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iamrainbou's review against another edition
3.0
Goldie Vance is a part-time valet of the Crossed Palm Resort Hotel, a part-time car racer, and a full-time amateur detective. This middle-grade novel is based on the comics by Hope Larson, following Goldie and her friends on a new adventure. When a movie is set to film in their town, Goldie is excited to meet the star of the show, a famous Hollywood actress. Things get complicated when a crime is committed under Goldie’s eyes and her mom the prime suspect. Now it’s up to her to solve the mystery and save the day.
What I like: I was nervous about the story translating from comic to a full-length novel, and I think it worked out so well. I could feel Goldie’s energy in the pages, her love, her impulsiveness, her kindness, and her loyalty. In essence, this is a very Goldie Vance story. I’m sad to say that this didn’t work out as well as I was expecting.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like the writing, which put me off from the beginning. The short sentences make me feel like everything was disconnected and I was very annoyed. I wasn’t into Goldie’s monologue, the dialogues were boring and lifeless. I was looking forward to the puns! cuteness! you know, very Goldie’s moments, and I just wasn’t into it. The plot was okay, but I wasn’t blown away by it, maybe related to the writing too. The characters were there, but I really felt disconnected from them too.
This makes me extremely sad, I wanted to love this book. I’ve been rambling about it for so long and then… me sad forever.
Read more reviews on my blog, Cande Reads
What I like: I was nervous about the story translating from comic to a full-length novel, and I think it worked out so well. I could feel Goldie’s energy in the pages, her love, her impulsiveness, her kindness, and her loyalty. In essence, this is a very Goldie Vance story. I’m sad to say that this didn’t work out as well as I was expecting.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like the writing, which put me off from the beginning. The short sentences make me feel like everything was disconnected and I was very annoyed. I wasn’t into Goldie’s monologue, the dialogues were boring and lifeless. I was looking forward to the puns! cuteness! you know, very Goldie’s moments, and I just wasn’t into it. The plot was okay, but I wasn’t blown away by it, maybe related to the writing too. The characters were there, but I really felt disconnected from them too.
This makes me extremely sad, I wanted to love this book. I’ve been rambling about it for so long and then… me sad forever.
Read more reviews on my blog, Cande Reads
rincey's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I liked this storyline and I appreciate the diversity of the characters. I think I will like the graphic novel series much better than I liked this novel.
I felt like the characters were very one dimensional and almost felt like charicatures because the one trait they had was so dramatic. I also felt like the writing was too obvious, even for a middle grade read.
Hoping I like the sequel more.
I felt like the characters were very one dimensional and almost felt like charicatures because the one trait they had was so dramatic. I also felt like the writing was too obvious, even for a middle grade read.
Hoping I like the sequel more.
halfwaytoaugust's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I received an e-arc of this book through Pride Book Tours & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Goldie Vance is a valet who dreams of becoming the house detective at the Crossed Palms Hotel. When hollywood stars show up, Goldie can't help but become involved, much to the dismay of her boss. When a priceless movie prop goes missing, she weasels her way back onto the set to help save the day and prove to her boss that she has the necessary detective skills to one day become house detective.
This story is adventurous, fast-paced, and attention-grabbing. Throughout the various stunts and mishaps, we see Goldie hone her detective skills and work alongside her mentor, Walter Tooey, to uncover the truth. She is a non-stop ball of energy throughout the story and provides much of the entertainment throughout the book, especially as being the polar opposite of the one and only Mr. Davenport.
Each character has such a distinct personality, which are played well against each other to provide the reader with an enticing plot. We also get a diverse cast of characters, and our main character, Goldie, has a sapphic side plot and divorced parents.
I really appreciated the lack of a prominent romance in this book, it's a nice change of scenery from the majority of romance-driven plotlines. However, it should be noted that it is not completely romance free. There are two small budding romances that only occur in the sidelines of the larger picture.
Overall, I really enjoyed the writing style, it's descriptive, humorous, upbeat, and gets to the point of things. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the way in which Goldie is treated as a much younger kid by much of the cast, despite being 16 years old. However, it doesn't take away from the story as a whole and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a casual queer read that's lighthearted, diverse, and easy to love.
