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books_with_tutusandsons's Reviews (438)
3.5 / 4*
Ok, so I'm not really sure where to start with this one. Maybe with a list, like the main character, Alex ,often does. So, let's see: ⠀
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1. Prince of Wales and American First son - I mean, just the thought of the story line is hilarious.⠀
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2. To many uses of the word fuck in the first part of the book. I mean, the mc uses it in every other sentence...I didn't like that cause it seemed kind of fake.⠀
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3. The sex. I didn't expect all the details. Part of me liked it, though. ⠀
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4. The correspondance between the couple is adorable and so romantic. Their love story is kind of sweet too. ⠀
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5. Politics. Ugh. Boring. ⠀
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6. Parts of it were really laugh out loud funny. ⠀
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7. Characters were done really good. Even though at moments they are a bunch of stuck up know-it-all pricks. Zahra is s a bad ass, though. ⠀
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8. Its Utopian. First American female president is divorced and Mexican, The Queen of England is cool with having gay grandson, and their relationship is worldly supported. Oh, how I do wish that would be the world we live in. ⠀
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9. It does have a lot of YA vibes and that bothered me a bit....⠀
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10. But in conclusion, I did kinda like it. We all need a happy ending sometimes. ⠀
Ok, so I'm not really sure where to start with this one. Maybe with a list, like the main character, Alex ,often does. So, let's see: ⠀
⠀
1. Prince of Wales and American First son - I mean, just the thought of the story line is hilarious.⠀
⠀
2. To many uses of the word fuck in the first part of the book. I mean, the mc uses it in every other sentence...I didn't like that cause it seemed kind of fake.⠀
⠀
3. The sex. I didn't expect all the details. Part of me liked it, though. ⠀
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4. The correspondance between the couple is adorable and so romantic. Their love story is kind of sweet too. ⠀
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5. Politics. Ugh. Boring. ⠀
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6. Parts of it were really laugh out loud funny. ⠀
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7. Characters were done really good. Even though at moments they are a bunch of stuck up know-it-all pricks. Zahra is s a bad ass, though. ⠀
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8. Its Utopian. First American female president is divorced and Mexican, The Queen of England is cool with having gay grandson, and their relationship is worldly supported. Oh, how I do wish that would be the world we live in. ⠀
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9. It does have a lot of YA vibes and that bothered me a bit....⠀
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10. But in conclusion, I did kinda like it. We all need a happy ending sometimes. ⠀
Oh, Colleen, you've kept me up till the early hours again! But I dont regret it one single bit.⠀
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It's been a while since I have read one of her books, and the last one was Verity, which was something completely different. But I did miss her old ways - I am fascinated how she manages to pull the reader so deep in that it is simply impossible to put the book down until you've read it cover to cover. ⠀
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And let me tell you, CoHo is not an ordinary romance writer and her books are not ordinary romance books. Her characters and their struggles are real and they have deep issues that come from emotional pain. And that somehow makes them feel alive.⠀
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I loved the mother / daughter story in this one and their ups and downs through dealing with grief, disappointment and betrayal. The adult love and young love were sweet and totally age appropriate. The only part I minded was that in the past part some of the characters behaved a bit too grown up for their age. But still, it was a fast paced, emotionally gripping life story that was easy to relate to. ⠀
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It's been a while since I have read one of her books, and the last one was Verity, which was something completely different. But I did miss her old ways - I am fascinated how she manages to pull the reader so deep in that it is simply impossible to put the book down until you've read it cover to cover. ⠀
⠀
And let me tell you, CoHo is not an ordinary romance writer and her books are not ordinary romance books. Her characters and their struggles are real and they have deep issues that come from emotional pain. And that somehow makes them feel alive.⠀
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I loved the mother / daughter story in this one and their ups and downs through dealing with grief, disappointment and betrayal. The adult love and young love were sweet and totally age appropriate. The only part I minded was that in the past part some of the characters behaved a bit too grown up for their age. But still, it was a fast paced, emotionally gripping life story that was easy to relate to. ⠀
Most of the times I start reading a thriller I wonder why am I doing this to myself. I am sorry to say that, but most of them just dont work for me. They are usually either too boring, predictable and weird paced. Not to go ahead of myself, not all are like this. Some are quite amazing. But not this one.
