that was actually as the summary said: a woman who gets premonitions learning about her past—this book was not that.
Sorry, is my frustration bleeding through?
Sorry, is my frustration bleeding through?
Loved this one. Here are some quotes I loved....
“I love being here, I love being around books and other people who love books.”
“You have to read in different genres. You have to keep learning and thinking and learning and thinking. How do you do that if you read in the same genre all the time? You can’t. It’s impossible.”
“I don’t know why I get so mad at people about books, but I do. Books should be treasured. Books should be read as regularly as one brushes one’s own teeth. I read each day before bed. I read when I have free time. I read when I don’t have free time. I read to hold premonitions at bay . I read to laugh. I read for knowledge and information and history. I read to see someone else’s perspectives or their lives or their challenges and how they beat the heck out of those challenges.”
“I love being here, I love being around books and other people who love books.”
“You have to read in different genres. You have to keep learning and thinking and learning and thinking. How do you do that if you read in the same genre all the time? You can’t. It’s impossible.”
“I don’t know why I get so mad at people about books, but I do. Books should be treasured. Books should be read as regularly as one brushes one’s own teeth. I read each day before bed. I read when I have free time. I read when I don’t have free time. I read to hold premonitions at bay . I read to laugh. I read for knowledge and information and history. I read to see someone else’s perspectives or their lives or their challenges and how they beat the heck out of those challenges.”
Another fantastic read by Cathy Lamb! Every time she has a book coming out I get so excited! This time was even more amazing because I was given an ARC and I felt so honored! "All About Evie" has amazing characters and a town that I would love to be a part of. I loved the way the book was written as we got to know the various characters and their stories. I loved the premonition aspect and was intrigued by each one. I felt so many emotions while reading "All About Evie", as I do with every Cathy Lamb book. She always makes me laugh, cry, get angry at someone, and get excited about her next gem! I highly recommend this book, and if you are a Cathy Lamb regular reader keep an eye out for an awesome reference to one of her best! (Also, I really want to meet Marco! Actually Evie too because she is awesome, but Marco sounds gorgeous!)
This story was my first one by Cathy Lamb. I enjoy when multiple points of view and timelines occur in books. In this story, we follow Evie at present day and Betsy in the 1970s. I immediately felt as if I was hanging out with one of my friends and hearing about her life. Evie's aunts made me giggle with their quirkiness. Evie's love for animals made me think about my own child who would have a farm if she could. I also love that Evie owns a bookstore which sounds magical, even if she has some strong opinions about reading. This book allowed me to experience a range of emotions from laughing to crying. I will be picking up more of Cathy Lamb's books after reading this one.
Great story. Cathy Lamb knows how to pull on the heartstrings.
This is my very favorite book by Cathy Lamb. It’s such a good and magical book. Of all her books, even ones I have yet to read, I can’t imagine any being better.
This book is so full of love. It’s full of so much laughter and so so many tears. It’s telling basically two stories at once in a way. One set in the 70s and the other years later. The story of Evie and her mom, aunts and sister. Then the story of Betsy, Johnny and the daughter they had to let go of. The hell they lived in for loving each other enough to do anything for the other. Johnny’s little sister, Tilly, who was so sweet and also went through so much as did Johnny, at the hands of their horrible, awful, mean, cruel, sick, crazy dad.
This book had me laughing so hard on one page then crying my eyes out on the next. It is truly a beautiful yet sad and happy story of love, loss and finding again something you need more than anything else in the world. What Johnny and his sister went through with their dad was beyond horrible. He was the meanest man I have read about in ages. How can any parent be so cruel to their flesh and blood?
Betsy loved Johnny more than anyone in her life. She had what in my opinion were the worst parents ever. Her dad was a “preacher” and her mother a sorry excuse for a human being. Now if you have read this you may think she had no choice but I beg to differ. I would have died before a man would have hurt my child like he did Betsy. He was beyond cruel. He was one crazy bible thumping hypocrite who needed to be beat to death.
