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books_with_tutusandsons's Reviews (438)
I have to be honest and say how it is really hard to write about this book. The reviews I have read gave her either high praises or tore her down to pieces. My opinion is definitely somewhere in between these ends.
There were parts of this book I really liked. Maybe because I am also slowly approaching the big 4 - 0 mark and I have to be honest, things do change when you're at that place. Perspectives shift, and it kinda makes you look at your life differently. You look at your past and value it for the way it made you as a person, but you look at your future and more than ever think what you will do with it. You still think about your children and your family, but somehow, it becomes the time to reach inside and put yourself on the center of the stage again. Because, motherhood is hard. Marriage is hard. It's so easy to get lost in all of the roles that you lose that connection to your true self. And at some point you have to stop and wonder: What will make ME happy? What will make ME complete? From that point of view, I did agree with her a lot. I loved her honesty and her strength, her courage to follow her heart and her dreams.
I did find it a bit inconsistent, though. So many topics were discussed here that it was easy to get lost. One chapter was about her parenting struggles, the other one about issues with religion and faith, the third about meeting her wife and the fourth about racism. Maybe it would be better if there were some dividers by topics, it wouldn't feel so all over the place. There was some repetitiveness and all the parts about reaching your inner voice and Knowing were a bit too much for me personally. But I liked the way she questioned herself all the time and searched for a way to be a better person, better parent, better partner. I loved the way she talked about racism from a white person's pov (I do wonder whether this book was the right place to talk about that, though),and her confusion of believing in God and confronting the Church as a lesbian. Some thought she was condescending and patronizing, and that it's not her place as a white privileged woman to talk about any of that stuff at all. But I did think she made some good points and discussed the topics with respect and honesty., finding a good way to start the dialogue.
All in all, I found this to be a good read. Not amazing and life altering, but not completely off the way too. I honor the author for saying everything out loud, for trying to do something to make a change in this world and using her platforms and her influence to do so. On the other hand, she is just a tad too spiritual and ''over there'' for me, and I have to admit it annoyed me a little.
There were parts of this book I really liked. Maybe because I am also slowly approaching the big 4 - 0 mark and I have to be honest, things do change when you're at that place. Perspectives shift, and it kinda makes you look at your life differently. You look at your past and value it for the way it made you as a person, but you look at your future and more than ever think what you will do with it. You still think about your children and your family, but somehow, it becomes the time to reach inside and put yourself on the center of the stage again. Because, motherhood is hard. Marriage is hard. It's so easy to get lost in all of the roles that you lose that connection to your true self. And at some point you have to stop and wonder: What will make ME happy? What will make ME complete? From that point of view, I did agree with her a lot. I loved her honesty and her strength, her courage to follow her heart and her dreams.
I did find it a bit inconsistent, though. So many topics were discussed here that it was easy to get lost. One chapter was about her parenting struggles, the other one about issues with religion and faith, the third about meeting her wife and the fourth about racism. Maybe it would be better if there were some dividers by topics, it wouldn't feel so all over the place. There was some repetitiveness and all the parts about reaching your inner voice and Knowing were a bit too much for me personally. But I liked the way she questioned herself all the time and searched for a way to be a better person, better parent, better partner. I loved the way she talked about racism from a white person's pov (I do wonder whether this book was the right place to talk about that, though),and her confusion of believing in God and confronting the Church as a lesbian. Some thought she was condescending and patronizing, and that it's not her place as a white privileged woman to talk about any of that stuff at all. But I did think she made some good points and discussed the topics with respect and honesty., finding a good way to start the dialogue.
All in all, I found this to be a good read. Not amazing and life altering, but not completely off the way too. I honor the author for saying everything out loud, for trying to do something to make a change in this world and using her platforms and her influence to do so. On the other hand, she is just a tad too spiritual and ''over there'' for me, and I have to admit it annoyed me a little.
3.5/5
Even thought it’s still November, which in my world means ”still too soon for Christmas anything”, I do have a soft spot for holiday reads, and after a month of scary reads I really needed something sweet and cozy. ⠀
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In a Holidaze was definitely sweet and cozy. The romance part was adorable as well as sexy and the holiday mood was en pointe. I mean, Christmas in a cabin with family, and life long friends as new lovers..can it be more comforting? Board games, quests, snowman building battles and family dinners…just perfect! The rest of the book was all over the place, unfortunately. A bit of time travelling (that actually never got explained, btw), some weird relationships and characters, and the ending that just doesn’t seem realistic.
There were some really good moments in this book, but the thing that bothered me the most was just building up the story in one direction, with growing mistery, only for it to be forgotten half way through the book? It just seems like the second writer took over and forgot to check the notes of the previous one. Considering that there are actually two authors of the book, maybe that is just the thing that happened.
In conclusion, it was a fun and relaxing holiday read, even with its inconsistencies. The love story part was really good so heads up for that :).
Even thought it’s still November, which in my world means ”still too soon for Christmas anything”, I do have a soft spot for holiday reads, and after a month of scary reads I really needed something sweet and cozy. ⠀
⠀
In a Holidaze was definitely sweet and cozy. The romance part was adorable as well as sexy and the holiday mood was en pointe. I mean, Christmas in a cabin with family, and life long friends as new lovers..can it be more comforting? Board games, quests, snowman building battles and family dinners…just perfect! The rest of the book was all over the place, unfortunately. A bit of time travelling (that actually never got explained, btw), some weird relationships and characters, and the ending that just doesn’t seem realistic.