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The premise sounded really interesting. But for the first half of the book its just inner monologues of two not really likable characters. And most of that time they are talking about the fact that they are selling a house. In the next half the pace picks up a bit, but you still dont really care about any of the characters. And then when the twists come they are just too much and some things dont really get explained. Why do I have a feeling that lately the authors have the need to bomb us with a dozen twists and all at the end of the book? Maybe its some kind of a new trend I am not familiar with...but I am definitely not liking it. ⠀
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The premise sounded really interesting. But for the first half of the book its just inner monologues of two not really likable characters. And most of that time they are talking about the fact that they are selling a house. In the next half the pace picks up a bit, but you still dont really care about any of the characters. And then when the twists come they are just too much and some things dont really get explained. Why do I have a feeling that lately the authors have the need to bomb us with a dozen twists and all at the end of the book? Maybe its some kind of a new trend I am not familiar with...but I am definitely not liking it. ⠀
My oh my...lets talk about going into books blind. Because I did that with Disappearing Earth and I couldnt be more wrong in doing so. It started like a thriller, but then evolved into something so different.⠀
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But let me start from the begining..Do you know about Kamchatka? The remote peninsula far up north in Russian Siberia? That is the place this book will take you. And it is the reason I felt drawn to this book in the first place. Cold and distant, it is almost imposible to find a book that talks about this region and its people. ⠀
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And this one does it all. It starts with abduction. Two little girls go missing on one summer day. But it doesnt continue there. It transferres into a short stories collection, and we can see how that event affected lives of different people. The fear, the causion, the curiosity, the investigation. But it digs deeper. Beneath the surface of ordinary life stories interconnected with the crime, we find out about the lives of the people of Kamchatka. The solace of motherhood, the college life, the loses of love, the unfulfilled wishes, the family ways. And underneath all of that lay stories about mysogeny, grief, toxic relationships, homophobia, ethnic differences, prejudices and love.⠀
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The more I think about it the more fascinated I am by the authors way to deal with un-ordinary events in ordinary lives, and reveal so much humanity and cultural issues. The ending is just perfect, making it full circle with the beginning and forcing you to think back on all the little hints that were scattered along the way. ⠀
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The only reason for a 4.5 rating is my own eagerness and rush to learn about the ending. I should have taken it slow. I should've read more carefully. I will surely take the time to reread this one, because there is so much more to unravel.
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But let me start from the begining..Do you know about Kamchatka? The remote peninsula far up north in Russian Siberia? That is the place this book will take you. And it is the reason I felt drawn to this book in the first place. Cold and distant, it is almost imposible to find a book that talks about this region and its people. ⠀
⠀
And this one does it all. It starts with abduction. Two little girls go missing on one summer day. But it doesnt continue there. It transferres into a short stories collection, and we can see how that event affected lives of different people. The fear, the causion, the curiosity, the investigation. But it digs deeper. Beneath the surface of ordinary life stories interconnected with the crime, we find out about the lives of the people of Kamchatka. The solace of motherhood, the college life, the loses of love, the unfulfilled wishes, the family ways. And underneath all of that lay stories about mysogeny, grief, toxic relationships, homophobia, ethnic differences, prejudices and love.⠀
⠀
The more I think about it the more fascinated I am by the authors way to deal with un-ordinary events in ordinary lives, and reveal so much humanity and cultural issues. The ending is just perfect, making it full circle with the beginning and forcing you to think back on all the little hints that were scattered along the way. ⠀
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The only reason for a 4.5 rating is my own eagerness and rush to learn about the ending. I should have taken it slow. I should've read more carefully. I will surely take the time to reread this one, because there is so much more to unravel.