Evie had wonderful parents and a sister who was her best friend. She also had premonitions that left her anxious and depressed. Sometimes she could stop something tragic from happening and at other times there was nothing she could do to stop things. She lived in guilt thinking she had let her best friend down. Her friend from school. Evie’s family lost their dad and husband in the war so it was just the mother, Poppy, and the aunts Iris and Camellia and Jules. Jules is a character herself. The funniest are the mom and aunts. They will have you rolling with laughter. But Evie’s life is not so cut and dry either. She’s madly in love with Marco the town vet but because of a premonition she won’t go out with him. She loves him from afar.
There are many animals in this story and you will love them all. Their stories of how Evie rescued them will bring you to tears also but knowing they are happy and so well loved will make your heart swell with joy. One story truly broke my heart so bad but it had to be told and it was in it’s way beautiful.
This book is written so perfectly. Filled with such emotion. Gives you so much love, laughter, sadness and many tears. The characters are so wonderful and lovable, with the exception of one jerk who you will hate terribly bad. At least I did. You’ll know who he is when you meet him.
This is a laugh out loud, cry ugly tears book. It will keep you turning the pages wanting more and more of each story. It’s told from Evie’s story and from Betsy’s story. Both have so much heartache and so much love. This is a wonderful book even through the tears. I absolutely positively am happy I read it.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Kensington for this truly awesome book.
It’s a 5 star book from me and I most highly recommend it to everyone who loves a good laugh, cry and a touch of magic.
This book is so full of love. It’s full of so much laughter and so so many tears. It’s telling basically two stories at once in a way. One set in the 70s and the other years later. The story of Evie and her mom, aunts and sister. Then the story of Betsy, Johnny and the daughter they had to let go of. The hell they lived in for loving each other enough to do anything for the other. Johnny’s little sister, Tilly, who was so sweet and also went through so much as did Johnny, at the hands of their horrible, awful, mean, cruel, sick, crazy dad.
This book had me laughing so hard on one page then crying my eyes out on the next. It is truly a beautiful yet sad and happy story of love, loss and finding again something you need more than anything else in the world. What Johnny and his sister went through with their dad was beyond horrible. He was the meanest man I have read about in ages. How can any parent be so cruel to their flesh and blood?
Betsy loved Johnny more than anyone in her life. She had what in my opinion were the worst parents ever. Her dad was a “preacher” and her mother a sorry excuse for a human being. Now if you have read this you may think she had no choice but I beg to differ. I would have died before a man would have hurt my child like he did Betsy. He was beyond cruel. He was one crazy bible thumping hypocrite who needed to be beat to death.
Evie had wonderful parents and a sister who was her best friend. She also had premonitions that left her anxious and depressed. Sometimes she could stop something tragic from happening and at other times there was nothing she could do to stop things. She lived in guilt thinking she had let her best friend down. Her friend from school. Evie’s family lost their dad and husband in the war so it was just the mother, Poppy, and the aunts Iris and Camellia and Jules. Jules is a character herself. The funniest are the mom and aunts. They will have you rolling with laughter. But Evie’s life is not so cut and dry either. She’s madly in love with Marco the town vet but because of a premonition she won’t go out with him. She loves him from afar.
There are many animals in this story and you will love them all. Their stories of how Evie rescued them will bring you to tears also but knowing they are happy and so well loved will make your heart swell with joy. One story truly broke my heart so bad but it had to be told and it was in it’s way beautiful.
This book is written so perfectly. Filled with such emotion. Gives you so much love, laughter, sadness and many tears. The characters are so wonderful and lovable, with the exception of one jerk who you will hate terribly bad. At least I did. You’ll know who he is when you meet him.
This is a laugh out loud, cry ugly tears book. It will keep you turning the pages wanting more and more of each story. It’s told from Evie’s story and from Betsy’s story. Both have so much heartache and so much love. This is a wonderful book even through the tears. I absolutely positively am happy I read it.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Kensington for this truly awesome book.
It’s a 5 star book from me and I most highly recommend it to everyone who loves a good laugh, cry and a touch of magic.