The second installment, Goldie Vance: The Hocus-Pocus Hoax comes out on January 5, 2021.
Goldie Vance is a valet who dreams of becoming the house detective at the Crossed Palms Hotel. When hollywood stars show up, Goldie can't help but become involved, much to the dismay of her boss. When a priceless movie prop goes missing, she weasels her way back onto the set to help save the day and prove to her boss that she has the necessary detective skills to one day become house detective.
This story is adventurous, fast-paced, and attention-grabbing. Throughout the various stunts and mishaps, we see Goldie hone her detective skills and work alongside her mentor, Walter Tooey, to uncover the truth. She is a non-stop ball of energy throughout the story and provides much of the entertainment throughout the book, especially as being the polar opposite of the one and only Mr. Davenport.
Each character has such a distinct personality, which are played well against each other to provide the reader with an enticing plot. We also get a diverse cast of characters, and our main character, Goldie, has a sapphic side plot and divorced parents.
I really appreciated the lack of a prominent romance in this book, it's a nice change of scenery from the majority of romance-driven plotlines. However, it should be noted that it is not completely romance free. There are two small budding romances that only occur in the sidelines of the larger picture.
Overall, I really enjoyed the writing style, it's descriptive, humorous, upbeat, and gets to the point of things. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the way in which Goldie is treated as a much younger kid by much of the cast, despite being 16 years old. However, it doesn't take away from the story as a whole and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a casual queer read that's lighthearted, diverse, and easy to love.
The second installment, Goldie Vance: The Hocus-Pocus Hoax comes out on January 5, 2021.
pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars -
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect and it had me on edge trying to guess whodunit. I was glad that the author didn’t make the culprit easy to discover. I definitely thought it was a different character and was surprised when it was revealed to be someone else. The mystery was written really well. However, the build up to the mystery is very slow and comes in at 147 pages.
I did have some issues with the characters age - which I’m wondering *if* it is purely for the sake that this book is targeted for children ages 7-12 - because she is a sixteen year old but sounds very childish and adults refer to her/treat her like a child.
The author includes messages about how Hollywood objectifies women and feminism which were done very well. Goldie is also a queer character and has a crush on a girl, Diane. I really enjoyed that she was crushing on a girl and it wouldn’t have mattered to me if there was no end game because it’s such a real part of a teenager’s life to be crushing on someone and have it not go anywhere.
I would recommend this for children to read!
I really enjoyed the mystery aspect and it had me on edge trying to guess whodunit. I was glad that the author didn’t make the culprit easy to discover. I definitely thought it was a different character and was surprised when it was revealed to be someone else. The mystery was written really well. However, the build up to the mystery is very slow and comes in at 147 pages.
I did have some issues with the characters age - which I’m wondering *if* it is purely for the sake that this book is targeted for children ages 7-12 - because she is a sixteen year old but sounds very childish and adults refer to her/treat her like a child.
The author includes messages about how Hollywood objectifies women and feminism which were done very well. Goldie is also a queer character and has a crush on a girl, Diane. I really enjoyed that she was crushing on a girl and it wouldn’t have mattered to me if there was no end game because it’s such a real part of a teenager’s life to be crushing on someone and have it not go anywhere.
I would recommend this for children to read!
abookandacup's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Really disappointed: the character is supposed to be 16 but sounds like 12, the investigation itself was really flat, all that saved it for me where the graphic pages and the Golden Hollywood time vibe
Really disappointed: the character is supposed to be 16 but sounds like 12, the investigation itself was really flat, all that saved it for me where the graphic pages and the Golden Hollywood time vibe
whitneyt's review against another edition
5.0
This was a nice read! I love Goldie and her bold attitude to get things done. I see her as a positive role model for young readers. I wish this book was published when I was younger, so I could enjoy it as a tween. Overall, this is a good book!
pages_and_procrastination's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
cervinlibrarian's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
abookandacup's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Really disappointed: the character is supposed to be 16 but sounds like 12, the investigation itself was really flat, all that saved it for me where the graphic pages and the Golden Hollywood time vibe
Really disappointed: the character is supposed to be 16 but sounds like 12, the investigation itself was really flat, all that saved it for me where the graphic pages and the Golden Hollywood time vibe