Out of seven of Julie Caplin's Romantic Escapades books, this was my fourth one (I've read Copenhagen, Northern Lights Lodge and Croatia before Tokyo). Unfortunately, it was also the one I liked the least. ⠀
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Don't know it was all the romances I've read this month, but I have just had enough of all the predictivness, grand gestures and a-ha moments. Maybe its not entirely the books fault, maybe it was just my strange state of mind. Or maybe it was about the book. I dont know. I know only that it didnt do anything for me. The chemistry was weird, the characters not really interesting and reading about Japan was strangely boring. Which is pretty unusual. ⠀
Honestly, I would wish more laughing moments and more depth when talking about the culture. The first one in series (the Copenhagen one) blended all of that so nicely that it set the bar really high. I have three more to read, and I really hope that they will be better than this one. ⠀
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Don't know it was all the romances I've read this month, but I have just had enough of all the predictivness, grand gestures and a-ha moments. Maybe its not entirely the books fault, maybe it was just my strange state of mind. Or maybe it was about the book. I dont know. I know only that it didnt do anything for me. The chemistry was weird, the characters not really interesting and reading about Japan was strangely boring. Which is pretty unusual. ⠀
Honestly, I would wish more laughing moments and more depth when talking about the culture. The first one in series (the Copenhagen one) blended all of that so nicely that it set the bar really high. I have three more to read, and I really hope that they will be better than this one. ⠀
3.5/4*
I liked this one quite a lot. Its is a somewhat quirky read that addresses a lot of tough issues through the story of a nineteen year old that loses everything in a really heartbreaking way. It talks a lot about solitude, friendship, fears and family and it touches topics like mental illness, suicide and aggressive behavior. With all of these trigger warnings, I have to say it is really not a light read.⠀
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The weakest parts were all the nature descriptions, they were just so many. I know the author wanted to describe Melody Janie's love for her land and tell us about the beauty of Scotland's coast, but it would be better if there was a bit less of it. The characters were done really well and I especially enjoyed the fact that it is written as a main characters inner monologue, it added a certain intimacy to the whole story. ⠀
I liked this one quite a lot. Its is a somewhat quirky read that addresses a lot of tough issues through the story of a nineteen year old that loses everything in a really heartbreaking way. It talks a lot about solitude, friendship, fears and family and it touches topics like mental illness, suicide and aggressive behavior. With all of these trigger warnings, I have to say it is really not a light read.⠀
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The weakest parts were all the nature descriptions, they were just so many. I know the author wanted to describe Melody Janie's love for her land and tell us about the beauty of Scotland's coast, but it would be better if there was a bit less of it. The characters were done really well and I especially enjoyed the fact that it is written as a main characters inner monologue, it added a certain intimacy to the whole story. ⠀
Listen to me people. This book.... it's a masterpiece.⠀
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It has been a while since I read a book like this. A book that broke me and ripped the air out of my lungs. A book that made me question my values as a woman, as a mother. A book that made me want to become a better person. A person that is not that cold, not that ignorant, not that oblivious to events around me.⠀
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In the modern world, illegal immigration is something we know exists but we don't talk much about it. We don't think much about it. And still, it is everywhere around us. The place I live is a route for Syrian immigrants on their path to Europe. I haven't seen them, they go through woods, during the night. I've heard stories. But I never encountered any of the people. Don't know what I would do if I did. We never think of their stories. We never think of their lives. We just know the political side and the negativity media makes us see. The camps, the fences, the guards. The poverty and the fear.
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This book tells a story about a path a mother and a son need to take in order to stay alive. It also tells a story about the horrors of a modern world and terrible destinies. And even though it is just a story, the horrible reality is that so many people today need to run in order to live. How much fear and despair a person must feel to leave everything and start a deadly path into the unknown? My heart cant stand the thought of hopelessness in their lives that leads to decision of taking a step like that. And the situation in the world where basic needs and values of people cannot be met is just crushing. ⠀
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Maybe tomorrow it can happen to me. Or maybe to a family member. We can never know what life can throw at us. And that's why books like this are needed - to make us stop for a second, think and try to raise above our own prejudices. There can never be enough kindness and support in the world. I honestly believe in that.