There were some really good moments in this book, but the thing that bothered me the most was just building up the story in one direction, with growing mistery, only for it to be forgotten half way through the book? It just seems like the second writer took over and forgot to check the notes of the previous one. Considering that there are actually two authors of the book, maybe that is just the thing that happened.
In conclusion, it was a fun and relaxing holiday read, even with its inconsistencies. The love story part was really good so heads up for that :).
2.5/5
I have to admit it is really hard to summon my thoughts of this one. To be honest, I am not quite sure what the author actually wanted to say.. Contemporary fiction with a spark of fantasy - it does sound like a great idea, but unfortunately the execution of it wasn't really as good as it might have been. Some parts were amazing, some ok, and some really boring, I even skipped some parts of the fantasy world cause it was just too unreal. Kinda like reading women's version of Harry Potter, but not as good. I loved the beginning when Breena started building her life, her friends and the whole trip to Ireland part. But somewhere around the middle things just started to fall apart. And when I read that people at Talamh mated, I knew I've had enough. Maybe the rest of the series will make it better as a whole. I certainly hope so.
Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I have to admit it is really hard to summon my thoughts of this one. To be honest, I am not quite sure what the author actually wanted to say.. Contemporary fiction with a spark of fantasy - it does sound like a great idea, but unfortunately the execution of it wasn't really as good as it might have been. Some parts were amazing, some ok, and some really boring, I even skipped some parts of the fantasy world cause it was just too unreal. Kinda like reading women's version of Harry Potter, but not as good. I loved the beginning when Breena started building her life, her friends and the whole trip to Ireland part. But somewhere around the middle things just started to fall apart. And when I read that people at Talamh mated, I knew I've had enough. Maybe the rest of the series will make it better as a whole. I certainly hope so.
Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Ok, so thrillers are generally not my thing. But, every so often I like to read some to get my focus off the things I usually read. That is actually why I change genres a lot, cause reading only one makes them blend in and I end up feeling that Im reading one very long book.⠀
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At first, Double Deceit seems so simple. Today, most of the thrillers go with shocking elements to make the audience engage cause we all just want a thousand twists and turns and weird stuff happening and more murders, more violence, more disturbance. You wont get a lot of that in this book. There are no big twists and mind blowing endings here, and even though a part of me was always expecting something of that kind to happen, in the same way I enjoyed it being the kind old fashioned thriller. At moments it did feel dragged a bit, and the main characters actions at moments seemed exaggerated, but it made me doubt absolutely every character in this book and everything that I have read. ⠀
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Personally, I would like a bit more of a shocking ending, but if you're looking for a good crime book settled in the streets of Amsterdam, I can sure recommend you this one. ⠀
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* I want to thank JB Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.
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At first, Double Deceit seems so simple. Today, most of the thrillers go with shocking elements to make the audience engage cause we all just want a thousand twists and turns and weird stuff happening and more murders, more violence, more disturbance. You wont get a lot of that in this book. There are no big twists and mind blowing endings here, and even though a part of me was always expecting something of that kind to happen, in the same way I enjoyed it being the kind old fashioned thriller. At moments it did feel dragged a bit, and the main characters actions at moments seemed exaggerated, but it made me doubt absolutely every character in this book and everything that I have read. ⠀
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Personally, I would like a bit more of a shocking ending, but if you're looking for a good crime book settled in the streets of Amsterdam, I can sure recommend you this one. ⠀
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* I want to thank JB Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.
3.5 / 5 stars, rounded to 4
Sweet and short romance story, ideal for cold winter days. The most of the book is settled in Amazonian rain forest, but the ending does give the good family Christmas vibes. It is not an entirely believable story, but everybody needs a bit of hope and love these days, and that is what this book delivers.
Sweet and short romance story, ideal for cold winter days. The most of the book is settled in Amazonian rain forest, but the ending does give the good family Christmas vibes. It is not an entirely believable story, but everybody needs a bit of hope and love these days, and that is what this book delivers.
If you are looking for a perfect holiday story, look no further. This little gem (its only about 65 pages long, with illustrations), has it all - a sad story, a good deed, a grumpy character and a bit of magic. Its touching, it's sweet and its heartwarming in spite of its sadness. ⠀
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Backman is a master. And there is not enough platforms and places I can talk about it. His words are scarce and simple, but he gets the essence of everything en pointe, he shoots directly to your heart. His stories are real, his characters just as flawed as any of us, and he always manages to show that there is goodness in everyone. Even if you don't like the characters, you will understand them and feel for them. ⠀
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This book is not an exception. I enjoyed every word of it. And I will definitely reread it few more times. Find this one. Read it. It will get you thinking. It will (maybe) make you tear up a bit. Just like all of his books. ⠀
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Backman is a master. And there is not enough platforms and places I can talk about it. His words are scarce and simple, but he gets the essence of everything en pointe, he shoots directly to your heart. His stories are real, his characters just as flawed as any of us, and he always manages to show that there is goodness in everyone. Even if you don't like the characters, you will understand them and feel for them. ⠀
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This book is not an exception. I enjoyed every word of it. And I will definitely reread it few more times. Find this one. Read it. It will get you thinking. It will (maybe) make you tear up a bit. Just like all of his books. ⠀
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