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A review by stephdaydreams
Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
3.0
This was such a lovely holiday read— I think it’s one many will enjoy in the upcoming holiday season.
This was my first Sarah Hogle read and I became an instant fan due to her terrific writing style,
In terms of this particular story, I absolutely delighted in the everything that Hall is. His character kept me going-- I simply could not relate to Bettie nor her family, and it made connecting with the book a bit tough.
But the optimism, fun antics, and warmth of Hall kept me glued to the story and I’m so glad it did because by the end, I came to love and root for Bettie, and I even warmed up a considerable amount to her family.
The romance was sweet, and I loved how different Hall and Bettie were yet how they variety of crazy brought out the best in one another.
That said, I need to be honest in that I didn’t fully engage with the book. As much as I loved the writing, the pacing was too quick, and I think the narrative suffered due to the shorter length. I would have loved more book time to really dive into the characters.
But I think, for me personally, the biggest hiccup was the constant referencing of pop culture. Rather than grounding this magic-infused tale, it made me feel even further away from characters that were hard to relate to. I would have preferred made up name celebrities rather than the constant name-dropping.
I do want to emphasize that while the references made me disconnect from the book, I very much encourage all to give this book a chance because you may very well feel the opposite as me. The references may end up charming you!
I am glad I had the opportunity to read this one, regardless of how I felt towards the book as a whole, The writing made me easily like Sarah Hogle's writing, and made me curious to what other work she has written. She is clearly talented, with a writing style that instantly invites readers in.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Sarah Hogle read and I became an instant fan due to her terrific writing style,
In terms of this particular story, I absolutely delighted in the everything that Hall is. His character kept me going-- I simply could not relate to Bettie nor her family, and it made connecting with the book a bit tough.
But the optimism, fun antics, and warmth of Hall kept me glued to the story and I’m so glad it did because by the end, I came to love and root for Bettie, and I even warmed up a considerable amount to her family.
The romance was sweet, and I loved how different Hall and Bettie were yet how they variety of crazy brought out the best in one another.
That said, I need to be honest in that I didn’t fully engage with the book. As much as I loved the writing, the pacing was too quick, and I think the narrative suffered due to the shorter length. I would have loved more book time to really dive into the characters.
But I think, for me personally, the biggest hiccup was the constant referencing of pop culture. Rather than grounding this magic-infused tale, it made me feel even further away from characters that were hard to relate to. I would have preferred made up name celebrities rather than the constant name-dropping.
I do want to emphasize that while the references made me disconnect from the book, I very much encourage all to give this book a chance because you may very well feel the opposite as me. The references may end up charming you!
I am glad I had the opportunity to read this one, regardless of how I felt towards the book as a whole, The writing made me easily like Sarah Hogle's writing, and made me curious to what other work she has written. She is clearly talented, with a writing style that instantly invites readers in.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.