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erica_o 's review for:
First Frost
by Sarah Addison Allen
Ehhh...I didn't love this like I thought I would.
I think I got caught up in the idea of a follow-up to [b:Garden Spells|1158967|Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347309330s/1158967.jpg|2689445], which I seem to have enjoyed quite well.
Like Garden Spells, this story's characters did nothing for me - not a surprise since most of them were the same characters. It was the ambience, the environment, I liked. It was the fiesty apple tree and the onset of autumn, the small town and the description of food. In fact, there's a recipe for the fig and pepper bread out there on the interwebs and I'm going to make it this winter because it sounds interesting.
But, see, the thing here was, the environment could only do so much for me this time. I needed strong characters, too, and I just didn't feel I got them.
Sydney is irritating and a know-it-all but ask-it-never. Bay is irritating as a little hipster. Claire is so full of worry over things that shouldn’t be worrying her anymore. She’s stable and secure, why freak out over stuff? The husbands are bland. The friends are nothing. The unstable receptionist is trite. There's no one of interest in this story, not even Grandma Mary or the cousin or her helpmate.
I also had problems with the kids. And the timeframe, especially as it related to the kids.
These kids, they weren't so well-done, writtenly nor narratively. The Halloween party at the school is especially painful and sounds like something yoinked from an 80’s After School special. I winced. A lot.
Also, this is contemporary, everyone has a smart phone. So why do all the kids know 90’s music videos? Wait, 80’s, too, cuz the one girl attends the Halloween ball dressed as Annie Lennox in a suit. There’s also the bee girl from Blind Melon’s “No Rain” and...I don’t remember what the other girl wore as her costume, but it was similar - maybe Madonna in her cone bra? Yes, I think it was. And Bay knows who they all are just by looking at them. How? Why did those non-hipster girls dress as VH-1 video icons and why did Bay recognize every single reference?
But then, these kids, they didn't sound like teenagers, anyhow. Well, they did, but it was more like 80's sitcom characters and not the kids you'd find in the 'hood these days. I didn't believe their teenagery-ness.
The overall storyline was obvious, as were the side stories. However, the enjoyment came in getting there, not in being surprised at the endings.
I liked listening to this but I fear it's going to leave my memory in short order. A good, light, fluffy read and it's perfect to set the mood for fall.
I think I got caught up in the idea of a follow-up to [b:Garden Spells|1158967|Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347309330s/1158967.jpg|2689445], which I seem to have enjoyed quite well.
Like Garden Spells, this story's characters did nothing for me - not a surprise since most of them were the same characters. It was the ambience, the environment, I liked. It was the fiesty apple tree and the onset of autumn, the small town and the description of food. In fact, there's a recipe for the fig and pepper bread out there on the interwebs and I'm going to make it this winter because it sounds interesting.
But, see, the thing here was, the environment could only do so much for me this time. I needed strong characters, too, and I just didn't feel I got them.
Sydney is irritating and a know-it-all but ask-it-never. Bay is irritating as a little hipster. Claire is so full of worry over things that shouldn’t be worrying her anymore. She’s stable and secure, why freak out over stuff? The husbands are bland. The friends are nothing. The unstable receptionist is trite. There's no one of interest in this story, not even Grandma Mary or the cousin or her helpmate.
I also had problems with the kids. And the timeframe, especially as it related to the kids.
These kids, they weren't so well-done, writtenly nor narratively. The Halloween party at the school is especially painful and sounds like something yoinked from an 80’s After School special. I winced. A lot.
Also, this is contemporary, everyone has a smart phone. So why do all the kids know 90’s music videos? Wait, 80’s, too, cuz the one girl attends the Halloween ball dressed as Annie Lennox in a suit. There’s also the bee girl from Blind Melon’s “No Rain” and...I don’t remember what the other girl wore as her costume, but it was similar - maybe Madonna in her cone bra? Yes, I think it was. And Bay knows who they all are just by looking at them. How? Why did those non-hipster girls dress as VH-1 video icons and why did Bay recognize every single reference?
But then, these kids, they didn't sound like teenagers, anyhow. Well, they did, but it was more like 80's sitcom characters and not the kids you'd find in the 'hood these days. I didn't believe their teenagery-ness.
The overall storyline was obvious, as were the side stories. However, the enjoyment came in getting there, not in being surprised at the endings.
I liked listening to this but I fear it's going to leave my memory in short order. A good, light, fluffy read and it's perfect to set the mood for fall.