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It has been a while since I read a book like this. A book that broke me and ripped the air out of my lungs. A book that made me question my values as a woman, as a mother. A book that made me want to become a better person. A person that is not that cold, not that ignorant, not that oblivious to events around me.⠀
⠀
In the modern world, illegal immigration is something we know exists but we don't talk much about it. We don't think much about it. And still, it is everywhere around us. The place I live is a route for Syrian immigrants on their path to Europe. I haven't seen them, they go through woods, during the night. I've heard stories. But I never encountered any of the people. Don't know what I would do if I did. We never think of their stories. We never think of their lives. We just know the political side and the negativity media makes us see. The camps, the fences, the guards. The poverty and the fear.
⠀⠀
This book tells a story about a path a mother and a son need to take in order to stay alive. It also tells a story about the horrors of a modern world and terrible destinies. And even though it is just a story, the horrible reality is that so many people today need to run in order to live. How much fear and despair a person must feel to leave everything and start a deadly path into the unknown? My heart cant stand the thought of hopelessness in their lives that leads to decision of taking a step like that. And the situation in the world where basic needs and values of people cannot be met is just crushing. ⠀
⠀
Maybe tomorrow it can happen to me. Or maybe to a family member. We can never know what life can throw at us. And that's why books like this are needed - to make us stop for a second, think and try to raise above our own prejudices. There can never be enough kindness and support in the world. I honestly believe in that.
3.5/5
Ok. Let me tell you about The Four Winds. It talks about the time of The Geat Depression in America in 1930's. And it is depressing. From beginning till the end there is not one good thing happening for the characters. As @book.reviews.by.j words, its depression porn at its finest. But dont get me wrong, it is not a bad book. ⠀
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The beginning is extremely slow and repetitive, but it does its work and makes you not only bored a bit, but mad at the characters as well. And I have to say, I cherish that. Because any level of emotion readers get when it comes to characters is a sign of a good writer. It picks up about half way in and it gets better, plot wise. But its still a story about tough times and it will leave you heartbroken. ⠀
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I grew up in the time of war. A real, bombs, tanks, killings, refugees, depression kind of war. I know what standing in line for bread means. I know what it means if you get there too late and there is no more to buy. I know what it feels like having everything scarce. About just hoping to survive. About hoping the future will be better. I was a child, 8 yrs old when it started. 13 when it ended. I pushed back most of my memories. But now as a mother I cannot not think about how did my parents feel. How desperate have they felt. How brave to put on a happy face and dont let all their worries get to us. ⠀
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The emotions this story evoked in me took me back to that time. I understood. I did wish for more action though. And more hope. The author said that this story is a story of hope in this times cause if the Americans got through that they will go through anything. But if that is what a hopeful and feel good story looks like, I think I am living in a wrong world.
Ok. Let me tell you about The Four Winds. It talks about the time of The Geat Depression in America in 1930's. And it is depressing. From beginning till the end there is not one good thing happening for the characters. As @book.reviews.by.j words, its depression porn at its finest. But dont get me wrong, it is not a bad book. ⠀
⠀
The beginning is extremely slow and repetitive, but it does its work and makes you not only bored a bit, but mad at the characters as well. And I have to say, I cherish that. Because any level of emotion readers get when it comes to characters is a sign of a good writer. It picks up about half way in and it gets better, plot wise. But its still a story about tough times and it will leave you heartbroken. ⠀
⠀
I grew up in the time of war. A real, bombs, tanks, killings, refugees, depression kind of war. I know what standing in line for bread means. I know what it means if you get there too late and there is no more to buy. I know what it feels like having everything scarce. About just hoping to survive. About hoping the future will be better. I was a child, 8 yrs old when it started. 13 when it ended. I pushed back most of my memories. But now as a mother I cannot not think about how did my parents feel. How desperate have they felt. How brave to put on a happy face and dont let all their worries get to us. ⠀
⠀
The emotions this story evoked in me took me back to that time. I understood. I did wish for more action though. And more hope. The author said that this story is a story of hope in this times cause if the Americans got through that they will go through anything. But if that is what a hopeful and feel good story looks like, I think I am living in a wrong world.
Well this is what I call a good thriller. Fast paced, unpredictable and addictive, it was exactly what I needed. It kept me hooked and invested and I managed to finish it in only two days. With its haunted house vibes, interesting twists and a story inside of a story, I can totally see it becoming a tv series in the near future. ⠀